Friday, August 31, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
More Photos
Clearly I'm too tired to write anything these days.. so photos will have to do...
Bunching
Washing Turnip
Rock Melon
Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Currently Harvesting...
Oops, I've let that list slide a bit. The past couple of weeks have been all about the harvests really. We're now harvesting zucchini and cucumber three times a week (monday, wednesday, and friday) along with our usual harvests on tuesday, thursday, and friday.
This passed week was a great week, with a few different crops becoming ready, and in enough proportions, that we could bring them to the CSA dropoffs and market. So, from the top, here's what is currently being harvested:
Cantaloupe, corn, different sorts of tomatoes, fennel, chard, and green onions are all in the near future.
This passed week was a great week, with a few different crops becoming ready, and in enough proportions, that we could bring them to the CSA dropoffs and market. So, from the top, here's what is currently being harvested:
- Melons. But you knew that.
- Tomatoes.
- Green Peppers.
- Zucchini. This includes the familiar green or yellow sort, plus other sorts of summer squash: patty pan, and crook neck.
- Cucumber.
- Lettuce.
- Green/Yellow/Purple Beans.
- Carrots.
- Onions.
- Beets.
- Potatoes.
- Garlic.
- Parsley.
- Cilantro.
- Basil.
- Dill.
Cantaloupe, corn, different sorts of tomatoes, fennel, chard, and green onions are all in the near future.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Dignity of Manual Labour
Here's a little exchange I had with a friend of mine over email recently about returning to the city for school and that sort of life in the next few weeks:
The dignity of labor. It's an album by the Human League, but knowing this fellow, it's a phrase that has some historical import. Can anyone point me to something which describes it?
There's a lot going on in that last line of his, isn't there? The phrase "the dignity of manual labour" suggests to me the idea that manual labour isn't inherently dignified, or often seen as dignified, but that also in some ways it actually is... you know, the whole shtick about "a life of quiet contemplation, a job in the fresh air, hard labor" (see other comments on that blog post for more examples). It's as if manual labour is both seen as something undignified -- maybe because you get dirty or sweaty whilst doing it? -- and simultaneously honest and wholesome.
The thought that the dignity of manual labour could be wearing thin suggests that seeing manual labour as dignified is illusory; that whilst one might believe the labour is honest and wholesome, in reality it isn't (maybe even suggesting that it isn't either, it just is).
Personally I find it irrelevant to think about the dignity of work in such generalities. I'm sure -- wait, I know -- a lot of manual labour is soul sucking and awful (sweat shops, in the extreme). But so is a lot of white collar work (see the song "In Tall Buildings", sung by Gillian Welch, or the movie Office Space). The work I'm doing at the farm is manual labour and happens to be wonderful and something I'm proud of, and certainly something I could see anyone doing with honest dignity. But so was the work I was doing in Toronto as a computer programmer working to revamp a reporting system for a not-for-profit health-care insurance company.
I suppose I could turn slippery and suggest that the dignity of the work really depends on how you view it -- that any job could be dignified if you take pride in it, and such. I could do that, but I think when we talk about "the dignity of manual labour" we're talking about the general societal impression of manual labour, not one's own feelings about one's work. I suppose what I'm saying above is simply that dignity can probably be found in many types of work, manual or otherwise, and so can undignified work. In part I think it does depend on how you think of yourself in the job. If you think your job is soul-sucking and awful then I doubt that job is going to be seen as generally a dignified job. But I think the dignity of a job also comes from how you are treated as a human being, how you treat yourself, and how you treat others while doing the job. If your job requires you to do damage to yourself or others, or you are damaged because of it, then it's hard to see it as dignified.
But that's all for now. I'm off to take a nap.
Me: I think we're all looking forward to the winter simply for the chance to slow down a bit.
Him: Heh -- *your* winter isn't going to slow down at all, lad ;-)
Me: Yeah, I'm certainly aware of that. Although I think I'll enjoy being able to lay down at night and not have my body hurt. ;-P
Him: The dignity of manual labor wearing a little thin? ;-)
The dignity of labor. It's an album by the Human League, but knowing this fellow, it's a phrase that has some historical import. Can anyone point me to something which describes it?
There's a lot going on in that last line of his, isn't there? The phrase "the dignity of manual labour" suggests to me the idea that manual labour isn't inherently dignified, or often seen as dignified, but that also in some ways it actually is... you know, the whole shtick about "a life of quiet contemplation, a job in the fresh air, hard labor" (see other comments on that blog post for more examples). It's as if manual labour is both seen as something undignified -- maybe because you get dirty or sweaty whilst doing it? -- and simultaneously honest and wholesome.
