Fall Is Here - Oh, Yeah!

We'd avoided the few light frosts that hit the Brandon area last week, but this weekend hard frost hit us. And how! Now, we are fortunate to have a lot of well-established shelter belt, which did give some parts of the gardens good protection. But, the open areas and the low areas are pretty much finished! Our late-seeding of lettuce got a touch of frost, the summer squash are all pretty much toast, the tomatoes (which never really ripened) are done and gone. The winter squash plants are dead but the squash is mostly fine - except those that the deer have started to crack and gnaw. The sweet potatoes, well protected, seem to be okay. The basil is finished but the calendula next to it is okay. The garage, our staging area, is crammed with things we tried to save like watermelon, cantaloupe, summer squash, peppers and tomatoes. So, we'll still have a good supply for the final outdoor Farmers' Markets this weekend; it's hard to believe there are only three more regular markets: Thursday night and Saturday morning at Riverbank Discovery Centre and Friday Night at Shoppers Mall!

Talkin' Squash in Hartney!

The Hartney Hort Club had talked to me about a fall presentation about squash. Last night was the event - and it was good timing because we still had summer squash as well as winter squash. This was a 'tag-team' presentation with Farmer Man, something we don't get to do that often! We prepped some Papaya Pear by marinating it in balsamic vinegar and olive oil and we baked both a Buttercup and a 'Winter Sunshine' Kabocha. The meeting was at the adorable 'Red Door' restaurant in Hartney, so Farmer Man sauteed some crookneck and patty pan, grilled the Papaya Pear and warmed the winter squash. I talked about the differences between summer and winter squash, different varieties in both groups, growing them, using them and preserving them. Farmer Man came out of the kitchen a few times to add his knowledge! And everybody got to try both raw and cooked varieties! We were quite late arriving (totally on me, I won't lie) and in the flurry to get going I totally forgot to get a picture of the packed restaurant! A great group! Thanks for having us, Hartney!

CSA for September 14, 2010 - Last Day!

Whew, it's a done deal for another year! We've finished CSA earlier than ever this year - largely due to consistent rain throughout the season. The weather has been a good thing and a bad thing - we never did bring our own tomatoes to CSA (they are still mostly green and, now, splitting). But lettuce did well, the late-seeding did much better than it would in most hot years, and beans did fabulously (hope everyone got some frozen for winter!).

This being the last CSA we brought larger bags of potatoes and left them dirty! Dirty potatoes will store better than washed, really! Keep them someplace cool, dark and dry. We also brought, of course, some serious weight in winter squash. These too, will store a long time: keep them cool, dark and dry. Winter squash benefit from something like a shelf, not touching each other. Turn them once a month or so; if rot starts it is often where the squash was sitting on the shelf. We brought a wide selection of winter squash: Part Shares could take up to 15 lbs., Full Shares could take up to 20 Lbs. We were totally willing to deal - especially if someone was interested in one of the monster Hubbards or Boston Marrows (weighing in at 24 - 34 lbs!). We've already had a couple of emails about the round yellow thing - it's a heirloom cucumber called Lemon Ball. We usually take our veggie brush to the skin as it tends to have little bristles and then it's just good eating!

Our growing partners came through today to top things off! Menno and Evelyn Isaac brought some of their luscious organic, hot house tomatoes. Linda Boys provided gorgeous red cabbage for the parts, fresh celery for the fulls, some of the basil and some great Long English cucumbers. Amanda and Ed Wiebe provided the beautiful large onions. Ed and Marilyn Clayton of Clayton Organic Orchard, in Elkhorn provided the awesome apples.

So, for the FULL SHARES: 5 lbs. German Butterball potatoes, 5 lbs. Alladin red potatoes, apples, Long English cucumber, a Lemon Ball cucumber, a mix of bell pepper, Hungarian hot and jalapeno peppers, bundle of Swiss Chard, bag of lettuce, bag of tomatoes, fresh basil, celery, a small winter squash in the box plus a choice of up to 20 lbs of winter squash.

