In this newsletter:
Farm updates: What have we been up to?
Summer CSA
Upcoming events: Seedling sale and Peony Fest
Available in the Farm store this week
Weekly farm fun fact
Farm updates: What have we been up to?
So much has happened over the last couple weeks I barely know where to start. Here are a few highlights:
We set-up the hoop house thanks to Tim, Theo, Calah and Matt. Jess and Calah then proceeded to fill it up with sweet and hot peppers.
The team has been incredibly busy planting in the fields: onions, leeks, squash, brassicas, lettuce, herbs, greens, beans, zucchini and everything else!
Jess has been tending the Peony patch and perrenials with the help of some amazing volunteers. She also planted the cut flower fields in anticipation of our Upick flower program and our flower CSA. Oh and eucalyptus went in the ground too!
If you're interested in joining our volunteer team, send us a message! We usually have coffe, cake and some veggies to trade.
Over in the greenhouse, Kielan and Lys have been busy bees pruning and trelissing the cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. We started harvesting beans and basil and perhaps one of the most anticipated vegetables of the season, CUCUMBERS!!!!!!!!!!!!
This week we also harvested the first ripe cherry tomatoes! Only 8 so far so we enjoyed them at coffee break. Yours are coming soon we promise!
Summer CSA
And we are fast approaching the start of our Summer CSA program! In two weeks we'll kick it off with cucumbers, basil, beans, beets, green onion, rhubarb, lettuce, carrots, spinach and more. Hopefully we will have tomatoes in the first box, and if not, they won't lag far behind.
First Summer CSA from 2023
Our boxes are customizable and we offer unlimited vacation holds so you won't need to worry about paying for a missed box. Our online platform makes this easy by allowing you to pause your weekly subscription and customize your box from the comfort of your home.
Upcoming events: Seedling sale and Peony Fest
Our seedling sale is happening for another couple weeks. We still have some vegetables, flowers and herbs. On Saturdays, our baker Devon brings delicious cinnamon buns with a maple chai glaze and we make coffee to go with it. He is also piloting some savoury baked goods so come on over for a Saturday morning hangout! The playground is a pretty happening spot on Saturday mornings too so come and join the fun!
Peony Fest
We are hosting our Annual Peony Fest!
Join us from 10h-3h on Saturday June 15th in your pink frocks for some live music, fresh flowers, good food and great company!
We are thrilled to have the Miranda Ceara Trio perform from 1PM-2PM following an opening act and a kid's concert with Derek from Sing Song Party Time from 11AM-12PM.
Sausage on a bun, soup, pastries, drinks, and pizza are on the menu. We will have a scavenger hunt for the kiddos and some face painting in the morning.
And of course, so many peonies for your eyes and noses to feast on! Come pick your own bouquet or choose from our premade bouquets.
We are so excited to have you over at the farm from some June fun!
Available in the Farm store this week:
**We are now open until 5h30 on Thursdays and Fridays!
New offerings:
Organic Meadow Dairy: milk, cream, greek and classic yoghurt, Kefir, cottage cheese, and ice cream.
Fresh organic sourdough bread from our Rupert neighbour Devon on Thursdays and Saturdays! He brings specialty loaves such as potato poppy seed, orange/cranberry, fennel seed, baguette, carrot/turmeric and more.
We replenished our supply of apple cider from Barkleys Orchard.
Seeds from Northern Seeds
Happy Pops Popsicles are back!!
Sweet and Savoury baked goods on Saturdays
Greens:
Spinach
Kale (3 varieties)
Roots:
Fresh Beets!
Carrots
Last of the parsnips
Daikon
Herbs:
Basil
Mint
Other Veggies:
First beans
First cucumbers
Rhubarb
Asparagus
Tomatoes soon...
Seedlings:
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Hot peppers
Sweet peppers
Herbs
Flowers'
Local seeds from Northern Seeds
Farm-made preserves *more to come in the new year:
Sauerkraut
Daikon Kimchi
Chilero
Do Chua
Spicy squash relish
Lacto-fermented pickles
Frozen soups:
Farm Borsht
Curried carrot soup
Thaï Squash Curry
Tomato
Weekly Farm Fun Fact
This year has been particularily challenging for us when it comes to aphids in the greenhouse. They are basically plant lice and impede the plant's growth. We release beneficial insects, such as ladybugs, green lacewings and parasitic wasps to try and keep their populations in check. Another common issue we deal with is cucumber beetles which transmit disease in the cucumber beds. We use sticky traps and our hands to deal with these challenging ones!
Keeping in touch
Farmstore winter hours:
(*Wednesday starting in June: 11h-5h30)
Thursdays 11h-5h30
Fridays 11h-5h30
Saturdays 10h-3h
*Check us out on Facebook and instagram to get a daily glimpse of the Roots and Shoots Farm life.
Happy May to all!
-The Roots and Shoots Farm Team
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