VEGGIE COOP FARM NOTES: Week 13: September 16: Larger Bag
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Packing Slip: Larger Bag

Basil - 25g. Rubin 2.00
Brussel Sprout Tops 1.50
Cucumbers - either large Asian or large English 2.50
Leeks (2 large or a large and two small) 2.50
Onions - three (small, medium and large) 2.50
Potatoes - 454 fingerlings 2.75
Runner Beans - 200g. 3.00
Rutabaga 1.50
Salad Mix - 250f. 7.00
Summer Squash - 750g. Average 2.25
Tomatoes - pint/ Latahs 3.10

Total: $30.00
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For information, questions or comments, we are only an e-mail or phone call away. Contact; Mike Rabinowitz, Co-Owner and Coordinator, Veggie Coop. House Phone: 895-2884. If you are running late for the pick up, call Mike on the Farm Cell at 689-7693.

SPECIAL ORDERS
Most things are beginning to be limited due to cold weather. For example, the summer squash has vanished in the past few days; also, the peas and some of the beans are looking very shy. But we do have onions, chard, lots of basil and a few other things. If you are wondering, e-mail Mike and ask. I heard him say he still has a few artichokes. We also have limited quantities of pesto as well as raspberry vinegar and basil-garlic vinegar.

IT’S IN THE BAG!
Wonderful, organic Fingerlings! First potatoes of the season; scrub and steam with peels on. Brussel Sprout Tops. Steam the same as cabbage or use for miniature cabbage rolls. Rutabaga. Sometimes called a yellow turnip here in Newfoundland, although the taste and texture are very different from the traditional white turnip. We didn’t have any turnips besides white turnips in Tennessee when I was a child. I was introduced to rutabaga by a farmer in Seattle about 40 years ago. I much prefer it over white turnip. At the nursery school, we cut it in strips like carrot strips for the children. Steam rutabaga and tops separately; also great for rutabaga soup. Given the weather, I am amazed with how plentiful the bags are today. Monday was more challenging!

“YOU PAYS YOUR MONEY AND YOU TAKE YOUR CHANCES!”
This really is the nature of a CSA (Consumer Support Agriculture) endeavor like the Veggie Coop. This season started out as one of our best, but now, we are suffering frm the cold, rain and frost that has been on again, off again in the past few weeks.

NO VINCE AND NO DIANE ON MONDAY!!
We were lucky to have anything in the bag on Monday given the torrents of rain and wind that was pounding outside our door.. I usually pick up Diane, the woman from Bell Island, who keeps our Veggie Coop operation afloat. Sorry about the pun! I usually meet her and Vince at the ferry around 8:10, but felt the ferry schedule might be different today, due to the high winds. Around quarter to nine, I called. I wasn’t surprised when Diane answered the phone. “Is the ferry running, “ I said. She explained, “Did Vince E-mail you? I talked to him around 6 o’clock this morning. I don’t know if the ferry is running or not, but, you know I hate coming on the boat, when it is stormy. When I saw the waves this morning, I called Vince and told him I wasn’t going. I don’t know if he went in or not. “ Later in the morning, the E-mail from Vince, disclosing a 6 a.m. time arrived in my E-Mail box, explaining that neither he or Diane would be in. This was just in time to let Mike know when he came down around 9:15. My very practical advice was to cancel the whole gig and offer to add a week at the end, but Mike really is the Skipper of the Veggie Coop. He began to sort out who was here to help and decided to make the best of it. This is why we had lettuce in the Monday bags and not salad mix. It was simply impossible to pick lettuce in the rain, and probably impossible to get it processed and dried without Diane to supervise. Today, Wednesday, it was also very cold to be picking outdoors, but thanks, to our dedicated workers, you have a great bag - but not, thanks to me. I have been indoors by the fire most of the day.

THE BAD NEWS AND THE GOOD NEWS!
The bad news is that Oz was in a car accident on Sunday evening, when he was taking farm workers home. The Good News is that no one was hurt; it was not his fault; there were witnesses to that effect. The Bad News is that we are without a car. As of 4:30 today, Monday, Mike has gone to get a rental and, it appears that my wonderful, faithful, Toyota Matrix may be a write off.

LOTS OF VISITORS!
Last week-end, the farm participated in a project called: OPEN DOORS which invited people to some of the heritage sites around the Portugal Cove - St. Philips community. As explained in last farm notes, we are a heritage site because our farm is part of an Agriculture Land Grant given to to the late Peter Churchill around 1890. There were lots of children, all ages, having lots of fun tromping around the gardens, staying on the paths, of course and tasting the blueberry muffins and the pumpkin tarts. On Monday, we hosted a half dozen young people, enrolled in a Skills Program at MacMorran Community Centre. After an extensive tour and discussion of how we do our thing, tasting different kinds of tomatoes in Greenhouse 2 and learning about sprouting in Greenhouse 3, a jaunt into the fields to see the Brussel Sprouts, Artichokes, etc. we wound up in the kitchen, with lots of tasting/ eating and discussion. Today, Wednesday, there were about 20 “wantabee” cooks from the cooking class from the College of North Atlantic along with two Instructors. Fortunately, the rain held off enough for them to do the grand tour. We were impressed with how willing they were to taste the herbs and strange looking greens. Mike feels that the maturity of the students has increased over the years that we have been hosting the tours.

Andrew and Corissa, two of our most recent woofers left for parts unknown on Monday. They gave Jon, another WOOFER a ride as far as Deer Lake so he could go on to Gros Morne before it gets to cold. He plans to return later this week. Andrew is a great cook and led a great parade of cooking while he was here. Hopefully, things will settle down and I will get his wonderful vegetarian soup recipe posted. Stay tuned!

Melba Rabinowitz
September 16, 2009