A few of the youth from Hope Blooms came to Victoria Park to help us with the distribution there.  They came to visit the farm last year, and we loved having them!  They have such a refreshing energy.  After our market, we brought some leftover produce to their garden where they were setting up a market.  Jessie Jollymore sent us a note the next day: “We wholeheartedly thank you so so much for your generous contribution of food and support.  Thursday market started out quiet but by 8pm there were so many people there.  In your honour we gave free vegetables to 5 Syrian families that came out for the outdoor movie.  What a way to build community and address food security at the same time.”  Jessie is all heart and we love what she is helping to bring out in the youth.

David started siphoning water from the upper pond to the irrigation pond and it is still going 4 days later…  We feel very fortunate that Jeff and his excavator showed up earlier this spring to deepen that pond!!  Phew!  We are still irrigating every day, but the soil is so dry from heat and wind that we could really use some rain.

For a kid who grew up in the suburbs outside Boston, David is developing some handy skills.  He’s much more comfortable with pumps and plumbing after setting up all the irrigation infrastructure.  Also, running a 30-year-old diesel truck on used veggie oil has taught him a lot about mechanics.  He’s teaching our crew how to listen for mechanical trouble, in vehicles, tillers, and in the cooling systems.  Now that the farm is so big, he misses the harvest, seeding, and weeding work.  His job now is maintenance and ‘fixing things’.

Erin and Dermot are on vacation and we sure do miss them!  Next week Matheson will have time off.  We hope they all come back refreshed and ready for a busy fall season.

Mitch, Dakota’s friend from Australia, built a great addition to the manure spreader that will direct compost down on to the beds and compost piles.  It turns out he’s used to building this kind of thing for his coal mine employer in Australia!  Thanks Mitch!

Cody, who drives all the way from Bear River (2.5 hrs) twice a week to help out on our harvest days, brought his wife Nadine last Friday.  Both of them are such bright lights and we love having them here.  It is so fun to share with other farmers in this way.

The avalanche of tomatoes will be starting soon.  At first it is a trickle of red and orange, soon it will be tricky to keep up with the harvest.  We also have a deluge of purple with the eggplant.  There are even a few red peppers coming along.

A few photos from last week:

George loves fairy tale eggplant

Turmeric growing in the hoop house.  First time for us

Dakota is doing a great job managing the warm season crops in the greenhouse!  Tomatoes on the right, and eggplant on the left

Irrigation pond.  The water level is normally at the top of the light green vegetation

Hope Blooms youth setting up their market

Dakota seeding in the barn where it is a little cooler

Dakota’s spiralizer.  Have you tried one yet?  They are fun!

Busy Victoria Park

Erin and Dermot’s cabin without them

David and Mitch with the modified manure spreader

Spinach is hard to grow when it is hot and dry, but this stuff is looking great!

Nadine picking kale