Things are growing everywhere

Not only are the fields filling up, but our tractor has started a garden of its own. None of the owners manuals discuss growing on your tractor, but our has accumulated enough soil that some hardy weeds now call it home.

Luckily more than just our tractor is growing.

It's now light out at 5 a.m. and the sun is up over the mountains by 6 a.m. when we start milking the goats. What a difference from a month ago when we were doing chores in the dark.

Indeed, we're now on the brighter side of season. May 1 marked the half-way point between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. The days are getting longer quickly and the plants are responding accordingly.

All of the onions, shallots and greens are established and growing quickly now. The rhubarb is being harvested, but has actually had a slow start to the season. March and April have been cool, so things slowed down after the early February start.

As of the beginning of May we also have all three of our 2010 apprentices working full time. They might contribute the occasional blog post about their experiences over the next few months -- time and weather permitting.

All of our CSA subscribers are now signed up and we're awaiting sufficient produce to start sending out their weekly boxes. Farmers Markets are getting under way this month -- three have already begun and almost all of them will be underway by the end of the month.

Our first deliveries of salad greens and rhubarb are now going into Aphrodite's Organic Cafe and Pie Shop in Vancouver.

Weeding is, remarkably, under control thus far and seeding is on track. Jeremy is installing the irrigation pump today and there is province-wide talk of drought this year. The low snowpack and dry winter means both surface water and groundwater sources will be stressed this summer. The long range forecast is for warmer and drier weather than normal.

Our "things-to-do" lists are growing steadily. This is an exciting time of the season when we all still have a lot of energy and work is still manageable. It seems hard to believe that there will be a time when we won't feel on top of things!

So, the season is getting busier by the moment and we'll anxiously await the coming weeks.

Weekly round-up

Just a few quick notes about farm activities this week . . .

The fields finally dried up and we've been composting beds, transplanting and seeding. It's always a huge relief once we can start getting things into the ground. We're slightly later this year than we were last year, but there are so many factors that influence how fast things will grow.

Now we'll wait and see how long it'll be before we have to start irrigating. After the winter rains it doesn't take much time before things dry up sufficiently to require regular watering.

We cleaned out the chicken coop today to make sure it has a chance to be washed and aired out before the next flock arrives in May. Cleaning the coop is never first on anyone's list, but it's never as bad as we expect. It stinks, but it went relatively quickly.

Some of the other tasks for this time of year include making sure we have all of the supplies we need before the season starts getting busier. Yesterday I picked up some of the floating row cover we'll use on carrots this season. The cover prevents the carrots rust fly from doing damage to the carrots that would otherwise make them unmarketable.

We're also getting ready for farmers markets. This means organizing supplies, making sure signs are ready and lining up helpers for each market. Not many days left until the first market -- hope the rhubarb grows so that we have something to sell!

Two apprentices arrive on 1 May, so there are preparations to do to make sure their living spaces are ready and that we're organized enough to have work lined up (there is work, we just have to be prepared to do it).

Milking the goats is going well. The three goats that we're milking have been nervous on the milk stand and upset about being separated from their babies at night. But they're gettting into a routine. Rob started playing meditation music for them the past two mornings. They've increased their collective milk output from 1/2 gallon a day to between 3/4 and a full gallon this week. We now have a batch of feta aging in the fridge and an attempt at chevre on the go, not to mention a few batches of yogurt finished.

So, that's a summary for the week. Lots coming up and I'll try to keep the blog up to date.

Ready to Plant

Below are a series of photos taken just before we started transplanting seedlings into the fields. It's always spectacular to see the full trays . . . and in no time at all the space is empty!

A peak inside the start room -- mostly tomatoes waiting to go into the coldframes.

Salad starts -- beets, kale, lettuce and chard.

One of two rows of transplants in one coldframe.

Cabbage and kale transplants were moved outside to make more space in the warmer coldframe.

Storage onions, sweet onions, shallots and leeks. This is a good example of why tags are crucial for every tray. It's impossible to tell the difference at this stage of growth.

