Week #12 - FFF CSA Blog - To everything there is a season...

This week marks the last of our CSA shareholder boxes :(  It is always a time of year that I greet with mixed feelings. I will miss the weekly routine and opportunity to meet our customers and share our the bounty of our labours.

However, I would be lying if I wasn't looking forward to a bit of slower pace and less pressing deadlines. But as some famous playwright said... to everything there is a season.

Now we turn our attention to preparing for the coming winter - harvesting, preserving, storing and building and preparing new winter homes for some of our animals. And of course - more time for the best thing we've ever produced - our three wonderful children.

A big thank you for those that came out during Open Farm Day! We had over 200 visitors on Sunday and loved being able to show off our operation and teach a bit about what we do!

This week our customers will enjoy (among other things) a lovely watermelon, several different varieties of squash and some tomatillos. A tomatillo is also known as a mexican tomato or tomato verde (green tomato). It grows on a plant that is similar to a tomato but a papery husk forms around the tomato (a lot like the ground cherries). Many people have not eaten a tomatillo before and therefore I've put a few links below to some ideas of what you can do with them. My favorite is making Salsa Verde (green salsa) - absolutely love the stuff. A trick I use is to make the sauce - blend it and then pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Then I place in a ziplock bag and whenever I need a bit of Salsa Verde to add to recipe or put on my taco - I can take out as little as a tablespoon or as much as a cup just by selecting the number of ice cubes I need!

http://www.canadiangardening.com/food-and-entertaining/in-season/five-things-to-do-with-your-tomatillos/a/37287

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/fruits-and-vegetables/vegetables/tomatillos/

What's in the Box this week?

Peppers
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Honeydew melon
Tomatoes
Squash - several varieties
Tomatillos
Leeks
Beets
Watermelon
Ground Cherries
Ground Coriander
(Cilantro when it goes to seed becomes Coriander - we've ground it up and provided it to you in a little bag. Fresh coriander is the best!)

So to our shareholders we bid farewell for now and promise to check in regularly when we have something new to share or sell. Let's hope for a quick, mild winter followed by a glorious spring! Hoping we will see you all back again for veggies share next year! Bye for now! Take good care!

Week #11 - FFF CSA Blog update

Yikes! Its week #11 of our twelve week CSA! Where has the time gone! Hard to believe that we will be done for the season! We will miss our weekly chats with our customers and the weekly routine of picking and packing!

We are also busy getting ready for Open Farm Day which is this Sunday. If you are looking for something to do on Sunday and want to explore the farm other farms - this is a great day to take one in. Here is a link to information on Open Farm Day:

http://gov.mb.ca/agriculture/business-and-economics/market-development/open-farm-day.html

Also in case you  haven't seen it, check out our Open Farm Day video previewing the farm:

http://youtu.be/zM0_LyXHJjY

What's in the box this week?!

Peppers (assorted sweet and hot)

Potatoes
Cucumbers
Carrots
Zucchini
Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Chives)
Ground cherries
Spring onions
Squash
Tomatoes (a rainbow of varieties)
Honeydew Melon
Leeks
Swiss Chard
Beets
Green Beans -  The warm weather has given us a second flowering which is quite a treat this late in the season.

Just a heads up, next week, which will be the last week, there will be a number of extra items so bring your muscles! Our pumpkins are almost ready so we hope to tuck them in for the last week. As well our bumper crop of tomatillos has taken its time but if finally ripening up. (Don't worry if you don't know what those are ) - they are yummy and I'll provide some recipes. We will also have a watermelon for everyone! (We had one this weekend and it was heavenly!)

 

Hope you enjoy this week's goodies!

Week #10 - FFF CSA update

This week the CSA boxes are so full we almost couldn't fit everything. You each get a very heavy box brimming full of goodies, so bring your muscles to pick up!

 

Peering into the box, so many recipes come to mind….. How about potato and leek soup? Salsa? Chocolate Zucchini cake? Baba Ganoush?  Simply click on the link below to see how to create these yummy items from this week's box contents!

 

Potato and Leek Soup

Salsa

Chocolate Zucchini Cake - Gramma Fenez's recipe

Baba Ganoush (eggplant dip)

What's in the box this week?!

