Yes, we are still ”farming”!

”So, I guess all the farming must be wrapping up for the year, then.” Uh, yeah… Nope, we are definitely still farming. Farming really isn’t the sort of thing you just put on pause when it gets too chilly for T-shirts and sandals. In fact, believe it or not, we’re still gardening!

Lots more veggies in the ground!

There are still lots of root crops in the ground. Row cover (white nylon sheets) does a great job protecting vegetables, keeping them lush and green. Even the kale is still standing. And when the leaves finally do die-off, such as our beets, the roots bellow ground keep in perfect condition.

Farm Store Display

Our farm store currently stocks:

-Orange and multi-coloured carrots

-Red beets

-Red and yellow onions

-Spaghetti squash

-Leeks

-Rutabaga

-Siberian kale

-Green swiss chard

-Parsnip 

-Daikon radish

-Nappa cabbage

-Yellow, russet and purple potatoes 

Renos include swapping steel cage windows to glass, adding pens and installing electrical outlets and lighting

We’ve also been keeping busy winterizing our house, barns, garden, equipment, machinery, vehicles and animal housing. The firewood pile is gaining height on the back deck, plastic is going over windows… Renovations in the animal barn include a new waterfowl pen, two sheep stalls and two double cow stalls. Winter is a challenging time for animals living outdoors and we need to be organized in order to provide water (preferably not in its frozen form), shelter and feed to our 100 laying hens, 11 waterfowl, 3 (soon to be pregnant) ewes, 1 ram, 3 pregnant cows, 1 bull, 2 dogs and 5 cats. Unfortunately, none of these creatures fly south for the winter. We modify feeding schedules, switch to heated water fountains and bowls, and spread a whole lot of straw bedding.

In a world where the typical gardener buys manure, fertilizer (organic or not) and even soil in bags, I feel the need to emphasize that none of these things would exist at all were it not for farmers willing to over-winter animals. When you buy produce from Riverglen Farm, you can rest assured that these critical ingredients come from animals well cared-for and well fed. We feed animals with our own hay, vegetables, and pre-mixed, certified organic feeds. We design our systems to maximize manure recovery and use it to create compost piles, inoculated with biodynamic preparations to increase its vitality.

So yes, we are still farming. We will be farming next month, and the month after that, and the next month after that. But thanks for asking. Thank you for acknowledging that we work pretty hard and could probably use a bit of a break. Luckily, the days are getting shorter and we spend more time inside, entering harvest and sales records, book keeping, planning and marketing while the stereo plays music in the back ground. Big produce commitments are over and deliveries are getting smaller. Our schedules become more flexible, we can take more leisurely walks, and if we’re lucky enough to find reliable farm sitters, we might even be able to go for a weekend camping trip! Sweet!

- David

November Discount for Returning Members

Over thirty members have already signed up for a 2012 weekly or biweekly produce box! This is very encouraging. Apparently, several people were happy with their produce this year and are hopeful that the quality of the program will keep improving. Thank you!

There are two weeks left to take advantage of the next early-bird discount level! Get your deposit and registration form in before the end of November to enjoy a discount on your weekly or biweekly produce box.

2012 Registration Form

This entry was posted on 14. November 2011 at 20:46 and is filed under Newsletter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.