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Brandeston Farm

Weekly Update: June 9th


Welcome! We're happy to be kicking off the 2023 CSA season!


We've faced some early and new challenges this season as outlined in our pre-season update A Tough Start, but we're working hard to adapt and

overcome to these issues and forge ahead.


Below you'll find some updates about goings on at the farm, as well as a list of the items in the CSA shares this week.


Air Quality

You may already be aware that this year's wildfire season in Canada has made a significant early impact. Across the nation, hundreds of large-scale wildfires are blazing fiercely, with many still beyond control. Help is pouring in from supportive countries like the US and France, providing crews and equipment. Such situations remind us that, no matter how advanced we become, we don't hold absolute control over nature.

Fortunately, we aren't directly facing the threat of wildfires in our area. However, we still need to adjust our plans due to their indirect effects. Based on the smoke and pollution forecast - an additional factor we've had to include in our weather considerations - it was predicted that Thursday, June 8th, would face significant pollution. Accordingly, we rescheduled our CSA harvest to Wednesday and decided to give the farm a rest on the potentially hazardous Thursday.

At present, this seems to be the most prudent approach. We must stay vigilant and adjust our plans according to the potential risks to our team's health. To enhance our preparedness, we've ordered air quality sensors to complement our weather station. This will enable us to provide more localized air quality updates in the future.



Romaine Experiment

Romaine Heads Open from Heat

This growing season, we're excited to try out some new lettuce types, including a variety reputed to withstand high temperatures - a heat-resistant romaine lettuce.

It's common knowledge that a significant portion of the lettuce we see in our local stores originates from California. However, being at the other end of the continent presents its challenges. Moreover, California's agriculture is grappling with severe, possibly existential threats to its productivity.

We absolutely love Caesar salad, so the idea of growing our own romaine lettuce sounds fantastic. Heat has been our biggest adversary in previous attempts. This year, we're testing a variety that's promoted as heat-resistant. We plan to grow limited batches throughout the season under varying conditions to evaluate its performance.

We'd love to hear what you think!



This Week's CSA Share

  • Head Lettuce

  • Romaine

  • Green Onion

  • Radish

  • Salad Mix

  • Pea Shoot Microgreens

  • Chives

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