Peppers (assorted sweet and hot)
Potatoes
Cucumbers
Carrots
Zucchini
Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Chives)
Ground cherries
Spring onions
Squash
Tomatoes (a rainbow of varieties)
Eggplant
Honeydew Melon
Leeks

This is a busy time of year for many reasons… we are bringing in the majority of our harvest, Philip helping to combine for a local farmer, we are getting ready for Open Farm Day and of course our kids are going back to school this week!

The gardens continue to grow well however we have had a fairly significant attack of flea beetles! They love plants like kale and other brassicas and can reduce a beautiful lush plant to a skeleton within hours. We are hearing from other farms that we are not alone as many others are suffering the same fate. Flea beetles typically only are an issue in the spring an we haven't been troubled with them in the late summer before. While there are chemical responses that could be used there are very few natural remedies  so … no kale this week!

Week #9 - FFF CSA Blog - A Time to Be Grateful

Hope everyone has been doing some bicep curls this week! As these CSA boxes get heavier and heavier, you are going to need some well developed muscles to lug them around. Each box is full of wonderful goodies!

 
Harvest time is one of my favorite (and definitely the busiest) times of year! Every day we are faced with a virtual cornucopia (I love that word) of treasures from our gardens. No longer do we go out with a simple pail or bowl to collect natures' creations.. Now we bring wheelbarrows full of goodies on each walkabout! 

This time of year so full of nature's gifts always makes me so grateful for the full, rich life we live. Hearing about the horrible experiences and living conditions elsewhere in the world, I am struck by a significant sense of good luck that I was born in this part of the world.  As we wheel our carts of food out of the garden, I know that there are so many others that have much less. I have no wise and sage words to fix what ails the planet but suggest a good start might be to give freely of our gifts and  always be kind!

So what does your cornucopia of goodness include this week?

Kale

Peppers (assorted sweet and hot)
Potatoes
Cucumbers
Carrots
Zucchini
Swiss Chard
Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Chives, Oregano)
Cauliflower
Ground cherries
Spring onions
Squash (assorted )
Tomatoes (a rainbow of varieties)

We have soaked the cauliflower overnight to ensure you have no "stowaways"

a.k.a. caterpillars.

Week #8 - FFF CSA Update - What is a "peck" anyway?

We all know that Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. You may not know that a peck a dry measure that equals about a 1/4 of a bushel.



Sweet Bell Peppers
 

Serrano Chiles

While you won't find that many peppers in your CSA box this week, there is a variety of peppers that are flourishing in our fields and thus have or will make their way to you over the next few weeks!
I thought it might help to walk through some of them to help you decipher the sweet from the hot (an important distinction for most of us).  Throughout this blog update you will find pictures of the different kinds of peppers we are growing this year.
 


Jalapeno

Sweet Bell Peppers: (we grow green, red, purple, orange and yellow)


Habenero

Serrano Chiles: long green chile (light green)
Jalapeno: short, dark green chile
Habenero: green to orange - pepper looks like its been crumpled - very hot
Red Chiles: - long, thin chiles - can be eaten either fresh or dried.





Medusa Peppers

Red Chiles

A couple of other items of interest related to this week's box.... bitter cucumbers? I have been researching this topic as it was driving me crazy and I thought I would pass along what I found. Every once in a while we would come across a bitter cucumber from the garden and I was trying to figure out whether the bitter ones are smaller? Larger? Less green? How can you pick them out?

Well what I found out was that the bitterness is caused by a actual chemical that is found in the stem, leaves and skin of the cucumber. Every once in a while the bitterness leaches into the flesh of the cucumber. Not a lot is known concretely about why this happens to one cucumber but not to others. However, when you are cutting a cucumber and discover that the stem end may be a tad bitter... keep cutting and you will likely get past the bitter part as it rarely affects the whole "fruit". You can also just peel a larger part of the skin and outer flesh off as the bitterness often is only around the outside.

Ground Cherries - each of you have a small sample of ground cherries in your boxes this week. These little nuggets of goodness come wrapped in their own paper husk. This berry grows on a bush and is in the nightshade family (same as tomatoes, peppers and tomatillos). You know they are ripe when they fall off the plant, the husk gets brown and papery and the berry is a deep yellow. Hope you enjoy!