The thought that the dignity of manual labour could be wearing thin suggests that seeing manual labour as dignified is illusory; that whilst one might believe the labour is honest and wholesome, in reality it isn't (maybe even suggesting that it isn't either, it just is).
Personally I find it irrelevant to think about the dignity of work in such generalities. I'm sure -- wait, I know -- a lot of manual labour is soul sucking and awful (sweat shops, in the extreme). But so is a lot of white collar work (see the song "In Tall Buildings", sung by Gillian Welch, or the movie Office Space). The work I'm doing at the farm is manual labour and happens to be wonderful and something I'm proud of, and certainly something I could see anyone doing with honest dignity. But so was the work I was doing in Toronto as a computer programmer working to revamp a reporting system for a not-for-profit health-care insurance company.
I suppose I could turn slippery and suggest that the dignity of the work really depends on how you view it -- that any job could be dignified if you take pride in it, and such. I could do that, but I think when we talk about "the dignity of manual labour" we're talking about the general societal impression of manual labour, not one's own feelings about one's work. I suppose what I'm saying above is simply that dignity can probably be found in many types of work, manual or otherwise, and so can undignified work. In part I think it does depend on how you think of yourself in the job. If you think your job is soul-sucking and awful then I doubt that job is going to be seen as generally a dignified job. But I think the dignity of a job also comes from how you are treated as a human being, how you treat yourself, and how you treat others while doing the job. If your job requires you to do damage to yourself or others, or you are damaged because of it, then it's hard to see it as dignified.
But that's all for now. I'm off to take a nap.
Weather and Picking Green Beans
Today was the usual Friday harvest routine. Only, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Before I started working with farmers I never really gave thought to why we have this stereotype of farmers always talking about the weather. I mean, I suppose I knew it had to do with their concern for their crops and all. And it does, but I suspect it also has to with being outside so darn much. Compared to living in the city, the weather gets so much more of our attention during a day. I mean, we're constantly feeling the sun or the wind, seeing the clouds pass, putting on or taking off clothing and hats, and gauging how the rest of the day will unfold. Because it's on our minds all day it just naturally becomes something we think and talk about. I reckon it's just like in high-school, where the image is of high-schoolers' conversation dominated by gossip about other students; for farmers, weather is gossip.
So what does absolutely gorgeous weather mean to me? Well, it means 23 C (23.5 C in Newfoundland), sunny and partly cloudy with 20 km winds from the north. With a good night's sleep at my back I could probably work an entire day and still feel up for more. At least, that's how I feel today.
Today we started picking green beans. Picking these guys is very much like picking peas, in the sense that it's relatively slow (compared to the other crops), and requires careful attention to find the beans amongst the clutter of leaves and stalks. It's also not as gustatorally entertaining because eating green beans raw gets really old, really fast.
I spent an hour or two yesterday searching for recipes for the next CSA newsletter. I came across the idea of roasting green beans with garlic and oil and salt. "Ugly Green Beans" the website called them. Yum. I'm really looking forward to trying them.
So what does absolutely gorgeous weather mean to me? Well, it means 23 C (23.5 C in Newfoundland), sunny and partly cloudy with 20 km winds from the north. With a good night's sleep at my back I could probably work an entire day and still feel up for more. At least, that's how I feel today.
Today we started picking green beans. Picking these guys is very much like picking peas, in the sense that it's relatively slow (compared to the other crops), and requires careful attention to find the beans amongst the clutter of leaves and stalks. It's also not as gustatorally entertaining because eating green beans raw gets really old, really fast.
I spent an hour or two yesterday searching for recipes for the next CSA newsletter. I came across the idea of roasting green beans with garlic and oil and salt. "Ugly Green Beans" the website called them. Yum. I'm really looking forward to trying them.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
More on Sleep Schedules
You know, I don't think I really gave enough context for why I've been so concerned with my sleep schedule. Of course it's to do with feeling energetic and sane enough to work hard for twelve hours a day, but the reason for my interest in that is because I'm curious as to how sustainable this sort of job is. That is, I'm trying to figure out how, if I were to make a living as a market gardener, to keep up with all the work whilst not burning out. Figuring out how much sleep I need is all part of that.
Anyhow, I've returned to the original schedule of 4:30 - 9pm. Going to sleep at 10pm worked out for a few days but then I started to feel like the days required so much more effort than they had been. Once I had returned to a 9pm bedtime... well, I'm just surprised at how much more easy the days are. This week I've sort of been staying up late again and it's a real drag -- at times I've had to push myself to keep awake, or to keep moving, and it's no fun.
