A sad sight!

When we went to pick the broccoli last week after the rains, there was already a lot of spoilage – probably more than half of the heads. The ones that were still good, we picked, but they went bad quickly too.

The broccoli plants were big, lush & thick. Moisture was trapped in the foliage and the heads couldn’t dry out – so they rotted. The high heat & humidity only made things worse.

All the broccoli went to the compost pile.

Fortunately all CSA members received broccoli in their box once. And we had lots to sell at market one day as well.

Still it was a big disappointment and loss.

If we were to keep a tally, the rain was harmful to the broccoli, early cabbage, and at least one planting of kohlrabi. Some lettuce too. But it was beneficial to just about everything else.

The effect of the rain was especially evident on the crops we direct seed into the fields – sunflowers and beans. These usually take around 7 days to germinate. Earlier in the season when it was drier, and the temperatures cooler, it was 10-12 days before they poked through the soil. But during the wet & hot week the sunflowers (below) were up in 4 days and beans in 5. What a difference rain makes!

Coming soon …

What’s in the box?

Mini-cabbage, kale bunches, mini-romaine lettuce, zucchini, kohlrabi, green onions, beets.

• We like to grow smaller cabbages rather than those huge heads. And this year they are even smaller! The rains were starting to crack the cabbage heads so we picked them small rather than lose them all.
• Earlier we had bags of baby kale and there is baby kale in our spicy salad mix. But this week it’s full size kale. Eat it for the great taste and eat it because it is healthy! We are growing black kale (pictured below left) – also known as dinosaur kale – as well as curly kale.

• Romaine lettuce is another vegetable where we prefer the smaller varieties. It is more tender, mild & delicious than the larger kinds. We started picking a new bed on Friday for market on Saturday. It was perfect! However lettuce does not like the hot temperatures & humidity so by today it was beginning to stretch & bolt. The good news is that we grew lots so there still should be enough for everyone. However, similar to the cabbage we will pick it even smaller rather than allowing it to size up more and risk losing it.

• Zucchini is coming on strong! Green, yellow, striped – they all taste similar and can be used the same. We also grow the scalloped, round patty pan varieties. These taste the same but are slightly firmer in texture. Use them like any other zucchini.
• Kohlrabi, green onions & beets complete the box this week.

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Around the farm this week …

We moved our occultation tarp this week (For an explanation of occultation see https://thiessenfarms.com/2017/04/12/occultation). That gave us a beautiful, weed-free patch of ground, which we promptly filled with transplants.

CSA week 6 ready to go.

Rabbits all over the farm these days!

“Opportunities”

That is what we are encouraged to call them, rather than “problems” – at least according to motivational speakers, self-help experts and positive thinkers. And they are not wrong!

But sometimes problem is the more accurate word, and so it shall remain a part of my vocabulary (along with struggle, challenge, and the big ones – mistake and failure).

Of course I much prefer words like success, completion, victory and even triumph!

We are entering July and week 6 of our CSA and farmers’ market. Now is a good time to take stock and review the opportunities etc … of this season so far, and how we are handling them.

Here is a list, in no particular order.

• We seed green beans every week, (8 times so far) but only the last few seedings have amounted to anything. So there will be green beans – but not for awhile.
• Broccoli can be tricky to grow – at least for us. We were not prepared to admit defeat, but decided on just 1 planting this year, to minimize the failure. But it turned out amazing! It was a surprise in the CSA box last Thursday & Friday and there will be plenty for Tuesday’s share this week. Why didn’t we plant more!!

• Carrots, cucumbers & cauliflower have always been challenges for us (https://thiessenfarms.com/2021/08/30/csa-2021-week-14). However, I am happy to report that the carrots are doing very well. Cucumbers could still go either way. And check out this cauliflower! The good news is that it is a success – at least the orange variety is. The bad news is that we only grew a few plants to see if our improved growing methods could produce results. Next year we will grow enough for CSA.

• Early cabbages were doing great until we got all this rain. Same with kohlrabi. Both of these vegetables tend to split.

• Artichokes require a few extra steps to trick them into producing a crop in our climate. With varied results previously, we decided to make another attempt this season. I’m smiling!

• Everybody missed the blackberries last year. But this year we anticipate an abundance! We will be harvesting the new rows (planted in 2021) for the 1st time. We removed the 2 old rows last fall. It will be an opportunity to find additional help for picking in August.

