feeling hot hot hot!

Summer has arrived, I’m sat here drinking elderflower tea and eating cherries after the hottest week on the farm so far. What I’ve mostly been doing this week is sweating.

Wednesday we had our first harvest and pick up for CSA. We have two places for members to pick up their veggies, directly from the farm and also in Pembroke, the nearest city about 20 miles away.  I went with Kylah to the Pembroke pick up, in the sweltering afternoon heat. Luckily there is plenty of shade where we set up.  it was nice to meet the CSA members and I’m looking forward to getting to know people more over the coming weeks.

Wednesday was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.  In the evening we had a fire to celebrate the start of summer, which ironically starts with the Sun’s decline as the days from now on get shorter.  The sun set was gorgeous, the sun a bright red-orange as it caressed the horizon and then the sky spilled into a gradient of colours from dusky orange to indigo as the sun dipped below the horizon.

 Solstice sunset

 Jackson playing the ukulele by the solstice fire

Thursday the heat was crazy, reaching 40˚C!  despite the heat we still got a lot done, harvesting peas and courgettes for the first time and also garlic scapes (the unopened flower spike) as well as some weeding and sorting through potatoes stored in the root cellar to find suitable ones for seed.  We finished early thank fully as come mid-afternoon fighting the heat induced lethargy was becoming near impossible.  After work we all went to town for much deserved ice cream and a paddle in the lake to cool down.

Friday as always is our big harvest day for market and this week we had our first real harvest of beetroot. I was really surprised at just how big some of them are already, I didn’t think they would be so early.  We grow three variety, chioggia, golden and the usual red, they look really beautiful when mixed in a bunch. So many people at market complemented us on them and a few even took photos they look that good!

I went to both markets this weekend and they were pretty busy. We had lots of produce and the beets were definitely the most popular item.  Thankfully it cooled down to (what now feels like) the moderate mid 20’s, which was a relief.  Our table is twice the size now compared to our first market 5 weeks ago and it looks so inviting. Kylah is keen on aesthetics which is great as our market stall draws people in with the beautiful looking produce.  Next time I’ll take a photo to share with you.

Today it is distinctly cooler, and I’ve been out in Bob’s pasture picking elderflowers.  They smell so amazing and really are an evocative scent of summer for me.  they are only just coming into full bloom here which is interesting just how much later it is than home; where the flowers start coming out in May.  Elderflower tea is my favourite summer brew.

 Elderflowers

Cheers!

Becky xx

Strawberry fields forever

It’s been what feels like a super productive week here on the farm. We’ve worked our socks off working 11 hour days in a big push to get as much field work done as possible before CSA starts on Wednesday.

For those of you who don’t know, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and how it works at the farm here is that you buy a CSA share and in return you get a weekly or bi-weekly box of vegetables.  So it’s similar to a veggie box scheme except with a CSA share you pay upfront for the whole season, which lasts I think 13 weeks.   There is also an autumn/winter CSA that consists of winter storage crops. 

We go to market both Saturday and Sunday right through until mid November, which meant harvesting Fridays and part of Saturday, but once CSA begins this week we’ll also be harvesting on Wednesdays, so harvest and processing produce will now become the main focus of work on the farm.

So what have we been doing on the farm this week?

Tuesday we had a ‘school’ morning as it was lashing down with rain, so Kylah set us an exercise to write out a farm budget, thinking of the farm capital and what everything cost and then annual expenditure for the farm.  It was really useful to try and think of everything that you would spend money on to start and run a farm.  Kylah then went through everything with us giving the correct amounts.  It’s really refreshing for a business to be so transparent and open about their finances; where the money goes, what they earn, and where they have received grants from etc.  it’s also very eye opening to see how much money has gone into the farm.  They have done an incredible amount in such a short space of time, particularly in terms of building construction and major works.

In the afternoon we planted cedar and spruce saplings on top of the earthworks that cover the root cellar which will act as a wind break and help to prevent soil erosion.

