Farm Talk: Autumn on the Farm

Hello Farm Folk,

Farm Update from Farmer Daniel
It’s a special time on the farm these days. The fall colours tantalize us as we dig potatoes. The temperate autumn air intoxicates, as we thin the carrots and turnips. Cardinals, Blue Jays, Geese, and the occasional Heron visit for their last times before winter comes. We are savouring the last month of the season on the farm. The final month of the physical work that we love. The last weeks to enjoy the magical on-farm community we have developed and nurtured. And the last days to delight in eating our local, organic veg! Of course, anticipating the end of the farming season excites as well. (Only a couple dozen 5am wake-ups left!) But, for now, we are rejoicing in doing the work that we love, for people that we love, with people that we love.

Stories From the Field
Hi! My name is Erika and I am an intern this year at The Cutting Veg. Ever since I was a kid I wanted to try working on a farm but growing up I never thought it was realistic. Only real farmers could work on a farm! Then one day I stumbled upon The Cutting Veg website. The internship information told me I could be on the farm and still live in the city. I thought, “This is it! This is for me!” Ever since then I have been going up to the Elm Grove farm twice a week and loving every minute of it. While it wasn’t initially as important to me, since being at The Cutting Veg, the act of farming or growing my own food has become a ‘must’ in my life going forward. Daniel, Paul and the rest of the Cutting Veg team, as well as the other interns have taught me and inspired me so much that it’s something I can’t imagine not incorporating into my seasonal year in the future to some extent. It would be ridiculous not to!  While some days it may rain on the farm and other days it may be too hot, nothing can beat the good company of my fellow farm workers, the fantastic feeling of helping to provide healthy food, and of course, nothing can be more satisfying than the feeling you get from pulling a nice juicy beet from the soil.

Veg Tip of the Week
While the frost may harm some crops, it actually enhances others. Some plants, like kale, react to the cold and frost by producing extra sugars, making them sweeter than before. Try this week’s kale and see if you can taste the difference! Other crops revelling in the cold include leeks, brussel sprouts, chard, parsnips, and cabbage. Yum.

The Garlic Planting Continues
It’s been a great start to the garlic planting, and we continue to march towards our goal of planting 50,000+ cloves this fall. Please join us on the farm on Sunday, October 14th, between 7:30am & 4pm to help us continue this process.Please rsvp to catherine.j@thecuttingveg.com, and mention if you need directions to the farm, or a lift (leaving from the Bloor and Christie area at 6am.) See you on the farm!.)

Produce this week
This week members should expect to see, from The Cutting Veg: Kale, Winter Squash, Chinese Garlic, Salad Mix, Another item TBD. Outsourced Veg: Potatoes, Bean Sprouts, Cabbage

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 mention 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!

Recipe: ASIAN KALE STIR-FRY
• 1 bunch of kale, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped
• 1 cup green peas, pods removed (or frozen)
• 3 medium carrots, cut into thin long strips
• 2 medium red peppers, seeded and diced
• 3 Tbsp sesame oil (or any other vegetable oil)
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
• 1 Tbsp ginger, minced (optional)
• 1 cup bean sprouts to garnish

Preheat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add garlic, carrots and ginger. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add kale, onions, green peas, and red pepper. Stir well. Add soy sauce and sesame seeds, stir. Cook on med to low heat for another 10 minutes. Serve hot on a bed of rice or egg noodles. Garnish with bean sprouts and fresh green onions. Serves 4

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

The Cutting Veg Farm Team