• Weeds are always an opportunity problem! What more can we say. Lots of rain these last couple weeks have caused tremendous growth in both vegetables and weeds. We have some work ahead of us.

What’s in the box?

Chinese (napa) cabbage, kohlrabi, zucchini, salad greens, green onions, beets, garlic scapes, fresh herbs, broccoli (Tuesday pick-up).

• Chinese cabbage is one of my favourite vegetables. Crisp, tender, and mild – it is delicious used fresh in a salad instead of lettuce. Or use the large leaves as wraps, make it into coleslaw, kimchi or stir-fry it. While the outer leaves are a lovely green colour, the inside is often creamy white. It prefers cooler weather and does best in fall, but we like to try it in spring & summer as well. This year it turned out great!
• Kohlrabi is a strange-looking vegetable – sort of like a cross between a little cabbage and a turnip. It is considered a root vegetable, though the edible round globe grows above ground. Kohlrabi is most often eaten raw – just peeled & sliced. The taste & texture resembles fresh, crunchy broccoli stems, with a bit of radish thrown in. Use on raw vegetable platters and serve with a creamy dip. Grated kohlrabi can be added to slaws. We like to spiralize our kohlrabi and use it instead of pasta. Kohlrabi can also be steamed or boiled – when the bulbs are tender, peel skin, and season with butter, salt, and pepper, a cheese sauce, or just enjoy plain. They are good for mashing with other vegetables – parsnips, carrots or potatoes. Kohlrabi absorbs the flavour of other ingredients making it ideal to add to soup, stew and stir-fries. The bulbs should be stored, unwashed, in a plastic bag in the fridge. They will hold for a week. Our favourite way to cook kohlrabi is to sautée it in butter & garlicscapes for just a few minutes. Then add just a dash of nutmeg. Delicious!
• The rest of the box is familiar – zucchini, a salad green, green onions, beets, garlic scapes, and a choice of fresh herbs (cilantro, dill or parsley).
• Tuesday’s box will include broccoli. Perhaps there will be enough for the rest of the week too.

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Around the farm this week …

Once the rain stops there will be lots of weeding to do …

… and plenty of transplanting as well.

Ready for CSA pick-up last Tuesday.

Our market stall on Saturday.

Rosemary saw opportunity in the barn swallow nest high in the rafters of the barn. (It turned out to be a failed mission.)

Searching for those 1st ripe cherry tomatoes.

This is our view out the window when we sit at our table for mealtime.

It changes almost daily – vegetables are planted, they grow, we harvest them, and then it repeats. The white insect covers come & go as well, and move around the field. The railroad tracks are right there and trains pass by multiple times each day.

It’s a great view!

And here are some views of the farm we don’t get to see very often

Barns, houses and greenhouse to the left & bottom of the picture. Vegetable beds to the right.

Here are these same vegetable beds at ground level today!

This photo shows our entire growing area. The tomato & pepper patches are at the very right hand side of the picture.

It is fun to see the farm from above. We hope to do it again later in the summer and see how it all looks then. Thank you to Carter from Vacant Inn Productions (www.vacantinnproductions.com) for these drone shots!

What’s in the box?

Zucchini, garlic scapes, fresh herbs, beets, green onions, salad turnips, salad greens.

• The 1st zucchini are always special – a delicious change from all the salad greens of spring, and a sure sign that summer has arrived! As usual these first zucchini can be a bit wonky, like the plants are not quite sure how to form them yet. But no worries – in a few days they’ll be pros at pumping out a plethora of perfect fruit in shades of green, yellow and even stripes.

• 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, “10 things to do with garlic scapes, the best veg you’re not cooking yet”.  https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/garlic-scapes

• Fresh herbs are a treat to use in cooking, adding a burst of flavour. Choose from cilantro, dill, parsley or mint bunches this week.
• Beets, green onions, salad turnips and several salad greens (lettuce, spicy salad, spinach, arugula, bok choy, baby kale) finish the box this week.

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Around the farm this week …

A mix of sunshine and rain creates good growth in the vegetables.

The winter squash is planted – and being decimated by cucumber/squash beetles. The white colour is from kaolin clay a natural mineral that is mixed with water and sprayed on the plant. It forms a barrier for feeding and egg-laying, and sticks to the bugs and irritates them. Of course it rained soon after application so I’ll have to repeat it when the weather clears.