Waiting for the sun

I've neglected doing a posting for a while amidst various other tasks and taking some down time before the start of the season. Here's a summary of what's happening on the farm these days as we get into the spring season.

Most of the potatoes went into the ground a couple of weeks ago. There's one bed's worth of spuds still waiting . . . the weather changed faster than they could be dealt with. Kale and Collards also went in.

In fact, I was away for the planting. A good friend was getting married in Ottawa (he must have wanted farmer friends present, because March is a great time to attend weddings in terms of workload and schedule adjustments, not to mention airfares and hotel costs). That means Jeremy was hard at work doing much of the work solo. Word is that we was in the field one evening, working on the tractor in the dark with spotlights on trying to beat the rain.

Since then we've been waiting on the weather to dry up and warm up again. The early start we had in February has evaporated and we're back to a slow start similar to the past couple of springs.

Nonetheless, the warm February has brought about an early crop of flowers. The daffodils are almost finished and tulips are in full bloom. We purchased hundreds of bulbs this past fall when they were on discount (end of season) from a bulb company. As a result, we have a whole new array of spring colour on the farm. This adds to the multitude of daffodils already present, planted by farm shareholders in past years. The results are visible in the photo at the top of this post.

Our 2010 CSA is now full with a small waiting list. We'll consider whether or not we can accommodate the waiting list later today.

We had the chickens slaughtered on Thursday, which means we have a freezer full of stewing hens and a break from the daily chores related to feeding, collecting eggs, packing and such. I'll have another blog post finished soon about slaughter day (I'm sure you can hardly wait). Thanks to BC's meat regulations we can't sell these birds because they were slaughtered on-farm.

The other major event has, of course, been the arrival of the new baby goats. Six kids (four male, 2 female) were born to four does in mid- to late-March. It's a manageable number. It'll give us the ability to increase of milking herd in the next year or two with the two females and provide us with a good supply of farm meat next winter from the boys.

New goats bring about a whole set of tasks ranging from monitoring feeding from the mothers to removing horns and castrating. As of this weekend we're also milking three of the adult goats -- a daily event at 6 a.m.

Milking got off to a shaky start. We put the kids in a separate pen overnight. The first night is noisy across the farm. Babies cry much of the night and does make their displeasure known. By morning the maternal instincts lead some of the goats to fight us for the milk.

Last night, however, the kids seemed settled into the new routine (they pile together under the manger) while the mothers realize that they get a full 10 to 12 hours without babies -- not bad for a break. They aren't as uncomfortable with us milking in the morning either. The kids still feed all day, so everyone is happy.

I recalled the other day that at their last farm the goats listened to the CBC during milking. Having constant voices seems to sooth them, but I wonder if they will produce differently based on the host. I imagine they would prefer Radio 2 over Radio 1, especially at 6 a.m. We'll have to give this a try!

The one last activity of the season is to do taxes. Agricultural taxes are a bit more involved than I did in my past, but I still refuse to pay someone to do my taxes. I'm really trying to get this done in the next few days of heavy rain. Once the weather turns it'll be too busy outside to worry about catching up on paperwork.

Two More Goats

Roxie takes a moment to welcome Rosencrantz into the world.


Jumper gave birth to Rosencrantz and Guildentstern, both boys, on Saturday afternoon. Our friends (and CSA members) Jill and Dale were out for a visit and got to help with the birth and aftermath.

The names reference the fated characters in Hamlet, and pay homage to Tom Stoppard's play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. It helps remind us of the future destiny of these guys.

The goats born on Friday are named Marshall and Rosenberg, in honour of the developer of Compassionate Communication. Whether or not it's an honour to have goats named after you depends on your own opinion of goats, I guess.

Now we're just waiting on Gertie and Zola. Gertie is looking about ready to have her kids any time. Zola will likely be another week or so. There is a huge benefit to knowing when your goats were bred. Next time we'll know!

