CONTACT INFORMATION:
Coordinator: Mike Rabinowitz Before 5:00 pm. House Phone: 895-2884. Leave Message
Tuesdays: Oz Cell: 689-7693 6–6:30 pm.
Wednesdays: Mike’s Cell: 749-2884 6–6:30 pm.
Things are pretty hectic these days. Mike forgot to print off Tuesday Members List, which indicated to shed staff what bags go to town and which stay at the farm. While this was suppose to take place, he was racing from one staff to the other, advising them of their afternoon priorities and ran back into the house to take a phone call from Halifax Seeds about an order of seeds for pea sprouts. He has never forgotten the list in the thirty year history for the Veggie Groups. He was embarrassed but things turned out OK. The couple of people who were involved sent very encouraging e-mails. The good news is that it seems most bags are being picked up without a hitch. Look for packing slips on Organic Farm Website around 5 pm. the day of drop-off.
THIS VERSION OF FARM NOTES INCLUDES:
What’s In the Bag?
What’s Happening Off The Farm?
Canary in the coal mine.
Unpack bags over the sink!
Re-using brown paper bags used for Veggie Groups.
WHAT’S IN THE BAG?
We had a short meeting with Diane, Alice and field staff on Monday morning to go over suggestions for what might be available this week for Veggie Groups; on Tuesday, we know this new multi-leaf lettuce and for Wednesday, it looks like a potpourri of brassicas (cabbage family). A day or two of sunshine is perking thing up. The edible flowers have doubled overnight. Staff are cheerful and I am sitting on the back porch which overlooks the farm, sunning and taking it all in, along with the cats.
WHAT’S HAPPENING OFF THE FARM?
Food Day Canada Celebration is happening at the Sheraton, where about a dozen local Chefs from places such as Bacalao, Chinched Bistro, The Club and Aqua, Five Brothers Artisan Cheese, Delta and Sheraton, as well as five visiting Chefs from Vancouver, Ottawa, Halifax, Toronto and Guelph, who are creating a fair like setting, each with tables around the room, offering samples of dozens of appetizers and tasting samples, made from local products. Apparently, this Food Fest starts in St. John’s and moves across Canada to various provinces. Here , it is was sponsored by Newfoundland Agri-foods Department and various private business such as the Sheraton, Quidi Vidi Brewery and Auk-Island winery. Several samples of lamb, pork and fish – each uniquely prepared – were available through out the evening, along with local vegetables, cheeses and ice cream. Half of the dishes were garnished with pea shoots and micro-greens from Organic Farm. It was a great idea. The main lead for the event was Rory MacPherson, Chef, Sheraton and RANL, Restaurant Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. We haven’t stopped talking about it. We will send links to other events coming up in the fall.
CANARY IN A COAL MINE
We invite our members to give feedback, especially around quality of their vegetables. This helps us know more about quality of products we are selling. For example, maybe you cut a Chinese cabbage and found the centre was questionable or cut into a turnip to find there are brown areas. If staff suspect a vegetable is not the way we want, they usually send these to me. I open it up, have a look and try to save the good parts. If it is not throughout, you may want to do the same thing, but, if you feel a vegetable is not usable, please let us know. We will take note and replace with items of similar worth. Not a problem, your word is good enough.
EMPTY YOUR VEGETABLE BAG OVER THE SINK
I found a couple of tiny creepy crawlies hiding in the gorgeous, fluffy head of multi-leaf lettuce that came to house this week. Nothing ran over the counter, trying to escape because I was unpacking in the sink near the compost bucket. This just a reminder that you may find live creatures, especially in brassicas that have not been washed – like broccoli, Chinese cabbage and lettuce. So far this season, I have not found creatures with legs that are quick to escape, only a tiny, creeping caterpillar recently hatched from an egg laid by a cabbage moth. At beginning of the season, the brassicas are covered with vegetable row cover, not only to enhance warmth, but also, to protect from cabbage moths. As soon as the cover is exposed, mom knows she has discovered a new condo to raise her young. Newly hatched young ones is a sign the vegetables have not been sprayed. What better place to start a new family that in a healthy environment.
A Perfect Camouflage!
The most challenging may be the tiny green caterpillars clinging secretly in the broccoli branches. Rinse broccoli in a bowl of cold water. Do not totally submerge. Watch and Wait! They will usually crawl up to avoid water. If you dunk them, they may hang on and be harder to find. Take a breath and know that we are blessed with a creation designed to propagate its own.
Action Plan!
You may want to use a wet paper towel to scoop it/them up and discard in compost; some people run water from the faucet to capture them by drowning. Toby, our daughter, picks the live creature up carefully and takes it outdoors. Good Luck with your chosen method.
Report from the field!
If there are a lot of insects, please give us a heads up! It can happen almost over night. We have an organic spray, BTK, on hand; it is made up of live bacteria, not chemicals, and has to be kept refrigerated. So far this season, we haven’t seen the need to use it.
RE-USING BROWN PAPER BAGS
Yes, thank you for returning the brown paper bags, folded neatly if possible. We do plan to use them a second time. When we started this procedure, there was an internal discussion around whether they would be re-used. We did save them but they are not being used; most are folded neatly in a box in the basement. I have made a decision to re-use them. If anyone has a objection to this, please let me know. Of course, we check them as they are returned to make sure they do not have dirt or leaves or some other potential contaminant before we fold them and put them away.
How/When did we decide to use paper bags?
People familiar with our history will remember that we provided canvas bags with farm logo of a garlic for years. When they joined, each member bought two bags. The plan was to bring back an empty clean bag and pick up a full one, rotating bags from week to week. We were dedicated to not using materials that would go into a landfill. Eventually, it was not feasible to stick with that plan. We washed, turned and dried each bag every week, hanging them to dry in the sun weather permitting. It was not only the cost of labour for washing, it was also the fact that half the time, people did not return their bags, so we would wind up putting veggies in plastic bags to take to drop-off. Next, we purchased a supply of washable, cloth bags – the kind of inexpensive cloth bags from Belbins or Dominion. We also washed them. Also lots of labour involved in the washing. Finally, after a few years of this idea, we looked for other ideas. Some CSAs in Atlantic Canada bring tubs of vegetables to pick-up site or Farmers Market and ask members bring their own containers. This is our third year using paper bags. Our view is that although the paper will leave some footprints, in terms of the energy required to re-cycle, it is a gentle footprint, not like plastic or canvas that takes years if ever. Members who have knowledge, experience or opinions around differences in using plastic, cloth and paper in terms of footprints are invited to comment, either in an e-mail or on the farm’s Facebook page.
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Please send in your feedback and recipes for sharing.
It is tempting to share more about the incredible and challenging details of Organic Certification, but in the interests of keeping Farm Notes reasonably short, I may write something for the Website. We are knee deep in these challenges day by day. Cleaning up spills of oil or gasoline, no matter how small or how they got there. Sometimes it is a spot from a car that came for veggie pick-up. We cover the larger area with sawdust; then remove sawdust and good section of the rock. Pack up and take to drop off for environmental hazards, City of St. John’s and replace gravel with clean, new gravel.
The Little Red Hen
August 5, 2015
