In this newsletter:
What is happening at the farm?
CSA
Other news and events
Farmstore and what is available this week
Weekly farm fun fact!
What is happening at the farm?
Back to long harvest mornings rain or shine, smoky air or clear skies to prepare for our CSA program. This year we have over 300 members so it takes the whole team to harvest everything for our members.
Picture description: Morning harvest in the field of lettuce, tomatoes, Thai basil, cucumbers and herbs featuring some of our wonderful team members
In other news, we did our big cabbage planting this week and continued on with lots of hand weeding in the fields.
Picture description: Team weeding the corn; mask wearing in the field to protect from the poor air quality on Thursday.
We have unfortunately lost some of our eggplants as the aphids decided it was perfect accommodation for their growing family. Not to fret though! We have many more in the second greenhouse. As ecological farmers, we share the fields with many other critters birds, insects, mice, frogs, groundhogs, etc. We are not simply growing food for our fellow humans, we grow them for all the other critters as well! The key is to find a balance. We can "donate" some of the crops to the insects, as long as we have enough for our customers and staff. Unfortunately, the aphid infestation in the greenhouse required us to pull up the plants to avoid spreading the infestation any further. For those who don't know, aphids are like plant lice and they can really wreck havoc if their populations are not kept in check. See the Farm Fun Fact below for more info on aphids and natural "pest" control.
CSA
In other more exciting news, it was our second week of CSA! This week we had many greens in the share. It is definitely salad season! Don't forget to join our CSA Facebook Group where we swap recipes!
If you're having trouble placing you order, give us a call or an email and we will gladly give you hand.
It is also not too late to sign-up with this link.
Other news and events
We had our first Yoga class at the farm with Tina last Saturday and it was a blast! The next relaxing Hatha yoga is coming up Saturday July 1st 10h-11h.
We also have our farm concert July 22nd with Kate Weekes and Co! Special discount for CSA members. Head on over to the CSA Facebook page to find it or send us an email to request the discount !
Farmstore and what is available this week
It's strawberry season!
Other new harvests this week:
zucchini
sugar snap peas
We also have tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, Thaï basil, cilantro, dill, head lettuce, spinach, green onion, kale, chard, beans, eggplant, garlic scapes
Weekly Farm Fun Fact:
We release ladybugs in the greenhouse to help keep the aphid infestation under control since they are a desirable food source for ladybugs. Another fun fact, ants "farm" aphids by "milking" the honeydew from their backs! Pretty gross but pretty cool!
Keeping in touch
Our new farm-store hours are:
Wednesday 11h-5h
Thursday 11h-6h
Friday 11h-5h
Saturday 9h-2h
*Check us out on Facebook and instagram to get a daily glimpse of the Roots and Shoots Farm life.
Happy Summer to all!
-The Roots and Shoots Farm Team
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