Welcome to CSA 2026!

We are excited to begin a new season, and hoping you are too!

Welcome to our new members – we can’t wait to meet you. And to our returning members, welcome back – it’s great to have you with us again!

As usual this CSA newsletter will be updated every Monday evening and will include a list of vegetables that will be in the box this week, along with some farm & crop news & pictures of what’s going on here at the farm.

What’s in the box?

Salad greens, green garlic & rhubarb.

• There will be a couple of bags of salad greens in the box this week. These could be lettuce mix, spicy salad mix (our lettuce mix with the addition of some arugula, baby kale, mustard & mizuna to give it an added kick!), spinach, arugula, baby kale or bok choy. *All our greens are washed once – you may want to wash them again. Store them in plastic, in the fridge, and they will last at least a week.
• Green garlic is a fresh garlic plant. At this time of year the garlic bulb has not yet formed below ground, and the green top is still tender enough to eat, like a scallion or green onion. Green garlic is milder than fall garlic bulbs. Use them raw (sliced into salads or mashed with goat cheese for a spread) or cooked (sautéed with scrambled eggs maybe) anywhere you would use garlic bulbs. They are also delicious brushed with olive oil & tossed whole on the barbecue. Store green garlic in the fridge.

• Rhubarb is a perennial crop which means it grows every year. It’s not a lot of work but yields an abundant crop. There should be enough to make a small pie, or – almost as good and way easier & faster – make a rhubarb crisp or crumble. We also enjoy stewed rhubarb. Chop rhubarb and cook in a saucepan with a bit of water until tender. Add sweetener (sugar, honey, maple syrup) to taste. We sometimes add apples or other fruit to cut the tartness of the rhubarb. Delicious on it’s own or poured over ice cream, pudding or custard.

Some of you may be wondering about radishes & salad turnips. These are often included in our first CSA box and pair well with salad greens. However, due to our variable spring weather, the first two plantings didn’t germinate well. But our third seeding is growing great – radishes will be ready in a week or two with salad turnips following.

________________________________

Around the farm this week …

Here’s what got me excited this morning.

Carrots!

These carrots that are growing in our new tunnel are almost ready (and by almost ready I mean a few weeks yet). But they are looking great!

But even more exciting are the 2 beds of carrots out in the field. They don’t show up in the picture as they are just poking out of the ground now. Our goal this year is to have more carrots consistently throughout the summer – and it looks like we are on our way!

After a slow start to the season, the vegetables are gowing well now.

Working ahead on our weed control – laying black groundcover mulch for eggplant & peppers …

… and straw for the tomatoes.

Blackberries should be in blossom later this week.

Cover crop growing where we had vegetables last year. The soil is getting a well-earned rest this season.

Our tulip tree by the barn is blooming.

See you at CSA pick up this week!

There’s nothing we can do about the weather.

Except talk about it continuously.

And perhaps complain about it.

But there is no denying that the weather has been unkind to us this spring. Week after week of showers & rain, strong winds and cold temperatures – not ideal farming conditions!

It affects us in a couple of ways …

It has been a challenge to prepare the land and get our first crops planted. Usually we work the fields, then let them sit a few days so the weeds & cover crop can dry up. Then we repeat as necessary. We prefer to turn the soil as little as possible since it can damage all the living things underground. However this spring we have had to till the ground many more times since the frequent rains never let the cover crop dry up & die – it just keeps growing. As a result the first few vegetable plantings were made in less then ideal soil conditions so weeds are already an issue. And cultivating wet fields damages the soil structure and can leave us with lumps & clumps that last all season.

Vegetables that we managed to get planted earlier have not flourished. Both the soil temperature and the air temperature have been too cold for good growth. Some transplanted crops never took hold and put down roots and some seeds rotted before they could germinate. Too much precipitation & not enough sunshine!

Now the weather is finally (and very slowly) improving. This past weekend was glorious! Seeding, planting, & transplanting are all happening with a frenzy as we try to make up for lost time. We cannot catch up of course and the first vegetables will be harvested later than planned. (A CSA update will be emailed to our members next week.)

