Hi folks! A reminder that we are down to our last two farm boxes. We have our final deliveries on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18 and 19.
The comfortable weather continues, though we did finally get a fairly decent frost this morning. Preparing for winter also continues here on the farm, as we know that the warm weather will eventually come to an end. Below some of our crew are bringing zucchini vines to the compost. Love this picture taken by James's mom!
Some of the frost hardy plants that we grow, radicchio, winter kale, and winter kohlrabi, taste better after the frost. Did you know that the plants get sweeter and more concentrated flavour because they produce sugars in response to the cold weather? The sugars act like an antifreeze in the plants and help them survive in the dropping temps! It works like that in us humans too! The more time we spend outside, the sweeter we are;)
This fall I (Jenny) did an interview for a micro-credentials class at the King's University about our farm - it covers things like our motivation for farming, our move to no-till, and why you guys, our farm share members, are so important to us! If you'd like to watch it to learn more about us and how you impact us, you can give it a watch here. (It's around 20 minutes long).
One of the things that came up a lot for me in the interview was how our kids factored in to the decision to farm. We really wanted to give them a healthy lifestyle and be able to feed them good food. Here are a few photos that I found of them as little tykes on the farm:
In the spirit of thanksgiving, we send out our heartfelt gratitude for you. Thank you for caring about food and where it comes from, and about your local economy. Thank you for the many words of kindness and encouragement we have received through the season. We've enjoyed this growing season and are so grateful also for the bounty of the earth, for our able bodies, our farm dream team, and our generous families.
Wishes for a bountiful table this long weekend!
Warmly,
Jenny and James
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!
