Our eggplant and pepper patch looks somewhat different this year.

Usually we plant the seedlings and then mulch them with straw – to keep the weeds in check and to preserve moisture in the soil.

This year we decided to use groundcover. This is a woven polypropylene material that prevents weeds from growing, and allows rain to pass through. We unrolled it, fastened it down, made holes, and then planted our eggplant & peppers.

Using plastic is never our 1st choice. We much prefer straw. Straw holds the moisture in the soil better, and it decomposes, adding organic matter and improving the soil. It is also expensive to buy and takes a lot of time & expense to spread. Those pesky weeds also grow through it by mid-summer. Groundcover is less expensive, easier to lay down (though it will require work to remove it in fall) and promises to last for 5 years or more. So we thought we would give it a try.

One row of peppers in the centre of the patch will be mulched with straw so we can compare how they grow, & produce etc …

We also planted our winter squash on groundcover. Usually we plant the squash and leave it to fend for itself as we rarely have time to weed it. We are optimistic that it will grow better and produce more fruit this way.

So far, the eggplant & peppers are growing very well and we are not scrambling to keep them weeded and get the straw spread around them. Our time is better spent weeding elsewhere.

And how those weeds are growing these days!!

What’s in the box?

Beets, green onions, fresh basil, garlic scapes, mini-romaine lettuce, radishes, another salad green.

• Hurray, a vegetable that isn’t green! The first beets are ready. Freshly pulled, early season beets are tender, juicy and sweet. We often forgo the cooking and eat them fresh, usually shredded into salads. But whether you eat them cooked or raw, don’t bother to peel them! The skin is tender and full of nutrients that you don’t want to miss out on.
• The first onions are green onions, also called bunching onions or scallions. Eat everything – the green leaves & the small, bottom white bulb.
• We don’t usually have basil ready to harvest this early in the season – but here it is! Enjoy it in your salad, on pizza or make a batch of pesto.
• First it was green garlic. Now there are garlic scapes. Scapes grow out of the top of the garlic plant and curl around in a loose coil. If we left them they would eventually flower and go to seed. But we prefer that the plant uses its energy to form large garlic bulbs underground instead, so we remove the scapes. They are delicious! Use them wherever garlic bulbs are used – raw or cooked. Their flavour is a bit milder. They are also great on the BBQ. Coat the whole garlic scape with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Grill for a few minutes on each side until well charred & tender.  Garlic scape pesto is also a good way to use the scapes. Here’s a link to an interesting article, “12 ways to add garlic scapes to your spring cooking routine”. https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/garlic-scapes 

• The extreme heat that is expected these next few days will finish off the mini-romaine – it will bolt & go to seed – so we’ll pick it and enjoy it again this week, instead of waiting as we planned.
• There will be another green in your box as well – lettuce mix, spinach, bok choy, kale or … ?
• The next planting of radishes is ready – almost. They might be a bit small in Tuesday’s box and a good size for Thursday. But again, we’ll pick them now rather than lose them to the heat this week.

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Around the farm this week …

We still use straw on the tomatoes.

Working our way through some weeding – onions here.

There are green beans somewhere in there! Lettuce & herbs all clean!

The blackberries blossoms are dropping their petals, revealing little berries.

Insect netting – not just for insects!

These little guys have taken over Sage’s bed in the shop.

Hunting

“What new vegetables are you growing?”

This continues to be the question we get asked the most.

The answer is …

( Potatoes are not exactly a new crop for us – more like a revival of an old favourite. Check out our potato history at http://www.thiessenfarms.com/2022/02/25/whats-new-2 )

It’s always fun growing new vegetables!

We start small – don’t expect to see any of these new crops in your CSA box this year. The first year we grow just enough to see if we can indeed grow them, how much work is involved in raising them to maturity, what sort of harvest can be expected etc … Then if everything works out we might try and increase the amount we grow the 2nd year – enough for the farmers’ market perhaps or even for CSA.

Cauliflower was the new one last year. It worked out well so this year we planted enough for CSA – and not only white cauliflower but orange & purple too! We got them in the ground early. Then they were nipped by frost so we replanted. Then they recovered from the frost. So now (fingers crossed) we should have a good supply of cauliflower later this spring.

We also like to experiment with new varieties of familiar vegetables. On the list this season is a red/purple Chinese cabbage, purple spinach (we already know we don’t like it), a dark tomato called “brown sugar” and “wooly kate” – a tomato with fuzzy leaves as well as fuzzy fruit (like a peach). Our selection of edible flowers has increased with these violas. They are already a big hit at market!