What's in this week's box? Thanks for asking...
 Kale
Peppers - assorted - both sweet and hot!
Potatoes
Cucumbers
Carrots
Zucchini
Swiss Chard
Herbs (Basil, Cilantro, Chives, Parsley, Oregano)
Broccoli - for the half shares
Cauliflower - for the full shares
Ground cherries - a little taste for everyone!
Spring onions
Squash - assorted (spaghetti squash, sunshine, scallop and acorn)
Tomatoes - while most are red... you will find some purple and yellow tucked in!

Hope you enjoy your treats this week!
 

Week #7 - FFF CSA - Think Purple!

Are you a one eyed, one horned flying purple veggie eater? This year we grew a few new purple veggies… besides the obvious purple kale, beets, turnip and eggplant we also grew purple beans, tomatoes, carrots, kohlrabi and peppers!

 

Over the past few weeks, we've tucked some purple beans into our CSA boxes. As many of you likely have discovered, they are magic beans… purple when raw but they turn green when cooked. This week you will find purple carrots to try and some of you will even find a purple pepper!

 

Last month CBC reported on research that has been done citing that people who eat purple vegetables and fruits have reduced risk of high blood pressure and lower cholesterol and are less likely to be overweight.

Why so special? Purple vegetables have a plant compound called anthocyanin in them. Its what makes them purple! This compound apparently is good at collecting all those free radicals in the system and is great for soothing inflammation. It is also reported to boost the immune system and improve memory and brain function.

Wow! Who knew! Never mind telling your kids to eat their greens! Think purple!

Next year we will have to try purple cauliflower and potatoes! What do you think? Would you eat a purple potato?

What's in this week's box?

 

Kale

Lettuce

Peppers - assorted (some purple!)

Potatoes

Beans

Turnip

Cucumbers

Carrots (purples ones!)

Zucchini

Swiss Chard

Herbs (Basil, Cilantro, Chives, Parsley)

Broccoli or Cauliflower (for full shares only)

Week #6 - FFF CSA - Extending the harvest

Whether you are a CSA share holder or just have your own garden from which you harvest your own vegetables, you will sometimes get into situations where you have too much of one thing or not enough time to cook or use something right away. Today's blog is going to be focused on some tricks and ideas you can do so that that lovely produce doesn't go to waste and in fact you can extend your season of enjoying them all into the winter months.

Drying

While nothing beats fresh herbs sometimes you just can't use them in time. Instead consider drying them either by hanging them in a cool, dry place (upside down) or drying on very low heat on a cookie sheet in the oven. Once they are fully dry, you can crumble and re-fill those spice jars with the intense flavours of fresh dried herbs. You can also dehydrate or dry other items such as tomatoes, melons, berries, etc.

Freezing

Our CSA shareholders have been getting loads of fresh beans. If you are actually tired of beans or want to save them for later - freeze them! Wash and trim the ends and cut to the desired length, then blanch them (dip in boiling water) for 3 minutes.  Blanching is an important step as otherwise the beans will lose color and nutrients after only 4-6 weeks in the freezer. Blanching stops enzyme action that causes them to lose freshness and flavor. (Note: each vegetable may have a different time period that it should be blanched for best results). Directly after blanching, immerse in or run under cold water to cool them quickly and stop them from cooking. Then you can freeze them knowing that they will last long into the next season.

You can freeze lots of other veggies - also after blanching - such as cauliflower, broccoli, peas, carrots, etc. As mentioned there are different time periods of suggested blanching so take a look at this link for the right time:  How long should I blanch?

Pickling

You can also pickle just about anything these days - beans, carrots, of course cucumbers are frequently pickled but I've even heard of pickled cauliflower, beets and onions. I am in no way an expert in pickling so I don't speak from first hand experience. There is a tonne of resources on the internet on recipes and how to guides for pickling... take a look and give it a try!



Storage

There are all kinds of tricks about storage and I will pass along only one today... produce bags! I am not in anyway employed by the company or paid for this endorsement... I've just used and like these bags. At most supermarkets you can pick up produce bags - usually in with all the other zip lock bags. These bags are plastic ziplock bags specially designed with holes that allow moisture out and therefore keep produce fresh much longer. We use them all the time and they do work! The other trick is to store your veggies uncut and unwashed - hence dry and only wash and cut once you are going to cook or prepare them.

