Did you know that you are part of a community of farm box members nearly 250 strong? We are thrilled to serve a community of locavores this big, and are grateful for you all!
This week Wednesday is the first of our two farm tours. We are hosting it from 6:30 to approximately 8:30. It's a great way to see where and how we grow your vegetables. We really value being able to share tours with you as a way to explain things. Why do the carrots vary in size? Why is head lettuce not available this week? Why do our veggies taste so yummy? We can answer all your burning questions! Directions to the farm can be found here.
In farm news...
Wow! Anyone remember the wind last week? It did a doozy on the farm, knocking over onions and other plants, abrading leaves and some zucchini. Wind is frustrating for us farmers!
We'll have a lot of tuscan kale, purple kale and green kale this year! The crops are very healthy and this is such a versatile and nutritious vegetable.
Inspecting the Chinese/Napa/Bilko cabbage (many names for the same thing around here). It's a real favourite for insect pests, but it seems like a decent crop so far! Watch for it in the farm box, and if you want a nice, easy and nutritious veg to stirfry up this week (or a complicated one to ferment into kimchee) then try get one in your box this week.
Last Friday while we packed your boxes, we live-streamed team Alberta's game so we could stay connected to our Eli! They were undefeated until their final game against team BC, so ended up with silver in the Canada Cup! Not too shabby, although if you know our Eli, you'll know that silver is tough. Here he is with his good friend and school mate Carson, who was on the bronze winning team.
REMINDERS AND GENERAL TIPS/INFORMATION
Have questions about your Harvie account and how to navigate Harvie? Here is a link to the many help documents that Harvie has compiled for you: https://harvie.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/115000048773-Harvie-University-Members
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!
