This was a rough week here at Manorun. Both Andrea and David succumbed to a nasty stomach flu that seems to be going around, and missed work. This put a greater burden on the rest of the workforce, and Jocelyn gave way to fatigue as soon as the sickos rejoined the crew. The big job this week, aside from the regular three-day harvest, was to get the tomatoes back in line. That is to say, weeding the edge of the black mulch, pruning wildly overgrown suckers (a project we chose to abandon, under Chris's guidance, which made things move along much more quickly), and putting up new lines through which to weave the unruly beasts of plants. We got 'er done, and the next big job was to empty the big poop barrel from the outhouse. We got that done too, buried in a hole at the back of the property (nasty job but really not so bad... until the dog comes round at dinnertime having enjoyed a good roll-around in the new pit). Little field trip to William Dam to buy seeds for next week's planting, and some research to figure out our fall planting schedule. Pizza party Saturday night for CSA members and friends was a quiet but pleasant affair, and intern focus was redirected to cleaning up the farm and prepping food.
This here intern has developed a nasty rash and flu-like symptoms persist- so it's off to spend Sunday in a walk-in clinic:( See y'all next week!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
WEEK 10: Field Trips!
After all the hard work lately the farm gods have cut us a break- we got to go on 2 field trips to other farms this week! After a bit of work Monday in the asparagus patch (read 150 bales of hay to mulch down some monster weeds)and a harvest day Tuesday, we had a C.R.A.F.T. day at Drumlin Farm up in Puslinch on Wednesday. There we learned about native and invasive species, helped pull some garlic mustard and European Buckthorn, and got the scoop on the merits (and dare I say bullshit gov't/corporate control mechanisms?) of traceability in Ontario- not yet required by legislation. We toured the quaint, human-scale beds and identified some common weeds.
Thursday was another harvest day (weeding and whatnot in the afternoons while some lucky folks go off to market), and Friday we went to Black Walnut Lane in Milgrove, a conventional sheep farm that sells lamb at our markets. Adele and Ron were great hosts, and shared a lot about their farm, the difficulties, the investments, the lessons they've learned. We were at the height of our glory catching lambs that needed to be weaned (the males are destined for market but the females will be kept to breed). We did a bit of pitch-fork work and called it day, returning home for our weekly Oh, to Grow session and field walk. We have solved the crop rotation problem definitively, both in terms of alternating heavy and light feeding crops on a given plot of land, and in terms of planting potatoes far from the previous year's location in an attempt to thwart the dreaded beetle infestation (the idea is avoid an early infestation as the pest searches for the crop).
All in all it is great to see other farms to witness other products, philosophies, and methods at work; and it's great to come back and contribute to the farm we call home.
Today: Bread baking, backyard gardening, number crunching, and horse competition photography. Tonight: potluck at Simpler Thyme. Tomorrow: Long Point beach. Who could ask for a better week?
Thursday was another harvest day (weeding and whatnot in the afternoons while some lucky folks go off to market), and Friday we went to Black Walnut Lane in Milgrove, a conventional sheep farm that sells lamb at our markets. Adele and Ron were great hosts, and shared a lot about their farm, the difficulties, the investments, the lessons they've learned. We were at the height of our glory catching lambs that needed to be weaned (the males are destined for market but the females will be kept to breed). We did a bit of pitch-fork work and called it day, returning home for our weekly Oh, to Grow session and field walk. We have solved the crop rotation problem definitively, both in terms of alternating heavy and light feeding crops on a given plot of land, and in terms of planting potatoes far from the previous year's location in an attempt to thwart the dreaded beetle infestation (the idea is avoid an early infestation as the pest searches for the crop).
All in all it is great to see other farms to witness other products, philosophies, and methods at work; and it's great to come back and contribute to the farm we call home.