Tuesday was my birthday so in the evening the four of us went to a small tavern in the town of Wilno which is around a 45 minute drive from the farm.  The sun was setting as we made our way and we drove through the town of Golden Lake and the pink sunset reflecting on the lake was a gorgeous sight.  I went to Wilno the first week here and was so incredibly tired and achy that I couldn’t really enjoy it. However I had great fun this time dancing  ‘til the early hours to the Wilno Blues Band; a bunch of old geezers who play rock and roll and blues covers.

Wednesday Leah and I finished planting up the strawberry beds and weeded the squash.  In between the squash rows it’s like a wild herb garden and I pulled up lots of dandelion and mallow roots which are now drying upstairs in the barn.  In the afternoon we all worked on sorting out the peas; weeding and directing the plants so they are against the fence and will start to grow up it.  Many were flopped over and straggling on the ground.  There are lots of peas coming now and I had a sneaky taste and they are delicious.  Looks like we are only growing sugar snap style peas which is a shame, I would love to be eating fresh podded garden peas, they are such a summer treat.

Thursday we really knuckled down and got tonnes done.  We had a cucumber beetle squishing session in the early morning, many of the plants are badly infested but it seems like they are holding up well to the attack now that they are big and well established plants.  We then moved on to plant Kale, chard, Brussels sprouts and parsley, which then all go covered with fleece row cover.  Zach was saying how they harvest kale right into January here, which I found amazing considering how cold the winters get, like -20˚c and below.  The fleece cover must keep them relatively snug and then a layer of snow on top will also help to insulate the plants against the cold.

Just before lunch we planted up three beds of winter squash, I love squash and am excited for the fall when we get to eat lots of them!

After lunch we weeded a bunch of crops and generally had a laugh talking about our native slang words and making up silly songs.  Zach is so much fun to work with, he’s always making up random raps and taking the mick out of my accent which I find hilarious as his English accent is terrible!

We had a film crew visit the farm from some Canadian TV station and Zach did four short interview segments which you can (hopefully) watch below if you're interested

Friday is the big harvest day and this week’s produce was radish, spinach, arugula, lettuce, hakurei, kale, chard, garlic, garlic scapes and beetroot.  I personally harvested spinach, kale and chard then went on to processing stuff from the field i.e. washing and packing.  I’m generally the main processor and the others call me the Wash Station Manager as I spend most of harvest days in the wash station.  So all greens – lettuce, spinach and arugula are washed in huge water troughs, as many weeds as possible picked out, then spun dry in a converted washing machine! Very ingenious! Then they are bagged up and packed into boxes.  I do all the bagging and I’m pretty speedy at it now and at the point where I can tell what 150grams is just by how it feels in my hand.  All the bagging is done in the root cellar and it’s like going into a cave, when I come out I’m all bleary eyed and the sun seems so bright after working in the din of the cellar.

Roots are all spray washed with hoses and then packed into boxes.  Chard, kale and garlic don’t get washed as they generally come out of the field looking clean already. 

Harvest days are so busy and it’s the kind of work where you barely have time to stop to breathe, but I enjoy it all the same.

 Washing Hakurei in the wash station

Saturday we harvested and processed more in the morning and early afternoon then had a bit of a tidy up as we had a farm tour in the afternoon.  Quite a few people turned up, some CSA members, some local farmers and some just interested in seeing the farm.  Zach did a tour and got around half of the people to plant potatoes which is brilliant!  One less piece of work for us to get done!  After the tour we had a pot luck dinner and most of the people brought food to share with everyone.  There was also a craft table set up for the kids which I think some of the adults were just as keen on, me included!  It was lovely to talk to the people who visited and see so many people coming together and enjoying the farm.

 artwork from the farm tour craft table

 

I’ve felt pretty inspired this week and have been thinking, half daydreaming a little about what I want to do when I come home. Maybe renting some land, growing some veggies, imagining the possibilities…

Sunday was a very relaxed day off spent doing some cooking, reading, napping and generally avoiding the roasting hot sun. in the evening Leah, Jackson and I went and picked strawberries in the HUGE strawberry patch here at Bob’s.  it’s left over from when Kylah and Zach used to farm around an acre at Bob’s in the early days before buying the land for the farm.  There are so many plants, it’s all a bit over grown and neglected, but we picked loads from just a tiny segment of the bed and they are so delicious.  What’s brilliant is that they aren’t being harvested for market or anything so we can stuff ourselves silly with strawberries for the coming weeks!  The strawberry bed is right next to a crazy overgrown raspberry patch too which is going to be dripping with fruit soon; it’s berry heaven!

 strawberries galore!

