29. September 2011 by David.

”For the first time ever, a country - India - is accusing a multinational company of “bio-piracy”. That means stealing indigenous plants, and then trying to develop genetically modified versions of them, without giving any compensation back to the local people or nation where the plant originally came from.”

http://www.france24.com/en/20110921-india-monsanto-gmo-brinjal-bio-piracy-biopiracy-steal-seeds-terminator-cotton-onion-melon-debt-suicide

Choose your provincial representative. Vote for a candidate who will push make bio-terrorists like Monsanto, Cargyll, Dupont and Syngenta accountable for their actions.

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28. September 2011 by David.

Mike Schreiner and our team of 107 candidates have been taking our message to communities across the province—talking about issues that matter to Ontarians, like good local food. For years, politicians told us the issues that we care about—economy, environment, and community—are separate and distinct. We know you can’t solve one problem and ignore the rest. It just doesn’t work that way.

Only the Green Party has comprehensive plans to tackle the major problems facing us today, rising energy prices, disappearance of good local jobs and climate change

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28. September 2011 by David.

Autumn has arrived. Our calendars now agree with the shortening days, cooler nights and the yellow confetti of ash leaves on the lane-way. The garden reacts by producing large floppy leaves of kale, thick stalks of leeks and crates and crates of winter squash. It also means that many people are changing gears. Steve Laing, who spent the last five months living, working and learning at Riverglen is heading back to class at the end of the week.

The success of our enterprise demands largely on our summer interns, who spend their spring and summer fully immersed in the rhythms of the farm. On top of routine garden tasks such as weeding and harvesting, these students take on serious responsibilities during their stay. Steve took charge of the daily care of our laying flock - currently 100 birds - as well as our 200 broiler chickens.

For 5 months, I could trust that the daily care of our flocks had been carried out on time and on spec. To take the experience even further, Steve collected feed, productivity and sales data as a school project for Flemming’s Sustainable Agriculture program. This information will help Steve during planning stages of his own projects, as well as help me improve my own system.

Farm internships are incredibly powerful experiences that truly propel someone through a learning experience that challenges the mind and body, pulling at your heart strings all along the way. If you or someone you know are considering taking on a farm internship, this is a good time to look up potential host farms. You may want to offer your services for a day in order to introduce yourself and have a quick look at the place. A big part of what makes a successful internship this the ability of farmers to interact and communicate. You’ll be spending alot of time together, working side by side.

Steve’s visit last October came at a perfect time when I needed help to plant garlic. We were late. It was cold and wet. But on that sunny day the few people I had managed to gather for the task worked quickly, efficiently and everyone seemed to get along. That says a good deal, for me, and that same dedicated, positive vibe has persisted throughout the season.

-David

Washing beets with the old apron

Diversity We’re having a lot of fun with our little store front here and we’ve been experimenting with offering a few more farm products. You might of noticed the jars of honey on display. These come from Kurt Streckeisen out in Lanark County. For several years he has helped organic farmers in the area get started in beekeeping. This spring, he helped Carolyn setup two hive boxes in the orchard. One caught a swarm from the wild hive in the house and the other housed a nuke (starter colony) imported from Australia. Both colonies have thrived this summer and one has even yielded 20 lbs of honey. While this precious liquid will be distributed to friends and family over Christmas, Caro hopes to have twice as many hives next summer. In the meantime, Kurt’s own honey will be available this fall on our shelves. Also in response to customer demand, we are raising meat birds. Known in the industry as broilers, these are the chickens you are used to seeing in the supermarket. Their large muscle mass, light feathering and fast growth rate make them ideal for meat production. Ours, however, get to go outside. Every morning, after their breakfast binge session, they spread out in their pen, pecking at bits of vegetables and hiding in the tansy. These chickens have over five times the space awarded to their supermarket cousins. With all this extra care and the certified organic feed we provide, it’s pretty remarkable we can offer the meat at $4.75/pound, 25 cents cheaper than supermarket organic chicken. But Steve’s done the math and looks like we can actually pull it off! And just to add an extra p Chillin’ by the water cooler… erk to being a CSA member, we’re only charging $4.50/pound to CSA members. A $15 deposit will ensure you get yours fresh on October 19th, and frozen chicken will be available at the store thereafter. I will also start selling Joel’s Coffee. Fairly traded, organically grown coffee beans, roasted in Rockland, Ontario.  Registration Form 2012

What’s in my Box?

