Quick Time

Here we are a week later again.  How does that happen so fast.  It’s been a busy last several days.

The Dine and Discover event was great fun.  We had a bunch of hungry and eager-to-learn folks here Saturday evening.  The weather was a dream come true.  Carol and I did a little prep in advance, although we were demonstrating how easy it is to eat healthfully, we couldn’t be doing everything during the Event.  We had two “Appeteasers”: Pesto Stuffed Gardener’s Delight Tomatoes on a bed of nasturtium leaf and Sprout Hummus with Fresh Picked Veggies; the Main Course:  Frittata, Cucumber Salad and Breschetta on Organic Flaxseed Bread; and of course Dessert:  fresh Ontario Peaches sliced over locally made Yogurt topped with Granola and Black Currant Syrup.  Carol spoke of the nutritional benefits of everything on this menu and we all discussed how good fresh food IS the ingredient you need in your fridge and in your cupboard to begin healthful eating.  We’ll get those recipes onto each of our blogs as soon as we can.  I find the computer work harder than anything else I do here – sigh. 

I wanted to let everyone know that even though I am home all day every day, it’s impossible for me to make a full meal each day as I’m outside from very early to very late with weeding, picking, chicken-keeping and market garden maintenance in general.  Monday each week is my day to begin the preparations towards great heath-mindful meals for each upcoming evening for the week.  I start by cooking the main parts of salads I’ll be making such as quinoa, rice or potatoes.   That’s the time-consumer.   I cut most of the fresh vegetables in the form I’ll need for certain dishes, whether for stir-fry, additions to salads or for dipping into homemade hummus which I make Monday as well.  I usually cook chicken or turkey/chicken sausage Monday to eat for a couple of meals during the week.  Fish is such a simple dinner, I cook pacific trout from frozen just before dinner – 450F, top rack, 10-15 minutes depending on the thickness.  This gives me time to put together that salad and maybe slice up some whole grain bread at the same time.   I usually cook two pizzas (from scratch) Thursday, eat one then and the other is waiting ready for me to warm up after deliveries Friday evening.  A little planning can make the week’s meals quite stress-free and actually relaxing. 

We did touch upon the benefits of organic over GMOs, but that’s a really HUGE topic that would take more than an evening to discuss. 

Oh, and as promised, the Salad Greens are indeed ready.  Let’s see how we do for the first week of their new existence. 

Those good fresh ingredients you can have in your fridge and cupboard this week are:

Beans  $3/pound there are some, the second plantings are just coming about now

Beets, Chioggia  $3/pound

Cabbage, Savoy  $3 each

Calendula Flowers  $3/bag

Calendula Seeds  how many handfuls would you like? $0/handful

Carrots   $3/bunch

Celery, even bigger than last week  $2/bundle

Chard  $3/bag

Chicory  Dandelion Leaves Garnet Stem  $3/bag

Edible Flowers  $3/bag

Endive:  frisee, batavian  $3/bag 

Garlic  $3 and $2 each  depending on the size – please specify when ordering - thanks  

Herbs:  Chives, Citrus Thyme, Dill, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Sage, Savory, Sorrel, Thyme  $2/bunch or $5/mixed bag

Mustard Greens  $3/bag

Onions, white, yellow  $2.50/pound  

Peppers, Alma Paprika  $4/pound

Peppers, Sweet  $4/pound

Radicchio  $2/head

SALAD GREENS  (washed and table-ready)  $5/bag

Shallots  $6/pound

Tomatoes  $3 pound 

Tomatoes, cherry  $4 pound

Turnips  Purple Top White Globe, really large  $3/pound

Granola, with fruit  $8 /500mL jar

Granola, with nuts and fruit  $10 /500mL jar

Pesto  $4.50 /125mL jar (organic basil grown here, parmesan cheese, organic olive oil, walnuts, organic garlic grown here, sea salt, pepper)

Sprouts:  $3/bag

Sandwich Booster (clover, alfalfa, radish and mustard) 

Spring Salad Mix  (broccoli, radish, alfalfa & clover) 

I wondered why no one ordered Sprouts last week.  I see now I hadn’t included them in the list – oops.  There are new ones this week.  I made a large order of Crunchy Bean Mix and Ancient Eastern Blend, of which there may be an extra bag or two.  Let me know if you’d like either of these, but I won’t know until I pack them up Thursday night or Friday morning.  Thanks.

