Harvesters Needed Tuesdays:
We are looking for folks to help with the harvest on each of the next 5 Tuesdays. If you cannot make it on a Tuesday, we’d love you to help with the harvesting on Sundays and Mondays as well. Each day, we are on the farm from 6:30am-3:30pm. If you are able to help out on any of these days, please rsvp to jessica.gibson81@gmail.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 Davenport and Bathurst area). Looking forward to farming with you soon!
Farm Update:
September is proving to be one of our most productive months of the season. The greens are fabulous — the arugula, Asian greens, and salad mix are all vibrant in appearance, nutrient rich, and delicious. The heat lovers continue to produce as well — the tomatoes are still coming on, as well as the eggplants, zucchini, hot peppers, and beans. Harvesting takes up most of the week. Meanwhile, we are starting to get ready for the garlic planting. My wife Terri (who changes the world through her incredible social enterprise www.rhythmicbynature.com) commented last night how there’s always a new stage of the garlic process to manage. This is partially true, as the process runs intensively from late-July to mid-October. In late July and early August, we harvest our crop, which was planted the previous October. After curing for 3-4 weeks, we need to clean and label the bulbs. Then we start distribution (through our CSAs, farmers markets, bulk orders). Then we prepare for planting (making beds, sourcing straw for mulch, separating bulbs into cloves). Then, we plant in mid-October. So, from the end of July to the end of October, Terri is right — there’s always something that needs to be done with the garlic. However, from November to the end of July, the garlic needs little attention. Just a little weeding, harvesting of the garlic scapes, and delighting in watching our thousands of garlic plants grow! This October we are aiming to plant 40,000+ cloves, which will turn into 40,000+ bulbs next summer. So, we are preparing for the planting, the final stage of the July-October garlic push. Those interested in planting their own garlic this year can learn the steps at http://bit.ly/tyJiz. You can also get garlic for planting (we are sold out) and learn more about garlic at the Toronto Garlic Festival this Sunday (today) (http://www.torontogarlicfestival.ca/). Happy Autumn!
Volunteer Opportunities:
Each week, we welcome volunteers to the farm from Sunday-Friday, 6:30am-3:30pm. If you are interested in helping on the farm, please rsvp to jessica.gibson81@gmail.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 Davenport and Bathurst area). Hope to see you on the farm soon!
1½ cups tomato juice
3/4 cup water
1 cup brown rice
1 cup Asian greens, chopped
½ cup zucchini, cut into small pieces
½ cup corn, cut off the cob
½ cup green beans, cut into small pieces
1 small onion or leek, chopped finely
garlic (quantity up to you)
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salt
- Cook the rice in tomato juice and water. Add your favourite spices and mix.
- In a medium pan, sauté the Asian greens, zucchini, corn, green beans, garlic, and onion (or leek). Cook for about 10 minutes, until soft.
- Combine cooked rice with the sautéed vegetables. Add the lime juice and mix.
- Garnish with pine nuts.
- Serve by itself, or with roasted chicken or grilled fish.
That’s all the news from the farm for this week. Until next time, Keep Livin’ on the Veg!
Daniel