Week No.16

• Salad mix: First cut lettuce mix in bags. No mustard greens, but a splash beta greens.
• Radishes: Valentine’s pink radish mix. A mixture of colours with a more of a familiar shape for many. In an effort to keep the radishes mild, crispy and juicy, we’re trying to pick them a little younger/smaller. We hope you enjoy!
• Siberian Kale: This is one campaign promise I did manage to keep. Fall kale! This green kale is particularly soft and tender compared to kurly or black kale. It’s taste is very green, almost like collards and braises particularly well.
• Orange Carrots: This bed of carrots seems to be growing quite slow… But we haven’t had them in a while so let’s just dig them up anyway! yum
• Spaghetti Squash: Winter squash of the week: spaghetti squash.
  • Rinse it briefly and cut it in half.
  • Put the halfs upside down in a pyrex dish. Fill with a little water to keep the bottom of the squash halves wet.
  • Cook 10 minutes at 350F.
  • Flip and cook another 10 minutes or so.
  •  Drain the water and scrape out the veggy spaghetti (lengthwise) with a fork.
  • Top with your favourite sauce or pesto. Enjoy!
• Onions: 2lbs of yellow onions
• Garlic: I’ve started late night garlic cracking/movie watching sessions. Some of the garlic is too small for planting so you all get a mini-bulb of garlic this week..

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20. September 2011 by David.

Yes, it’s that time again. Perhaps its the frost we had over the weekend, or perhaps it’s my squeaky old car aching to be replaced by a farm truck before winter but… It’s registration season! With only 5 weeks left, this is your chance to make sure this happens again next year. Box sales through the CSA ensure an even cashflow for the farm, saving us hundreds of dollars in interest. It also lets us know you appreciate the care we put into your heritage Greenbelt farm and helps us better organize for next year.

Once again, returning members get to enjoy significant early-bird discounts this fall. This reflects the increase in efficiency that happens when systems are developed, cared for and improved over time. Your sustained participation helps us focus on managing the farm to produce better food at a better price. These early-bird discounts are our way to thank you for your continued patronage, your constructive criticism and your contagious enthusiasm. You’ll notice the base price for both weekly and biweekly boxes has also been reduced.

An end of year summary and survey will be sent out with the last weekly pickup. Until then, as always, you are welcome to email or call with comments and/or suggestions. Thanks!

-David

Registration Form 2012

Bean Salad by chef Trish Larkin - Black Cat Bistro - with Riverglen wax beans, french beans, basil and scallions

What’s in my Box?

Week No.14

• Lettuce: It’s back! Another round of head lettuce for your own personal enjoyment… Ok, you can share with a friend if you want.
• Radishes: Just kidding, no radishes. We’re taking a break from radishes, but look forward to a ‘Valentine’s Day’ blend and daikon radishes later this fall
• Garlic: Another taste of our B-grade garlic. This year, every single A-grade bulb is going back into the garden. Enough playing around; we need a stronger supply of garlic!
• Soup celery: Our celery didn’t come up as lush and tender as last year. The drought we experienced mid-summer slowed them down considerably. However, the stalks are still nice to add flavour and crunch to soup or stew, and the tops make excellent stock.
• Golden Beets: Anyone miss chard? We haven’t had much chard this year and I’ve been hearing mixed reactions. Some happy, some sad. Well, in case you’re missing those hardy greens, check out these golden beet tops! These beet greens are tastier than any chard I’ve ever had. The flavour and texture is delicate enough to be eaten raw in salad, or cooked in the usual way. The beet portion is a little small, but the greens portion is huge!
• Onions: 2lbs of delicious yellow onions
• Sweet Peppers: This is the last of them. Their brief time to shine is already over.
• Hot Peppers: A bit of spice to add to something nice.
• Parsley: Health super herb

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14. September 2011 by David.

