Hello!
First, a word about Happenings: if you click on "read more", you'll find essential information about our farm box program such as how to reschedule when you're away and different options for pick up locations if you'd like to switch over to a different spot. Please take some time to read through this stuff at least once so that you become familiar with how Harvie works. I also provide you with essential information that might change from week to week, as well as a recipe and usually some farm photos!
FARM NEWS
Last week we talked about hoping for rain, and we've definitely had some now. Storms have started coming through each evening and we've had around 3.5 inches since last Monday. So we're all good now! Crops are growing and we are happy to be harvesting some more variety for you all. We hope you find some new items to get excited about this week in your share.
Thank you for coming to the farm tour on Sunday for those of you that were able to make it. We love sharing more about the farm than simply the veggies that come in your boxes! We have two more tours in August and September and hopefully you'll make it to one or both of those.
Touring the field with our guests on Sunday.
One of our younger guests was great at finding critters in the grasses around the no till beds!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Week Off: There has been some confusion about the week that you will not receive a share so we can have a summer holiday. It was previously falsely announced to be the August 25, 26 weekend deliveries. The correct weekend (Friday or Saturday) that you will not receive a delivery is Sept. 8, 9.
RECIPE
This week's recipe celebrates fennel, which we have in abundance right now. I'm sure I read some version of this recipe somewhere, but I've made my own version often enough that I don't remember where it came from. It's very simple, and even better when we have our own fresh tomatoes, but a can of whole tomatoes will work great! A tip about the fennel stalks: You can use them in stock or you can juice them!
Braised Fennel with Italian Sausage and Rosemary
4 Italian sausage
2 bulbs fennel, cut into 8 wedges each.
Sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 sprigs of rosemary
small can of whole tomatoes or three fresh ones
Olive oil
fennel fronds for garnish
Sauté sausages in olive oil till mostly cooked. Remove sausage from pan and add the fennel and onions and cook till they’re golden brown. Add garlic and cook for one minute before adding the tomatoes and rosemary. If you're using fresh tomatoes it will take just a bit longer to get them nice and soft. If you're using canned ones, crush them before adding. Simmer everything together for 15 minutes and then eat on it’s own or serve with your favourite pasta or polenta. Remove the rosemary sprigs and garnish with chopped fennel fronds.
GENERAL TIPS
Pricing and Payment
I want to take a moment to remind you about how pricing works on Harvie to eliminate some of the questions we sometimes receive at the start of the season.
The default payment method on Harvie when you sign up with us a 25%/25%/50% model. This means that you pay 25% when you secure your spot with us, another 25% when you receive your first share PLUS the first instalment of the remaining 50%, which is charged to you over the 14 weeks of our summer share season. For those of you that paid in full upon signing up, this doesn't apply. A large share is $52/week, a medium $39/week and a small is $29/week.
You have the option of adding extras to your box each week, as long as you have a payment method for that in place (usually a credit card). You can also swap items; sometimes there is an additional fee when there is a difference between the two items that you are swapping. You can see the value of the items in your shares so you know what items to swap if you are trying to stay within the value of your share rather than incur extra charges by swapping items of greater value than the item you don't want.
You can keep tabs on what is in your cart if you click on the cart icon. A popup tally of what you have in your cart will appear. If your cart isn't full yet, a green banner letting you know that you can add items will show up as well. It isn't a perfect system, and we've provided Harvie with feedback asking them to make the accounting more clear for you guys. Please know that we are aiming to give you the best value that we can while also keeping our farm running.
The customization experience works best on a desktop screen rather than a phone.
What To Do if You Are Away
You have three options:
1) BEST OPTION - 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.
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) Have someone else pick up for you. In our experience, friends assigned this job sometimes forget, so help them remember!
Our Location Options
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. We will not retrieve shares left here.
Awn Kitchen (Southwest Edmonton) Saturday pickups, 10-2, no flex.
Uproot Food Collective (Central Edmonton)
Saturday pickups, 10-2, some flex, but let's respect the hours as best we can.
Strathcona Farmer's Market (Edmonton) Saturday pickups, 8-3, no flex.
The Butcher Block (Sherwood Park) Saturday pickup, 9:30-4, some flex, open till 5.
Get Real Natural (Fort Saskatchewan) Saturday pickup, 10-5, no flex
Sundog Organic Farm (near Gibbons) Saturday, 9-2, flexible
A few more tips in case you haven't read them yet...
*When picking up your bin at King's, Awn, Breadlove, Butcher Block or the Fort Distillery, please make sure that you are getting the bin with your name on the label! We want to make sure that everyone gets the correct bin!
*Make sure that you set your preferences on your Harvie account. This ensures that you receive boxes tailored to you. Save the 5 star rating for things that you really love and don't give everything 5 stars because that skews the algorithm that the software relies on.
*Take advantage of the swapping and adding extras to further customize your shares! Remember to do it before Wednesday morning, 5:00 a.m.(basically Tuesday night unless you are a very early riser).
*Let us know if you ever want help. You can send in a note via your Harvie account, or email us directly at jamesandjenny@sundogorganicfarm.ca. If it is a more urgent concern, call us at 587-409-1106. We are always here for you.