OK.... What's in this week's box? Week #6 FFF CSA box holds the following treasures:

Lettuce
Kale
Herbs (Parsley, Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Oregano)
Carrots
Zucchini
Potatoes
Beans (yellow & green)
Turnip
Cucumber
Peppers (jalapeno or banana peppers - its a surprise)
Swiss Chard

So I want to go on record.... I'm sorry for complaining about the heat... I really am! Please tell the heat to come back! I'll be more grateful! I'm sure you all agree that its been a tad cool these past few weeks. Here's hoping we are not done with heat for the summer!

Our garden is growing well despite the cool temperatures. The frequent but not too heavy rains are helping! We have tonnes of tomatoes ripening on the vines and we are really excited about our watermelons that are growing so fast!

Anyway, that's all for now... take care until next time! Happy eating!

Week #5 - FFF CSA - As cool as a Cucumber!

Did you ever wonder where the saying - "as cool as a cucumber" comes from? Did you know that the inside of a cucumber can be up to 20 degrees cooler than the outside temperature? Cucumbers while commonly referred to as a vegetable are actually fruit and are related to zucchinis, squashes and pumpkins.

Our cucumber plants have begun to explode with fruit and experience tells me that we will all soon have an over abundance of these green torpedoes! While you can't beat a fresh garden cucumber simply sliced and gobbled up from the cutting board... eventually we all need to think of other uses.  Tzatziki is a great way to use cucumber! Made from shredded cucumber, yogurt, garlic, and herbs, tzatziki is a greek sauce great for dipping with pita or other vegetables. Tzatziki is the
traditional sauce found in gyros or served with soulvaki. We prefer our tzatziki a little thicker than most so use a recipe with some sour cream:

http://greekfood.about.com/od/dipsspreadspures1/r/Tzatziki.htm

You can use mint or parsley instead of dill as well depending upon your preference.

So what you really want to know is...

What's in this week's (Week #5) CSA box
Lettuce (mixed greens)
Kale
Herbs (Parsley, Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Oregano)
Carrots
Zucchini
New Potatoes
Beans (yellow, green, purple)
Beets

New this week!
Broccoli (for full shares only this week)....don't worry there will be some for everyone...
Turnip
Cucumber

We have started milking this week so days begin with the routine of milking five goats and hopefully one cow. Grace - our cow is new to milking and we are still working out a routine that is going to work for all of us. I'm looking forward to making cheese and soap again!

Again a reminder that we need all pails and cups back so we can wash and re-use. Also if you have extra large containers that you are going to recycle... give them to us and we will use to keep your veggies fresh! Thanks!

Week #4 - FFF CSA - Peas... glorious peas!

Have you ever had the experience where you eat something fresh from the garden and you don't recognize it as the same food you get at the grocery store? No? Well, then you haven't eaten peas straight from the garden! Garden fresh peas are sweet nuggets from heaven. Even those people who swear they hate peas... if I can manage to get them to try peas straight from the plant, they always have to admit that they are wonderful!

So there is no debate on how yummy they are! However, at least in our house, there is much debate on how to eat them.... shell them or not? Cook them or not? Everyone has a different opinion on the best way to eat peas. My opinion for what it is worth is they are best shelled, warm with sunshine, slurped out of the shell before you even go indoors!

Need more ways to eat your peas...? Check out this link (and click the arrow beside "1 of 4" )

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/16-ways-to-use-fresh-peas.html?page=1

What's in the Box? Week #4

Lettuce (mixed greens)

Swiss Chard
Kale
Herbs (Parsley, Basil, Chives, Cilantro)
Carrots
Zucchini
Peas

New this week:

New Potatoes
Banana peppers (not super hot, more of a sweeter pepper)
Beans (purple and green) (did you know that purple beans turn green when you cook them?)

Please remember to wash/rinse your vegetables. While we don't use any chemicals, we do use all natural fertilizer (a.k.a. manure) so its always advisable to give everything a rinse.

So Philip is finally home from Japan, arriving Monday night with lots of souvenirs and more stories. His sleep/awake clock is a bit wonky but he's glad to be home and boy, we are happy to see him!

We have had almost 3 inches of rain over the past week or so which means that we haven't had to water and most plants are happy! Of course the weeds are happy to and growing faster than everything else. We have tons of tomatoes on the plants so when these start to ripen, boy will those boxes be heavy!