Two pictures that I just had to share with you from our greenhouse adventures last Wednesday:

Yes, David and Steve had a good time trying to put up the greenhouse. Spirits are high when something you have been waiting a long time for is finally happening! Part two of the arches is due to go up this Wednesday.  My favourite part was standing at the top of the step ladder, on the trailer (to get the height we needed) while David carefully backed the trailer up so that we could bolt on the next section of arches.  It is much easier now that there are enough arches to support themselves.  That first set felt rather wobbly up on the ladder, despite Steve standing on the bottom to steady it!

Harvest days fly by now, and we spent all of Saturday bunching onions and moving them from the trailer to the rafters of the barn.  There are still more onions to hang up, waiting patiently in the field.  This week you will be getting a baggie of onions whose leaves were not long enough for us to hang - they’re no different otherwise from last week’s onions.  Please get them out of those baggies so they can dry!  It’s hard sometimes having to use the plastic bags to make ”portions” of different vegetables, when the vegetables themselves would prefer not be in a plastic bag.  It is the best way we’ve found of keeping it fair, and getting each of you a pound of onions or two pounds of potatoes.

Feast of the Fields made for an exciting Sunday - a big fundraiser for the Ottawa section of Canadian Organic Growers.  Feast of the Fields is where twenty teams of organic farms and restaurants set up stands and serve up their best food for you to wander around and taste.  Riverglen provided the Black Cat Bistro with some beans and scallions which they made up into a salad to serve.  Since only David and Carolyn could get in with the farm… Steve and I got to go as paying guests and chat with other farmers and interns while seeing what else is happening in Ottawa’s organic agriculture scene!  If you’re interested in supporting local organic growers, consider heading out next August to Feast of the Fields for a true feast.

Next year’s registration package is getting its finishing touches, and CSA baskets for 2012 will be available soon at a farm near you!

Heather

We get excited about nice lettuce leaves too… I tried to hide before gobbling this one up. It got separated from the rest of its lettuce head.

What’s in my Box?

Week No.14

• Lettuce: It’s back! After several weeks of heavy, sweet and tasty summer produce it’s nice to sit down with a bowl of tender salad. We’ve soaked our heads of lettuce to enhance its keeping ability, but make sure you keep it in a clean crisper until you need it.
• Radishes: More radishes! Yes! I love radishes. This French Breakfast variety has a spicy flavour without being overpowering. The French eat them raw with salt, butter and a fresh baguette, but you can just slice them into a sandwich if you prefer. Yup, it’s sandwich season! If raw radish is too much for you, add them to a stew, casserole, stir fry or even a soup. The spice tones down drastically, turning into a warm, earthy, crispy experience.
• Potatoes: We’ve got lots of potatoes for you. Still traumatized by the Atkins fad? The trick is to eat those calories earlier in the day, limit your portions when accompanying meat and… exercise!! No, really, fresh organic potatoes are good for you. They contain many vitamins and minerals that help you along your day. Store them out of the fridge in a dry location.
• Tomatoes:  Pasta, sandwiches, soups, stews… Get your tomatoes out of the plastic bag ASAP. These gems do not like close contact with plastic, or any other closed container, for very long. They do best in a basket on the counter. Romas (hard and red) make good sauce and all the others are salad/slicing tomatoes.
• Beets: Red beets are making the news as a super healthy vegetable. Beet tops can be chopped into soups or sauces. You can even eat them raw by chopping them up fine and mixing them with tender greens in a salad. For best results, cut the tops off immediately and store them in the crisper. Beets are two for one!
• Onions: A few more onions… Sometimes I feel a meal isn’t quite a meal until it’s got onions in it. These fresh onions have not been dried or cured. This makes their flavour a little sharper/tangy and a little less earthy.
• Sweet Peppers: Sweet peppers go in the fridge and into whatever dish you like.
• Hot Peppers: Treat them the same as sweet peppers but keep them separate. You have the choice between Hungarian Wax (yellow, medium hot) and Jalapeno (green, very hot)

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6. September 2011 by David.

