Hey all, a quick reminder that we have had to cancel the farm tour we'd scheduled for Sept. 15. Kids - they seem to have more stuff going on than ever! I'll send plenty of photos with this happening, in lieu of the tour. 
One of my favourite views right now, with the dill and sunchoke blossoms.
James teaching Si how to get the onions ready for storage. Our onions are all nearly cured, meaning they've developed the papery skin that allows them to keep through the winter.
Italian parsley blossoms - great for all the pollinators!
We planted a few big pumpkins this year and they're ripening up very nicely! We have what looks to be a pretty productive squash patch this year, but one never can tell exactly until the leaves die off from the first frost.
A field of broccoli plants that will (fingers crossed) be ready before the end of the farm box season. In the background, you can see we are harvesting spinach - a job we do first thing in the morning when the leaves are cool and the wind is usually low.
I took this photo during the celery harvest last week. I could very nicely lay the cut celery on the clover pathway to be gathered up. I really love the clover pathways for harvesting - they provide a mud-free work and walk space in addition to all the other great things they do.
Loving the skies at this time of year.
Beds are emptying out - above you can see a few cleared beds, but they are still surrounded by a lot of green - so good to keep as much growing as possible around the no-till beds. Having the ground covered is great for weed control, moisture conservancy, microbial health and biodiversity of plants and animals.
Here James and I are checking a few of the crops that we grow under horticulture fabric. We use this on radishes (top) to keep them from getting worms, and on the lettuce heads (bottom) to provide a bit of shade and to keep the wind and the hail from damaging the leaves. We also use this fabric on summer turnips, baby lettuce, hotshot mix, and this year to keep the deer from eating our radicchio crop! We use special bags filled with gravel to hold down the fabric, and sometimes we lift the fabric off the plants with wire hoops as on the lettuce here.
You can see that we still have plenty growing in the fields, so we hope to provide you with a good selection of vegetables as we enter the last five weeks of the farm share. You will notice a shift towards more root crops and hardy greens as well as items without their leafy tops (beets and carrots) as the season progresses and soon, the introduction of some winter squashes.
Please enjoy this week's share.
Warmly, your farmers, James and Jenny
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!