Just a reminder that we really need the ice cream pails and plastic cups back from you in order to reuse and keep next weeks' vegetables cool and fresh!

Week #3 - FFF CSA - Herbs 101

Each week you've been given a bundle of various herbs in your CSA box.  For some these are familiar items that you use every day, for others you may be less aware of each herb and what you can use them for. This week, I thought I would spend some time identifying each herb that you might find in the box and some its potential usage.

Basil (my personal favorite):

Basil comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, we will have a few varieties but the ones that you are getting right now and is the most popular is the Genovese Basil
Chives or Sweet Basil.

Basil has a wonderful aroma and is very versatile. Throw it in pasta sauce, chop it with garlic, nuts and olive oil for a quick pesto, and of course you will need it to make wonderful salsas when our tomatoes begin to ripen.

Oregano:


This leafy friend can be thrown into anything Italian. You will likely be familiar with the dried
variety as it is commonly called for in many recipes. However, you can't compare the zip and zest you get from using fresh oregano with the dried variety!


Cilantro: (OK, maybe this is my favorite!)

Cilantro and Coriander are actually the same plant. Eat the leaf as you will find in your CSA box right now and its Cilantro, while later when it goes to seed, those little
pods when ground up make the spice called coriander. Both are yummy! I find you either love cilantro or hate it. If you enjoy the taste, there isn't much you can't add it to. We throw it in salad, salsas, tacos, pasta sauces, soups, you name it. You don't need a lot as it is quite intense however, if you really enjoy the flavor... a lot won't ruin a dish either!

Parsley:

We have tucked both the curled version as well as the flat Italian into your boxes lately. Parsley is well known and in my opinion wasted as a garnish! It again is often called for in recipes and can be added to almost all dishes to add flavour, colour and zest. Parsley is very good for you, delivering a significant dose of Vitamins K and C - amongst others. Parsley also is very easy to grow both inside and out. A small pot on your window sill will provide parsley all year round for your table.


Chives:

Chives are essentially small edible onions. They have beautiful flowers making them a great perennial to add to your flower bed which has the fringe benefit of provide tasty leaves (long hollow tubes) that you can add to many dishes. Cut some into your salads, soups, garnish that baked potato with a few bits of chives, or eat as my children do... plain from the garden. The plant will endure quite a bit of pruning of leaves and still grow quite well.


So...

What's in the Box? Week #3

This week we everything you had last week... plus.... PEAS! yum!

Lettuce (mixed greens)

Swiss Chard
Kale
Herbs (Parsley, Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Oregano )
Radishes
Beets
Carrots
Zucchini
Peas

Please remember to wash/rinse your vegetables. While we don't use any chemicals, we do use all natural fertilizer (a.k.a. manure) so its always advisable to give everything a rinse.

So Philip is on week two in Japan and is having a great time. He is enjoying the Japanese cuisine very much! Wandering through the farmer market out there, he discovered that cantaloupes are $30 in Japan! Also they buy their eggs in groups of 10s instead of 12s? These can be purchased in bags, buckets or cartons. Honey is $37/kg! Very interesting! Philip is bringing home all kinds of ideas on what we should grow next year. Saturday he is going to a farm.  Hopefully he doesn't try bringing home any stray animals he finds.

The garden is growing quite nicely. It has enjoyed the frequent rains and the sultry heat. (so have the weeds by the way!). We have quite a few green tomatoes and tons of tomatillos coming. When the beans form we will have tons as the plants are covered with flowers. We are growing both green and purple beans this year. Did you know that purple beans actually turn green when you cook them?

Well that's all for now... see you in a little while.

Week #2 - FFF CSA - What's in the Box - Dr. Seuss knows best!

To perhaps re-phrase a rather famous children's book....would you eat green leaves of kale, would you, could you from a box? How about our CSA box?

For those of you who have not tried kale before, I thought it might be helpful to get a bit more information about this highly nutritious leafy green that you will find in your CSA box. Kale is a brassica - so in the same family as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc.

 

Kale when young and tender is great in a salad. Many people add this leafy green to their daily smoothies for a super boost of nutrition!

