Thanks to everyone who came out to our Farm Share Celebration this week! This was our second attempt at an event at the farm and we're happy with the way it went. One of our goals for the farm is to increase the connection between people and their food, so we hope to have many more events for future seasons. Farm dinners, pizza nights, skill sharing workshops, yoga on the farm... Lots of ideas! If there's something you'd like to see happen on the farm, let us know!
This week was a busy one with lots of family visiting! We had a lot of fun, and got a lot of help too! Here's my sister and my Dad helping. Not pictured is my Mom looking after Rosemary!
Now is the time for preparing our soil for next season. The process we are following is: mow down crop residues, broadfork (this is a way to bring air into the soil and get the soil workable without disturbing the structure of the soil and the life within), reshape the bed with the plow if necessary, apply compost, and add a cover crop (this season, oats and peas - these will grow until the frost and help reduce erosion over the winter, as well as feeding the microorganisms in the soil throughout the winter). That's our ideal plan! For our late fall crops there won't be time for a cover crop. But all this work is super important because in the springtime the muddy conditions make it very difficult to work the soil - plus, we're busy planting! So it's always necessary to be thinking many steps ahead when farming.
Here's a photo of Alex broadforking. Broadforking is something that does not come up when one thinks "organic" - but it is something at the root of what we do. It is an act of care and purposeful labour that epitomizes our connection and commitment as organic farmers to the health of our soil and the life within.
We're excited for our first harvest of potatoes this week! There's plenty to go around in the shares. Red cabbages are also trickling in - not enough yet for everyone but we have some that have finished forming heads. Bok choy is back, beets are slowly coming back in, and carrots and growing still. I'm excited to make a warm potato and bean salad for dinner - something like this https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dave-lieberman/warm-dijon-potato-salad-with-green-beans-recipe-1945609.
- Farmer Kim
