We moved into our new place last August. We moved here so we could have more space and we could create a farm on our own land. Renting land was proving far more difficult than I thought it would be. Now we have over 2 acres to play with. We did a few things in the fall to prepare for the coming year. We planted garlic and some of the fruit bushes I had moved from our tiny little city property. I expanded a couple of existing garden beds and planted a few herbs I bought on sale at the end of the year. I was a little surprised that the established gardens didn’t include any herbs or really, anything edible. I suppose that’s not everyone’s priority. I’ve had to hold myself back a bit from making big decisions about where the gardens are going to be. The first principle of Permaculture is Observe and Interact. Before I even heard the word Permaculture I had read the advice to take a year to make decisions on what you will do in the garden of a new residence. So I am observing and interacting, mostly. In October we (my dad and his friend) took down about 14 dead trees on the property. Mostly ash and elm. This was very exciting for me because I’ve wanted to experiment with hugelkultur for a while now. Without knowing what it was at the time, I built a raised bed at our old place and used logs and brush trimmings to help fill the bottom of the bed so I didn't have to buy so much soil. That bed was very productive. On this property I have observed that there are a lot of places that are very wet. The water table is high or maybe our property is low. I decided to use some hugelkultur beds to build up the soil in those places. When building a hugelkultur bed you often dig down and place the logs in a trench but because I want to build it up I just placed the logs on the ground. I went a little crazy with the amount of beds I have built (so much for waiting to make those decisions!) but I think it’s a pretty good start. I roughly followed some of the contours but in some places I went against the contour in an effort to begin to direct the flow of water. I don’t want to get rid of the water on the property, I want to spread it around. The land is very flat so contour is pretty relative. Many hugelkultur beds are very big and high. I have kept the beds fairly narrow and they probably won’t be more that 4 feet high once they are planted in the spring. We collected leaves in the fall and covered the logs and branches with those leaves. I’m hoping to find a good manure source and spread it on the leaves with more yard waste on top of that and then soil on top of the yard waste. I also planted garlic around some of the beds in drier places under straw. This is just an experiment to see what works. We had loads of garlic from last year to plant and we had already planted our major bed on a higher, dry spot close to the pond. So now it’s January, we had 3 more trees taken down, one by the wind and 2 by my dad. I keep piling brush and logs on what will be the largest hugel-bed on the property. Dad built a greenhouse on the south side of the garage and he’s experimenting with microgreens in the house. I’m deciding on the perennials I want to buy (most of them!) and thinking about where some of the vegetable crops will go this year. With the saturation of the ground I’m not sure what fruit trees will do well here. They would probably need some raised beds to keep their roots from being soaked in all but the driest of summers. They don't like wet feet. I dream of planting a willow fence along one side of the property. The property is very open right now with loads of grass to cut. I’d like to close it off a bit with evergreens and lilac bushes. My dad and I both love very tall grasses, I'm sure I can find a spot for those. There are so many herbs and flowers that I covet. How many lavender plants can you fit on 2 acres? Can I find the same delicious smelling rose that I had in my last place? The possibilities feel endless. According to Permaculture principles you are only limited by your imagination. How exciting! When it’s nice outside I wander into some of the wilder bits of the property. In Permaculture that's called zone 5. There are elderberry bushes already on the property and growing wild along the trail. I think a foraging workshop is in my future to help learn about some of the wild stuff I already have.
We are also getting ready to order our bees and all the stuff we need for them. I have a pretty good idea where they can set up camp. I also keep looking at the old shed in the yard that I think will be our chicken coop. It needs a new floor and to be vermin proofed but it's a pretty good start. There's so much to Observe and January is a great time to do it. I'm itching to get out there and plant stuff but I realize how much I can learn by just watching and paying attention. It's a kind of meditation. I am watching. Observing. Interacting. Dreaming about the possibilities. I've been paying attention to the paths we tread to the fire pit, the pond and the path at the back. I've noticed the different directions the wind blows. I've heard the sound of the lake and watched the pond rise and rise with each pounding of rain after the extremely dry summer. I've noticed the deer paths at the back of the property and experienced soakers in my boots as I find the wettest spots on the land. I walk the dog and see the community we live in. It's all so new and exciting and it's only the beginning!