Sunday, September 11, 2011
Canada Agriculture Museum (The Central Experimental Farm)

Feast of Fields is an annual event during which local farmers and chefs from the greater Ottawa region team up to create an original and organic feast for the public.

On Sunday, September 11, 2011 Canadian Organic Growers – Ottawa Chapter will once again bring together some of the best in regional foods in a celebration of the season’s harvest. COG Ottawa’s Feast of Fields pairs numerous teams of the finest organic farmers and chefs from Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec to create a uniquely regional culinary extravaganza. As true stewards of the environment, organic farmers grow according to nationally certified standards of excellence – better for the environment and better for people!

Our theme for Feast of Fields 2011 is ‘Feast of Fields from our Organic Farms’. We plan to showcase our organic farmers, their products in the fantastic meals served at Feast of Fields, and the opportunity to shop for organic products from our organic farmers… like a mini Organic Farmers’ Market for the day!

This year’s event is ideally located on the farm in the heart of the city. The Canada Agriculture Museum- The Farm provides rural ambience perfect for a harvest festival, yet offers easy access by public transit, bicycle, or car, with ample free parking. Feast of Fields tickets will include entrance to The Canada Agriculture Museum. Children under 12 will enjoy free entrance to Feast of Fields with a participating parent. We anticipate up to 500 guests for an afternoon of fine food sampling, music and theatrical performances.

You will be able to visit the Museum from 9:00 am until the doors of Feast of Fields open at 11:30 in preparation for the Opening Ceremonies at 12:00. Chefs will begin serving after the Opening Ceremonies.

This showcase for our organic farmers and chefs is more than a culinary celebration – it is a key fundraiser for COG Ottawa’s Information Booth and the Growing Up Organic Farmer Outreach program.

• It is about nurturing a healthy community through learning about the foods we eat – and through the foods we grow.
• It helps schools to build organic gardens tended by students and their families, supports on-the-farm classroom experiences and apprenticeship camps, and our newest initiative: Organic Cafés prepared by students.
• It also includes outreach support to help local farmers to manage the transition to organic certification and to develop secure regional markets.
• Proceeds will also be used for renewal and operation of the COG Ottawa Information Booth an essential part of our community outreach.

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6. September 2011 by David.

One thing about farming is that, aside from gardening, there are many other jobs to be done.  I’m no professional wielder of a sledge hammer, but it doesn’t take too long to get the knack of it. Just as the job is finishing up you get that wonderful feeling of having mastered it, and being ready to actually set about doing the task efficiently.  As with other professions, there are some tasks that don’t happen very often.  The training acquired in one morning of pounding may not be useful again until a few months later.  David is definitely a master Jack of all trades. We interns still have a little way to go.

Modified sledge hammer for Jacks in-training. An old metal hinge and some hockey tape stopped the metal posts from damaging the handle of the hammer when we missed!

The hoop house arrived a couple of weeks ago. We piled it up beside the field.  Then it sat there while we were busy in the garden.  Last week we started to move some of it towards the fields.  We spent a long time Friday measuring, once, twice, thrice, and more until the two rows of 6” x 6” were perfectly lined up to form the foundation.  Then we started creating the anchors for the foundation, by pounding metal T-posts into the ground beside the wooden beams.  That’s Steve giving a good pound to the last ’spike’. A lug bolt connects the wooden beams to the T-posts, and voilà we have a foundation. Bit by bit, a hoop house will appear in our fields soon!

Heather

What’s in my Box?

Week No.13

• Zucchini (fondly known as Zukes): After a surprise comeback, the zukes have given us enough for the Tuesday baskets. You can always grate and freeze it to use later.
• Radishes: French breakfast radishes.
• Potatoes: A mix of white and Russian blue potatoes this week for a colourful dish.
• Tomatoes:  Pasta, sandwiches, soups, stews…
• Wax Beans: Yellow coloured beans to much raw, throw into salads, or boil ever so briefly.
• Onions: A good size bunch of fresh onions - keep them somewhere dry and airy.  That means not in the fridge, but on a shelf or counter.
• Sweet Peppers: A baggie of sweet peppers, the plants are doing very well!
• Parsley: Fresh herb of the week.

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