Bumble bees in the flowers by the barn this morning.

The GO Train passes by the farm just after 7am on weekdays.

During the winter I would hear it from my bed.

As spring rolled around I would watch it pass while sitting at the table eating breakfast.

And now we are usually outside working when the train comes by.

This morning I stumbled outside earlier than I would have liked for a Monday morning – but the sun was rising together with some fog, and I knew it would make for lovely pictures.

What’s in the box?

Green onions, beets, salad turnips, salad greens.

Slowly but surely we are adding more vegetables to the box – though green greens are still the main component!

Just a reminder that all greens have been rinsed once. You may want to wash them again.

• Our 1st green onions are small & tender – and delicious!
• Beets are a favourite vegetable for many of our CSA members. We think there should be enough for a small bunch for everyone this week. But it can be hard to judge the quantity when they are out in the field – so we reserve the right to change our mind and keep you waiting another week if necessary. But fingers crossed!
• Did you enjoy the salad turnips? There will be another bunch in your share this week. Shred them into your salad, slice them into a stir fry, or just munch them as a snack.
• And speaking of salads … there will be a variety of salad greens this week. The fields are bursting with lettuce, spinach, arugula, baby kale, bok choy and our spicy salad mix. You will find several of these in the box.

*** As a member of our CSA you have access to http://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com. This website has 900+ recipes, storage and preserving tips, pantry stocking suggestions and vegetable prep videos, organized by vegetable and created using CSA produce. Log in using the access key you received at sign up or ask us to send it to you again.

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Around the farm this week …

The blackberries are in bloom! We will have to wait until early August for the 1st taste.

Elderberries are also blooming. Look for elderflowers at market this Saturday.

Another good day at the Georgetown Farmers’ Market.

25 mm or about 1″ of rain has fallen since last evening, and it is still coming down.

And that’s good!

The plants are loving it! This will give them the boost they need. Already they are greener & brighter. The ground is happily soaking up the rain, and the cisterns are filling up (of course we just had a truckload of water delivered on Friday). Equally amazing is how fast the weeds are popping up!

What’s in the box?

Salad turnips, radishes, baby kale, mini romaine lettuce, pea shoots, salad greens.

• 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.
• The radishes this week are called French Breakfast radishes. Long and pink with a white tip, they have a similar taste & bite to the more common round red radish. In France they prefer them very small, barely as thick as your baby finger, but I think they taste just fine at any size.
• Kale is the new green in your box. 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!
• Mini romaine lettuce looks like regular romaine – just smaller. It has the same crunch and the same great flavour. This week’s mini romaine is a beautiful dark red variety.
• 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.)

• There will be another salad green in the box as well. It might be lettuce, spinach, bok choy, or arugula depending on what is ready to harvest on the day we pick.

When the rain slowed I ran out to the fields to check the vegetables and grabbed these. From left to right – mini-romaine, salad turnips, French breakfast radishes, beets, green onions. Beets & green onions are coming along but are still several weeks away. Zucchini too!

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Around the farm this week …

I mowed the cover crop field which had so many different species of plants growing & blooming. I left a few strips unmowed for the bees & other pollinators to enjoy. After this rain I will mow it again, work the ground and reseed, this time to buckwheat for the summer.

The tomatoes are growing quickly now – we need to get them staked, pruned & tied.

The zucchini are in flower so we have removed the insect cover and started mulching them. We just moved the insect cover over to the fall cabbages to protect them while they grow.

Seeding continues every few days …

Plant sales have been good at our roadside trailer and at market – but now they are slowing down. We were pleased to donate another truckload of pepper & eggplant & tomato plants to Project Share (projectshare.ca) for their clients and community gardens.

The cats are probably the only ones on the farm upset about the rain today. While they are smart enough to stay in the barn and nap, they are certainly grumpy and want to be left alone!

Happy but dirty after chasing a groundhog in the ditch!

Follow the path south from our barn.

Go around the shop, past the chicken coop & the big greenhouse.

Continue alongside the berm until you reach the train tracks. Turn right.

And there is my favourite spot on the farm – especially on a hot day!