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We finished the CSA season and we worked on the new property getting beds set up and covered with their mulch duvets. Nice and cozy for the winter. We also have all of our garlic planted for next year. Now we're enjoying the downtime and making our way through the holiday season. Doesn't it seem like we need to just chill out right now instead of getting all hyped up for the holidays? I mean, if nature takes a bit of a vacation, it seems we should follow suit. Anyway, it's not easy for most of us to opt out of the festivities at this time of year but I think that following nature's lead is something we should do more of. Permaculture asks us to watch nature and take notes. Nature is very good at self-regulating and slowing down. I'm doing that this winter. 2016 CSA Program And yet...there is still work being done. In nature things are often still growing and moving even in the dead of winter under layers of snow (if we ever get any). Sleeping and dreaming and prepared for the ideal conditions to sprout into life. And so in the work for the farm we are planning and dreaming and getting ready for next season. I have updated our CSA Program information for the 2016 season so sign up whenever you are ready. If you are a Founding Member then your price per week will be the same as last year at $20 per week. This year our program will only be 15 weeks long. There will be a 1 week break in July and again in August. This will take care of those times when we find the produce needs a chance to catch up with our demand as older crops die back. We also have a 7 week-alternate week option. Sign up now. Founding Members have first claim on this year's CSA spots. Have a lovely holiday! Week 18. That's all folks. This is the last week and I am happy to have made it. I was a little worried for a while. I really wanted to quit at about week 9. I wasn't getting the harvests I wanted, someone asked for their money back and I was losing the land for next year. My family, friends and quite a few of you helped me through. You reminded me it was my first year. You told me some of the things I was doing well and how great the veggies tasted. I came to realize that I wanted to try again. I've enjoyed so much about this work and I know I can do better next year. I'm really looking forward to the break that winter brings but I'm also excited to do this all again next year with more knowledge. Next week we'll start in earnest at the new place and getting that garlic planted. I know the leaves haven't fallen yet but please think of me when you are cleaning up your yards. I will take your yard waste. Send me an email and I will come and get it or you can drop it off at my house. Just put it in the front path. I'm going to send out a survey so that I can get your feedback on this year. I'm well aware of many shortcomings but it would be great to see if there is anything I missed or maybe you thought I did better than I think I did. Look for it soon. Next season I will be capping the vegetable box shares at 20 small boxes. This year I went above that and some weeks I had almost 30 shares to pack. It was definitely too many people and not enough produce. I may still offer the every other week share but only if I have enough interest to fill the alternate weeks. There will be 2 days for pick up. Tuesday and Friday at Lowell Ave. Any other pickup locations will depend on the number of people who sign up and may include an additional fee. I'm still mulling over pricing but founding members (that would be you since you signed up in the first year) will get their box for the same price as this year. $20 per week for the small and $35 per week for the large. I'll send the sign up link with the survey in the next couple weeks. Leeks and ParsnipsLeeks and parsnips. Those are the feature vegetables this week. Lots of them to go with your Thanksgiving turkey or whatever you eat as you gather with your family this weekend. There is also the usual lettuce and arugula. Cilantro is the featured herb. You'll also get carrots and tomatoes. The tomatoes will be green. Like I said in the last post, they will still ripen, especially if you leave them in a warm sunny window, and you can eat them green. Tomatoes don't like the fridge they will go mealy. With some of the other vegetables there aren't enough to go around so everyone will get something a little different. These vegetables include radish, squash, cabbage (yes there are a couple!), rutabega, broccoli, peppers, zucchini, cucumber, beans and even eggplant. What do you do with those parsnips? Maybe you've never even tried a parsnip. I hadn't until I met my husband. Parsnips are related to carrots and parsley. They are a very cold tolerant vegetable and can be left in the ground well after frost. They are delicious roasted like most vegetables. My husband roasts them with honey. They can be added to mashed potatoes along with garlic and sage for a twist on the usual mash. You can add the leeks too. If you like to juice they go well with carrots. If you eat meat they are well suited to turkey, game meats, beef and pork. I think there are a lot of options for them and I think that they could replace carrots in a lot of things. The leeks? Leek and potato soup of course! My leeks rarely get used for anything else. The little ones go well in a stir fry or vegetable pasta or in pretty much anything you use onions for. This soup recipe combines the leeks and the parsnips. Parsnip Soup with Leeks
