Week 1: Fancy Beetles

Rows of red clover between rows of vegetables leading to the Avon River

The pack will be small this week, but it will be fresh. And will be valued accordingly. We look forward to seeing all our returning customers and the new ones too!

Last night they were calling for a frost, so David, Bernard, and Alice went out to make sure the tender transplants got covered with row cover. In the photo above, you can see the row cover on the left. It has to be pinned down with a LOT of heavy ‘row bags’. We don’t want the row cover to blow away into the trees. (I’ve seen it happen before, ugh). When I thanked Bernard for his extra efforts, he responded “I like melons.” Yup, that sums it up. Sometimes a lot of extra effort is required if you like the tender crops, and we are grateful.

David and I went around the farm to see what we could put in the pack this week. We were peeking under row covers to see what was going on under there. If all goes according to plan (which it rarely does), we should have easter egg radishes, head lettuce, salad mix, sweet summer turnips, and beet greens. We will also bring eggs and rhubarb to sell on the side.

Bernard has been doing a great job with the laying hens. We have 199 of them, and their laying has been phenomenal. One day they laid 195 eggs! That is a very high average. Bernard proudly describes his team of girls, just like a Montreal Canadiens hockey coach. Cracks me up every time.

Our next stop was the hoop house where people were trellising tomatoes. Alice had come up with a really good new method. The ‘Méthé Method’.

Alice Methe trellising tomatoes.

Kevin put some finishing touches on another cabin, the one by the pond. So, Bernard built a bed and moved right in. We love this self-organized crew! In other crew news, when Alice and Bernard have to go back to university at the end of August, Marshall Zuern and Hilary Rancourt will be coming back Yay!! Hilary will be going back to nursing, but I expect she’ll be helping out on the farm too. That’s the kind of great gal she is. Marshall and Hilary worked on the farm in 2014 and then went off on a grand adventure to South America. They’ve been biking through the States, and now they are in Oregon. We miss them and wish them safe travels. Victoria’s new challenge is to take care of organic certification paperwork. Not an enviable job, but she is approaching it with cheer and enthusiasm. And she’s super talented with spreadsheets. In other good news, Lori Maxwell will be coming back to the farm this week to help with harvest.

Below are some photos from the week. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!