For the PART SHARES: 5 lbs. German Butterball potatoes, 5 lbs. Alladin red potatoes, apples, cucumber, Lemon Ball cucumber, a mix of bell pepper, Hungarian hot and jalapeno peppers, bundle of Swiss Chard, bag of lettuce, Bag of tomatoes, fresh basil, red cabbage, a small winter squash in the box plus a choice of up to 15 lbs. of winter squash.

Also in everyone's box this week is an invitation to 'The Green Keys Tour' featuring Canadian composer and muscian Frank Horvat. We hope everyone can join us October 3. We hope everyone has enjoyed this years' CSA! It's been great fun to help feed everyone all summer! And enjoy!!

Just For Fun - Carrie the Merengue Dancing Dog!

Just for laughs!! We love our doggies and we love doggie videos! This is huge fun (but I'd never put my dogs in the outfit.......).
Check it out here!

Small Farm Dreams?

Are you dreaming of running a small farm? Help is on the way! The Manitoba Farm Mentorship program will be running a workshop here in Brandon to help you make your dreams a reality! Check it out here.

Family Fun at Aagaard Farms!

It's great to introduce children to local food, we think it's so important that people know where their food is coming from and what real food is. At the Farmers' Markets, it's so fun to see kids' reactions and hear their observations as they check out all the vegetables and fruit. The most fun we have, though, is here at the farm. We rent out garden plots, and we so enjoy the children that come: we'll introduce them to the pigs and chickens, let them help weed or harvest. As their parents work in their gardens, the kids will quite often follow Farmer Man around asking a million questions and playing with the dogs. Of course, some of them find the tractor fascinating! On Saturday, our renters Joan and Larry brought some family out to help, including some of the youngest additions. We missed it, we were at the Farmers Market at Riverbank Discovery Centre doing our thing, but Joan and Larry were nice enough to share pictures. The captions are theirs. Apparently, big fun was had by all!

CSA for September 7, 2010

We got busy today!! Yes, we did! Having to cancel last week put the pressure on to keep up the volume of veggies our shareholders have received. Fortunately, the weather cooperated today! We certainly do see the results of this cool, rainy weather! Our tomatoes and peppers won't ripen, the basil suddenly has brown spots and the cucumbers haven't grown an inch in the past five days! Not much we can do about all that, though, so we just got busy - and made some calls.

Menno and Evelyn came through with beautiful hothouse tomatoes, Linda Boys was a star (!) with celery and leeks for everybody, some broccoli and some cabbage. Amanda and Ed found some gorgeous onions and some great cucumbers. Couldn't do it without our growing partners!!

Everyone is receiving today a large patty pan or scallopini summer squash called 'Marlborough', a pale green, crown shaped patty pan. Now, you can do anything with this that you would do with a zucchini: dice, slice, cube, saute, stir fry, BBQ. But, when the patty pans get larger, one of our favourite things to do is stuff 'em! Slice off the stem and remove the little seed pouch. You can remove some of the flesh or leave it in place. Stuff it with whatever you might use to stuff a pepper or tomato: rice and ground beef, bread crumb or crouton and herb stuffing, fruit and nuts are awesome!! One of our favs is cream cheese, a can of crab meat, diced red pepper and/or diced red onion, salt and pepper to taste and an herb like tarragon or dill. Yummy! Bake the squash whole until the skin is easily pierced with a fork, around 40 minutes at 375 degrees. Slice and serve pie-shaped wedges, either as a side dish or as your main course.

Everyone is also receiving a nice selection of assorted baby summer squash today. The young, small squash are the gourmet way to enjoy them! We took a good selection, because with frost possible at any time, enjoy them while you can!

So, for the FULL SHARES: 2 lbs 'Linzer Delicatese' Fingerling potatoes, 2.5 lbs 'French' Fingerling and 2 lbs of 'Alaska Sweetheart', the all red potato. 2.5 lbs tomatoes, onions, leeks, cabbage, Swiss chard, celery, a couple of cucumbers, a bag each of 'Romaine' and 'Buttercrunch' lettuce, a couple of assorted zucchini, a crookneck summer squash, and a 'Marlborough' patty pan, one of an assortment of winter squash, bunch of basil, carrots, a head of garlic and apples.

