Farm Talk: June on the Farm

Hello Farm Folk,

Farm Update:
Over the course of the farming season, there are no light weeks — no down time. Yet, June is certainly the most demanding month of the year on the farm. While we continue with planting our crops, the weeding needs also increase, and we must integrate harvesting and vending at our CSA locations & Farmers Markets. We look around the field and see the plants being crowded out by the weeds…but we often can’t do anything about it, because we need to focus on harvesting. This past week on the farm was both very stressful, and very rewarding. We have the problem every veggie farmer hopes to have — so much veg to harvest! Finding time and energy to weed our 11 acres of mixed veg, while so much of our time goes to harvesting, is the big challenge we face now. Thank goodness we have such a dedicated team. Our phenomenal volunteers, interns, and staff give so much of themselves to ensure our crops thrive, and the weeds are pulled. The stresses of June are a reality of veggie farming, but in spite of the challenges, the farm and farmers continue to thrive.

Veggie Heroes: Introducing the 2012 Intern Team
They’re up at 5am, riding their bikes to the carpool leaving at 6am. They’re in the fields from 7am-4pm, planting, weeding, harvesting, and cleaning veg as they endure heat, rain, and exhaustion. They are the heroes that I am blessed to spend my days with — the 2012 Intern team: Erick Gamez, Erika Wilson, Jackie Gamble, Jessica Reeve, Julie Nowack, Karen Singh, Lucie Pekarek, Paolo Lavalle, Sarah Lin, Tova Kardonne, and Zandra Zalucky. Why do they give so much of themselves? Because they want to learn to grow their own food. Because they want to practice sustainable living. Because they care so much about this planet and our community, that they’re ready to do whatever it takes to make it better. These are the heroes with which I am blessed to spend my days. Thank you 2012 Intern team for making such a big difference in the community!

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:
This week CSA members can expect to see the following items at the pick-up: Apples, Rhubarb, Potatoes, Kale or Chard (tbd), Salad Turnips, Salad Mix, Green Onions, Green Garlic, Arugula. The apples and potatoes were outsourced from other local, organic farms.

Recipe: Apple Potato Soup (from www.thecuttingveg.com/recipes)
3 medium apples, peeled and diced
3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 vegetable or chicken bouillon cubes
Salt and Pepper

Add 4 cups of water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the bouillon cubes. Mix well.
Throw in the diced apples and potatoes (and any spices you like). Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Mash the soup using a potato masher, or throw in the food processor to get a smoother consistency.

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

Daniel

P.S. It’s not too late to join our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at a pro-rated cost. More info at www.thecuttingveg.com/CSA.