Anyhow.
Anyhow, I've returned to the original schedule of 4:30 - 9pm. Going to sleep at 10pm worked out for a few days but then I started to feel like the days required so much more effort than they had been. Once I had returned to a 9pm bedtime... well, I'm just surprised at how much more easy the days are. This week I've sort of been staying up late again and it's a real drag -- at times I've had to push myself to keep awake, or to keep moving, and it's no fun.
Anyhow.
Taking Photographs
So I'm leaving the farm in about five weeks. I realised this a week or so ago, and since then I've noticed a bit of a shift in the way I regard myself and my work during the day. I guess I mean to say that I'm starting to notice that I will sometimes pop out from behind my eyes and see myself and everything around me as if I were another person standing near by. I end up taking mental photographs of all of us working, or of the fields and horizon, of the animals. It's sort of like I'm mentally documenting things so that later I can have the appropriate fodder for the bit of my brain responsible for nostalgia.
Eat the World
Rain. We finally got some today. I think we've only really had about 6/10ths of an inch over the past month and a bit. Today we had 7/10ths in two bursts. It's a beautiful thing to be standing in a field while the rain pours down in a steady spatter. It's cool and smells clear and really... present. I mean, you can't help but feel entirely situated in the world when you're standing in the rain, you know?
Anyhow, the harvest routine is still driving the days forward. We harvested the last of the broccoli today, kohlrabi, turnips, and cabbage finished up last week or the week before that. Just today we started harvesting fennel, and earlier this week we started on the zucchini. There's talk of harvesting the first of the green beans tomorrow, and possibly carrots and new potatoes next week. Holy.
Anyhow, the harvest routine is still driving the days forward. We harvested the last of the broccoli today, kohlrabi, turnips, and cabbage finished up last week or the week before that. Just today we started harvesting fennel, and earlier this week we started on the zucchini. There's talk of harvesting the first of the green beans tomorrow, and possibly carrots and new potatoes next week. Holy.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Preserving
Yesterday we spent the morning harvesting cabbage and kohlrabi for a wholesale order. In the afternoon we preserved some of the left over vegetables from the previous day's CSA harvest.
We blanched and then froze broccoli, snow peas, and garlic scapes. We also made 33 bottles of pickled scapes. I think the prospect of me actually enjoying pickled scapes is rather dubious, but I'll give it a shot -- they're so good when they're fresh, they have to get better once they've soaked in salty acid for a week, right?
Anyhow, it was a great day. And a busy day. My head felt quite full on the way home. I thought a day of preserving would be rather relaxing and enjoyable because of the change (and the extreme lack of bending over to lift things). Maybe it was the pacing of the day and how much focused attention it took. Everything we did involved coordinating the timing of things: making sure water was boiling, keeping track of how long something had been boiling or sitting or cooling, making sure things didn't get too hot or too cold, etc... I felt more tired after a day of that than I have been feeling after a day of transplanting.
I'm glad we did it though. Knowing that each of us will be able to eat our amazing broccoli and peas in the winter... well, it's just great.
We blanched and then froze broccoli, snow peas, and garlic scapes. We also made 33 bottles of pickled scapes. I think the prospect of me actually enjoying pickled scapes is rather dubious, but I'll give it a shot -- they're so good when they're fresh, they have to get better once they've soaked in salty acid for a week, right?
Anyhow, it was a great day. And a busy day. My head felt quite full on the way home. I thought a day of preserving would be rather relaxing and enjoyable because of the change (and the extreme lack of bending over to lift things). Maybe it was the pacing of the day and how much focused attention it took. Everything we did involved coordinating the timing of things: making sure water was boiling, keeping track of how long something had been boiling or sitting or cooling, making sure things didn't get too hot or too cold, etc... I felt more tired after a day of that than I have been feeling after a day of transplanting.
I'm glad we did it though. Knowing that each of us will be able to eat our amazing broccoli and peas in the winter... well, it's just great.
An Experiment
This week I've been running a bit of an experiment on myself. As I've explained, for the past three weeks I've been keeping to a sleep schedule of waking at 4:30 AM and going to sleep at 9:00 PM. My old routine was to have no routine, which meant really late some nights and others really early. So far, keeping this routine has been great. I've had plenty of energy during the day, and just enough time to get done anything I need to in the evenings. Well almost. I've been finding it a little compact of a life, since I usually don't arrive home until about 7:00 PM at the earliest, and so by the time I had cleaned up and had something to eat I would have about an hour to myself.
