Be still my heart, and my hands and my head to keep me from
planting outside. We get fooled every
year at this time before we get pummelled with yet another s--- storm (I can’t
say it). I hope you are enjoying every
moment of this wonderful weather. It’s
so nice to not scrape, defrost, shovel and preheat vehicles before going out,
not to mention the lack of clothing layers.
I notice some birds are singing their song. Oh and we definitely have a rooster in our
little cluster of new chickens. He is so
beautiful and pretty gentle.
 |
| This big boy is crowing loud and strong now. |
The frizzle’s
feathers have come in and he/she is pretty crazy looking, but cute as anything
as you can see.
The hot pepper seedlings are now growing their second leaves
and the most recently planted are sprouting their first. We’ll be up-potting them next week, which
means 72 seedlings from one tray will need four trays of 18 pots each, which
means more shelves! The plant rooms
smells like spring so it must be spring.
We’ll encourage anything currently growing in the greenhouse
to get a move on and grow quicklier and will also be starting new seedlings to
transplant.
We were at EcoFarmDay in Cornwall on the weekend where we
listened to a couple from the Finger Lakes area in New York talk about
transitioning from conventional farming to organic. It’s always good to chat it up with the
suppliers of organic materials at the trade show in between sessions, like the
Biemonds with their yoghurt and cheese, Norm from Multi-Shelter Greenhouses, Julie
from Spread-X who deliver our organic compost, Homestead Organics, Canadian
Organic Growers and so many more.
I became a member of The Organic Council of Ontario at this
event. In one of the sessions this day,
there was an entire discussion, as there have been several in the past, of
simplifying organic certification for smaller farms, like Day Brighteners. I’ve not felt the need, through your
reassurance each year, to become certified, but I am definitely interested in
the process, just in case. From what I
understand it is quite expensive and there’s a truck load of paperwork
involved. I plan to attend an evening at
Just Food in March which will go through the process and then I can decide if
this is right for me.
Much of the discussion was about the wording of
Organics. Many of us feel that you, the
consumers, are confused by the wording. In
your delivery this week, I will put some postcards with words you recognize and
may or may not understand completely, and which will lead you to the OCO
(Organic Council of Ontario) website where, if you’re interested, you can learn
more about all of this kerfuffle. Hell,
if I’m confused, you must be too. If I
don’t become certified soon, I won’t be able to use the word “organic” in any
form for my produce. Let me know what
you think.
Meanwhile back at the farm, we have several pots on the
stove and are very excited to begin a new growing season.
One thing I must respectfully remind you of is that we are
growing mainly for those of you who let me know what you would like best to eat
and how often. If you choose to order
from the menu I send out each week, food will first be disbursed amongst our
regular steady customers. It’s at this
time of year, if you would like to be a regular steady customer, you should let
me know before we begin seeding, planting, growing, weeding, picking, sorting,
packing and processing. I love it when
everyone who orders gets their complete wish list delivered to them.
I was at Holy Cross Elementary School this morning with
the Kindergartens, saw what has developed since the kids started their pea and
sunflower shoots, showed them which they could eat and which should be
transplanted. We took a tour of the
outside to make planning a bit easier. I
left some seed catalogues which should encourage them once they see pictures of
the beautiful foods they’ll grow.
Beautiful foods available to you this week are:
GRANOLA:
with fruit $8
/500mL jar
with nuts and fruit $10
/500mL jar
MICROGREENS: $2 / bag
Curly Cress
Kale
Pea Shoots
Radish
Red Cabbage
Sunflower Shoots
MICROGREEN MIX: (arugula, carrot,
curly cress, kale, leaf lettuce, purple basil, radish, red cabbage,) $3 / bag
SPROUTS $3 / bag
Broccoli (just broccoli)
Broccoli Brassica Blend (broccoli,
broccoli raab, radish, mustard & arugula)
Sandwich Booster (clover, alfalfa,
radish & mustard)
Spring Salad Mix (broccoli, radish,
red clover & alfalfa)
Tomato Sauce $6 /500mL jar sealed
Tomatoes, frozen $4 /4Cup package great for sauces
and soups
Tomatoes, Gardeners’ Delight (ping pong ball size) frozen
whole $3 pound
I look forward to receiving Your Special Order. Call or email me
with amounts you’d like and any questions.
Thanks.
Until next post, have a great every day.
Jo
joanne.daybrighteners@gmail.com
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