It is difficult to express just how grateful we are for the rain that is happening now. The streams are starting to run again on the farm! The amphibians are happy! The province is getting a much needed drink, the fires will settle down, and soon, first responders and fire fighters will get a break. Our hearts are heavy for all the displacement, loss, and health impacts from the fires. A huge thank you to all the firefighters from here and far away who are fighting fires!
Thanks also to all the farm share members! Your enthusiasm and excitement this week has been a boost to the farm and market teams who have worked so hard to prepare. Sarah said she was so happy to see such a diversity of vegetables heading to Market this week.
We still have a few farm share spaces available, and anyone who still wants to sign up, we will adjust the price according to the date you start. Please spread the word!
Below are a few photos from the last week:
It’s such a good feeling to do a job, like planting onions, in a groupAndrew pulling a load from the cooler to the van to deliver to Warehouse MarketHug a Farmer – Mud, Sweat, and Years on Andrew’s shirt. There was no mud at this point because of so little rain in April and May.Eli worked hard to get the water flowing to onion transplants in dry ground.Olivia found a caligrapha beetle as we were planting onions. We are trying to start documenting insects we encounter to learn their roles on the farm and encourage the good ones. We’re not sure about this one yet, but it seems they are not common here, and are not ‘beneficial’.This soldier bug is supposed to be beneficial. Their larvae are predacious. Adults eat aphids and pollen, and larvae eat invertebrates like slugs and snails. We have been seeing them a lot this spring!Kale and chard pesto! Rashmi made it for our farm lunch and she shared the recipe: Combine chard, kale, salt and pepper, toasted walnuts and almonds, garlic, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and maple syrup in a food processor and blend. Serve on pasta, or with other vegetables. Pestos can be made with basil, rosemary, nettle, and many other greens!Maddie is a flash of colour surrounded by so many greens at MarketFarm share members picking out their items. Watch for the green dots on the tags. You can see them in the photo. Potatoes will be added to the farm share item options later in the season.We can often have the Market cash out area outside when the weather co-operatesFarm team meeting at the beginning of farm share week #1. So much planning and co-ordination goes into the operation before this special day.Sarah co-ordinates harvest, training, and she is the safety officer for the farm. Here she is running the safety meeting that happens twice a month.Kara harvesting large bok choi. Or we could call it bok joy!Talking about joy, the first rain was such a joyful event!
Abundant Acres Farm 