These last few weeks the bins will be very similar to what they have been. Lots of lettuce, the arugula is doing great and you'll see cilantro in the last 2 bins. The basil doesn't enjoy the cool nights and if we get frost you won't get anymore of it. The kale is making a comeback and the swiss chard is still going strong. The beans and zucchini are still coming and the warm, sunny days help. Peppers, sweet and hot. I always take a little taste before I put them in what I'm cooking. There are some sweet banana peppers that look like hot peppers so try them before cooking with them. I mentioned a few weeks back that the tomatoes I'm giving you are not completely ripe. In the last week I will be picking ALL the tomatoes that are still on the vine. This means you will be getting green tomatoes. Although they will ripen eventually you can also use green tomatoes. In the last blog update I will post some recipes for them. You may have noticed the small broccoli sprouts with your salad greens. That's it for the cabbage family this year but you already know my woes about them. Carrots, beets, turnips and parsnips are still in the garden so look for some of these in the last 2 baskets. More fennel, parsley and the last of the leeks. In the last week we will pick whatever squash is available. Some of it won't be completely ripe but we will be picking it anyway. You can still use it and I will post some ideas and recipes. Here's a recipe for some green tomatoes in case you are to impatient to wait for them to ripen. It also uses up the basil. Grilled Green Tomatoes with Creamy Basil We are digging up potatoes this week. Tattie howking (how-king), as my husband says. He has fond memories of howking tatties when he was a kid in Scotland. I'm pretty sure he just makes up words and says they're Scottish. How would I know? I grew up in Canada with Dutch parents and I'm pretty sure they made up words too. You'll get a quart of potatoes this week and next week. This week we have more beans and zucchini. Less cherry tomatoes but a few more larger tomatoes. The salad mix includes chard, arugula and various lettuces. The cucumber are producing a few here and there though not consistently. Also note the small leeks. I was hoping to get the huge leeks like in the grocery store but that requires way more water and a better soil structure. We'll work on that because I love leeks! The last crops that we planted are starting to be ready. There are some turnips and radishes and soon cilantro, spinach and more lettuce. Basil and baby fennel are in the baskets this week too. Last night I made an amazing Thai soup and the basil/fennel combo gave it that lovely flavour that Thai soup often gets from Thai basil. Check out the recipe below.
Last Sunday, it was sooo hot, my dad and I went to Grimo Nuts for a tour. Fortunately nut trees tend to be large and cast lots of shade so it was a pretty comfortable tour. I've heard from a number of people how lovely Ernie Grimo is and he gave a really great tour. I want to plant hazelnuts and a couple other nut trees and it was great to see and hear what and how he does it. I was interested in hazelnuts and pecans but now I'm thinking of hickory and heartnut. I love that he can grow so many of these crops in this area. I can't wait to experiment and share the bounty that I end up with in a few to ten years. Did I mention how committed I am to this work? Thai Soup Serves 4-6 I made some modifications from recipes I have in the house because I don't always have all the ingredients called for in a "true" Thai soup. It still had a lovely flavour. Here is what I made. 1 small hot pepper 3 garlic cloves 1" piece of fresh ginger 1 tbsp lime (usually lime leaves are used) 1 teaspoon lemon (lemongrass is the usual item) 2 teaspoons of powdered coriander about 3 small roma tomatoes 4 cups chicken or veg stock 2 cans of coconut milk 4 chicken thighs chopped up and a handful of frozen shrimp (optional, just add more veg) carrots, beans and zucchini cut into bite sized pieces (peppers and mushrooms would be nice too) handful of chopped basil and fennel (don't skimp) salt to taste Start heating the stock and chop everything up. I used a small hand blender with the chopper attachment to blitz up the hot pepper, garlic, ginger, lime, lemon, coriander and tomatoes. Use a blender or hand chop finely. When the stock is heated add the hot pepper mixture and the chicken. Add the veg when the chicken is cooked through. Cook until the veg is to your desired texture. Add the shrimp, basil and fennel. Add salt to taste. Cook for a few more minutes and serve. It's been pretty cool this week. It's lovely for