Things are happening on the farm! It's been a productive number of weeks, and we are glad to have taken the time away from market to focus our collective energy on the following: Harvesting potatoes, carrots and onions for winter storage, planting fall crops, clean up of our no-till beds from this year, construction of next year's batch of no-till beds - WOOHOO! So much done!
This week we return to our booth at the Old Strathcona Farmers' market, and that means that our temporary location of the Earth's General Store for pick up will move back to the market. We so appreciate the hospitality of the EGS and hope that you did too! We look forward to serving the broader public at market and also to seeing your friendly faces on Saturdays.
These new beds may not be terribly exciting to look at now, but we are PUMPED about them!! For more information about how they are built, or what they mean to our farm, you can check out our Instagram page @sundogorganicfarm. Or you can check out the great article in this month's Tomato Food & Drink, where the arcticle called Farmers of Invention details our move to no till. Spoiler alert: It's not just a matter of no longer breaking up the soil with cultivators - there's a whole lot more involved!!
***How Credits Work***
Occasionally some of you receive credits from us - like when we mess up your share (it happens - we do our best, but we are human) or when something in your share isn't satisfactory. Previously, these credits have gone towards swap surcharges or extra items, but there has been a change by Harvie to make these credits apply directly to your payment for the week. We thought it was important to keep you in the loop about that!
***General Tips***
Please remember to let us know if something is not right with your order. We want to know how we can improve, and it is important to us that you receive excellence from us.
Here are some links to help documents created by Harvie for you to learn how to navigate your farm share account more easily. You will find information about swapping, rescheduling, pickup location changes etc.
https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/115000048773-Harvie-University-Members Link to Harvie help documents if you are not signed in to your account.
https://www.harvie.farm/contact Link to Harvie University for members (found in your accounts)
What To Do if You Are Away
This is a question we get asked often. You have three options:
1) Have someone else pick up for you. In our experience, friends assigned this job sometimes forget, so help them remember!
2) Cancel your share for the week. This can be managed on your Harvie account page. It must be done before the Wednesday morning cutoff time of 6 a.m. The disadvantage here is that you lose whatever you have invested into that share. So if you've paid 50%, then you forfeit that amount.
3) Reschedule your share. This is our recommended option because it means you get your full value. What we suggest is that you reschedule your share to a week near the end when you will get more storage-friendly items that will last longer in your fridge, though you're welcome to reschedule to any date that works best for you. When you reschedule, you will get the scheduled share as well as the rescheduled share or shares, so be prepared for a lot of food.
Pick up Location Days, Hours and Flexibilities (For more information about what to do when you miss a share, please read our Farm Happening from August 8)
King's University (East Edmonton)
Friday pickups, 12-4, some flex if you have to come a bit later. We will not retrieve any shares left here.
Breadlove Artisan Bakery (St. Albert), Saturday pickups, 10-2, no flex & closed on Sunday.
Awn Kitchen (Southwest Edmonton), Saturday pickups, 10-2, no flex, we will bring missed shares to farm.
Uproot Food Collective (Central Edmonton), Saturday pickups, 10-2, some flex, but please respect the pickup hours.
Strathcona Farmer's Market, Saturday pickups, 8-3, no flex, but we bring missed shares to farm.
The Butcher Block (Sherwood Park), Saturday pickup, 10-2, some flex
The Fort Distillery (Fort Saskatchewan), Saturday pickup, 10-5, no flex
Sundog Organic Farm (near Gibbons), Saturday, 9-2, flexible
As always, you may contact us with questions or concerns at jamesandjenny@sundogorganicfarm.ca or 780-447-3025 or 780-974-6249. Our preferred method of communication is email.
Be well,
James and Jenny