But there’s nothing we can do about the weather!

Vegetables are doing great in our new tunnel.

__________________________________

Around the farm …

Vegetable seedlings hardening off on trailers (so we can whisk them into the barn in the event of bad weather). Some are for planting and some are for selling at the road.

Pawpaw trees in blossom now.

It is one of the pleasures of spring.

Sitting on the tractor, working the ground for the 1st time.

Nothing makes a farmer happier!

It’s feeling the warmth of the sun (or this spring, more likely rain) on your face, smelling the freshly turned earth, watching the red wing blackbirds and robins pecking for worms, hearing the killdeer cry even above the noise of the tractor, and seeing the first blooms, and all the shades of green emerging on the trees, shrubs and grasses. A true feast for the senses!

However, our spring weather has hampered progress on the farm. Frequent rains prevent us from getting on the fields and properly preparing the soil for planting. And where we have managed to plant a (very) few vegetables, the cool temperatures have really slowed any growth.

Here’s hoping for lots of sunshine & warmth soon!

______________________________________

Around the farm …

The garlic patch.

Rhubarb – the 1st crop to be harvested.

The new tunnel we constructed last summer has now been covered with plastic.

Happily growing inside, but still very small are cauliflower & broccoli and we have seeded some early carrots.

In the big greenhouse the vegetable seedlings get a little extra protection on these cold nights.

The cats are happy anytime the sun appears.

We still have a few spots open in our summer CSA (Tuesday pick up only).

Please email thefarm@thiessenfarms.com if you are interested.

I bought tomatoes.

From a grocery store.

In March.

I know better!

But tomatoes have been on my mind lately …

I’m reading a book, Ten Tomatoes That Changed The World – an appetizing read that keeps me thinking about and craving them.

And in the greenhouse our 1st tomato seedlings have sprouted – a very welcome sight after a long, cold winter! But we won’t be feasting on our own tomatoes for a few months yet.

And so I caved and bought some.

It was a tray of 8 or 10 medium-sized, red, round tomatoes, of unknown origin on the clearance rack at Farm Boy. They looked quite decent with no obvious signs of spoilage. And the price? They were almost giving them away! When we ate them they tasted surprisingly good – especially in bacon & tomato sandwiches.

Buying these tomatoes is not a big deal perhaps, but as a small farm that bases our entire operation on locally grown, freshly picked, in-season produce, it goes against all we stand for.

I won’t be buying tomatoes in winter again. But it did satisfy my craving!

Here is what we will wait for rather …

Join our CSA and enjoy our tomatoes and many other vegetables in your box each week.

Find all the details here …

_____________________________________________

Around the farm …

The field where we will be planting tomatoes in about 2 months.

The garlic is just beginning to pop through the straw.

Other signs of life …

An unwelcome dump of snow the other day. Didn’t last long though!

The farm is quiet & peaceful now, tucked in under a deep cover of snow.

I like to think that the fields are resting – the same as we are – from a busy growing season, while anticipating the next.

Of course we are not just resting! Plans for the 2026 growing season are being finalized, seeds have been ordered, equipment & supplies are being checked …

Winter is also the time for dreaming. The successes of 2025 are still fresh in our minds and we’re sure we can improve on them even more – along with accomplishing new & better things. The challenges & failures of last season have faded from our memories and we are confident they will not be repeated. A farmer’s optimism in winter knows no bounds!

We have also been planning our CSA program for this year, and are now accepting applications. Here is all the information …

And check out this note we received last fall from one of our younger CSA members …

Best review ever!