working in and the lettuce really likes it. We planted a lot of lettuce, arugula and radishes in the last few weeks and they are all coming up nicely. If you are wondering about your greens mix lately, it contains the usual lettuce and chard with the addition of pea tendrils and arugula thinnings. Pea tendrils look a little like clover with arms (the tendril part that helps them climb) and the arugula thinnings have a lovely peppery smell and taste but are tiny and a little bug eaten. Don't worry the bugs aren't still on them and I read an article that said the bug eaten leaves are healthier given that they need to increase their defenses. I don't know how factual that is but it seems plausible. Perfection is only for the chemical gardener. As an organic gardener I've decided to put up with a few bugs. I know the predators will be along soon. In fact I've seen a few in the last few weeks. Spiders, lady bugs, praying mantis, toads and even a snake. I also saw the wrinkled skin of a caterpillar which I puzzled over until I found a description of what some parasitic wasps do to their prey. They lay their eggs in a caterpillar and then when the eggs hatch they eat the thing from the inside and leave a caterpillar husk in their wake. Brutal but effective. I've found a few squashes and pumpkins on the vines and the zucchini are finally coming along. Last week most of you received an eggplant and a large zucchini. Those were courtesy of Arden (of Lake Land Meats) and her daughter Elizabeth. The teeny, weeny zucchini are from our plants. The tomatoes are ripening nicely too. There are loads still on the vines and you'll receive more and more tomatoes in the baskets. You may notice that they aren't all completely ripe. There are a few reasons for this and they are all fellow tomato lovers. Everyone loves a ripe tomato including pests. The mice, slugs and two freedom-loving chickens have all shown me how much they love the tomatoes so I pick them just as they are turning. They will continue to turn red and I think they are just as delicious and sweet. You can leave them in a sunny window or just on the counter until they turn. Some of Wednesdays baskets received a small cabbage this week. Just a little one because that's all there is. I planted loads of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts in the spring but they haven't fared well. They like consistency (as most of us do) and it was just so hard this year. They were stressed after I planted them because it was dry in May (and we were still setting up our irrigation) and then stressed again because it got so wet in June. They never really recovered and have been ravaged by bugs. You may still see some sprouts and some broccoli florets but chances are you won't get any of these crops in your basket unless the new ones that I planted in July start to make something of themselves. This week will be the last of the onions and garlic. They've had a really good run. We are already planning next year's garlic crop. I'm planting enough to give everyone at least one bulb every week from mid-July until the end. When I planted last fall this CSA was still a bit of a pipe dream. A lot of the onions I planted drowned in the June rains and went all mushy. They will be replaced with leeks for as long as possible. My dad and I are working on getting an agreement together with a land owner this week. Thanks to everyone who sent me leads on land. I've learned so much this year and one of the things I've learned is to get things in writing. I did know that I should but I squelched that and just trusted that everything would be ok. Oh well, here we are now working on getting a place to plant 2000 garlic cloves. This is the tenth week of harvest which means that we are just over half way through this year's CSA. Still slim pickings this week but the zucchini is flowering like crazy and I've seen the bees doing their best to pollinate them. The boxes will hopefully be jam packed soon! The beans and tomatoes are producing more every week. I have more lettuce, radish, carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower and turnips planted and they are growing as fast as they can. I wonder what kind of music they like. Maybe they would move a little faster with a good beat going. Though we haven't been as successful as I wanted to be I am still quite proud of the work that we've done and the garden that we have created. Permaculture I recently attended the third weekend of a Permaculture Design Course that I'm taking. It was so hard to leave and spend 3 days away from the farm and my family. Usually when I do workshops away from home I'm quite relieved to get away for a little while. Not this weekend. I love being at the farm and it is a lot of work and takes up a lot of my time so I don't get to spend as much time as I'd like with my sons and husband. I thought the course would be a good idea to help me through my first year. In retrospect, not such a good idea. The appeal for this weekend was a field trip to another CSA farm. It was interesting and I took loads of pictures. They