It’s a cooling patch of green, a narrow area between the tracks and the pond, only wide enough to drive through, and with just enough trees and shrubs to give a few seconds of shady reprieve from the heat & humidity as you pass through. Then it is back into the sun.

And indeed it was sunny & hot last week, more like July than the end of May. We were craving this shade! It was quite a contrast to the previous week when it was much cooler with even a frost one night. Now this week seems more seasonable.

People are asking us how this variable weather is affecting the crops. And what about the lack of rain?

Overall crops are growing well. While we could certainly use a good soaking rain (1″ per week is the ideal), it really isn’t dry. When we scuff the soil with our shoe, there is moisture not far below the surface. Vegetables that have been growing awhile have their roots down into this moisture. New seedings & transplants need watering until they get established – like today’s plantings.

What’s in the box?

Spicy salad mix, spinach, green garlic, potted plant.

• 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.

• Spinach is growing especially well this season. If you were part of our CSA last year, you may remember we struggled to get enough spinach for much of the season – not this year! Enjoy another bag in your share this week.

• Green garlic was very popular last week so we’ll include it again. But don’t worry – there will be plenty of garlic remaining in the field for big, juicy garlic bulbs come fall.

• Choose a vegetable plant (tomato, sweet or hot pepper, eggplant) or an herb plant this week.

(The 2nd planting of radishes which were planned for this week’s box didn’t germinate – so no radishes. The last planting looks promising for next week or the week following. Salad turnips are so close – they should be in the box next week. Broccoli & beets are still a couple of weeks away.)

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Around the farm this week …

So many vegetables growing!

Cover crop field

Saturday was opening day of the Georgetown Farmers’ Market. The weather was perfect and the people of Georgetown came out in droves to support their market. We are so happy to be back for year 30!

I’m not the only one with a favourite spot on the farm. Seems everybody has their favourite hang-out spots as well!

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

It was a great day!

The weather was perfect, we were all on our A-game, & everything went according to plan.

That doesn’t always happen – especially on a Monday – and is something we do not take for granted.

(Plus, we had our littlest fella with us for the day which guarantees an increase in happiness – and a big decrease in productivity.)

Did we get everything done that was on the list? Never! But perhaps our list was too ambitious – it always is this time of the season.

Here’s some of what we managed to accomplish today …

• a big chunk of weeding.
• transplanted all the eggplant (10 varieties, about 270 plants) and hot peppers (400 plants of at least 25 varieties) into the field. Recording & mapping all of this is what really takes the time!
• planted herbs – dill, basil, cilantro, parsley, arugula as well as green onions, fall cabbage & salad greens in the field.
• watered everything that was put in the ground today, and all the plants on the driveway & trailers.
• filled trays for seeding greens tomorrow.
• filled pots for seeding squash soon.
• moved trays of seedlings out of the greenhouse to the yard to harden off.
• seeded many boxes of pea shoots for CSA next week.
• washed bins for picking & washing vegetables tomorrow.
• continued getting the barn ready for CSA pick-up.
• check over the vegetable beds and decide what will be in the CSA boxes this week.
• write this CSA newsletter.

What’s in the box?

Radishes, lettuce mix, spinach, arugula, & green garlic.

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. Bagged & stored in the refrigerator, they will last at least a week.

• Radishes are one of the first vegetables of spring. Their taste can range from fairly mild to quite sharp or hot – it depends a lot on the weather. Soaking them in ice-cold water for 20 minutes will cut some of the sharpness & also make them crisper.
• Our lettuce mix is a combination of many kinds & colours of lettuce. It makes a delicious and beautiful salad!
• Spinach is always one of our most popular greens. Eaten fresh in a salad or lightly steamed, it is always delicious – and nutritious!
• 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.
• 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.

A reminder that as a member of our CSA you have access to http://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com. This website has 900+ recipes, templates, storage and preserving tips, pantry stocking suggestions and vegetable prep videos, organized by vegetable and created using CSA Produce. Log in using the access key you received at sign up or ask us to send it to you again.

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Around the farm this week …

Beets are looking good!

Tomatoes are planted, posts are in and we have started mulching.

Broccoli & early cabbage under cover – protected from bugs.

Putting insect cover on the zucchini too.

The pawpaws in bloom last week.

Waiting for another tractor ride after grampa finishes watering.

