ORGANIC FARM NOTES: WEEK 6: August 3 – 9, 2014
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Coordinator: Mike Rabinowitz: Farm/House Phone. ( 895-2884)
Before 5:30 Leave a message.
Cell Phone at Pick-Up. 749-2884. 6 -6:30 p.m.
Please note: Mike has this cell phone at pick-up only. It is usually not answered at other times. E-Mail ahead!! I noticed a small k and b beside the name of a member last week, when he came to be checked off. While I was puzzling over this, he said, “Oh, that means I want extra kale and basil.” He happily proceeded to Mike for his special order.
WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM?
A Special Visitor:
Our son Louis has a half-brother. He arrived Friday night from Fairbanks, Alaska after two days of travel due to delayed planes and missing connections. Louis has lived with us since he was 12 days old and has know he had a family in Alaska since he was very young. He first met his birth family when he went to his grandfather’s funeral about 20 years ago. His sister, Lisa has been been here twice and David has been planning to come for several years. It is wonderful he can be here now, while the farm is so beautiful and he can see the unique crops Louis has developed and get a sense of his creativity and vision for the farm.
Breaking Eggs
What will I do with these wonderful goodies. Make an oven omelet? What a great idea! Like a proper Chef, I clipped and chopped the garlic scapes, green onion, green garlic and a red pepper, leaving them on the cutting board while I broke the eggs. Break is right. The first egg slipped out of my hand, dropping first on the toe of my shoe and while I stood with amazement, it oozed over onto the floor. I was as speechless as the preschoolers I described a few weeks, breaking their first egg. The clean-up was also pretty surprising and a distraction to the task at hand. I am mindful that my arthritis is creeping up in many ways, some days are worse than others. So, why am I disclosing the egg dropping drama. Because sooner or later, something similar will happen to some of our Veggie Coop members as they move on through life as it did with my mother and her sisters and also Mike’s mother. There is a sign in my kitchen which reads, INSIDE EVERY OLD PERSON IS A YOUNG PERSON, wondering what happened.” I know what happened. I picked the wrong parents and grandparents. And in comparison, I am doing quite well.
Short Staffed in sweltering heat!
Paulette and Diane were the two women left to do picking and packing last week with some help from Alice, our Administrator along with Donna and Adrienne, part-time volunteers. Jayne was on holidays and Emma finished on Wednesday. Then we learned Michelle hurt her ankle and would be off until August llth. No Problem. Josie, who works three days a week said she would come in a few work extra days but alas, she was in a minor car accident last Thursday and is off until Tuesday. Add to that, the fact that some staff asked to leave early because they were ill from the heat!
NO FANS TO BE HAD!
We needed more fans over and above the four or five we have; not to keep staff cool, although that would be nice but to draw the heat out of the sprout room and also to dry the lettuce/ salad mix. Normally, we can leave it on the tables to dry, but not in this humid, hot weather. It wilts like the rest of us. The Princess Auto flyer that came out mid-week, showed several different types with affordable prices. What luck! Just when we need them. Mike and I went specifically to buy fans. Although the sale had only been on one day, they didn’t have a fan left. On to Costco. No Fans. The next morning, I called Canadian Tire and Home Depot. No Fans! If it weren’t so desperate, this would read like a children’s story book.
The Crops!
Keep up the rain dance! Both the greenhouse and outdoor crops are stressed by the heat; the main issue is watering. Mike guides the watering plan -,early morning and late evening watering in the greenhouses and rotating field watering through out the day. This includes having someone on deck for Sunday watering. This week it was the boss man, himself, with a little help from the Little Red Hen.
Greenhouse Tomatoes Beginning To Show Their Stuff! This week Mike picked a hand full of Sungolds and passed them around to staff at break-time, standing patiently, while each person picked the one they wanted. You might think they were gold coins. A few days later, he brought in, three early cascades and put them in my hand. “ I know you like these.” They are my favourite, but I like them a little riper. He picks all of the tomatoes before they are fully ripe, so they won’t be bruised or over ripe when they reach the customers. He tells people, “Keep them on the kitchen counter a couple of days and they will be perfect,” but most people don’t wait. I hid mine behind the fruit bowl in the dining room and will peek at them tomorrow.
Tomatoes Limited At Tail Gate Sales! You may have heard people asking about tomatoes at tailgate sales last week. When they are ready, he usually has only three or four pints to bring in. There will not be enough for Veggie Coop bags until the outdoor tomatoes are ready. If you want to be on the tomato list or any other list, basil, kale, etc., send him an E-mail with your special order.
MUCH TODO ABOUT GARLIC SCAPES!
“ What do you do with these? My partner wants to know?” he said, choking the garlic scapes with his curled fist. Short Answer. Google Garlic Scape or Garlic Scape Pesto to learn more about how the food world views garlic scapes. They do look strange and at first glance, may seem useless. As suggested in Farm Notes, Week 3, we use them in most dishes – stir fries, omelets, soup, quiche and pesto. The Canadian Gardening Website has a garlic scape and walnut pesto recipe which I make with cashews.
Preparing Garlic Scapes.
There is a preparation “skill” you need to learn. Due to the heat, the crop matured early and the stems are harder/ less tender than usual. You will want to cut them off a few inches from the bottom, much like asparagus and/or insert the point of your knife blade inside outer skin, strip and peel. Still too woody? Move up a few inches the way you do to find best place for asparagus. Try again. Chop finely across with knife or clip with scissors. After a few such encounters, preparing garlic scapes will be as easy as peeling an onion. I hope this works for you because we can expect garlic scapes for several weeks.
Don’t forget to send your feed-back and recipes and pictures for the Blog.
Little Red Hen. July, 2014
