***Farm News***
Here we are with two shares to go! The final share goes out on Oct. 28/29. (That's reminder number one). We are wrapping up field work, and we have made plans for our staff from Mexico to return to their families there. Tomorrow evening I will cook a meal (featuring all kinds of farm goodies of course!) to share with our crew to celebrate our season's end.
It has been a very interesting year for us with the new method of growing right up against the old, and we can see very significant differences between the two. This has given us renewed energy and hope for our farm, and for farming in general. The impact of no-till, regenerative farming can and will, we believe, be significant in terms of climate solutions and food security.
***Auto-renew Info***
Reminder number two is in regards to auto-renew. I've written about this before, and those of you that have auto-renewed with us before from season to season know what to expect, but I don't want to catch anyone unaware.
Auto-renew is a service designed by Harvie to carry over all current members from year to year. You can change your preference for auto-renew on your membership page by clicking the account tab, selecting profile, then subscription, and then manage auto-renew. You can toggle the default setting to off if you know that you don't want to subscribe again.
However, having auto-renew on gives you first access to our shares when they become available in early spring and you don't have to worry about keeping an eye out for when we make shares available to the public. We always send several emails prior to when auto-renew actually happens to give you a heads up about it, and you can always change your mind, even after sign up. But if you've enjoyed this year, we encourage you to keep auto-renew on. It is very helpful to us because it means we spend less dollars recruiting members, and once you're part of the farm-fam, we develop warm fuzzy feelings for you and we want you to stick around!
***You're invited!***
It's the time of year that I (Jenny) start dreaming of painting again. I managed a bit of studio time this summer, and I am excited to get back at it more full time now that the farm is nearing completion for the season!
Prior to Covid, I had my work at the Front Gallery in Edmonton, a beautiful gallery that is now permanently closed. Lockdown had me exploring various themes and manners of painting, and at the same time, there were far fewer opportunities to exhibit the work I created. So, now, I have a varied and dynamic collection of paintings that I am getting ready to sell. They range from small, intimate still-life pieces to large, boldly coloured abstracts. The one thing that ties them all together is that they are all inspired by my work on our farm and my relationship to the land. My website is www.jenniferberkenbosch.ca to give you a sense of the abstract work that I do.
I will be hosting a pre-Christmas Open-Studio Sale with my work priced very reasonably, so if you've been interested in purchasing original work from a professional artist, this is a good opportunity to do so!
When: Nov. 26-27, 12-5 each day.
Where: at the farm, in my barn-loft studio. 56032 Range Road 225, Sturgeon County. Refreshments will be served.
Please note that there is a long flight of stairs to climb, so if you have mobility issues, we can arrange a virtual tour. Please email me at jenniferberkenbosch@yahoo.ca to make arrangements. Thank you for your interest!
Warmly,
James and Jenny
***General Tips***
Please let us know if something is not right with your order when you receive it. We want to know how we can improve, and it is important to us that you receive excellence from us.
Here are some links to help documents created by Harvie for you to learn how to navigate your farm share account more easily. You will find information about swapping, rescheduling, pickup location changes etc.
https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/115000048773-Harvie-University-Members Link to Harvie help documents if you are not signed in to your account.
https://www.harvie.farm/contact Link to Harvie University for members (found in your accounts)
What To Do if You Are Away
This is a question we get asked often. You have three options:
1) Have someone else pick up for you. In our experience, friends assigned this job sometimes forget, so help them remember!
2) Cancel your share for the week. This can be managed on your Harvie account page. It must be done before the Wednesday morning cutoff time of 6 a.m. The disadvantage here is that you lose whatever you have invested into that share. So if you've paid 50%, then you forfeit that amount.
3) Reschedule your share. This is our recommended option because it means you get your full value. What we suggest is that you reschedule your share to a week near the end when you will get more storage-friendly items that will last longer in your fridge, though you're welcome to reschedule to any date that works best for you. When you reschedule, you will get the scheduled share as well as the rescheduled share or shares, so be prepared for a lot of food.
Pick up Location Days, Hours and Flexibilities (For more information about what to do when you miss a share, please read our Farm Happening from August 8)
King's University (East Edmonton)
Friday pickups, 12-4, some flex if you have to come a bit later. We will not retrieve any shares left here.
Breadlove Artisan Bakery (St. Albert), Saturday pickups, 10-2, no flex & closed on Sunday.
Awn Kitchen (Southwest Edmonton), Saturday pickups, 10-2, no flex, we will bring missed shares to farm.
Uproot Food Collective (Central Edmonton), Saturday pickups, 10-2, some flex, but please respect the pickup hours.
Strathcona Farmer's Market, Saturday pickups, 8-3, no flex, but we bring missed shares to farm.
The Butcher Block (Sherwood Park), Saturday pickup, 10-2, some flex
The Fort Distillery (Fort Saskatchewan), Saturday pickup, 10-5, no flex
Sundog Organic Farm (near Gibbons), Saturday, 9-2, flexible
As always, you may contact us with questions or concerns at jamesandjenny@sundogorganicfarm.ca or 780-447-3025 or 780-974-6249. Our preferred method of communication is email.