Today: Bread baking, backyard gardening, number crunching, and horse competition photography. Tonight: potluck at Simpler Thyme. Tomorrow: Long Point beach. Who could ask for a better week?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
WEEK 9: No quitters here
If we can get through this, we can do anything. I mean, this week we survived torrid heat and torrential downpours, we fought potato beetle reinfestation in what appears to be a losing battle, we tore jungles of weeds out of overwhelmed lettuce, and we seem to have got through the "window"- that scary time when the cold weather crops give out before the hot weather crops kick in, and the harvest is tight. Abundance and good humour don't always come easy. But challenges build determination, and we the interns are in it for the long haul.
This coming from me, the one who escaped to Ottawa for a week (hence last week's missed blog)and missed the crazy days of hay and much of the beetlemania and the scarcity window. An aside- when I say scarcity I mean that CSA members may not get to choose from as vast an array of veggies as they are accustomed to- they may have to take two of a less familiar, less exciting veg like Kohlrabi, or opt to make up for items in coming weeks. We love to please our members, but we also need them to roll with us as we deal with our challenges. It's all in the share of the crop they signed up for.
The farm family is gone to the cottage and the interns feel trusted and responsible, although Naomi, our farmer's daughter lead hand, has come home to give us some guidance, and Chris did come back for harvest days.
Chris has got us halfway to an outdoor shower. Andrea has got the silo's top deck fully (if temporarily) scrubbed clear of birdshit for her Salute the Sun Yoga Studio. We had a good weekly meeting- addressing intern issues including chores and focus dissatisfaction, did some crop rotation theory and put it to practice to solve Manorun's double heavy-feeder problem. And the interns are finding their niches as their focuses evolve and change. David is working with Russ Ohrt in Hamilton, a backyard gardener that caters to 7 CSA members and a market with his Backyard Harvest urban ag project; Meghan is switching to tea making, harvesting wild nettles and our own cultivars, since Trish (our lovely milk-maker) will be calving in September and can't sustain a dairy focus; Andrea is doing some detective work and data analysis to better understand the needs of consumers and vendors at the Locke Street Market; and Jocelyn is diversifying her bread-baking, experimenting with fun stuff (read AMAZING cranberry scones and SUPERB garlic/basil/tomato loaf) instead of dutifully producing the usual week's worth of wholesome whole wheat loaves.
This coming from me, the one who escaped to Ottawa for a week (hence last week's missed blog)and missed the crazy days of hay and much of the beetlemania and the scarcity window. An aside- when I say scarcity I mean that CSA members may not get to choose from as vast an array of veggies as they are accustomed to- they may have to take two of a less familiar, less exciting veg like Kohlrabi, or opt to make up for items in coming weeks. We love to please our members, but we also need them to roll with us as we deal with our challenges. It's all in the share of the crop they signed up for.
Hay days!
The farm family is gone to the cottage and the interns feel trusted and responsible, although Naomi, our farmer's daughter lead hand, has come home to give us some guidance, and Chris did come back for harvest days.
Chris has got us halfway to an outdoor shower. Andrea has got the silo's top deck fully (if temporarily) scrubbed clear of birdshit for her Salute the Sun Yoga Studio. We had a good weekly meeting- addressing intern issues including chores and focus dissatisfaction, did some crop rotation theory and put it to practice to solve Manorun's double heavy-feeder problem. And the interns are finding their niches as their focuses evolve and change. David is working with Russ Ohrt in Hamilton, a backyard gardener that caters to 7 CSA members and a market with his Backyard Harvest urban ag project; Meghan is switching to tea making, harvesting wild nettles and our own cultivars, since Trish (our lovely milk-maker) will be calving in September and can't sustain a dairy focus; Andrea is doing some detective work and data analysis to better understand the needs of consumers and vendors at the Locke Street Market; and Jocelyn is diversifying her bread-baking, experimenting with fun stuff (read AMAZING cranberry scones and SUPERB garlic/basil/tomato loaf) instead of dutifully producing the usual week's worth of wholesome whole wheat loaves.
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