In the night as Leah and I walked back to our tents there were lots of fireflies out. It’s the first time I’ve seen them and wow are they magical.  Floating gracefully through the air and sparking bright in a languid rhythm.  I stood and watched them for a while as they flew through the apple trees and around me, a very ethereal beauty.

Much love always

Becky

Rocking the roots

We’ve rolled into June, and this past weekend just gone sees the end of my forth week here. I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone, it doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for a month already; but at the same time it feels like I’ve been here for a lot longer in the sense that I feel at home, I feel settled and content.

We have been super busy on and off the farm the last couple of weeks, hence why I haven’t written for a while.  Summer brings long working days and an almost endless list of tasks to complete and the days fly by in a flurry of activity.

On the farm over the last fortnight as ever the weeding has continued. Other things we have been doing are planting Jerusalem artichokes, making fences for peas to grow up, stringing up tomatoes and side-shooting them, planting strawberries and of course harvesting.  this friday we had our first harvest of kale and chard!

Last week was a bit pest control centred; Leah and I spent many an hour scouring the garlic for leek moth larvae, hunting down and squishing potato beetles and annihilating cucumber beetles.  It’s interesting to see the different pests they have here, I’ve not encountered or heard of potato beetle or cucumber beetle in the UK, which is a good thing as they do a lot of damage to their associated crops, decimating the leaves and seriously hindering growth.  While it’s a pretty disgusting job squishing said bugs, particularly potato beetles which have bright orange guts which tend to squirt out and delightfully stain your clothes; I’d much rather that than the alternative which is to spray crops with Rotenone.  While, up until recently, an organic approved insecticide, in my eyes Rotenone or any pesticide for that matter should always be a last resort.  Rotenone has now been banned from use in organic production here in Canada, and rightly so I feel.  Even though it is made from natural sources – certain tropical roots; it’s still a toxic chemical, and after doing a little research  it’s bad news if it makes it’s way into water ways as it is highly toxic to aquatic life and can stay in the water for up to six months.  It’s also mildly toxic to humans, so even though produce may be organic, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it hasn’t been sprayed with insecticide.  

So now that Rotenone has been disallowed in organic use, Kylah has been researching alternatives and they want to start using Pyrethrum which is made from a plant in the chrysanthemum family, but she is having difficulty finding a Canadian supplier.  While I'm not keen on insecticides, organic or otherwise, I can understand why they are used as combating some pests by hand just isn't possible.

Talking of bugs, we have started a long term project of creating an insectarium – collecting specimens of insects found on the farm from the pests, to the beneficial and everything in between.  We have a small collection so far where we have pinned specimens to a cork board and we hope to identify and research a little about each creature. It’s really interesting to find new insects and learn more about the farms biodiversity, I’m thinking of doing a little personal project of documenting the wild flowers on the farm which gives me a good excuse to take lots of photos of flowers.

Another big task that started the week before last and is in continuation is sorting the produce in the root cellar and running it through the shiny new root washer Jackson and Matt put together.  The root cellar has been in desperate need of organising and Leah has been itching to get in there and sort it out, she loves organising things.  So we’ve been sorting through the carrots and potatoes that have been stored over winter, running them through the root washer and then grading them out. In the case of carrots, grading them either fit for market (of which there were very few), for us to eat, or lastly compost.  They seem to have had a bit of a problem with wireworm last year which burrows into the carrot and makes it look rather unappetising, especially after the roots have been stored and the burrows turn black.  Still there are plenty for us to eat, far too many actually, I feel that the carrots should have been better sorted in the autumn and perhaps a percentage given away to family and friends to eat as I think a lot of those that we sorted will end up being composted; which isn’t necessarily wasteful as it goes back into the ground, but they were grown to be eaten not composted.