So this week I've pushed my bedtime to 10:00 PM. See, I've found that getting 7.5 hours of sleep a night is sustainable but the question is, is 6.5? The results so far: promising. This week the weather has been rather cool, which makes it hard to compare my energy levels to previous weeks when the weather has been particularly warm. I don't do so well in the heat; I sorta loose a few of the middle gears so that I'm only able to operate sluggishly or in frenzy.
In any case, I've felt fine when we're working and only noticeably more tired in the corners minutes of the day -- when we're walking tools back to the shed, sitting after lunch, or if I lay down when I come home.
I figure next week I'll try going back to my previous routine of a 9 PM bedtime and see happens. I'm sure you're all looking forward to the results!
So this week I've pushed my bedtime to 10:00 PM. See, I've found that getting 7.5 hours of sleep a night is sustainable but the question is, is 6.5? The results so far: promising. This week the weather has been rather cool, which makes it hard to compare my energy levels to previous weeks when the weather has been particularly warm. I don't do so well in the heat; I sorta loose a few of the middle gears so that I'm only able to operate sluggishly or in frenzy.
In any case, I've felt fine when we're working and only noticeably more tired in the corners minutes of the day -- when we're walking tools back to the shed, sitting after lunch, or if I lay down when I come home.
I figure next week I'll try going back to my previous routine of a 9 PM bedtime and see happens. I'm sure you're all looking forward to the results!
Pictures
At the Georgetown Market
Our stall. Note the beautiful sign. Note the fact that I'm standing on my knees.
Our broccoli is incredible! If only you could have so much fun, huh?
(l to r: Amanda, Ali, Me, Jarrod, Jeff)
(l to r: Amanda, Ali, Me, Jarrod, Jeff)
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Weeds
Here's a little extract from the 'Notes from the farm...' section of the CSA newsletter I wrote. I think it sheds some light on why we weed:
We harvest for your baskets as near as possible to the pickup times so that your veggies are as fresh as they can be. We harvest on Tuesday morning for the farm and Oakville, Thursday for Guelph, and Friday for the Georgetown market and drop-off.
On the other days of the week we spend most of our time in the fields and the greenhouse tending to the crops. One of our main tasks is weeding! A weed-free garden is essential because weeds steal nutrients, light and growing room from the crop, plus they can provide a home for pests and make harvesting more difficult. Conventional farmers use herbicides, pesticides, and genetically modified crops to manage weeds and pests. These chemicals have harmful or unknown health effects on humans and the surrounding ecosystem, besides which the weeds or pests that do survive are generally more resistant to the toxins -- making this a never ending escalation of attack!
Organic farmers choose to use other methods to control weeds. Day to day this often involves mechanically uprooting the weeds. A surprising amount of the weeding on our farm is done by Jeff on the tractor. With his sharp eyes and lightening fast reflexes he maneuvers two blades or claws to within one or two inches along either side of the rows of plants. This quickly kills most of the weeds. Any weeds that remains are pulled out by hoe or just simply by getting down on our knees and pulling them out by hand. Quite a task for the six of us in the ten acre garden!
But the result is worth it: superior fruits and vegetables grown without using chemicals!
Catch Up
Well now, let's catch up. It's been the regular pattern of harvest days and fields days. The garden is looking amazing. New crops popping up all over the place (hint: beets soon, and also zucchini!). Our field work has been mainly removing row cover, hand weeding, and hoeing. Maintenance work really.
One piece of news, the massive brassica planting we did last week was entirely ruined. We covered the seedlings in floating row cover after we planted them, and then left them for two days before coming back to have a look.
Bad idea.
The farmers think it was a combination of the extreme heat last week, row cover, and not irrigating. We pulled the row cover off on Thursday to discover that almost every seedling was burnt to a crisp. This is a bit of a shame because we had planted the cabbage and half of the broccoli that was intended for the winter.
This week we managed to plant a few trays of left over cabbage and cauliflower, but I think the farmers are going to ask other CRAFT farms if they have any transplants to spare. Okay, I have to say it: it's amazing how quickly things can turn from promising to disastrous with crops.
The market went really well on the weekend. I think partly because of the variety we had, our increasing skill at displaying our veggies and engaging the customers, and because we had a newly painted sign. I'll see what I can do about posting some photos of it tomorrow.
This week Jarrod, Jeff, and I worked on making a better device for rolling up the row cover. I could explain, but I think a picture would be more helpful.
