Hope Bay Farm Box 2010

We made it! Just barely but we did it. 25 weeks! What fun!

I hope you enjoyed the experience and the fare. We certainly did and we also learned a lot. Thanks again for your support and encouragement over this past season. It certainly wasn’t the easiest year to be trying this out :).

Enjoy the veggies. Stay tuned as we want to bring folks together for a debrief.

Take care!

Farmer D

Full Share: 1/2 doz. eggs; mellon; long-English cucs; yellow zucchini; sweet onion; basil; Florence fennel; rainbow chard; garlic and tomatoes!!

Partial Share: 1/2 doz. eggs; mellon; long-English cucs; Florence fennel; and tomatoes!!

We’re almost there! Only one week left and I think we’re going to be able to do it in spite of the poor weather and my back (it’s amazing what a little sunshine can do for one’s outlook on life!).

Thanks for all the supportive and encouraging emails and energy that you have been sending our way. We’re happy to report that it is working! One of the main reasons for establishing this CSA is to become more connected to our ‘eaters.’ Farming can be lonely discouraging work. It’s critical to have a good support network. Thank you for being there for us over this challenging season. It helps us a lot.

Best!

Farmer D

Full Share Box: Fortex fillet beans; red cabbage; basil; red chieftain potatoes; long-English cucumbers; sweet onion; Florence fennel; and a bulb of Fish Lake garlic.

Partial Share Box: Dragon-tongue beans; basil; long-English cucumbers; Florence fennel; and a bulb of Fish Lake garlic.

Wet, wet, wet. Too wet for this time of year! As a consequence our warm weather crops (which were late to start on account of a cold wet spring) will likely not happen this year  – poop!

Anywho, this week’s offerings include basil and garlic. So take the opportunity to make you and your family some pesto – and taste the summer that never really was!

Full Share Box: 1/2 dozen eggs; red chieftain potatoes; fortex fillet beans; basil; Fish Lake garlic; long-English cucumbers; beets; and a sweet onion.

Partial Share Box: 1/2 dozen eggs; basil; Fish Lake garlic; long-English cucumbers; beets; and a sweet onion.

Hi folks. Things are going but fall weather appears to have arrived early and is putting a crimp in our plans to harvest our warm weather crops. Fingers crossed for a return to warm, dry weather!

Full Share Box: Head of lettuce; radicchio; long-English cucumbers; green peppers; amethyst radishes; red chieftain potatoes; 1/2 doz. eggs; and a sweet onion.

Partial Share Box: Head of lettuce; long-English cucumbers; green peppers; radicchio; 1/2 doz. eggs; and one sweet onion.

Hello folks. We open this Labour Day week on a wet note. While we need the moisture – we were hoping (and praying!) for a long, warm, dry fall to help ripen our warm weather crops like tomatoes and melons, which are way behind in their development. Unless things change, these items likely won’t be showing up in the boxes. In fact, this year, for the first time since moving to Pender, we may not have enough tomatoes for ourselves:(.

That said, we have managed to put a few ‘maters in this week’s boxes along with aardappels (earth apples), which we were fortunate to get out of the ground before the big rain on Sunday night.

Enjoy!

Farmer D

Full Share Box: Salad mix; beets; amethyst radish; red chieftain potatoes; long English cucumbers; rainbow chard; yellow zucchini; and tomato "taster."

Partial Share Box: Salad mix; amethyst radish; red chieftain potatoes; long English cucumbers; and tomato "taster."

Hope everyone is well and enjoying the respite from the dry weather.

Bit of new types of veg in the boxes this week. Notably cabbage, Florence fennel and beets. Please eat the cabbage asap as it seems inclined towards decomposition. Not sure why – possibly because it was growing on ground that was a tad too rich.

Just a heads up for those of you who would like to participate more directly in our farm –  in the coming weeks will will be planning a work bee for folks interested in helping us put up a winter shelter for our sheep. It would be great to get a hand leveling the site and putting up the poles. We’ll be providing more details soon!