 Carrots going through the shiny new root washer! The long wood barrel turns so the roots go in at one end and then get washes by jets of water as they make their way to the other end.

It’s a similar story with the potatoes, there are bags and bags of them that have been stored over winter and are now sprouting. We have been sorting through them to grade out suitable seed potatoes for planting, many of them have contracted a black scurf which is a fungal disease that leaves the skin on the potatoes mottled with black spots, so we have been picking out those which don’t have the scurf to use for potato seed.  Some are beyond saving however, bags of them just being sprouted masses which are impossible to sort.  We have made our way through a good percentage though and now we have tonnes of potatoes for eating, again far too many, so there are plans in the works to make some vodka!

Sunday 3^rd I went to my first market in Ottawa, It’s an early start of 5:30 since Ottawa is an hour and a half away, and it was nice to sit in the truck and watch the sun rising as we drove along the highway.  As we approached Ottawa  the distant skyline was very beautiful in the early morning light  festooned with low lying clouds.

We didn’t have a good turnout for market due to the rainy weather report and we came back with quite a bit of produce.  It was still a good day, albeit long, finally getting home at 5pm.  It’s nice to browse the other stalls and buy some treats, and I like the full circle experience of growing the food and then having direct contact with the consumer and sharing enthusiasm about the produce.

One of the most popular vegetables we are selling right now at market are Hakurei turnips, a small

white turnip about the side of a radish which is delicious raw with a very mild radish flavour but with

a sweet crispness.  They are delicious and the customers know it too, always coming back for more 

and saying how good they are.  I’ve never heard of them before coming here and they are definitely

something I’m going to be growing back at home.

  Leah and Jackson harvesting hakurei turnips

Last Monday all of us went to visit another small farm owned by a lady who interned at Rainbow in 2010.  Her name is Sheila and she cultivates around two and a half acres and has around 25 CSA shares. She is only in her second official year and it was nice to see a very young project. She also kept quite a few chickens and the day before bought six piglets which she is going to use to ‘plough’ up areas of land for cultivation.  She also ingeniously uses her chickens for weeding, placing them in a ‘chicken tractor’ which is moved along a bed or a path and the chickens inside will scratch up the weeds and at the same time fertilise the ground with their droppings.

 Chicken tractor!

 Piggies!

This past week Zach has worked alongside us a lot more, as previously he has had a lot of other things to sort out on the farm such as building construction and generally getting things ready for us to all move up there in July.  I’ve really enjoyed working with him more and having the opportunity to chat to him and just generally have a giggle. We all get on really well here and laugh together a lot, the people make the work even more enjoyable.

The weather has been unsettled in the last couple of weeks.  On the last Monday of May we had a crazy lightning storm overnight, there was very little thunder, but lightning bolt after lightning bolt that went on for a solid hour or more.  It was a bit worrisome being in the tent lying next to a 3 metre tall metal post that has the potential to act as a lightning rod!

We’ve had mostly fair days, though distinctly cooler temperatures and some much needed rain to quench the dry earth.  Late afternoon on Wednesday and Thursday thunderstorms rolled in suddenly out of the blue, whipping up huge winds that saw me and Leah running about trying to catch big sheets of Styrofoam insulation caught up in the gusts!

Sunday and today have been back to very hot again, with a high of 33˚c today. Far too hot to be comfortable.  Leah and I went to a tiny little beach earlier today on the shore of Lake Dore about ten minutes away.  We didn’t stay long, just had a little paddle in the clear water and then went into Pembroke to do some shopping.  It's good to know where the beach is now, and we plan to go back and spend some time their another day. It'll be nice to take a swim in the lake!

So I guess that's all for this time

Much love

Becky xx