Farm Talk: Introducing our Baby Farmer

Hello Farm Folk,

FARM UPDATE
On April 18th, we welcomed a new addition to the farm team. Terri, my wife, gave birth to our first child, a 7Lb, 11oz baby girl! It’s been a challenging and remarkable first few weeks of the baby’s life, and we’re thrilled to say that at only 4 weeks old, our baby is already driving the tractor, running the rototiller, and building greenhouses. Despite nine months of advocating to name our baby after my favourite crop (“Garlo” if it had been a boy, and “Garli” for a girl), in the end we settled on Ayla Joni Segal Hoffmann. Terri and I look forward to you meeting Ayla on the farm! Speaking of my favourite crop, the 60,000 garlic cloves we planted last October are thriving! The warm stretches of weather, in combination with great soil, and ample moisture has our garlic looking big and a beautiful, deep green colour. In 12 weeks or so, it’ll be garlic harvest time! Additionally, our perennials have come back beautifully. The rhubarb, chives, oregano, and mint are all looking robust, and within a couple weeks we’ll be drunk on strawberries! And then there’s our 1.5 acres of organic asparagus. Planted last spring, we’re waiting until 2014 to start distributing this crop, in order to allow the plants to establish themselves. But, can we be blamed if we harvest a delicious spear here and there for supper? We have a good excuse — nothing supports the nutritional needs of Mommy and Baby like some fresh green veg!

CSA REGISTRATION
As the Cutting Veg moves away from managing and growing for CSAs, we are thrilled that our friends and partners at Shoresh and Frall Foods are stepping in to maintain and further develop the CSA network. Shoresh will be managing the Holy Sprouts CSA and Kavanah Garden CSA, in partnership with Highmark Farms. Frall Foods will be managing Park Road Organic Harvest and the Elmgrove CSA, in partnership with Terra Organics. For more info about the Holy Sprouts CSA and Kavanah Garden CSA, visit www.shoresh.ca/CSA or contact Shoresh at info@shoresh.ca or 416-805-8382. For more info about Park Road Organic Harvest and the Elmgrove CSA, visit www.frallfoods.com or contact Frall Foods at paolo@frallfoods.com, or 647-973-2501.

CORE VOLUNTEER POSITIONS AVAILABLE
If you are interested in getting outside and getting your hands dirty, and you have a passion for food and sustainable food systems, you need to check out the Elmgrove Organic Collective (EOC) this growing season! We are on the farm Sunday through Friday from 7:30am to 4:00pm – Rain or Shine! May through October. No car? Email Pam to inquire about volunteering and possible car pooling opportunities (elmgroveorganiccollective@gmail.com).

  INTRODUCING THE ELMGROVE ORGANIC COLLECTIVE!
The Farm Family is growing — several more organic growers have joined the farm. This small, grassroots group is called the Elmgrove Organic Collective (EOC), and includes Pam Jackson – EOC Volunteer Coordnator and Market Manager, “Terra Organics” (Paul Clarkson), “Black River Bees” (Tom Nolan), “Cultivating Opportunities” (an internship program led by Zandra Zalucky for adults with mental health challenges), “Frall Foods” (Paolo Lavalle), and “The Cutting Veg” (Daniel Hoffmann). The Collective is passionate about building community through organic agriculture, and welcomes all farm helpers.
      Recipe: Dill Dressing (www.thecuttingveg.com/recipes)
This is a great dressing for salads as well as cooked cauliflower and hard boiled eggs.

1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp dill, chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 clove garlic
½ lemon, juiced
Salt and pepper

Whisk everything together or use a blender.

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

Daniel