Welcome to the first week of our 2021 Farm Share season!
Wow, are we ever excited to have gotten to this point in our season. Finally, it is time to start enjoying the veggies we have worked hard to produce – and even better, sharing them with you!
Along with Alex and I (Kim), Sarah and Brooklyn are joining us this season. Sarah is here for her second season, and Brooklyn is starting out with us for the first time. They have been doing incredible work out there in the field, pouring so much energy and care into the farm. We are so fortunate that they have chosen to work with us.
Workin' hard planting zucchinis and composting
Sometimes Rosemary (3 years) and Lark (8 months) work hard too...for about 15 minutes ;)
Today, we started our day off bright and early with a field walk. This is one of my favourite times of the week, when we get to pause to take a look at how everything is growing, see what’s ready to harvest, and come up with a list of things that need tending to. We observe, we ponder, we rejoice, we worry, we problem-solve, we prioritize. A highlight today was seeing what we think is a sparrow’s nest nestled in the hay of the garlic. We’ve been observing it over the last few weeks and today the birds had hatched! By growing without chemicals and with minimized tilling, all sorts of life can flourish alongside our vegetables.
We invite you to take your own field walk when you come to pick up your veggies. Take your time and take a look around.
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Our south beds
Farm News This Week
This week marks the end of our big spring plantings as we work to get our winter squash, eggplants, leeks and melons into the ground. It gives us a bit of breathing room to do some field clean up and weeding. Soon, we’ll be seeding in the greenhouse the veggies we’ll be harvesting in the fall!
Customization
Now is your chance to customize your share! Log onto your Harvie account to swap items in and out of your share. You'll have til Tuesday at 10pm to do this. After that, we'll receive a pick list and start harvesting!
Veggie Notes
Spring is all about the green veggies around here. You can start planning some amazing salads and stirfries for your meals this week!
Bok Choy
This veggie comes around in the shares in the spring and fall. This year, we had quite the infestation of flea beetles which really love to eat bok choy. So, it’s pretty holey and won’t be winning any beauty contests. Consider it a good introduction to what real food, straight from the farm and unfiltered by grocery stores, can sometimes look like. We had it in a stirfry the other day and it was delicious.
Green Garlic
A spring delicacy you will only see once or maybe twice in your share. This is one of those unique items that you may have never had before and probably never will see in a grocery store. Many people understandably mistake this for a spring onion. It's the garlic version of a spring onion - garlic harvested in the spring, before it's mature. It has a lovely aroma, a sweet and mild garlic flavour without the heat, and can be used raw or cooked. Use it as a replacement for garlic in any recipe. Add it to pasta, stir fries, omelettes. Dip it in salt and eat it, it’s great for your immune system. I particularly love it grilled on the BBQ!
Try this green garlic pesto if you have a lot: https://www.thespruceeats.com/green-garlic-pesto-recipe-2217490
Pick Up Reminders
Farm Pick Up Procedure
Pick up on the farm is on Thursdays between 3pm-7pm.
We like to be organized and have everything ready before 3pm, but please don't be tempted to arrive early because sometimes, as with all things, we're not done til the last minute.
Our address is 30073 Centre Rd, Strathroy. We're down a long driveway, with a sign at the top of the driveway.
Pick up happens outside our packhouse. It's just on the left about halfway down the driveway. There's a small gravel parking area there. Let us know your name when you arrive and we’ll bring you your share – you can come out, or stay in your car if you prefer. We’ll be wearing our masks and practicing social distancing.
Tips:
- Put your turn signal on early when slowing down– cars drive fast along this road and get impatient if they don’t know you’re turning.
- Please don’t turn around in our neighbours driveways.
- Be mindful of other cars coming and going, as we have a narrow driveway.
Market Pick up
Find us at the market, we’ll have your share ready for you! Komoka market is from 9-12 and Strathroy 8-12.
Forget to pick up your share? Going to be late?
Don’t worry, it happens! In that case, send us an email or text and we'll leave it in our cold room for you, to pick up later or the next day.
If you need to get in touch with me on pick up day, send me a text rather than an email if you can. 519-719-7253. Email is mulberrymoonfarm@gmail.com
Contact me at any time with your questions, comments, concerns :)
We love to see what you are doing with your veggies, so make sure to tag us @mulberrymoonfarm in your social media posts and stories.
Enjoy your first share of veggies, and thanks for keeping us growing! We can't wait to see you!
- Farmer Kim