Day Brighteners is a non-certified organic farm, where we practice sustainability and environmentally-friendly farming.  We use non-GMO seeds and products and take pride in all we do.  You are very welcome to drop by most days, but if it’s picking/packing/delivery day you take your chances on the tour.  Calling or emailing first is a good idea.  We do appreciate your business very much and would like to hear from you with any comments you have.  

If you'd like to purchase any of the above items, I'd be happy to provide them if available after our regular customers have ordered.  Perhaps you might like to be added to our Weekly Delivery List.  I send my email out every Wednesday, collect orders Thursdays and deliver Fridays (or another day convenient to us and you if you're not too close to home).  See Contact information and email or call me.  Thanks.

Until next post, have a great every day.  

Jo

Things are good here

So, it seems everyone is making pesto this week, including the chefs at Arlington Five, who are enjoying most of our fresh-picked Basil right now.  The Eggplant which we’re growing for them is also coming to fruition and we were able to deliver a few starters as well as a good load of Tomatoes and Sprouts.  The Hot Peppers in the Greenhouse which we’re growing for Wilf & Ada’s Diner are doing so well, we deliver a couple of pounds to them twice a week as they turn beautifully red. 

These Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers will be even more beautiful
once they redden up.  

All of the red and golden Beets which were ready last week went out and more are working on getting a bit larger.  The chioggia Beets are growing at an alarming rate and are on your menu this week again. 

If there are a few little slugs in your cabbage l won’t charge you extra.   They’re on me – really.  You should see what stays behind when we’re harvesting the cabbage.   Those little guys hide well. 

All of the Carrots are doing great, we planted several rows of a few varieties so will be picking them for many more weeks to come.  The Alma Paprika Peppers are holding on to their yellow colour for now.  In case you wonder, this is a thick-skinned pepper, not classified as a hot pepper, can be eaten raw and has a bit of “bite” to it.  They will eventually turn orange, then red.  The Sweet Peppers are hanging on to their greenness, but should turn their true colour in time or if you leave them on your counter. 

We pulled up a few Turnips a month ago, they were being chewed so we figured they were ruined.  Oh no, not at all, they are now great and huge.  Whatever was chewing the first little ones must have grown up and moved from home out to the big wide world.  In case you missed my reference to the BOUSs last week (like the ROUSs in The Princess Bride) now we have TOUSs (Turnips of Unusual Size) – silly eh?

It would be my pleasure this week to provide to you the following food goodness:

Beets, Chioggia  $3/pound

Cabbage  $3 each  

Cabbage, Savoy that’s the crinkly kind  $3 each

Calendula Flowers  $3/bag

Calendula Seeds  how many handfuls would you like?

Carrots   $3/bunch

Celery, bigger than last week  $2/bundle

Chard  $3/bag

Chicory  Dandelion Leaves Garnet Stem  $3/bag

Edible Flowers  $3/bag

Endive (frisee or batavian)  $3/bag 

Garlic  $3 and $2 each  depending on the size – please specify when ordering - thanks  

Herbs:  Citrus Thyme, Dill, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Sage, Savory  $2/bunch or $5/mixed bag

Onions, white, yellow  $2.50 pound  

Peas  $2 bag  not growing so fast now but there are some nice ones out there

Peppers, Alma Paprika  $4 pound

Peppers, Sweet  $4 pound

Shallots  $6 pound

Tomatoes  $3 pound 

Tomatoes, cherry  $4 pound

Turnips  Purple Top White Globe  $3/pound

Granola, with fruit  $8  500mL jar

Granola, with nuts and fruit  $10  500mL jar

Pesto  $4.50 125mL (organic basil grown here, parmesan cheese, organic olive oil, walnuts, organic garlic grown here, sea salt, pepper)

Day Brighteners is a non-certified organic farm, where we practice sustainability and environmentally-friendly farming.  We use non-GMO seeds and products and take pride in all we do.  You are very welcome to drop by most days, but if it’s picking/packing/delivery day you take your chances on the tour.  Calling or emailing first is a good idea.  We do appreciate your business very much and would like to hear from you with any comments you have.  

