September 2, 2021
The Lettuce Rejoice!
Firmly Rooted Farm's Newsletter for their Veggie Loving Farm-ily
From left to right: Erika, Bethany, Michelle, Ruby, Tamara. Photo was taken by Autumn
On the Farm: Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food
Hello again my veggie loving friends,
It’s been a real scorcher out there folks, but relief seems to be on the horizon, or at least a brief respite. It’s hard to believe it’s September next week! Summer, as always, has flown by. And as always, I feel I haven’t made the most of it, but such is the nature of summer. At least I can say I spent lots of time in the sun and ate a tonne of summer produce!
At Firmly Rooted, we certainly harp on a lot about the importance of knowing where your food comes from. But something we’ve neglected is imparting the knowledge of who are the people who grow, package, transport, love, and care for the food you eat. This may be a bit of a longer newsletter as there are many wonderful humans involved in the process of getting our food on plates, with who I have the absolute pleasure of working.
Brian and Tamara, the dynamic duo. Two crazy kids fell who in love while in the Landscape Architecture program at Guelph and decided to farm. They complement each other well in business and life, drawing on each other's strengths and balancing each other’s weaknesses. Together they foster life, on-farm and in family, contributing to a wonderful legacy I can only hope to emulate someday. Accompanied by Jack, who ensures everyone is on their toes indulging his curiosities, and Ruby, the real supervisor, the four of them provide the grounding in which we are “firmly rooted.”
Michelle, lovingly dubbed “Menu Michelle” by her friends, is an expert in too many things to list. With over seven years of farming experience, two of them at Firmly Rooted, she’s the one you want alongside you in a zombie apocalypse. With a love for food to the very end, this glorious human also is an expert chef. Her way to unwind and express herself is through cooking and baking. Humble to a fault, her innovative taste for flavour combinations has helped earn her the nickname. I’m honoured to count her among my closest friends.
Autumn comes to us fresh and full of enthusiasm to learn. This summer is her first season farming, and listening to her gush about the delight of being involved in growing food has reinvigorated some passion in me. Autumn is also a talented artist, who sees the world around her in complex wonder, eyeing beauty in the seemingly mundane. Ever curious and exceedingly kind, she brings sunshine even on rainy days.
Many of you may know Rosyln. Ros has been volunteering and working with Firmly Rooted for almost 6 years! She’s a rock; reliable and skilled, she makes sure your greens are bagged with care, offering stories and wit in the process. A pillar of the community, she’s also a skilled artist, creating fibre art mosaic pieces and finely stitched embroidery, and offers her knowledge as a teacher at the Celtic College at the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival. Say "hi" if you see her at the Bayfield or Goderich Farmer’s Markets!
Amy, former hand model and local enigma, gets her hands dirty slinging and bagging veggies for the masses. Intelligent and quick-witted, she ensures things run smoothly on packing day, coordinating and problem-solving, with grace and care. Truly an inspiration for facing life as it is, there isn’t much that can phase her; she’s the reason we don’t lose our heads on crazy packing days.
Part-time farmhand, full-time superwoman, Bethany lives life with joy and humour, embracing the ridiculous and finding absurdity in the banal. She comes to us with little farming experience but with a want to learn and a love for the power of local food. Also an artist, she has a keen eye for evoking powerful messaging through her wonderful works depicting plants and elements of nature.
Alex doesn’t spend much time on the farm, instead, she showcases her talent for working with people at the farmer’s markets. Taking pride in her towering and colourful displays of carrots and beets, this graphic designer brings creativity and sanity to crazy market days. She’s the first face I see on early Saturday mornings, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jackson may only be 14 years old, but he’s got the confidence and charisma of someone far beyond his years. Soon he will be leaving us to enter Grade 9, but he’s certainly made an impact with ridiculous anecdotes and a friendly disposition.
Jenn may only spend one day a week on the farm, but she and her family have become an easy fixture in the larger farm family. Offering an ear to listen accompanied by sage advice, she brings comfort and laughter to harvest days. As a teacher, she has a love for learning and the skill for imparting knowledge.
Dana, another creative, delivers for us every Thursday. She’s soon moving onto another job, and we will miss her joy greatly. Driven by her passion for community and local food, she also is a board member of the newly established Eat Local Huron.
George is new on the farm (he’s only two weeks in), but is already proving himself to be an excellent addition. In his downtime, he can be found tending to his food forest garden or photographing his food forest garden, of which I am insanely jealous.
Helmut and Brandon have been integral in getting construction moving along on the farm this summer. With so many projects on the go, they’ve still managed to make sure the little jobs get done, again bringing joy and humour to everyone’s day.
And then there’s me! But you’ve already heard enough about me I’m sure.
These people are my friends, inspirations, and help me grow into a better person each day. Evidently, the farm attracts the creative, the passionate, the joyous, the humourous, and the resilient. We all love what we do, and hope you do too.
Kitchen Corner
Peppers are in full swing. The consensus at the farm is that they are best enjoyed on the BBQ. We grow many sweet peppers and will have a limited offering of poblanos, jalapeños, and shishitos next week. This skewers recipe is easy to execute and incredibly flexible. Just add your favourite veggies, and make any tweaks you so desire!
Kitchen Clean-Up
Some of you may have heard whisperings of a new local food initiative called Eat Local Huron. The team at Eat Local Huron has worked with amazing volunteers for months to launch Eat Local Huron and it's finally ready! Eat Local Huron is an online store that delivers local food (including Firmly Rooted!) to your door year-round, anywhere in Huron County. There are tons of other local producers in the store too, with more being added each week. Pick whatever you want online Wed-Sun and Eat Local Huron delivers it the next Wednesday. If you like local food and want it delivered to your doorstep, check out at EatLocalHuron.ca and on social media @eatlocalhuron!
Tamara would also like to apologize for any slow responses to emails but hopes you can bear with us. August is the busiest and most tiring time to be a market garden farmer, but we are always doing our best to accommodate anyone’s needs! Additionally, we apologize for the state of the bags this week, we were not shipped our normal packaging supplies. It may be prudent to bring an extra bag with your to pick up your share!
That’s all for now folks, happy eating until next time!
Farmer Erika