Lastly are artichokes. We had some success with them again last year, and are growing them again to see if we can improve on our methods – and results.

What’s in the box?

Mini romaine lettuce, spinach, fresh herbs, salad turnips, green garlic.

• Mini romaine lettuce might be small in size, but it is big in flavour & texture & colour …

• Spinach is the other salad green this week.
• Grab a bunch of fresh cut herbs – choose from cilantro, dill or mint.
• Salad turnips were a hit back in the 1st box of the season. Enjoy them again this week. To review … salad turnips are small, round, and white. They resemble radishes, but without the bite (usually)! Mild in flavour, crisp, and quite tender, they are best eaten raw – simply wash, cut off the tops and enjoy! They can also be stir fried, sautéed, or steamed – both the turnips & the green tops.
• Garlic is always one of the most popular vegetables we grow. These pungent bulbs are still more than 2 months away so in the meantime we can enjoy green garlic. It is tender enough to eat like a scallion or green onion. Green garlic is milder than fall garlic bulbs. Use raw (sliced into salads or mashed with goat cheese for a spread) or cooked (sautéed with scrambled eggs maybe), grilled on the BBQ, or anywhere you would use garlic bulbs. Store green garlic in the fridge.

Coming soon in the CSA box – beets, green onions, early cabbage, zucchini …

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Around the farm this week …

Mulching, staking, pruning & tying tomatoes …

Weeds are a major issue right now. The abundant precipitation lately has been great for the vegetables but also the weeds! The expected sun this week should dry the ground and allow us to get busy weeding again. There are vegetables in there – somewhere!

Rapini went to flower quickly in last week’s heat. The bees & insects are loving them!

Seems everyone likes the golf carts – whether it’s driving or waiting for a ride!

It has been a good week!

The start of our CSA program and our farmers’ market is always an exciting time – exciting because of the friends we get to see again, and new people to meet, but also exciting because we are finally harvesting produce.

After months of preparation – seeding, transplanting, planting, watering, protecting, weeding, coddling … nothing makes a farmer happier than picking our 1st vegetables!

And you were happy to eat them!

A win win for everyone!

1st CSA pick-up.

A beautiful morning for the 1st Georgetown farmers’ market.

What’s in the box?

Green garlic, pea shoots, Chinese kale, bok choy, lettuce mix, arugula.

• Green garlic is a fresh garlic plant. At this time of year the 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. Store green garlic in the fridge.

• The box of pea shoots in your share this week is meant to be eaten – not planted!  Place the box outside in partial shade or inside near a window. Keep them well watered & let them reach about 10-12 cm. Then use as desired – cut what you need and add them to your salad or sandwiches … If you cut them about half way down, leaving a stem & some leaves, they will grow back and you can harvest them again. (Cutting them all the way down at soil level gives a larger harvest – but only once.)

• I’m not sure we have ever included Chinese kale (also called Chinese broccoli or Gai Lan) in our CSA box. This Asian vegetable resembles broccoli in flavour, but is perhaps a little sweeter. Every part is edible – stem, leaves, flowers. Enjoy it raw in a salad or cook it – steam, boil, stir-fry or grill. Traditionally it is boiled whole until tender (1 or 2 minutes) and then served with oyster sauce and fried garlic (green garlic). It is excellent drizzled with oil and grilled whole on the BBQ for a few minutes. Finish it with a sauce – combine 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp maple syrup. Let us know how you like it!

• Bok choy is one of my favourite green vegetables. It can be added to your salads, but most often is sautéed or stir fried. We like to cook some garlic or onion in a bit of oil (olive or sesame) for a couple of minutes, then add the bok choy and continue cooking until it is wilted but still bright green – around 5 minutes or less. Ginger or nutmeg are good with it too. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
• Lettuce mix & arugula complete the box this week.

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Around the farm this week …

Just enough rain to keep things lush & green – especially the weeds!

Time to stake, & mulch the tomatoes.

Blackberries almost ready to bloom.

Most of the spring flowers & shrubs in the garden are finished blooming. Now the wild roses & wildflowers are stepping up and putting on a show around the farm.

Remember to bring your box back to CSA pick-up to be filled again!

It should be simple & straightforward.

• We decide on a start date for our CSA program.
• We check how long it takes each vegetable to reach maturity.
• A bit of easy math and we can figure out when to seed & plant.
• The crops grow, ripen and are harvested.
• CSA begins – right on schedule!

Except…

It is never quite so simple nor straightforward!

