Welcome to the week one of the spring shares! The beginning of the season is an exciting time seeing familiar members' faces and meeting new members. And, of course, the delicious taste of spring vegetables! The 2021 season is our ninth season growing vegetables and our second season using the Harvie system to allow members full customization of their shares. This spring has been all over the place temperature-wise but overall the crops in the fields are looking great and I am in the midst of getting the last of the heat loving vegetables into the ground.
Our laying hens have been overachievers lately so I have included some eggs in the shares this week. Typically these will be for extra purchase only but this will be a treat for the first week. Like all items, they can be swapped out if you don't want eggs. This is also the week of 'the bok choy'. We have plenty of gorgeous, large bok choy so if you are a bok choy lover, be sure to stock up!
I have spent part of the winter sourcing some fun (and tasty) additions to our regular vegetable offerings so be sure to check out the extras section for additional items you can purchase and add to your share. Be sure to check out below for more information on these farms and producers but for now I wanted to say that 90+% of the vegetables you receive in your shares are grown by me on our farm. To round out our offerings, I plan to bring in a few items that I don't grow well or don't have the space or equipment for. This year, you can expect to see rhubarb, strawberries, sweet corn, and storage potatoes from other area farms. I'm particularly excited about the strawberries! You will also notice the occasional non-local (but still organic) treats like fresh ginger, turmeric, sweet potatoes, and more. If you have something you would like to see offered, let me know and I will see if I can find a source.
Before we profile some of the other producers, here are some housekeeping details:
- You will receive the 'Time to Customize' email every Friday (or Saturday at the latest) that you are scheduled to receive a share the following week. You have until Mondays at 8am to customize your share. If you are happy with your share as shown, there is no need to customize.
- You will receive the 'Your Share is On the Way' email on Tuesdays of the week you are scheduled to receive a share. This email requires no response and serves as a pickup reminder. If you signed up for the payment plan, your credit card will be charged when this email is sent.
- Your Harvie account is the place to do just about everything from view the share delivery schedule, put a share on hold, update payment information, update preferences, and more.
- For those who receive a home delivery, please place a cooler or container outside for me to fill. We are not using the large plastic bags this year so I recommend your container has a lid so that your veggies are protected from heat and wind.
- For those that pickup in Guelph, please bring your own bags or boxes to transfer the contents of your bin into. Again, since I am no longer using the large plastic bags this year you will need some sort of vessel to carry items home. I will be setting up a couple tables under the tent for ease of members transferring items.
- As always, if you have any questions about the Harvie system or our farm I'm happy to chat at share pickup or by email.
Now, let's highlight some of the products of producers and farms that will be available as extra purchases! Some of these items will be available every week and others on an occasional basis. To learn more about the farm or producer, follow the link provided. In all cases, I have selected farms that I know personally, that are certified organic or use organic/ecological methods, and that have products that I have tried and loved. We will also have our own eggs and honey for purchase. We are taking a year off from meat birds but may bring in some chicken from another producer if members are interested.
Timberline Farms: 10lb grass-fed beef boxes
Funky Ferments: variety of fermented products, including: kimchi, jalapenos, pickles and more. Stay tuned for some custom ferments from our own produce later in the season!
Fair Fields Organics: rhubarb, strawberries, and sweet corn
Pfennings Organics: storage potatoes, ginger, turmeric, sweet potatoes, and other seasonal vegetables
Mapleton's Organics: variety of ice cream flavours
Snyder's Heritage Farms: certified organic maple syrup and non-GMO turkey
Springhills Fish: ecologically farmed Rainbow Trout, Arctic Char, and Barramundi plus wild caught Pickerel
Jewels Under the Kilt: flavoured, roasted nuts
Gordon's Goat Dairy: goat cheese
Fromagerie L'Ancetre: certified organic cow cheese and butter
I look forward to seeing everyone this coming week!
