FARM NEWS

New summer delivery schedule starts this week!

The new delivery day for the Nelson area will be this Thursday May 25th. We’ll be dropping off during the early morning from 5 am until 7:30 am and will not be knocking. Our goal is to get everyone their order before you leave for work and before it gets too hot out.

Meet Our Nemesis

This is a sprouting grass root. Because our new garden was a field that we tilled up there are millions of these grass roots in our garden. We nearly finished taking out the big sod clumps but the grass was coming back so fast that we had to start weeding it.

This is slow and tedious work. It’s hard on the hands and back. And there’s no way around it. If we want to make sure it doesn’t come back we have to pull each grass plant out by its root. There’s a lot of wonderful things about farming. But crawling around on your hands and knees in the mud picking out tiny blades of grass and weeds for hours is not one of them.

NEW PRODUCTS

Rapini Sprouting Broccoli 

Veggie Fun Fact: Although Rapini is sold as a variety of broccoli, it's actually more closely related to a turnip.

Description: Rapini is a delicious Italian spring green that is very popular in Italian cuisine. It has soft leaves and tender stems with a unique savoury flavour with peppery mustard notes. To cook it try steaming or sautéing it.

Our Radish Is Finally Ready!

Veggie Fun Fact: Radish is derived from the Latin word “radix” which means “root.”

Description: This variety is know was Red Radish. A crispy, peppery radish is the perfect springtime finger food and adds a tasty crunch to salads.

Details: Sold per bunch.

Gai Lan

Description: Gai Lan, which is a close cousin to broccoli, has soft meaty leaves and tender and juicy stems. With a flavour that's somewhere between asparagus and broccoli with the occasional spicy bite similar to a mustard green, this elegant Asian green will have your friends and family asking, "this is amazing, what is it!?" Gai Lan can sautéed, steamed or grilled.

Details: Sold per bunch.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT 🍎

Who has the happiest, least stressful, most meaningful job in America? 🤔

According to an analysis of more than 13,000 time journals from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey, farmers ranked for having the highest levels of self-reported happiness -- and the lowest levels of self-reported stress along with loggers and foresters.

Being a farmer I can attest to these results. As someone who has had many different jobs, being a farmer has been the most rewarding. Here is my theories as to why that is:

For one, I get to work outside almost every day. By being outside for many hours per week I get to fully experience the elements and the seasons. The rain, the winds, the heat and the cold. I get to know the local wildlife who lives around us. Like the two great blue herons fly overhead in the mornings. Or the geese that swim in our pound. Or the worms, beetles and spiders that live in our soil. I can work barefoot and feel the earth on my feet if I feel like it. And I get to breathe fresh air and work under the sun's light.

Growing nutritious food for your community and stewarding land gives you an immense feeling of purpose. You're not just working for a pay check. You're working for the greater good.

It's tough. You never know what the next challenge will be. There's no set routine. Things are always changing. You have to keep your wits about you. It can be stressful but I think a healthy amount of stress is good for the soul. Too much stress can be detrimental. But too little can become mind numbingly mundane.

I hope information like this shows people that farming is a career worth considering. Our food systems is in desperate need of an update. And without a new generation of young farmers a transition to an ethical and sustainable food system will never happen. .