are a whole lot bigger than I ever want to be but it was interesting. They use draft horses to cultivate their fields and they are experimenting with some no-till fields. I can't wait to find out how that goes. One of the great things about this course is that it's helping me to get a better picture of what I'd like to plant. Permaculture is a wholistic approach to designing gardens, communities and homesteads. The approach takes into account the human's needs while also making sure that it's ecologically sustainable, efficient and diverse. I've been studying it for a few years now but this course is really giving me some key points to focus on when I'm designing my market garden as well as my home garden. Looks like we need to start again... So my dad and I found out last week that we won't be able to continue our project at our current location next year. The reasons are various and unfortunate. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime. Right now I'm very disappointed but I'm staying optimistic and looking for somewhere else to establish ourselves. We've learned so much this year and though it will be hard to start again we agree that it won't be from scratch because of all the knowledge we've gained in our first year. Stay tuned as we continue this adventure. Thanks so much for your support! Jackie and Jake Ps. If you know of anyone with 1/2 acre or more of land that they would be willing to rent out for money or a land tax break. We will have a farm business number next year which will allow the land owner to claim farm status.
All I can say is that it's my first year. I've never grown this much and I planned as best as I could on paper. You never really know though until you start growing. Plus the weather and soil add a little more complexity. I'm working very hard, learning lots and making loads of notes for next year. I really appreciate that you invested your money in this (ad)venture and I'm very conscious of giving you a good return on your investment. The zucchini are coming are you ready for it? Last year I made dill relish with zucchini instead of cucumbers.
Everything is growing especially the weeds. I stopped trying to keep up with them and am now just making friends with the ones that aren't actively choking out the vegetables. The spinach didn't do well and I decided to replace it. Sorry, no spinach for the boxes right now. Maybe the fall crop will do better. The other fail has been the arugula. It got eaten. Apparently we aren't the only ones that find that spicy leaf tasty. Again, maybe the next planting will do better. It's been quite the spring. Wet and cold, dry and hot, wet, wet, hot. I was nervous about the peppers and tomatoes because it was so wet after I planted them but it's dried out pretty well and everything is rallying. There isn't much change in the boxes this week. Lots of lettuce, another bunch of radish, a half quart of shelling peas, kale or chard, some new onions and a couple of herbs. The herbs vary this week. Tuesday's boxes had cilantro and dill. Wednesday's and Thursday's had tarragon and lemon balm. Friday's boxes will probably have tarragon and dill. Tarragon has a licorice type flavour. I love it in salad dressing and in place of dill with salmon. When you get your box, get your veggies in as cool a spot as possible as soon as possible. The fridge is the ideal environment for greens and herbs. I use recycled plastic bags from bread and milk to store lettuce. Liven things up with a rinse in cool water. Which veggies are which? As I'm sure you've noticed I won't include a paper list in each box. I will post on the blog every other week unless there is a big change in vegetables. I will try and post a picture each week on Facebook with a list of the veggies. If you aren't on Facebook or I don't post a picture when you need one then please ask me what you are wondering about. Send me an email or a text with a picture and I will answer you as soon as possible. The other thing you can do is taste it. Take a small taste and wonder. Wonder what flavours it might taste good with. Vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil? Sounds like a salad dressing to me. Picking up your boxes. I will not be sending reminders every week. It is your responsibility to remember to pick it up. If you are someone who gets a box every other week and you lose track and can't remember if it's this week or next then just email me and I will tell you. No biggie. If you forget to pick up I'll email you but I may not know right away especially Beamsville or Lake Land pick ups. Your box will still be available for pick up the next day. At Lake Land, if there is room in the fridge it will get put in the fridge. In Beamsville it will still be in the garage in the original box. Either way the vegetables won't be as fresh so please expect that. Now I must get back to weeding. Coming soon in the boxes are carrots, broccoli and tomatoes. |
JackieI'm a garden farmer, herbal enthusiast, motherwifesisterfriend and Archives
April 2022
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