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

Georgetown Farmers’ Market also starts this Saturday June 3. We’re excited to return for our 30th season!

A sunny day. An open field. And a tractor.

That’s all it takes to make a farmer happy!

There is nothing better than feeling the warm, spring sun on your face, riding on the tractor & working the land, watching the birds soar overhead or grabbing worms on the ground, and smelling the soil as it gets loosened & turned.

This was my field and my view today.

This particular field is where we will grow many of our vegetables this season including tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers …

Last summer it rested. Instead of vegetables we grew cover crops here (oats, peas, buckwheat, vetch, clovers …) which grow and “cover” the ground and are then turned under and allowed to decompose, adding nutrients & organic matter to the soil – feeding the soil. The other day I plowed the field and today I leveled it with a disc. A pass with the cultivator will smooth it out and then it’s ready to be planted.

To the left of this field is the patch of ground where we grew vegetables last year. It has already been seeded to oats & peas and will get it’s break from growing vegetables this season.

We are fortunate that we have enough acres that we can rotate fields in and out of vegetable production. Growing vegetables can be hard on the land and giving it a rest helps maintain the soil health. Growing cover crops on it and applying manure & compost in the fall improves the soil health.

And as much as I – and most farmers – enjoy being on our tractors and working the land, we know this is harmful to the soil. Turning it over with a plow or slicing it with a disc disturbs the layers and damages the living things in the soil including bacteria, fungi, worms, insects and plant roots, all of which contribute to the health of the soil.

So we try to keep it to a minimum, disturbing the ground as little as possible, while still preparing the soil enough to allow seeding & transplanting. We are constantly learning, experimenting, evaluating and hopefully improving our farming practices.

But today I was on the tractor – and I loved it!

Happy spring!

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Around the farm this week …

We have lots of vegetables in the ground – and we are planting more each day. The sunshine and warmer temperatures this week following the rains of previous weeks make for optimum growing conditions. (The taller plants on the left are kale from last fall. We have been eating & enjoying it. Quickly it is going to flower & then to seed. Then the bees & other insects will enjoy it too.)

The new barn quilt that I painted this winter.

Amy has so many helpers!

It’s April and the farm is springing to life.

After a lot of rain last week followed by sun & warm temperatures this week, things are really going to move quickly!

In the small greenhouse a wide assortment of vegetables are up and growing – with more added every day.

In the big greenhouse we have begun transplanting – a task that will take up much of Amy’s time over the next month and more.

Out in the field the garlic has popped through the straw.

And the blackberries are showing life. This makes us especially happy since we lost our blackberry crop last year due to the cold winter. But this spring the canes are mostly looking good! We will be pruning and tying them in the next week.

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Around the farm this week …

Sage and her new friend Jimmy. Jimmy’s mother rejected him, so he is being bottle fed (and spoiled) until he is big enough to join the herd. (He belongs to our neighbour – not us!)

Rosemary is recuperating nicely after surgery last week. But not at all happy with her cone!

We finally got smart and laid ground cover in the greenhouse. This will eliminate weeds and give a nice clean surface for our pots.

A new road sign with our new logo.

Still thinking of joining our CSA? We will only be accepting applications for several more weeks.

March is always a cruel month.

Sunny, warm and spring-like one day, followed by grey, cold, snowy weather the next.

The first flowers bloom, heralding spring, only to be silenced by the snow.

After a long, gloomy winter (the darkest in 73 years so we’re told) we are more than ready for spring. Apparently we will have to be patient – spring will be taking it’s time to arrive.

Fortunately spring has sprung in our greenhouse. The first seeds are up – peppers, tomatoes and onions. And artichokes! We are enjoying watching them grow!

For the first time ever we tapped our 2 silver maple trees in the backyard and collected sap. Boiling it down is a long process, but resulted in some very tasty maple syrup. The first batch was quite pale & thin but later ones were thicker with a lovely, rich colour.

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Around the farm this week …

The remnants of the last snow are finally disappearing – but it is snowing again today!

The garlic patch. This is where we will see the first green growth of spring out on the farm – but not yet.

The Flynns and Sage and Rosemary are also anxious for spring!

We are still accepting applications for our CSA program.

Friday pick-up is full, but there is availability on Tuesday & Thursday at the farm, and picking up at the Georgetown Farmers’ Market.