Hail and Harvest Update
We are very fortunate to have missed the terrible hail storm that damaged so many crops and property earlier this week.
I'm also happy to report that I'm noticing a big increase in the garden's productivity. Many of our greens have bounced back really well - we are still harvesting less of them than anticipated, but at least we have some of them for you to enjoy.
We finally started harvesting zucchinis again. At this time of year we would typically be harvesting 250-350 zucchini per week - this week we harvested 35, but at least that is a start. With the warm forecast next week I expect that zucchini will be abundant soon.
I pulled the first carrot of the season about 10 minutes ago. It was much smaller than I would like at this time of year but tasted delicious. I think we will have carrots for you in about 2 weeks.
Our broccoli and cabbage we tiny - I think largely due to the stress of the hailstorm. I have my fingers crossed that our fall crop will do much better and that we will have much more cabbage and broccoli to go around.
We are going to start harvesting garlic this week for your boxes. I'm not yet sure how the hail will have affected yield, but the small test bulbs I've pulled out of the ground have looked OK on average.
Winter squash and spaghetti squash are far behind and it is hard for me to predict if we will get a harvest out of them or not.
We have so much gratitude in our hearts for those of you who have stuck with us to get us through this rough time. Thanks for your concern, your kind messages, and your gifts. xoxo
New this week
I'm really excited about some cool new products we have this week:
Fresh potatoes from Eagle Creek - John is just doing a test harvest next week so won't have much to send our way but he will be sending us more each week. If you don't get them this week you should get them soon.
Ginger from Man's Organic - Alberta Grown ginger! We bought some of this last year for our family and it is unlike any ginger I have tried before. It is fresh, not dried and just has so much flavor and life in it.
Organic blueberries and cherries from B.C.
Mixed hot peppers from Galimax in southern Alberta
Handmade soap from Dee Stokoe - Dee donated this to us to help with out with the hail relief. I have been using it this week and it is fantastic. It smells and feels exquisite.
Chai Wallah's chai spice and chai honey
Customization cut off time - your box is open for customization until this Sunday at 10:00 pm. Please take a look at what is in your box and make any adjustments necessary.
Referral Program - Did you know that we have a referral program? Each time you refer a new customer to us each of you will receive a $25 credit. Once you are logged into your account you will see a "Refer a friend" tab at the top of your page. Click on that and share the link. When someone signs up using that link you will both automatically have a $25 added to your account. Here is a quick how to if you need more help: https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360044975613
Missing Items - Please let us know about any packing errors so that we can give you a credit for any missed items. Please reach out to info@steelpony.ca to let us know about missed items.
Quality - if any items you receive from us are not up to your standards please let me know so that we have a chance to make things right for you.
Setting preferences - if you haven't already set your preferences - and even if you haven't done so recently - doing so will help you to get the most out of this program. Here is information on setting your preferences - https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021794754-How-do-preferences-work-
Home Delivery - if you have signed up for home delivery and don't expect to be home on Thursday afternoon you can leave a cooler out for us to put your order into. If the forecast is cold, putting a hot water bottle into your cooler will help to keep the chill off.
Missed pick ups - if you know in advance that you will not be able to make it to your pick up please reschedule or cancel your order through your Harvie account. Here is a how to on doing that. https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001542514-How-to-skip-reschedule-or-change-a-delivery-location. You can make these changes until the customization cut off period on Sunday night at 7:00pm.
If after the cut off period you learn that you are not able to pick up, please let me know via email at mike@steelpony.ca or text at 403-506-3634. Please do not contact drop site hosts about missed pick ups.
Any orders that are not picked up 24 hours after the pick up window will be donated or used as we see fit in order to minimize waste.
Thanks so much for working with us to support the local economy, strengthen the local supply chain, and connect farmers and producers with eaters.
Enjoy!
Mike and the Steel Pony Farm crew