Take care,

Farmer D

Full Share Box: Carrots; multi-coloured beets; long English and mini cucumbers; bit'o cabbage; scallions; Florence fennel; and beans.

Partial Share Box: Carrots; long English cucumbers; scallions; Florence fennel; and beans.

Howdy folks! Your boxes are all ready and waiting for you in the root cellar. I’m hoping you are able to pick them up tomorrow. If you can’t, no worries as the cellar seems to be having the desired effect. I will be back from my trip Friday afternoon – just in time for our Fall Fair on Saturday.

Due to the Fair, we will not be selling produce at the market on Saturday.

Next week, boxes will be ready for pick up at their usually date and time.

Full Share Box: Radicchio; sweet peppers; basil; beans (fillet and purple peacock), amethyst radishes; cucumbers (tasty green and piccolo); and summer squash.

Partial Share Box: Full Share Box: Radicchio; sweet pepper; basil; beans (dragon tongue), amethyst radishes; and cucumbers (tasty green).

Howdy folks! Summer’s full on. Dealing with the heat. Trying to irrigate efficiently. Thank God for micro-drip systems!!

Lots of cucs and basil right now – oh, and beans. Spread the word. We will take custom orders.

This week’s full boxes contain no salad mix – which I think is a first. In its stead – basil – which, I think y’all will agree is a mighty fine substitution. Lots of fresh beans – best eaten raw. And of course cucumbers. Oh, and carrots – those sweet orange fingers of ground-probing goodness.

Again, thanks to the coolness provided by Mother Earth and captured by Sister Root-cellar, we have all the boxes ready for pickup on Tuesday morn.

NOTE TO SELF: Next week’s boxes will be ready for pickup Sunday afternoon. Don’t worry if you can’t pick them up right away as they will be stored in Sister Root-cellar (a.k.a The Cool Panic Room, a.k.a. The Frigid Fall-out Shelter).

Take care of yourselves. Eat your veggies!

Farmer D

Full Share: Basil, carrots, 4 cucumbers (2 varieties), 2 scallions, 1 lb. beans (dragon tongue, French fillet), rainbow chard, cilantro, and 1 garlic bulb.

Partial Share Box: Basil, carrots, 2 cucumbers, and 1 lb. dragon tongue beans.

Up squirrelly early this morn after a night of putting the final touches on a food system assessment report we’re doing for a community down south. Life these days is so full – but so rewarding and exciting. I’m learning tonnes – about myself, about farming, about, well.. everything. It’s I guess that’s all you can ask for in life.

This week we have full boxes with new ingreds that hopefully inspire and delight you. Folks are welcome to pick up their boxes early (i.e. Tuesday) as they have all been packed and placed in the root cellar a.k.a. “the panic room.”

Just a heads up that on the week of the August 22nd, boxes will likely be ready for pickup on Sunday morning as I have to be away from the farm  during the regular harvest/pickup days. Let me know if that presents a problem so we can work something else out.

Take care and eat well!

Farmer D

Full Share Box: Baby greens; rainbow chard; 2 long-English cucs; tasty carrots; fillet or dragon tongue beans; cilantro; and a Fish Lake garlic bulb

Partial Share Box: Baby greens; tasty carrots, 2 long-English cucs; cilantro; 1 bulb of Fish Lake garlic.

Another craaazy week! In addition to filling our 16 boxes, we provided veg to Poet’s Cove,  2 markets (Pender Island and Poet’s Cove), a wedding (Poet’s Cove), and a 50th anniversary (congrats Jim and Carolyn!). They say that rust never sleeps – well, I’m learning that the same holds true for farmers!

Hope you’re having a great summer. Enjoy the bounty!

Farmer D

Full Share Box: Cut lettuce; 'eatible' flowers; cucumbers; summer squash; rainbow chard; radicchio; and basil.

Partial Share Box: Cut lettuce; 'eatible' flowers; cucumbers; summer squash; and rainbow chard.