Hello Farm Box Community!
Here we are starting week 1 of our summer together! We are excited and hope you are too. This email contains your farm box contents as well as this Happening (a weekly newsletter). We want to remind you that the produce options at this time of year will be less than in future weeks because the fields are just starting to produce all the things. In this write up, which we hope you take a moment to read once you've perused your share for the week, you will find farm news, links for using Harvie (our farm box software program) effectively, and photos from the field.
Important Note About Payment for this Week
This week, your credit cards on file (for those of you paying with the 25/25/50% payment plan) will be charged the following amounts: For small shares it will be $123.75 + 16.50 = 140.25. For medium shares it will be 165 + 22 = 187. For large shares it will be 217.50 + 29 = 246.50.
Farm News
Farm Tour
We've set dates for the farm tours this year! Mark your calendars for Wednesday, July 31 from 6:30 - 8:30, and Sunday, Sept. 15 from 10 - 12. We'll share with you how we grow your produce - you'll be able to see our regenerative & organic practices as well as the facility we use for washing and storage, and you'll be able to ask us any questions. Farm tours are a great opportunity to strengthen this little community that we have built together.
Hot, Hot, Hot...
Well, not really news if you've stepped outside, but it's a hot one this week! This is really helpful because it will get everything really going just in time for our farm shares. We do have to stay on top of irrigating both the plants and ourselves; below you can see James moving irrigation pipes - a job that he is a pro at!
Fun fact: when it is really hot, we often drink water with a bit of added natural salt in it to replace lost minerals.
The fields look pretty great no matter where you look right now. We've weeded everything through at least twice, and are happy with the growth that's happening. The corn is waist high thanks to the season extension props that we use! Even with the cool spring we had, plants are really exploding with growth now. Below is a photo of our winter carrots, parsnips and sun choke with potatoes in the background. These crops are not grown in the no till manner, but most of our other crops are.
Our dog, Molly, is my constant companion when I'm in the fields. She's pretty cute.
Here's a good view of our no till beds - we aim to have all the soil covered, so where we don't have crops (the pathways) we plant perennials (plants that come back year after year). Here you can see our herb garden next to a bed of beets. The pathways are planted with clover. To the right and in the back you can see the roadways are also covered with perennial grasses and alfalfa. This has many advantages. When the ground is covered, carbon is being captured both above and below ground. Clover also sequesters nitrogen. With the covered pathways we also give ourselves a mud free harvesting experience when conditions are wet. Come for the tour and see for yourselves how we manage our fields!
Here's our coldframe, filled with early beets and carrots. Once these are harvested we'll replant it with kale and broccoli for late fall harvesting. This is one example of season extension methods that help us stretch our short growing season.
REMINDERS AND GENERAL TIPS/INFORMATION
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. We suggest rescheduling your share to a week near the end when you will get more storage-friendly items that will last longer, though you're welcome to reschedule to any date that works best for you. When you reschedule, you will get double your share for the week.
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 just give them a friendly reminder!
Location Options and Info
King's University (East Edmonton) Friday pickups, 12-4, some flex if you have to come later. We will not retrieve any shares left here. Also, the main entrance is different than previous years. You will have to enter on the east side of Kings.
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. James will be here handing out your shares.
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, Get Real Natural or the farm, please make sure that you are getting the bin with your name on the label as we don't have anyone handing out the correct veggie boxes. 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 for building the boxes.
*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). Sometimes popular items sell out really quickly, so if you miss your chance on Monday, try again later on Tuesday after more customizing. Sometimes things that you want get put back on the options list.
If you miss the swap deadline, we can no longer make changes for you. We've tried to accommodate late requests in the past, but it's a lot of extra administration for us.
*Let us know if you ever want help navigating Harvie. 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 780-447-3025 or 780-974-6249. We are here for you!
We hope you enjoy your shares this week. Stay cool and take care<3
Jenny, James and crew