Here is some history & other facts about our CSA …

• Most vegetables in the CSA box are picked that day – or the day before.
• The most popular vegetables are tomatoes & lettuce. Blackberries are also a favourite.
• Least liked vegetables include eggplant & fennel bulbs.
• One of our goals is to have a lettuce or salad green in the box every week. In 2025 we made it happen for 14 weeks – the extreme heat last summer caused us to miss 3 weeks of greens.
• Members usually receive 10-15% more produce than they paid for over the season.
• This is our 17th year with a CSA program. We began back in 2010 with 10 members – 3 of them are still with us! Other members have been with us for many many years.
• Our biggest year was 2015 with 150 shares. That fall we made the big decision to remove all our fruit orchards and only grow vegetables. This didn’t go over well and we lost over half our CSA members for 2016.
• Whenever “buy Canadian” and “buy local” are emphasized in the media, our numbers increase.
• Last year we had more than 100 members.
• The majority live in St. Catharines and Lincoln.
• Our furthest members drive from Hamilton. Other live as far as Stoney Creek, Grimsby, & Niagara Falls. Some of these CSA members share driving with neighbours or friends. This means they drive to the farm every other week which makes pick up more manageable.
• 5 members live close enough to walk to pick up their vegetables.
• CSA delivery was an option we offered for several years. We stopped because it took too much time, and we never developed a relationship with these members since we never saw them. They rarely stayed with us for more than 1 season.
• We are open to barter for our CSA shares. In the past we have traded for working on the farm, meat, wine, shoes, carpentry work, osteopathy treatments …
• Our 1st sign up for 2026 happened 3 minutes after we sent out the email announcing the program!
• We also have a shorter, fall CSA. Details will be announced in late summer.

We welcome you to join us and give our CSA a try!

Please email thefarm@thiessenfarms.com if you have questions.

___________________________________

Around the farm this week …

This is about as far outdoors as the cats will venture on these cold days – and only if the sun is shining!

Sage, on the other hand is all about the snow. She plays hard then sleeps hard!

These guys too!

The conditions were perfect for mulching garlic the other day.

The ground was frozen and there was almost no snow. We know the mice will make themselves comfortable under the straw, but the frozen ground will prevent them from burrowing into the soil and messing up the garlic. No snow means the ground will be dry under the straw so the garlic cloves will not rot.

It was also calm and sunny – which made us happy as we worked!

Mulching garlic is not a big job. With the encouragement of our helpers we were done in a couple of hours.

And that completes our field work for the year!

_________________________________________

Around the farm …

Manure & compost got spread recently as well.

The cats are already in winter mode – either relaxing in the barn …

… or sitting at the back door in hopes of getting fed – rather than hunting mice in the garlic patch!

The farm was white with a heavy frost this morning. Not unexpected for this time of year. But it will cut down on the contents of our final CSA box for 2025.

What’s in the box?

Beets, edamame, winter squash …

… and whatever else Amy can find in the field that survived the frost.

_________________________________________

Around the farm this week …

The beautiful fall weather has been continuing (until the frost this morning)!

The garlic is all planted. Once the ground freezes up we will spread straw over the patch. This will keep the weeds down next spring as the garlic grows.

Thank you for being part of our Fall CSA!

See you next spring!

Information on CSA 2026 will come out in late January, 2026.

What’s in the box?

Purple sprouting cauliflower, salad turnips, salad greens, green onions, cabbage (Chinese or mini), garlic, sweet peppers?

• Purple sprouting cauliflower, another new vegetable, is in the box this week. It is similar to the white sprouting cauliflower you received last week – except for the beautiful colour!

• The remainder of this week’s box includes salad turnips, salad greens (probably mini romaine and 1 other green), green onions, a garlic bulb, and hopefully a sweet pepper or 2? There are still a few mini cabbages and some green rocket Chinese (napa) cabbages in the field – choose from 1 or the other.

___________________________________________

Around the farm this week …

This past Saturday was our final farmers’ market for the season.

And Georgetown did not disappoint!

The weather was fabulous and the customers came out in force – to stock up on fresh produce and to say their good-byes. What a great way to end the season!

Unloading the van in the dark. Thank goodness for street lights.

An amazing selection of vegetables for the last market.

My equipment of choice these days – the tractor and mower.