• The sun shines warmly and speeds up growth, or temperatures drop and slow things down.
• The spring rains do not come and seeds do not germinate, or the spring rains come and come … and it is too wet to plant, or the rains are timely and growth is lush.
• An unexpected frost nips tender seedlings – and we have to start again.
• Hungry bugs feast on our vegetables – and we have to start again.
• Or maybe everything works out according to the plan and there is an abundance to harvest. 🙂

How about all of the above!

And the end result is an early start to our CSA.

Surprise!

What’s in the box?

Salad greens (possibly lettuce mix, spicy salad mix, arugula, baby kale, spinach…), salad turnips, radishes, rhubarb.

It’s salad time! All our lettuce and other greens have been rinsed once to remove most of the field soil. You may want to wash them more thoroughly, bag them & store in the refrigerator. They should last at least a week.

• Your salad greens this week may include any of the following … Our lettuce mix is a combination of many colours and leaf shapes of lettuce. It is both beautiful and tasty! Spicy salad mix is always a favourite! Kale, mustard, mizuna, arugula … are added to our lettuce to make this salad mix. With a slight kick from the added greens, it makes for an amazingly flavourful salad. Arugula is a bit spicy & nutty. Use it in salads, sandwiches or wraps, on pizza … If you find the taste a bit strong on its own, combine it with our lettuce for an amazing salad. We call it baby kale as the leaves are small – small enough and tender enough to eat fresh in a salad. Our kale is a mix of several varieties with different colours and leaf shapes. Enjoy this beautiful, tasty and healthy green! Spinach is always one of our most popular greens. Eaten fresh in a salad or lightly steamed, it is always delicious – and nutritious! Sometimes the leaves are small – baby spinach – and sometimes they are full-size. It all depends on the weather and how mature the spinach is on picking day.
• Salad turnips are small, round, white turnips that resemble radishes, but without the bite (usually)! Mild in flavour, crisp, and quite tender, they are best eaten raw – simply wash, cut off the tops and enjoy! They can also be stir fried, sautéed, or steamed – both the turnips & the green tops.
• We are growing several kinds of radishes this year. French Breakfast radishes are long and pink with a white tip. They have a similar taste & bite to the more common round red radish which we also grow. Soaking radishes in ice-cold water for 20 minutes will cut some of the sharpness & also make them crisper.
• 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.

Here is our go-to recipe for fruit crisp. It is quick & easy and great with our rhubarb!
Aunt Elvira’s Fruit Crisp
Cut up rhubarb (or your choice of fruit) and put in a pie plate.
Mix together:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/3  cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
Sprinkle on top of the fruit.
Bake for 12 minutes in the microwave, or 20-25 minutes in the oven or toaster oven @ 350F. (while the oven takes longer than the microwave, the top will carmelize nicely with a lovely brown colour)

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Around the farm this week …

Tomato planting.

Cover crop blooming.

Spring beauty!

Welcome to CSA 2024!

Looking forward to seeing all our returning CSA friends and new CSA members this week.

Georgetown Farmers’ Market also starts this Saturday June 1. We’re excited to return for our 31st season!

The important news first …

We have new kittens!

Meet Rue & Fennel.

These adorable siblings are adapting well to their new home. The others – Sage, Rosemary & the 2 Flynns – are grudgingly accepting them (and all their energy & enthusiasm for life).

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Around the farm …

A post about the farm in spring warrants more pictures than words. Spring is such a beautiful season!

We have lots of vegetables in the ground already including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, radishes, salad turnips, lettuce, arugula, bok choy, kale, swiss chard, spinach, green onions …

Rainfall has been adequate this spring and now we are hoping for more sunshine & warmer temperatures.

The warm season crops – tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers – remain in the greenhouse for another week or two, until both the air & soil temperatures have warmed up.

We prepare the ground for planting only as we need it. Until then the farm is left as is, mostly in cover crop or whatever else wants to grow. Often there are vegetables from last season either self-seeded or regrowing. And weeds, lots of weeds. It makes the farm look a little shaggy & unkept but is much healthier for the soil and all the living things – above & below ground.

The blackberries came through the mild winter just fine. They are pruned, tied, mulched and showing good growth.

The garlic is also doing well.

There is a real beauty and amazing diversity in the different herbs & vegetables as the seeds germinate & sprout. (clockwise from top left – cilantro, basil, beets, dill, lettuce, bronze fennel.)

CSA & our farmers’ market (downtown Georgetown) both begin in about a month. We are getting excited!

Thinking of joining our CSA this season? We are still accepting a few more members. Please contact us ASAP.

Spring work on the farm is difficult.

Physically difficult.

Because we are are out of shape!

After spending much of the winter indoors (working our minds more than our bodies 🙂 ) we really feel it in our muscles when we return outdoors to the fields. For the first few days anyways!