I've also still been fiddling with the cool room. Last week the thermometer outlet arrived. It's working wonderfully; it's keeping the temperature at 10 C within 1 C, without frosting up at all. This week I'm working on tracking how much power it's consuming and comparing it with the power consumed by the old cool room (i.e. the entire farm store).
Finally, snow peas. We harvested snow peas today for the Oakville and farm CSA pickups. Delicious. I like snap peas a lot, but I get pretty sick of them after munching on them for an hour. Not so with snow peas. There's something infinitely satisfying about them. But they have to be perfectly ripe, otherwise they taste either like masking tape or potting soil.
One piece of news, the massive brassica planting we did last week was entirely ruined. We covered the seedlings in floating row cover after we planted them, and then left them for two days before coming back to have a look.
Bad idea.
The farmers think it was a combination of the extreme heat last week, row cover, and not irrigating. We pulled the row cover off on Thursday to discover that almost every seedling was burnt to a crisp. This is a bit of a shame because we had planted the cabbage and half of the broccoli that was intended for the winter.
This week we managed to plant a few trays of left over cabbage and cauliflower, but I think the farmers are going to ask other CRAFT farms if they have any transplants to spare. Okay, I have to say it: it's amazing how quickly things can turn from promising to disastrous with crops.
The market went really well on the weekend. I think partly because of the variety we had, our increasing skill at displaying our veggies and engaging the customers, and because we had a newly painted sign. I'll see what I can do about posting some photos of it tomorrow.
This week Jarrod, Jeff, and I worked on making a better device for rolling up the row cover. I could explain, but I think a picture would be more helpful.
I've also still been fiddling with the cool room. Last week the thermometer outlet arrived. It's working wonderfully; it's keeping the temperature at 10 C within 1 C, without frosting up at all. This week I'm working on tracking how much power it's consuming and comparing it with the power consumed by the old cool room (i.e. the entire farm store).
Finally, snow peas. We harvested snow peas today for the Oakville and farm CSA pickups. Delicious. I like snap peas a lot, but I get pretty sick of them after munching on them for an hour. Not so with snow peas. There's something infinitely satisfying about them. But they have to be perfectly ripe, otherwise they taste either like masking tape or potting soil.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Fun
A friend of mine wrote this to me the other day:
Good questions, and I'm here to tell you that the answers are: yes, not even close, sometimes.
Personally I've found myself with so much more energy now that I've had a chance to adjust to the work and the routine and, most importantly I think, over the past three weeks I've been keeping a fairly strict schedule of waking up and going to bed. During the day I usually find myself with enough pep to start or carry on any task, but I regularly feel a bit sluggish after we take breaks. Maybe that's because we're usually cramming food in whenever we stop working so I'm sharing resources with my digestive system.
By the end of the day, and especially if it has been hot like it has been this past week and a bit, it feels really great to call it a day. I don't necessarily feel great but more often just satisfied with what we've been able to accomplish. My ride home is a lot slower than my ride in, and I end up getting caught up in thoughts about the traffic and the people I see rather than just motoring home. But anyhow, I'm usually not so totally drained that I don't have the energy to go for a short run or something. But this is now; for the first month and a bit I was pretty wiped out after a day and I could only really think of sleeping or reading.
Anyhow, what have we been up to? Well, today was a massive harvest day. We harvested: kohlrabi, radish, turnip, broccoli (!), cabbage, lettuce, lettuce mix, beet greens, pac choi, cilantro, dill, green onions, and snap peas. This took us the entire day. Half of it was spent harvesting the 110 pounds of snap peas. It's amazing what has come up though -- it seems like just last week that everything was still a little seedling.
Yesterday we transplanted thirteen beds of fall brassica and covered them with floating row cover (that took all morning). In the afternoon we harvested garlic scapes from most of the garlic patch. That's a bit of a grueling job. It involves bending over just slightly so that you can reach the scapes (which are about knee high) and picking as fast as you can. My back held up okay, but several other people found it extremely harsh and eventually picked on their knees.
(I figure we really need some sort of device that will bring our hands and face close to the ground without having to support ourselves with our backs and legs. I imagine some sort of rolling massage table with peddles that you would lay down on so that you could reach the crop easily while being supported, and then peddle to move forward. If I have a spare afternoon I'm going to try building it.)
Do you guys ever get tired? you and the gang there seem to have endless energy? You must feel great at the end of each and every day.
Good questions, and I'm here to tell you that the answers are: yes, not even close, sometimes.