Perhaps you might like to be added to our Weekly Delivery List.  I send my email out every Wednesday, collect orders Thursdays and deliver Fridays (or another day convenient to us and you if you're not too close to home).  See Contact information and email or call me.  Thanks.

Until next post, have a great every day.  

Jo

Rain - Yessssss!

It rained, it rained a lot, it rained often, off and on, it rained, yippeeee, hooray – it rained.  Okay, I’m calm now, really.  So glad it rained.

I can’t help it, I keep thinking about what is going to go where in next year’s gardens.  Now that the garlic is all out and cured and the cabbages, carrots and beets are ready, it’s time to consider what will go into their rows come Spring.  Silly eh?  But hey, you gotta plan ahead sometimes. 

I admit that the Kale is now holey, not so much the religious kind of holy, but enjoyed by the odd bug here and there kind of holey.  There is lots of Kale, so if you don’t mind holes or if you use the Kale for smoothies, you should buy some.  Just saying, in case you were looking for the early Spring Kale which grows in the Greenhouse pre-bug days.    

When one is not paying attention the beets do grow, ridiculously large as the Chioggia beets have done.  The Chioggia beets are also known as Candycane beets.  The golden beets and red beets seem to have controlled themselves and kept at a normal size.  The Chard is quite lovely right now, in the greenhouse and in the field.  

Basil loves this extreme heat, as do the Tomatoes and Peppers.  Most of the Peppers are a good size, but still green.  If you order Peppers, I’ll try to slip a couple of orange or red ones in there too. 

The rain was good for the flowers so they’re back on the menu again.  If you are making calendula cream, I have so many calendula flowers, let me know if you need some. 

Many of you are now pickling and making dilly beans – I have DILL for you, boy do I have dill.

   

The cherry tomatoes are a hit-and-miss treat.  If you pick them the day they’re ready, they are truly wonderful.  If you miss that day, they split open.  There are some every day.  I know this week’s rain and heat will help the plants produce more each day. 

This is what the lettuce looks like
right now - I'm a seed-saver again.

I’ve been holding back the bad news.  There are no salad greens this week, no lettuce, no greens which even resemble lettuce, other than Endive of course.  BUT the mixes and lettuces we planted a couple of weeks ago are encouraged by the rain, the sunshine and the heat.  All good, we should have Salad Greens in two weeks – whew. 

I may never need to buy lettuce seeds again at this rate.  

You won’t be without food with the following to choose from:

Beets, Chioggia (aka BOUS – Beets of Unusual Size)  $3 pound

Beets, Red & Golden  $3 pound

Cabbage  $3 each  Please specify if you’d like Savoy when you order. 

Carrots   $3 bunch

Celery, getting bigger each week  $2 bundle

Chard  $3 bag

Edible Flowers  $3 bag  Please specify if you’d like only calendula.

Endive (frisee or batavian)  $3 bag 

Garlic  $3 and $2 each  depending on the size – please specify when ordering - thanks  

Herbs:  Basil, Citrus Thyme, Dill, Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Savory, Thyme  $2 bunch or $5 mixed bag

Kale  $3 bag

Onions, green  $2 bundle

Onions, white, yellow, small red, multiplier  $2.50 pound   A variety bag seems to be popular.

Peas  $2 bag

Peppers, Alma Paprika with a little bite, yellow right now, next they turn orange, then red  $4 pound

Peppers, Sweet  $4 pound

Shallots  $6 pound

Tomatoes  $3 pound 

Tomatoes, cherry  $4 pound

Granola, with fruit  $8  500mL jar

Granola, with nuts and fruit  $10  500mL jar

Pesto, basil  $4.50 125mL (organic basil grown here, parmesan cheese, organic olive oil, walnuts, organic garlic grown here, sea salt, pepper)

Sprouts:  $3 bag

Sandwich Booster (clover, alfalfa, radish and mustard) 

Spring Salad Mix  (broccoli, radish, alfalfa & clover) 

Day Brighteners is a non-certified organic farm, where we practice sustainability and environmentally-friendly farming.  We use non-GMO seeds and products and take pride in all we do.  You are very welcome to drop by most days, but if it’s picking/packing/delivery day you take your chances on the tour.  Calling or emailing first is a good idea.  We do appreciate your business very much and would like to hear from you with any comments you have.  

