In this newsletter
Farm updates: What have we been up to?
CSA updates: Fall and winter
Events: Fall Harvest Fest, Wreath making workshops
Farm store
Weekly farm fun fact
Farm updates: What have we been up to?
Well folks, it seems we are long overdue for a catch-up. Here are some highlights from the past weeks:
We just wrapped up our 20 week summer CSA program. We were excited to have over 30 options to choose from for our final customizable summer boxes. These included fresh herbs, greens like spinach and arugula, fresh ginger, leeks, all the root vegetables and the last of our fruits including sweet peppers, green tomatoes, hot peppers, eggplants and more.
The final Summer CSA boxes
Jessm Calah and Matt ahrvesting for CSA
We also included our cured Black Dakota popcorn as an option. It's our second year growing these and we're pleased with the results! Let us know what you think. Should we offer popcorn snacks in the farm store?
Popcorn harvest
In other news, we finished up the carrot harvest and I must say they are exceptionally sweet after the first frosts. Carrot harvest was delayed this year because of all the strange weather we had. So much rain this year...
We also planted all our garlic for next year! Thank you to all the volunteers who joined us in this endeavour!
Garlic planting
And finally, the cold rooms are full and the greenhouses are ready for our Fall and Winter CSA!
CSA updates: Fall and Winter
We're kicking off our fall CSA box program next week! Our boxes are customizable and pre-packed for a quick pick-up. We send out the list of available options on Friday and you have the weekend to select what you would like. You can also opt for the standard "farmer's choice" box if you prefer.
A major perk of signing up for a Fall and/or winter CSA is having access to super fresh greens and herbs throughout the colder months. In addition to our storage crops of cabbages, onions, squash, leeks, garlic, carrots, beets, parnips and other root vegetables, we have greenhouses that allow us to produce spinach, arugula, lettuce, green onions, salad mix, cilantro, dill, parsley, bok choy, kale, chard and more throughout the fall and winter.
Examples of customized fall boxes from last year
A fall/winter CSA is also a great way to stay connected to your farming community while continuing to support your farmers and farmworkers throughout the entire year.
We're thrilled to have employees year round
We offer weekly or bi-weekly boxes with unlimited vacation holds so you don't have to worry about paying for your box while you're away. We have a variety of add-on options including organic free-range eggs, Le Coprin mushrooms, local organic sourdough bread by Boulangerie Marcel, and extra greens. We also have an online store where you can include products such as honey, maple syrup, coffee, granola, and our farmade products like our soups, salsas, sauerkrauts, kimchis and more.
Lacto-fermented pickles, roasted salsa, kimchi
The fall program runs until late December and our Winter share covers you from February through March.
For more information you can visit the CSA page on our website
The CSA Facebook group has been incredibly active and inspiring as always! Here are some highlights from the past weeks:
Events
Fall Harvest Fest
We held our fall Harvest Fest on Saturdays over the last month with live music, pastries, soups and a "Guess the Weight of the Squash" raffle! The person who guessed the right weight and the winner of our Farmstore gift card is Wendy Pingree who guessed exactly 18.4 lbs. Congrats Wendy! Special shout-out to Shaikara David who also guessed 18 lbs. Thank you all for particpating! We had a blast!
Wreath making workshops
Jess is preparing for her annual wreath making workshops. Mark your calendars for November 23rd and 30th to join us as we create personlized wreaths. Jess has a variety of materials to choose from including her dried flowers and fresh evergreens. The sign-up for this event will be available shortly so stay tuned!
Wreath making workshop
Farm store
The farmstore is open year round! Asides from a couple weeks off during the holidays, We stay open throughout the winter. We're keeping our summer hours of until the end of the year: Wednesday to Friday 11h-5h30 and Saturdays 9h-3h.
Colleen has been working away in the kitchen with our vegetables. Her Thai squash soup is back in stock along with her famous cowboy candy, salsa, passata, kimchi, and more. We also have a dehydrated lacto-fermented pickle salt which pairs great with our Black Dakota popcorn!
Our cute little decorative pumpkins will be on sale next week for Halloween!
We have fresh organic bread made five minutes away by Boulangerie Marcel during the store hours. We also have their fresh seasonal pastries on saturdays. Pop by for a coffee and a treat on Saturdays!
We also have apples from Maxwell Orchard in Wakefield!
Available this week:
Roots:
Beets
Carrots
Parsnips from ferme Pleine Saveurs
Garlic
Kohlrabi
Onions
Yellow potatoes from Waratah Down farm
Purple fingerlings from Arondus Farm
Red radish (coming towards the end)
Daikon radish
Watermelon radish
Red radish
Black radish
Rutabaga
Celeriac
Hakurei turnip
Greens:
Spinach
Salad mix
Arugula
Kale
Chard
Herbs:
Rosemary
Thyme
Cilantro
Dill
Flat parsley
Other Veggies:
Leeks
Sugarloaf chicory (type of endive: great roasted and raw!)
Red and green classic cabbage
Squash
Classic butternut
Autumn Frost butternut (butternut flavour with a more pumpkin like texture)
Kabocha: winter sweet (sweet nutty flavours reminiscent of roasted chestnut)
Delicata (Edible skin makes for easy prep!)
Pie Pita Pumkin (great for pies/deserts and the seeds are especially tasty!)
Baby Bear pie pumpkin
Decorative pumpkins and squash
And more!
Flowers:
Dried Flowers
Eucalyptus
Kale flowers
Farm-made preserves:
Roasted salsa
Fresh fermented salsa
Passata (Italian tomato sauce)
Kimchi: daikon and classic
Sourkraut
Pickles (lacto-fermented)
Frozen soups: borsht, Thai squash
Cowboy candy
Strained tomatoes
lacto-fermented squash relish
Dehydrated lacto-fermented pickle salt
Weekly farm fun fact
Vegetables become sweeter after experiencing frost. This is particularly true for brassicas like kale and kohlrabi and for the carrots and spinach too!
Keeping in touch
Farmstore winter hours:
Wednesday 11h-5h30
Thursdays 11h-5h30
Fridays 11h-5h30
Saturdays 9h-3h
*Check us out on Facebook and instagram to get a daily glimpse of the Roots and Shoots Farm life.
Happy October to all!
-The Roots and Shoots Farm Team