As soon as we finish harvesting a crop, I’m out there mowing it down. This makes the farm look cleaner & neater and prepared for winter, but more importantly it gives us an emotional boost. Another vegetable bed done & gone means we are just that much closer to being totally finished for the season. And we are ready to be done!

But the best part of mowing down spent crops is the smell – each vegetable has its own scent. The tomato patch (that’s it below) smells especially strong, though not nearly as pleasant (and appetizing) as fennel and our herbs – arugula, basil, dill & cilantro. Lettuce & spinach have a fresh green scent, while the mustards & mizuna (part of our spicy salad mix) are pungent & strong. The only ones I find somewhat unpleasant are the cruciferous vegetables – cabbage, broccoli & kale. But the most fun(??) is mowing down the hot peppers. Even if I remember to wear a mask, I will be coughing & sneezing for hours and my throat will be burning from their heat! Good times!

Fall is a season of colour …

Next week is the final CSA pick up for 2025!

What’s in the box?

Sprouting cauliflower, broccoli, mini cabbage, salad greens, beans, green onions, beets, sweet peppers.

Extras – hot peppers, eggplant, zucchini.

• Sprouting cauliflower is a new crop for us this year – and we really like it! Instead of a large dense head, sprouting cauliflower produces many small florets on long, delicate stems. Tender & sweet, it cooks more quickly than traditional cauliflower and is great raw, or steamed, roasted, stir fried or grilled.

__________________________________________

Around the farm this week …

Our 1st fall frost happened this past week. Fortunately only the basil was damaged.

With no more frosts in the forecast (fingers crossed) and plenty of beautiful crops growing, our remaining fall CSA baskets should be bounteous.

Removing tomato stakes and string. Posts are next, then we will mow down the plants.

Please allow me a few more dahlia pictures – aren’t they amazing!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What’s in the box?

Yellow beans, Chinese (napa) cabbage, winter squash, sweet peppers, beets, salad turnips, arugula, shishito peppers, garlic.

Extras – hot peppers.

• We don’t often grow yellow beans. But you asked for them, so here they are. (We expected them to be ready for the final week of summer CSA but they didn’t quite make it.) This variety is called “Gold Rush”, a very fitting name – they are a bright & beautiful bean with a great flavour.
• Check out this Chinese cabbage! “Green rocket” is a tall, cylindrical, crisp cabbage, with a delicous almost sweet taste, suitable for eating fresh in salads & slaws. They are also great in stir-fries or boiled, steamed, braised, grilled or fermented (especially for kimchi).

• Choose another winter squash this week.
• After dropping their blossoms and taking a break during the heat of the summer, some of our sweet pepper plants are blooming and producing fruit again. We’re happy about that! It remains to be seen if the temperatures will stay warm enough for them to continue ripening.

• Beets, salad turnips, arugula, shishito peppers, and garlic complete this Thanksgiving CSA box.
• Our hot pepper plants are finally ripening an abundance of spicy fruit. They are available on the extra table for those who would like some.

_________________________________________

Around the farm this week …

This is how Rosemary has been spending her days recently.

She sleeps all day because she’s out all night – hunting, or partying, or ?

We’re a little jealous.

We would also like to be sleeping our days away – but our tiredness is from working, not partying 🙂

Our 2025 season is winding down & coming to an end …

There are 4 weeks of fall CSA – but because we have many less members than our summer CSA, it feels much easier – and 2 farmers’ market days remaining.

We were fortunate to have 1 of our summer workers stay on throughout September. He picked the squash and did a lot of the fall clean-up work that we usually struggle with. That was great! We have more energy left now to finish up.

Our last vegetables were transplanted into the field today – a few rows of lettuce mix and some arugula. Will they mature in time? Maybe or maybe not, but if the warm fall temperatures continue then we will have fresh salad greens for a long time.

There are still plenty of vegetables growing including salad greens, beets, beans, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower …

Even eggplant!

The fall flowers are still beautiful!

The ducks (and chickens) love it when I refill their pool.

1st Fall CSA pick up this Thursday, Oct. 9 from 3-6pm.