Perhaps you might like to be added to our Weekly Delivery List.  I send my email out every Wednesday, collect orders Thursdays and deliver Fridays (or another day convenient to us and you if you're not too close to home).  See Contact information and email or call me.  Thanks.

Until next post, have a great every day.  

Jo

Corn Yes? Corn No

From what I’ve been told by someone who apparently knows this, porcupines pull the corn stalk right down to the ground and raccoons just take the cobs off the stalk.  So, a big “thank you” to the raccoons which have left some of the corn stalks standing so the pole beans can still grow.  And a big “Boooooo” to the porcupines which have pulled many of the stalks down.  I guess then the crows get in on the action once the cobs are down and/or removed and left in between the rows.  It’s good to feed the wildlife, what else would they eat right?  Maybe a bit of the hundreds of acres of corn out in the fields (sigh).  Not that I wish ill on the big ag-farmers out there, but they do have lots and lots and lots, perhaps a bit gone might not hurt as much as all of mine gone.  We did plant more elsewhere, we’ll see if the animals have had their fill and not need any more – hahahahahaha.

The hummingbird feeder is certainly a hub of activity these days.  The woodpeckers removed the little yellow plastic flowers from the base so they could drink the sugar water.  I watch as chickadees, finches, wasps and ants also drink this home-made-every-single-day nectar.  I’ve even seen hummingbirds drink from the hummingbird feeder.  What a concept. 

It’s so very dry.  Sometimes Tom comes home from Cornwall and says how good it was to get an hour or so of heavy rain.  Nope, not here.  Carol will come to work saying it was nice to get the short downpour of rain the day before.  Nope, not here.  It keeps forgetting to rain in Heckston.  Watering all gardens alternately early mornings and evenings is a challenge I must say.  It’s no good to water during these hot days as the water will just get sucked up by the sun.  Despite the lack of water, the vegetables are doing remarkable well due to a bug shortage.  The birds feeding their young have been up and down and through the gardens gathering any bugs they can find.  This is good for us. 

The peppers are going to stay unpicked this week while they colour themselves up pretty.  And the cherry tomatoes are resting too until next week.  I’m afraid the flowers aren’t doing very well.  They need more water than I can provide right now – veggies are priority these days.

Carol Pillar and I are having an Event here.  We want people to know how simple local food can be prepared easily and quickly providing so much nutrition, nothing complicated, just delicious.  You can see my previous post of August 9 to find out how to register.

We’re eating the following foods this week:

Beans, green  $3 pound

Cabbage  $3 each

Carrots   $3 bunch

Celery, small (but getting bigger)  $2 bundle

Chard  $3 bag

Endive (frisee or batavian)  $3 bag 

GARLIC  $3 and $2 each  depending on the size – please specify when ordering - thanks  

Herbs:  Basil, Citrus Thyme, Dill, Lemon Balm, Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme  $2 bunch or $5 mixed bag

Kale  $3 bag

Onions, green  $2 bundle

Onions, white, yellow, small red  $2.50 pound   A variety bag seems to be popular.

Salad Greens (washed and table-ready)  $5 bag

Shallots  $6 pound

Tomatoes  $3 pound 

Granola, with fruit  $8  500mL jar

Granola, with nuts and fruit  $10  500mL jar

Pesto, basil  $4.50 125mL (organic basil grown here, parmesan cheese, organic olive oil, walnuts, organic garlic grown here, sea salt, pepper)

Sprouts:  $3 bag

Sandwich Booster (clover, alfalfa, radish and mustard) 

Spring Salad Mix  (broccoli, radish, alfalfa & clover) 

Day Brighteners is a non-certified organic farm, where we practice sustainability and environmentally-friendly farming.  We use non-GMO seeds and products and take pride in all we do.  You are very welcome to drop by most days, but if it’s picking/packing/delivery day you take your chances on the tour.  Calling or emailing first is a good idea.  We appreciate your business very much and would like to hear from you with any comments you have.  

Perhaps you might like to be added to our Weekly Delivery List.  I send my email out every Wednesday, collect orders Thursdays and deliver Fridays (or another day convenient to us and you if you're not too close to home).  See Contact information and email or call me.  Thanks.

Until next post, have a great every day.  