 

We particularly love kale when baked or dehydrated into chips - simply toss in olive oil and add salt and/or other spices (garlic powder or curry are great), spread on cookie sheet and bake until crispy on a lower temperature to avoid burning. If you have a dehydrator you can also use that to create yummy kale chips. Kale can also be cooked, sauteed or stir-fried much like spinach can. I've included a link below to 20 Top Kale recipes for further ideas.

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/fruits-and-vegetables/vegetables/greens/kale/top.aspx

 

Kale can come in green or purple colours and can be curly or flat. The variety we are currently harvesting is green and purple curled kale.

So will you try green leaves of kale? Dr. Seuss is always right… try them, try them and you may... like them... that is!

 

What's in the Box - Week #2

This week you will find in your box:

Lettuce (mixed greens)

Swiss Chard
Kale
Herbs (Parsley, Basil, Chives, Cilantro, Oregano )
Radishes
Beets
Carrots
Zucchini

Please remember to wash/rinse your vegetables. While we don't use any chemicals, we do use all natural fertilizer (a.k.a. manure) so its always advisable to give everything a rinse.

For the next few weeks, Philip is away in Japan so I'm a "single farmer" as it were. I'm off from my other job so I'm enjoying the routine of animals, weeding, watering... repeat!  But it is hard to have my partner in crime away! He is off chaperoning 10 youth (17-18 year olds) on a 4H exchange trip to Japan. For years, we have hosted Japanese youth at our house, so its quite a thrill for someone in our family to get to go over and experience the culture first hand! Can't wait to hear all about it when he returns.

The veggies are coming along nicely albeit slower than we would like. The hot weather can slow some things down and create issues for flowering plants such as tomatoes, etc. However, at this point we are not overly worried. (Who am I kidding, farmers worry about everything!)  Some cooler days like today are a welcome relief for both plants and us humans!

Hope you enjoy your veggies and that they inspire you to try something different this week!  

Week #1 FFF CSA - What's in the Box - Flowers! That you can eat!

In your first box of the year, we've included some flowers for you! You will find a pot of two varieties of edible flowers for your enjoyment. For those that think that flowers are only pretty to look at… think again! Many flowers can be a tasty addition to your dinner plate. We do, of course recommend that you make sure you know what you are eating and whether it is indeed edible as of course, some flowers are not good for you at all.

 

 

 

In your pot, you will find nasturtiums and violas (aka Johnny jump ups). Both can be added to your salads for a unique flavour and look (the flowers not the leaves)! Another idea is to freeze the petals  in ice cubes for a "Martha Stewart" lemonade!

More information about edible flowers can be found at: 
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/edible-garden-cooking-and-baking-with-flowers.html


What's in the Box - Week #1

This week we have a number of goodies in your box (besides your flower pot):

 
Lettuce (bag of mixed greens) (Full shares also get a head of buttercrunch lettuce as well) 
Spinach
Kale
Chives (bundle)
Cilantro (bundle)
Parsley - in a small bag (both flat Italian and curled)
Oregano (bundle)
Radishes

Remember boxes in the early summer are lighter and have less items and variety than later in the summer as we follow the harvest season. Next week, we will have zucchini, perhaps some carrots, swiss chard, more kale and perhaps peas and beans.

 

Please remember to wash/rinse your vegetables. While we don't use any chemicals, we do use all natural fertilizer (a.k.a. manure) so its always advisable to give everything a rinse.

Fenez Follies Farm CSA 101 - what to expect over the next three months

On the weekend before we launch into our 12 week CSA, I thought I would put together a bit of a primer for those newbies out there who have not reaped the rewards of our labors before. You may be wondering how this all works, what will we get in our box each week, etc!

First off, this is the place you want to look each week (or our FFF Facebook page - as I link our blog to there as well), as each week I produce a blog post that tells you what you are getting/or got in your veggie box. While I give a list of the general content, I will also typically focus on one particular item and give you some information on this item, some interesting facts, storage and cooking tips and perhaps a recipe or two. I try to get this up on Tuesday morning (hard to get it up earlier as we don't know for sure what's in the box until we pick!). I will send all the share holders an e-mail with links to the blog or Facebook - whichever you prefer to use.