For the PART SHARES: 2 lbs 'Linzer Delicatese' Fingerling potatoes, 2.5 lbs 'French' Fingerling and 2 lbs of 'Alaska Sweetheart', the all red potato. 2.5 lbs tomatoes, onions, leeks, broccoli, Swiss chard, celery, a couple of cucumbers, a bag each of 'Romaine' and 'Buttercrunch' lettuce, a couple of assorted zucchini, a crookneck summer squash, and a 'Marlborough' patty pan, one of an assortment of winter squash, bunch of basil, carrots, and a head of garlic.

Things You'll Never See at the Grocery Store!

Our current industrial food system only allows perfect looking food to be for sale in the grocery stores. The growing interest in organic food has started to change perceptions somewhat; early on in the 'movement' growers brought vegetables and food as is - blemishes, bug bits, etc. However, as the organic movement has grown, even those growers are striving harder for blemish-free, flawless looking vegetables and fruit. But, that certainly isn't how Mother Nature always presents it! This year we've gotten some interesting specimens. Due to heavy rains regularly, cucumbers and zucchini have 'blown up' and look more like little bowling pins. And Siamese twins are everywhere in the summer squash: twinned crookneck squash and twinned patty pans. And how about the little 'people' carrots! You never see those in the grocery store! (Face courtesy of Travis)

Hummingbird Farewells?

I suppose because there has been so much rain, we've been hanging around the house a bit more than usual. Among other things, it's given us the opportunity to view our hummingbird feeder more frequently. In the last few days, it's suddenly been very busy at the feeder. Of course, we have no good way to tell if this is activity is all one hummingbird or different hummingbirds. But, it has definitely been a pleasure. The little guy in the picture hang around for a couple of hours in the rain. He'd rest in the ninebark shrub, have a good, long drink and then return to the shrub. We've never witnessed such a thing before! He even chased off another little hummingbird a couple of times! Although it's a joy to watch, it's rather sad, too. It means to us that the hummingbirds are getting ready to head south. They always leave early - and who can blame them, a small bird like that probably can't take too much frost, and frost could come at any time now.

CSA for August 31, 2010 Cancelled!

We've never cancelled a CSA share mid-season. We have delayed the start a few times, when things aren't growing really well. But, steady rain yesterday, overnight and drizzle this morning makes it impossible to get on the land to harvest. We wouldn't do our soil, our plants or ourselves any favours by getting on the mud! Plus, the vegetables would be more prone to rust, mold and a host of other problems if delivered wet and mucky. It's a pity, too, because the corn was ready, and now we'll have to take it to the weekend Farmers Markets, because it probably won't wait until next Tuesday. Such is life with veggies! We'll see everyone next week! Next, we have to deal with the leak in the livingroom ceiling!

Wildlife Gardening

The girls at Garden Rant have introduced me to yet another fabulous blog: Wildlife Garden. This one is dedicated to wildlife gardening - understanding the critters, birds and bugs coming to your garden, planting to encourage and support them! It's a very interesting site - check it out here!

Using Up The Cucumbers

We got an excellent pick of cucumbers for the Farmers Market at Riverbank Discovery Centre on Saturday morning. However, a lot of the vendors had cukes, so we came home with about half a crate. As we're into fresh food, and don't have an event until Tuesday - these cukes won't be for sale! So what do you do with ten pounds of cukes going soft? Well, we could just compost them - but we've got a better answer. Turns out chickens like cukes. And pigs absolutely adore them! So, we cut down on feed costs, give all the stock a 'treat' and although we don't make any money from these cukes, we will certainly profit from the end result!! The manure these animals will provide will give us excellent compost to grow next years' crop, without adding any fertilizer! It's a win-win-win situation!