Farm Talk: Skydiving Without A Parachute

Hello Farm Folk,

Farm Update:
There’s a skydiving company near the farm, and a few of us were recently enjoying watching parachuters float through the air after leaping out of a plane. Suddenly, one of the jumper’s parachutes burst. We watched in stunned silence as a man fell through the sky, hurtling toward the ground. I’ve never been skydiving, but I imagine the feeling of falling through the sky without a parachute must be similar to the feeling of having 11 acres of mixed vegetables and no way to water them. At least the skydiver had an emergency parachute, which opened long before the jumper reached the ground, much to our relief. Sadly, the farm’s back-up ‘chute — irrigating from the pond — isn’t working, as it is empty following 3 consecutive seasons of minimal precipitation. No rain, no water in the pond, no way to irrigate. Yet, this past week, I decided I was weary of worrying and of being disheartened from the lack of moisture. Instead, we are focusing on what we can control. Weeding to reduce competition for moisture. Mulching with straw to maximize moisture retention. And personally, I am focusing on bringing joy to my work — how lucky I am that I get to spend my days working outdoors with amazing people, and amazing plants! It’s easy to be happy when everything is going well. The challenge is to keep an even keel when times are tough. Fortunately, organic farming — working with the earth — has a stabilizing effect on one’s spirits. Falling through the sky ain’t so bad when you have two feet on the ground.

The Cutting Veg in the Media:
Check out this blog post from The Cutting Veg CSA Member Jennifer Bartoli on her experience of being a CSA Member: http://bit.ly/O6Nl6R

Cooking with Kavanah:
In partnership with Living Wellness Kitchen and Delicious Knowledge By Marni Wasserman, Shoresh is pleased to announce the Cooking with Kavanah (CWK) series. CWK aims to teach and inspire Kavanah Garden visitors and Kavanah CSA members to use fresh produce in creative and healthy ways in the beautiful Kavanah Garden. Classes will be held the last Thursday of every month from June-September. Date: Thursday July 26th with Delicious Knowledge by Marni Wasserman. Times: 4:30 PM and 6:00 PM. Location: Kavanah Garden, 18 Lebovic Campus Drive.

Grow your own Sprouts:
Interested in learning to grow your own edible, organic bean sprouts, lentil sprouts, and more? Cathy’s Composters has a very affordable and excellent sprouter available: http://bit.ly/OKvSUo. Sprouting is a great way to participate in the growing process, while increasing the nutrition in your diet. And it’s so much fun!

Volunteers Welcome:
Each week we welcome volunteers to the farm from Sunday-Friday, 7:15am-4pm. If you are interested in helping on the farm this week or next, please rsvp to catherine.j@thecuttingveg.com and let her know what day you want to come, and if you need directions to the farm, or a lift (leaving at 6am from Bloor & Christie area). Hope to see you on the farm soon!

Produce This Week:
While there will often be last-minute, unanticipated changes, this week CSA members can expect to see most of the following items at the pick-up: Broccoli, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Mushrooms, Lettuce, Beans, Garlic Scapes, Swiss Chard, a Herb, and Green Onions. The Broccoli, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Mushrooms, and Lettuce were outsourced from other local, organic farms.

Recipe: Mediterranean Bean Pate (from www.thecuttingveg.com/recipes)
1½ cups beans
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 – 4 sundried tomatoes
1/3 cup black olives, pitted
Salt
Pepper
Fresh basil, mint, or parsley for garnish (optional)

Steam the beans, until tender. Let it cool.
Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until a thick, chunky paste forms.
Chill in the fridge before serving

That’s all the news from the farm for now. Until next time, Keep Livin’ on the Veg!

The Cutting Veg Farm Team