Each week, we fill the box with whatever produce is ready to be picked that week. We supply the boxes.... you have to remember to bring your empty box back to us each week and we swap... a full one for an empty one. Given that this is fresh produce directly from the field, we recommend that you 1) take it home directly and refrigerate.... leaving it in your vehicle or out in the sun will cause things to wilt and shrivel. 2) wash/rinse before you consume - we do not use any chemicals but we do use organic fertilizer (aka manure) soooo.... we recommend washing :)

Half shares and full shares get the same variety of produce however half shares just get half as much. We have asked you to let us know if there is a particular item that you just don't eat... there is no sense food going to waste and if we can swap it out for something that you prefer we will try - no guarantees though as some things are not ready at the same time.

The produce that is in the box will be dictated by the growing season and what plants mature before others. So for those who are familiar with vegetable gardening - earlier on there will be greens, peas, beans, herbs, etc and in the fall you will be overloaded with tomatoes, squash and pumpkins. We do try to plant progressively so that some of the favorites will be available longer than typical - i.e. we plant beans and peas several times - several weeks apart so we have several pickings.

As shareholders you are always welcome to come and visit the farm (heck anyone is!) Drop us an e-mail or call and let us know when you want to drop by and we'll be happy to show you around.  The only times that you might not get our attention will be Tuesday/Wednesdays while we are harvesting and packing the boxes.

Many of our shareholders ask to add eggs or meat to their CSA box pick up. This is just fine - if we have it available, we'll bring it along as long as we get notice. Its really appreciated if you can drop us an e-mail or Facebook inbox message by the Monday of each week with your add-ons. This allows us to assess availability, organize coolers and space, etc.

If you are not available to pick up your box for some reason and are sending someone else, we appreciate a note telling us who to expect. We promise we won't ask for ID! Just helpful to know who we are looking for.

Our Wolseley pick up begins at 6 p.m. and given its location we can (and do) leave the boxes on the front porch and this allows people to come anytime after 6 p.m. for an extended time. Anything that is still there at midnight - our friends get to eat. :) Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury in St.Norbert so we ask that you come between 6-7 p.m. If for some reason that is not going to work for you, please connect with us and we will see what can be worked out. If you are planning on picking up at the farm, as oppose to the other two pick up points, we just need to know which day (Tuesday or Wednesday) so your box is picked.

So hoping this helps answer some of those questions you might have! Looking forward to feeding you all!

Leanne & Philip Fenez
Fenez Follies Farm

Reflections on a rainy morning....

As I sit and contemplate the rain and wind, I feel half annoyed at the same time grateful.
The rain brings needed moisture to our seeds and plants as they strive to push up into the summer of 2013. It brings the trees and bushes a good soaking so that you can practically watch the leaves bud and burst forth. But it also brings a brief respite to the rush to seed, plant and ready the farm for the upcoming season. Having to sit inside and watch things grow with a cup of coffee and cosy chair... well I think I'll let that annoyance go..... Happy Victoria Day everyone!

A friend indeed!

Taryn and Avery getting to know each other.


 This past week Avery joined our family. A part Newfie, part Collie, big, black ball of fur - she has very quickly wormed her way into our hearts.

Until she arrived, I managed to ignore the hole in our lives quite well. Since dear old Tipi died last summer, we have been hesitant to even think about another dog but every time you stepped outside you were hit with a sense of something missing.

While our cats dutifully tried to fill in the gap, we missed having our every step "dogged" by a canine friend. The deer were creeping ever closer and we could foresee them chomping on our veggies when summer comes.

A farm just needs a dog and so did our family. Avery has been like a salve on a wound that we didn't even know was there.

I hope she is as happy here as we are to have her. Here's to many happy years together!


Standing guard during our weekend fire.

 

Happy New Year! Eat Healthy, Eat Local.

Happy New Year to all of you!

A new year always makes us reflective on past and a wee bit more hopeful for the future. Its that clean slate of the new year, I think, that brings with it fresh optimism. As we reflect here on the Farm we are exceptionally grateful for all the families that let us feed them. Our partnership that is grounded in local, fresh food is one that will restore our bodies, our economy and our world! 

While you may set several goals or resolutions this January, we hope that amongst them, you continue to seek out fresh, local foods produced with reduced impact on our world and increased nutritional value for your family which sustains a local farm. While obviously we are a bit biased we think that these are wise choices.

Check out our updated products page for current availability!