Personally I've found myself with so much more energy now that I've had a chance to adjust to the work and the routine and, most importantly I think, over the past three weeks I've been keeping a fairly strict schedule of waking up and going to bed. During the day I usually find myself with enough pep to start or carry on any task, but I regularly feel a bit sluggish after we take breaks. Maybe that's because we're usually cramming food in whenever we stop working so I'm sharing resources with my digestive system.
By the end of the day, and especially if it has been hot like it has been this past week and a bit, it feels really great to call it a day. I don't necessarily feel great but more often just satisfied with what we've been able to accomplish. My ride home is a lot slower than my ride in, and I end up getting caught up in thoughts about the traffic and the people I see rather than just motoring home. But anyhow, I'm usually not so totally drained that I don't have the energy to go for a short run or something. But this is now; for the first month and a bit I was pretty wiped out after a day and I could only really think of sleeping or reading.
Anyhow, what have we been up to? Well, today was a massive harvest day. We harvested: kohlrabi, radish, turnip, broccoli (!), cabbage, lettuce, lettuce mix, beet greens, pac choi, cilantro, dill, green onions, and snap peas. This took us the entire day. Half of it was spent harvesting the 110 pounds of snap peas. It's amazing what has come up though -- it seems like just last week that everything was still a little seedling.
Yesterday we transplanted thirteen beds of fall brassica and covered them with floating row cover (that took all morning). In the afternoon we harvested garlic scapes from most of the garlic patch. That's a bit of a grueling job. It involves bending over just slightly so that you can reach the scapes (which are about knee high) and picking as fast as you can. My back held up okay, but several other people found it extremely harsh and eventually picked on their knees.
(I figure we really need some sort of device that will bring our hands and face close to the ground without having to support ourselves with our backs and legs. I imagine some sort of rolling massage table with peddles that you would lay down on so that you could reach the crop easily while being supported, and then peddle to move forward. If I have a spare afternoon I'm going to try building it.)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
A New Routine
So, starting yesterday we've settled on our final daily and weekly schedules. Here's what a day looks like for me:
Anyhow, here's what we were up to today:
- 4:30 - Wake up. Read or sit or stretch for ten or fifteen minutes.
- 4:45 - Eat breakfast.
- 5:00 - Ride to Jeff and Leslie's house.
- 5:20 - Drive with Jeff and Leslie to Ali's house, and then drive to the farm.
- 5:50 - Arrive at the farm. Spend 10 minutes weeding in the greenhouse while the farmers meet quickly to plan the day.
- 6:00 - 9:00 - harvest if it's Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, otherwise do other tasks.
- 9:00 - Break and eat a snack (usually 70% almond butter).
- 9:15 - Finish harvesting and processing, or carry on with other farm work.
- 12:00 - Lunch
- 1:00 - Work. Typically at this point in the day it's hot enough that we're only doing field work or other farm work (i.e. not harvesting).
- 6:00 - Leave with Leslie and Ali for Guelph.
- 6:30 - Ride home from Jeff and Leslie's.
- 6:50 - Arrive home. Shower, eat, look at the turkeys or the garden or talk with people, read or write blog posts.
- 9:00 - Go to sleep.
Anyhow, here's what we were up to today:
- Harvested 200 Pac Choi for the Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Map (sorry, couldn't find a real link) project which is delivering boxes of local veggies to people. Ali drove them to the drop off point in Guelph.
- Jarrod and I built a large box that can sit outside to house all of our garbage between trips to the dump.
- Jeff and Amanda weeded the tomatoes in the greenhouse.
- Weeded all the Allium (you remember what they are, right?), and the celery and celeriac.
- Ali and Leslie did the monthly accounting and called all the Guelph CSA members to remind them of the pickup tomorrow evening.
- Harvested for the farm and Oakville CSA drop offs. We harvested Pac Choi, garlic scapes, radishes, lettuce mix, spinach, and kohlrabi.
- In the afternoon we strung all the greenhouse tomatoes up, and weeded some of the seedlings in the greenhouse. Actually I spent most of the afternoon doing this with Jarrod and then on my own, as everyone else was involved in running the CSA drop offs.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Prep.
Today's activities:
- Transplanted lettuce and fennel
- Seeded endive, and lettuce.
- Weeded the broccoli. We only pulled the big weeds that will be competition for the broccoli in the next short while as the broccoli is growing quite fast. Since we weren't as thorough it meant we did this standing up but bent over to grab weeds quickly, and thus, this was a rather grueling hour and a bit.
- Moved drip tap around.