The record-setting warm temperatures the other week propelled us outside to pick roots left behind when we removed the row of old cherry trees last fall. There were plenty!

And there are plenty more remaining that we could not pull. I disced the ground and we’ll go through and collect roots again. Then we will plow and gather roots once more.

When we are satisfied that most of the roots have been removed, we’ll spread a layer of compost and seed a cover crop. Next spring – a year from now – we will plant our first vegetables here.

I planted those cherry trees close to 40 years ago. Without them the farm feels very open & empty. It is going to take some getting used to …

Today we began pruning blackberries – they are already showing growth.

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Around the farm this week …

The garlic is just poking through the straw mulch – a sure sign of spring!

In the little greenhouse the seedlings are growing well.

Spring means colour, and the first flowers blooming both in the garden and out in the fields.

Sage isn’t quite willing to let go of winter – she found the last bit of snow to relax in.

But the cats are basking in the sunshine & warmer temperatures!

These little guys too!

There is still time to join our CSA program for this summer. All the information & an application is at the top of the page, or email thefarm@thiessenfarms.com

This makes me happy!

The first of our seeds (hot peppers) have sprouted. A sign of spring. The start of our growing season.

I’m excited!

We start our seeds in the germination fridge.

A (non-working) fridge has sturdy shelves to carry the weight of many soil-filled seeding trays and enough insulation to keep the temperature stable. A crockpot filled with water, controlled by a thermostat, provides the necessary warmth & humidity that seeds require for germination. Once the seeds poke through the soil they are immediately moved out of the fridge and into the greenhouse since they require sunlight to grow.

Inside the fridge it’s a bit of a mishmash of containers right now. The large pot has some ginger we are trying to grow, artichokes are in the small pots, the boxes are seeded to onions, and the tray contains more peppers. Next week we will be seeding more peppers, eggplant, and the first of the tomatoes. This germination fridge will be chockfull – and overflowing – from now until late May. It’s a simple setup that works extremely well!

Here’s to a great growing season!

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Lorie & I were able to travel west earlier in February to visit our son & his family in BC …

… and the mountains! There were already snowdrops blooming in Stanley Park in Vancouver.

We continued on to Alberta to see my brother & sister-in-law … and the mountains!

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Around the farm …

Thanks to a mild winter we are eating spinach again, from last fall’s planting. It is a bit of work to sort through the outer leaves but in the centres of the plants are some beautiful, tasty, greens to enjoy!

More signs of spring!

Thank you to all who have signed up for our CSA this year.

We are still accepting applications. Details on this site or email thefarm@thiessenfarms.com and we will forward the information to you.

It has certainly been a dreary and gloomy January!

The many days of fog & mist were downright depressing last week.

But under this shroud, the farm was peaceful and beautiful!

The fields are relaxed and quiet waiting for spring …

… the greenhouse too.

In the little greenhouse there are reminders of last season. Under several added layers of plastic I kept some hanging baskets and some pots of herbs, for early spring cuttings.

We have spent the month indoors planning and preparing for the 2024 season.

Applications for our CSA program are now being accepted.

Here is an idea of what you can expect …

Will you consider joining this eating adventure with us?!

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The cats are mostly hibernating and waiting for some sunshine.

While Sage savours each & every snowflake that has fallen – she (and others) love the snow!

CSA information and the application are available on this site, or email thefarm@thiessenfarms.com and we will send them to you.

New Year’s Day 2024. Late afternoon – just before dusk. I am curled up in the chair by our front window with a cup of tea. Lorie yells, “Look, it’s the apple guy!” I drop my crossword puzzle. A man is walking up the road. Average looking except for the large orange pail he is hugging to his chest. It seems heavy. (Why isn’t he carrying it by the handle?) He disappears behind the birch tree and our roadside vegetable stand. Several minutes go by. When he reappears he is swinging an empty pail. Crosses the road and stashes the pail under the neighbours’ cedar hedge. Resumes his walk down the road. Whatever. I settle back in my chair and continue the crossword.

The next morning I investigate. I find this!

The apple guy strikes again!!

A few weeks previous he left a pile beside the neighbourhood mailboxes, just around the corner.

Last year our stand was also gifted with apples – twice – as were several of our neighbours, and even the school down the road.

So many questions … Who is this apple guy? Where does he come from? Why does he leave us apples? Where do the apples come from … ?

So few answers.

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Around the farm …

We finally mulched the garlic shortly before Christmas.

We had just enough help – enough to slow us down (and make it fun).

Apples for everyone! What a windfall!

Happy New Year!