Just a reminder that this week the pick-up will be Monday, 2:30-6:30, due to the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. This will be the only time during the season that our CSA doesn’t happen on a Tuesday.
Farm Update:
Thank goodness for the sun and heat over the last week! With the soil drying on our farm in Brampton, we have been able to till the land, and finally start planting our heat-lovers. Over the last few days, we have been making beds, fertilizing them with countless loads of compost, and putting our seeds and seedlings in the ground. Today, we were planting cucumbers (long english and lemon cucumbers), and tomatoes. Both crops were interplanted with nasturtiums, which is a pest-deterring flower. Planting the heat lovers will continue to be our focus throughout the week, including our summer squash crop (yellow zukes, green zukes, gem squash, patty-pans), more tomatoes (approx 10 varieties), eggplant, hot peppers, and basil. After such a long wait, it is satisfying to finally get these crops in the ground. Meanwhile, our other crops planted at the Brampton farm continue to thrive. The snow and snap peas are looking great, as are our 4 varieties of string beans. The kale, chard, and bok choy seem to be progressing nicely, as do our second timelines of Asian greens, salad greens, radishes, arugula, and turnips. In spite of a challenging spring, things are off to a great start for our veg!
How do you best store your CSA veg?:
IN A SEALED BAG IN THE FRIDGE. As most of the veg was harvested the same day you receive it, it should last a long time. With the exception of a few items (such as tomatoes, garlic, and winter squash which don’t like refrigeration), get your veg into a sealed bag in the fridge asap after you receive it, and it is likely to last you a long time.
On-line recipe book:
CSA Members Day on the Farm – June 12th:
Please join us on the farm on Sunday June 12th, from 10am-noon, for our first “CSA Members Day” of the season. During the morning, we will participate in various farm activities (eg. planting, harvesting), a farm tour, and an interactive hand-drumming circle, provided by the Rhythmic by Nature drumming ensemble (http://www.rhythmicbynature.com). If you can make it, please rsvp to your CSA contact person Jessica, at jessica@thecuttingveg.com, and she will provide directions. Bring your friends and family! Get to know YOUR farm!
Eco-Shabbat Guide
Check out this fantastic Eco-Shabbat Guide, provided by Lisa Borden, a CSA member, and volunteer with The Cutting Veg: http://bit.ly/ktx03l
Produce this week:
This week you can expect to see most of the following items at the CSA pick-up: Salad Mix (2pts), Green Onions (1pt), Green Garlic (1.5pts), Radishes (1pt), Arugula (2pts), Potatoes (2pts), Apples (1pt), Parsnips (1.5pts), Mushrooms (2pts), and Rhubarb (1.5pts). The first five items in the list were all grown on our farm, and the others are being sourced from other local, organic farms.
The Nutrition and Safety of your Food:
At The Cutting Veg Farm, we grow our produce using organic growing practices. This means that not only are your vegetables chemical-free, but safe and of the highest nutrient value, due to the use of our traditional organic growing practices. These practices include crop rotation, cover-cropping, companion planting, and use of well-composted organic matter to nourish the soil (more to come on these practices in future newsletters). Further, all the produce we outsource from other local, organic farms is “Certified Organic”, which means these farms go through thorough, regular inspections, and practice the highest standard of organic growing. All this to say that in addition to the delicious flavours you are enjoying, you can feel great about the nutritional value and safety of your veg.
Volunteer Needs:
We will be welcoming volunteers to the farm in Brampton this Tuesday to Friday, and next Sunday, from 6:30am-3:30pm. If you are interested in helping on the farm this week, please rsvp to jessica@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 Davenport and Bathurst area). Hope to see you on the farm this week!
Spread the word:
Please help others to learn about what we are up to, and how to get involved: 1. Twitter (http://twitter.com/): Follow us at @thecuttingveg; 2. Facebook: Like us at http://on.fb.me/iTSbQQ, 3. E-mail this newsletter to anyone who may be interested; 4. Share the link to this newsletter (http://bit.ly/ga5Am0) on Facebook or Twitter. 5. Bring a friend with to the farm or a CSA pick-up. Thanks for helping us to spread the word!
That’s all the news from the farm for now. Until next time, Keep Livin’ on the Veg!