- Met with the farmers to talk about harvest protocol.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Harvest
Yesterday was all about the cucurbits. We weeded every last bed, which was a bit involved since we needed to take off and replace the floating row cover. Luckily we have a pretty good team, so although it was sometimes a touch grueling overall it went smoothly.
I spent an hour or two in the afternoon looking around for a thermostat to control our air conditioner. It seems to freeze up when it stays at 8 C for too long, and the time it takes to reach 8C depends on the surrounding air temperature so using a timer to turn on and off the air conditioner, as we currently do, isn't enough. What I'd like is an outlet that is controlled by a thermostat. After calling around to many many places it turns out that this beast is rare. Alas, I found one that's only available in the USA, and so we're having it shipped up. I could have done it using a regular wall thermostat which we could wire into an outlet, but when I figured out the costs it comes out even or even slightly more expensive. Plus, I'd have to spend a bit of time hooking it all up, where as the one we've ordered should just plug in and go.
My plan is to connect the timer and thermostat outlet together so that the timer forces the air conditioner off after three hours of use or so, regardless of the temperature, so that it'll give it a chance to defrost in the event that it starts freezing up. I'm hoping we don't actually need to do, and instead rely on the thermostat to keep the temperature high enough that the air conditioner never freezes, but low enough (10 C or so) that the veggies are cool enough. But without the timer, if ever the air conditioner freezes somehow, then the temperature will rise and the thermostat will keep the power going, in which case the A/C will stay on and keep frozen, and that's no good for the machine or the veggies.
What I really want is two temperature sensors. One for the ambient air, and one for the grill of the air conditioner to sense when the air conditioner freezes. Then I could build a little switch to trigger a defrosting period.
Hrm.. if only I knew a bit more about electronics. I think I'll have to learn.
Anyhow, today we harvested for the Georgetown Market tomorrow. We harvested: lettuce mix, spinach, kohlrabi, pac choi, radishes and garlic scapes. The pac choi are looking great... super huge and tasty. The radishes were tasting pretty disgusting last week, but with some water this week they've grown and have a much better flavour. Actually, they're delicious.
After doing the harvest thing in the morning we did odd jobs in the afternoon. Actually, for me it was mostly hand weeding. Amanda and I, and then Jarrod and Jeff managed to hand weed three beds of lettuce mix and a bed of salad greens (beet greens, chard, and some mangy looking cress).
At the end of the day Jeff and I experimented with the sprinkler system by bypassing the pressure regulator to get the maximum pressure to the sprinklers. Works very well now. The spray is much more even and has doubled in range.
I spent an hour or two in the afternoon looking around for a thermostat to control our air conditioner. It seems to freeze up when it stays at 8 C for too long, and the time it takes to reach 8C depends on the surrounding air temperature so using a timer to turn on and off the air conditioner, as we currently do, isn't enough. What I'd like is an outlet that is controlled by a thermostat. After calling around to many many places it turns out that this beast is rare. Alas, I found one that's only available in the USA, and so we're having it shipped up. I could have done it using a regular wall thermostat which we could wire into an outlet, but when I figured out the costs it comes out even or even slightly more expensive. Plus, I'd have to spend a bit of time hooking it all up, where as the one we've ordered should just plug in and go.
My plan is to connect the timer and thermostat outlet together so that the timer forces the air conditioner off after three hours of use or so, regardless of the temperature, so that it'll give it a chance to defrost in the event that it starts freezing up. I'm hoping we don't actually need to do, and instead rely on the thermostat to keep the temperature high enough that the air conditioner never freezes, but low enough (10 C or so) that the veggies are cool enough. But without the timer, if ever the air conditioner freezes somehow, then the temperature will rise and the thermostat will keep the power going, in which case the A/C will stay on and keep frozen, and that's no good for the machine or the veggies.
What I really want is two temperature sensors. One for the ambient air, and one for the grill of the air conditioner to sense when the air conditioner freezes. Then I could build a little switch to trigger a defrosting period.
Hrm.. if only I knew a bit more about electronics. I think I'll have to learn.
Anyhow, today we harvested for the Georgetown Market tomorrow. We harvested: lettuce mix, spinach, kohlrabi, pac choi, radishes and garlic scapes. The pac choi are looking great... super huge and tasty. The radishes were tasting pretty disgusting last week, but with some water this week they've grown and have a much better flavour. Actually, they're delicious.
After doing the harvest thing in the morning we did odd jobs in the afternoon. Actually, for me it was mostly hand weeding. Amanda and I, and then Jarrod and Jeff managed to hand weed three beds of lettuce mix and a bed of salad greens (beet greens, chard, and some mangy looking cress).
