Thank you to the group of you that came out yesterday afternoon to hang out at the farm with me! It was really nice to see a lot of kids and to watch them explore, and we just love the opportunity to show you the farm and share what we are passionate about.
Our own kids were off doing other things during the tour, but I wanted to share something that they found this past week: a luna moth caterpillar (called Actias Luna)! They put it in a jar with some leaves and twigs, and with the intention of observing it for a day, brought it in the house - where it promptly began spinning a cocoon! So now we are waiting for the emergence of a very fascinating insect. Love seeing the diversity of life on this small piece of earth, and knowing that we can grow food AND support biodiversity! We're sure that the no-till helps with that.
FARM NEWS
This week we have a lot of our summer turnips ready - they all matured at the same time which is unusual for this crop. Our favourite way to eat them is raw! They are also amazing charred on the bbq, and did you know that the tops are a very tasty and nutritious edible green? We hope you enjoy them. Our next crop of turnips won't be ready for a few weeks.
Corn ripening up nicely!
Some of our early crops, previously stressed from the hot, dry weather and then the torrential downpour in June, are now looking lush and healthy!
Molly is my constant companion in the field. Here we are looking at our new crop of spinach coming along nicely and covered beds of lettuce.
Fennel fronds in the foreground and ripening broccoli, cabbage and celery behind.
Our 17 year old son, Silas, has a week off of his roofing job and is helping around the farm! We are putting him to work with all kinds of things including building a fence to keep our chickens out of our perennial herb patch close to their coop. He is a super handy kid, skilled at welding, mechanics, and building, and we're so happy to have him around right now before he's off to college in September.
We wonder what this time of year will bring - fall is in the air, and that makes us wonder about frost and how much longer our growing season is. Last year we had a very extended season and it was great! Fingers crossed we get a few more weeks because we’d sure like to see the tomatoes and squash ripen up:)
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Our recipe of the week is from a customer who was excited about this unique way to use carrots and it sounds absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try it out too:) So if you have a bit of a back log of carrots in your fridge, this looks like a perfect way to use them. (Purple carrots will yield a red dip).
Smoky Carrot Dip
Ingredients
Makes about 3 cups
1⁄2 cup skin-on almonds
2 lb. carrots, trimmed, peeled
2 Tbsp. plus 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; plus more
21⁄2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
2 garlic cloves
1⁄2 cup canned chickpeas
3 Tbsp. (or more) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3⁄4 tsp. hot smoked Spanish paprika
1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped parsley, plus leaves for serving
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast almonds on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until slightly darkened and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Let cool; set aside.
Step 2
Cut any thick carrots in half lengthwise, then slice all carrots crosswise into 4 pieces. Toss on a parchment-lined baking sheet with 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 tsp. salt. Spread carrots out evenly on baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until very tender and starting to shrivel and brown (but not char), about 1 hour.
Step 3
Transfer carrots to a food processor; add garlic, chickpeas, lemon juice, pepper, paprika, chopped parsley, 1⁄2 cup oil, 11⁄2 tsp. salt, and reserved almonds. Process, adding more oil as needed, until mixture is almost completely smooth. Taste dip and add more lemon juice and/or salt if needed.
Step 4
Transfer dip to a small bowl, drizzle with more oil, and top with parsley leaves.
Step 5
Do Ahead: Dip can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
REMINDERS AND GENERAL TIPS/INFORMATION
In two weeks we are taking a one week break from farm box deliveries in order to get in a bit of a late summer vacation with our kids. Remember that there will be no deliveries on Sept. 8 & 9, so you may want to add staple items to your share the week before
What To Do if You Are Away
You have three options:
1) BEST OPTION - 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.
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) Have someone else pick up for you. In our experience, friends assigned this job sometimes forget, so help them remember!
Location Options and Info
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. We will not retrieve shares left here.
Awn Kitchen (Southwest Edmonton) Saturday pickups, 10-2, no flex.
Uproot Food Collective (Central Edmonton)
Saturday pickups, 10-2, some flex, but let's respect the hours as best we can.
Strathcona Farmer's Market (Edmonton) Saturday pickups, 8-3, no flex.
The Butcher Block (Sherwood Park) Saturday pickup, 9:30-4, some flex, open till 5.
Get Real Natural (Fort Saskatchewan) Saturday pickup, 10-5, no flex
Sundog Organic Farm (near Gibbons) Saturday, 9-2, flexible
A few more tips in case you haven't read them yet...
*When picking up your bin at King's, Awn, Breadlove, Butcher Block, Get Real Natural or the farm, please make sure that you are getting the bin with your name on the label. We want to make sure that everyone gets the correct bin.
*Make sure that you set your preferences on your Harvie account. This ensures that you receive boxes tailored to you. Save the 5 star rating for things that you really love and don't give everything 5 stars because that skews the algorithm that the software relies on.
*Take advantage of the swapping and adding extras to further customize your shares! Remember to do it before Wednesday morning, 5:00 a.m.(basically Tuesday night unless you are a very early riser).
*Let us know if you ever want help. You can send in a note via your Harvie account, or email us directly at jamesandjenny@sundogorganicfarm.ca. If it is a more urgent concern, call us at 587-409-1106. We are always here for you.