Jo

Dine & Discover - The Tastes of Summer

Join us for an evening that will tantalize your tastebuds!  Learn how easy it is to create health enhancing dishes. We've chosen ingredients fresh from the garden in our selection of favorite summer recipes for your enjoyment .

$25 /person Please register in advance, space is limited, with Carol by phone

or email joanne.daybrighteners@gmail.com 

If you wish to guarantee your seat you may pay in advance with Paypal click  HERE

More beans please

or less . . . do you know that just because I post a per pound price, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to buy a pound of that particular item.  For instance, a pound of beans might be too many beans for one or two people to chew through.  You can order a half pound or a quarter pound.  The same goes for tomatoes.  You can order less or more.  If you’re making a sauce or just really love tomatoes, you can order more than a pound.  

Speaking of beans, I swear you can watch the beans growing by the hour these days.  No guff – I picked a handful of beans Sunday morning but left some that weren’t quite plump enough to pick yet.  I went back again late afternoon and those beans were ready to eat.  It’s the heat.  The heat is also keeping us from staying outside too long and abusing our poor old bodies by lifting, shifting, bending, pushing, tying and pulling too much.  We’re out for six or seven hours in this heat as it is, more on a cooler day, but we work hard out there.  I always say “If you get everything done today, what would you do tomorrow?”.  There is always something to do, a lot of somethings at that.

We did plant more peas and more beans so just when we think we’re totally out, there will be more soon.   We harvested all of the hundreds of garlic this past weekend.   It’s beautiful - I think it’s the best ever.  It’s busy curing itself now so it will last longer over the coming Winter and Spring of next year.  Do you know I’m still using garlic from last year’s harvest? 

The eggplant is doing great, the peppers are getting bigger (last week was just a tease) and the tomatoes are growing and colouring up like mad.  We started a new Salad Greens bed which should be ready in two or three weeks.  In the meantime, the lettuce varieties are plentiful as well as the endives.

We have loads of onions – white, yellow, little red ones and shallots.  The Spanish onions are still working on getting bigger and sweeter.  

About the tomatoes – don’t wait for those yellow and white ones to turn red, some are called Amethyst Cream Cherry and Jaune Flamme Cherry.  Several of the cherries are yellow.  Some tomatoes are named Blanche du Quebec.  Some of the heirlooms are Purple Russian, Green Zebra, Red Zebra and Red Boar.  They’re not going to turn solid red, some not red at all.   

To please your palate this week we have:

Beans, green  $3 pound

Cabbage  $3 each

Carrots   $3 bunch

Celery, small  $2 bundle

Edible Flowers (mix)  $3 bag  I pack the flower heads whole for show but don’t eat the middles

Endive (frisee or batavian)  $3 bag 

GARLIC  $3 and $2 each  depending on the size – please specify when ordering - thanks  

Herbs:  Basil, Citrus Thyme, Dill, Lemon Balm, Mint, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme  $2 bunch or $5 mixed bag

Lettuce heads (boston NEW, green romaine NEW, heirloom romaine, red salad bowl, mascara, flame, speckled – OR variety mix)  $3 bag 

Onions, green  $2 bundle

Onions, white, yellow, small red  $2.50 pound  You can get a variety if you like, that’s kind of nice

Peppers, sweet  $4 pound

Radicchio  $2 bag

Salad Greens (washed and table-ready)  $5 bag

Shallots  $6 pound

Tomatoes  $3 pound 

Tomatoes, cherry  $4 pound 

Sprouts:  $3 bag

Sandwich Booster (clover, alfalfa, radish and mustard) 

Spring Salad Mix  (broccoli, radish, alfalfa & clover) 

Just a reminder, Day Brighteners is a non-certified organic farm, where we practice sustainability and environmentally-friendly farming.  We use non-GMO seeds and products and take pride in all we do.  You are very welcome to drop by most days, but if it’s picking/packing/delivery day you take your chances on the tour.  Calling or emailing first is a good idea.  We appreciate your business very much and would like to hear from you with any comments you have.  

Perhaps you might like to be added to our Weekly Delivery List.  I send my email out every Wednesday, collect orders Thursdays and deliver Fridays (or another day convenient to us and you if you're not too close to home).  See Contact information and email or call me.  Thanks.

Until next post, have a great every day.  

Jo