At the end of the day Jeff and I experimented with the sprinkler system by bypassing the pressure regulator to get the maximum pressure to the sprinklers. Works very well now. The spray is much more even and has doubled in range.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Mapleton's
Today was the second CRAFT day of the season. We went to Mapleton's Organic farm. The website has a decent introduction to the farm and it's history. We started the day by dividing into two groups and toured the joint. No wait, we started with an icebreaker in which we all got pieces of paper attached to our back and had to ask others yes or no questions in the attempt to figure out what was written on them. Most people had things like "tractor", or "holstein", or "mulch". I got "subsidies". :(
Anyhow, the first thing we toured was the CSA garden. This is a new addition to the farm started by an ex-CRAFT intern (and OT grad), Caitlin Hall. She has done an amazing job. Really, it's quite impressive. Since October or November last year she has bootstrapped the entire 20 member operation, on her own. She's working a two acre plot and greenhouse. All of her vegetables look pretty good, and her garden is super well organised (okay, well as soon as I see labeled stakes in the ground marking each row, I'm happy). She puts a lot of time into it though; she works 12-13 hour days six days a week, plus works half of Sunday. A machine.
I think I'll try to keep in touch with her to see how it goes over the season. We're now heading into the most intense time of the season, I'm told.
Anyhow, after the CSA gardens we saw the ice cream and yogurt making facility. Lots of stainless steel. We learned a bit about the milk quota system and ice cream regulations. Interesting stuff.
Then on to see the dairy cows and their milking shed. They're such beautiful animals. Cows. I think I'd like to own a few someday, but only just so that I could let them do their cow things, and collect the manure maybe. These cows were mostly Holsteins, with some Jersey crosses, I think. Enormous udders. Painfully enormous. It's the size of a full garbage bag hanging from between their legs. Apparently their top producer gives them 50 L of milk a day. Holy cow.
We learned all sorts of info on the differences between the conventional and these organically raised cows. After hearing all of this I find it a little hard to imagine farming conventionally. I mean, I can certainly understand it, but I just as certainly couldn't do it myself. As I say, and I know this sounds terribly flakey, but there's something about letting animals and vegetables be themselves that I find intensely wholesome and important. Performing the conventional horrors to an animal or vegetable to make it grow just because it appears easier, or more efficient, or even necessary somehow seems ultimately like short-sightedness.
Anyhow, then came lunch followed by a talk by Johann of our farm, and Steve of Fourfold Farm on livestock. Then we worked. Then we bought ice cream. Then we left. (Sorry, I'm tired).
Anyhow, the first thing we toured was the CSA garden. This is a new addition to the farm started by an ex-CRAFT intern (and OT grad), Caitlin Hall. She has done an amazing job. Really, it's quite impressive. Since October or November last year she has bootstrapped the entire 20 member operation, on her own. She's working a two acre plot and greenhouse. All of her vegetables look pretty good, and her garden is super well organised (okay, well as soon as I see labeled stakes in the ground marking each row, I'm happy). She puts a lot of time into it though; she works 12-13 hour days six days a week, plus works half of Sunday. A machine.
I think I'll try to keep in touch with her to see how it goes over the season. We're now heading into the most intense time of the season, I'm told.
Anyhow, after the CSA gardens we saw the ice cream and yogurt making facility. Lots of stainless steel. We learned a bit about the milk quota system and ice cream regulations. Interesting stuff.
Then on to see the dairy cows and their milking shed. They're such beautiful animals. Cows. I think I'd like to own a few someday, but only just so that I could let them do their cow things, and collect the manure maybe. These cows were mostly Holsteins, with some Jersey crosses, I think. Enormous udders. Painfully enormous. It's the size of a full garbage bag hanging from between their legs. Apparently their top producer gives them 50 L of milk a day. Holy cow.
We learned all sorts of info on the differences between the conventional and these organically raised cows. After hearing all of this I find it a little hard to imagine farming conventionally. I mean, I can certainly understand it, but I just as certainly couldn't do it myself. As I say, and I know this sounds terribly flakey, but there's something about letting animals and vegetables be themselves that I find intensely wholesome and important. Performing the conventional horrors to an animal or vegetable to make it grow just because it appears easier, or more efficient, or even necessary somehow seems ultimately like short-sightedness.
Anyhow, then came lunch followed by a talk by Johann of our farm, and Steve of Fourfold Farm on livestock. Then we worked. Then we bought ice cream. Then we left. (Sorry, I'm tired).
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