Lettuce Rejoice!
December 1, 2022
An Even Better Season
Can you believe this photo? A member of our farm crew, Autumn Ducharme, took it, and and always she really knocked my socks off.
Administration
THANK-YOU to everyone that has been trying hard to return bags. We were able to pack all of our shares into them today for the first time in a long time.
And a big GIANT thank you to everyone that filled in our farm share survey (over 100 of you did!). I am so excited to have all this data to use to make our farm share even better.
I’d still love to hear from the rest of you as well! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9DK2DF2
I thought I’d share the key takeaways so far:
The most common vegetables you would like to have more of are: peas, beans, broccoli (and/ or broccolini), cauliflower, leeks, and rapini (I was really surprised to see that last one!). I’ve got a plan to get more of these into the shares for 2023. There were a few other veggies mentioned once or twice and I’ll think about these as well.
Lots of you would like opportunities to tour the farm. A few of you would like access to some pick-your-own produce, particularly raspberries (can do, I planted so many raspberries!).
In general, members prefer the new Ziploc style bags for baby greens, and there is a general appreciation for reducing plastic where possible.
There were some great ideas for getting cooler bags returned. While I love all the ideas about labeling bags and charging fees, I’m concerned that this might be too onerous as we are dealing with nearly 200 bags per week. Currently, I think that the most feasible idea is to encourage members to repack their shares right at the pick-up site, either into their own bags or into paper bags that we provide. Let’s give that a try!
What’s in the Box?
We’ve nearly made it through all the winter squash, and on our farm, that means is time to turn the spot light onto sweet potatoes! I love curries with sweet potatoes and chickpeas, throw in some spinach (which is also abundant right now), and top with cilantro microgreens and you have a gourmet dish!
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/sweet-potato-chickpea-coconut-curry/
On the Farm:
The pigs are in the barn. I repeat, the pigs are in the barn. Perhaps you recall last week I was stressing about the move and unsure if we would once again watch our new piggies disappear into the neighbour’s corn field.
Well three of them followed Brian and his grain dish quite happily, though the fourth needed to be carried over- I’m glad we got a small breed! They seemed pleased with their new digs and like to stay cozy by burying themselves completely in their hay bedding.
Those that know me, know that I don't really like livestock. I like plants. Plants stay where you put them, and I speak their language. That being said, I'm interested in seeing how we can integrate small animals into the farm, and generate more of our own fertility. I've always believed that a healthy farm includes animals and their outputs, but we were trying hard for a long time not to spread ourselves too thin. Now that we've got more experience, and some really great staff, we are ready to dip our toes into animal husbandry (well, mostly Brian, but I do a lot of research).
We can barely believe that we are nearly at the end of another season. I love this time of year, a time for reflection and planning. I’m just sinking my teeth into the crop plan for next year, and am checking the mailbox waaaay too often waiting for my seed catalogs to arrive. It’s like an early Christmas present when they do.
That’s all for now folks, happy eating until next time!
Farmer Tamara