First baby goats of the season

Two male kids were born this morning. I checked in on the goats just after 6 a.m. and realized that Worri was in labour. I moved her to a separate area and by the time breakfast was over at 7:30 the two little ones were out and licked off. They're both feeding and Worri is doing well -- she downed about three liters of water and molasses in two minutes!

New kids are a sure sign of spring and the cycle of life on the farm. By the time these two boys will be ready for slaughter in the fall we'll have gone through an entire season of farming.

So, as we balance the obligations of tending new animals with harvesting for market tomorrow I am reminded of the quote we put on our farm Thanksgiving card in 2009. From "The Pleasures of Eating" by Wendell Berry:

The pleasure of eating should be an extensive pleasure, not that of the mere gourmet. People who know the garden in which their vegetables have grown and know that the garden is healthy and remember the beauty of the growing plants, perhaps in the dewy first light of morning when gardens are at their best. Such a memory involves itself with the food and is one of the pleasures of eating. The knowledge of the good health of the garden relieves and frees and comforts the eater. The same goes for eating meat. The thought of the good pasture and of the calf contentedly grazing flavors the steak. Some, I know, will think of it as bloodthirsty or worse to eat a fellow creature you have known all its life. On the contrary, I think it means that you eat with understanding and with gratitude. A significant part of the pleasure of eating is in one's accurate consciousness of the lives and the world from which food comes. The pleasure of eating, then, may be the best available standard of our health. And this pleasure, I think, is pretty fully available to the urban consumer who will make the necessary effort.

This helps keep the season in perspective.

Launching our CSA

Last year we started a Community Supported Agriculture program. While CSAs are not new, it was a departure from our focus on farmers markets. The financial realities of the farming season were the reason for considering a CSA.

Before we actually sell any food to anyone, we end up paying for all of the seeds, rent, payroll, fuel, supplies, tools among other things. This adds up to tens-of-thousands of dollars. Added to this, any sales to distributors or various outlets can mean a wait of months to actually get paid. Farmers markets are generally the only outlet for early revenue to pay back lines of credit.

In a CSA, subscribers purchase a share of our crop at the beginning of the season. In essence, they are buying some of the risk inherent in farming. Last year, for example, after a cold, wet spring followed by a very hot summer, many plantings of lettuce came on at the same time. Our CSA members received two heads of lettuce in their boxes for a few weeks rather than the usual one.

In return for their early payment, we provide our CSA members with first pick of some of our most sought-after crops, such as berries and broccoli.

We loved having more personal contact with subscribers last year through the CSA program. We received weekly notes from some members telling us what they liked most and sharing recipes. Many of our members commented that they appreciated having a close connection with a farm where their food was being grown.

Now we're into our 2010 season and offering our CSA Harvest Box program again. There are spaces available. We've also made some changes this year. Below are some details about the program, including info on how to join.

Cost

The Glen Valley Organic Farm CSA costs $520 in 2010. A $100 deposit is required to hold your spot. The remainder is due by 1 April.

Duration

The CSA starts mid- to late-June, depending on when crops begin to mature. It will run for 16 weeks, although we may provide slightly smaller boxes at the start of the season and extend the program by one week, depending on selection and quantity available.

Delivery

Our CSA boxes are delivered to pick-up depots by the NOWBC Co-op. Please check their depot page to see if there is a drop-off near you. Deliveries are made on Wednesdays or Thursdays, depending on the depot.

Members in the Abbotsford and Langley areas may also pick-up boxes from the farm directly on Tuesday evenings or Wednesdays.

Box Contents

Each week's box contains a variety of in-season fruit and vegetables from our farm. We grow 45 different fruit and vegetable crops. A box is sufficient to provide vegetables for a family of four for a week. Some members who are vegetarian or follow raw food diets use all of the contents themselves. Other members share their boxes with another couple or family. Many members also preserve some of their box contents for winter eating. To determine whether this CSA is sufficient for your needs, consider whether you normally spend $32/week on fresh vegetables. If not, you might want to consider finding someone to share your box with.

In 2009 a typical box contained the following:

1 head of Green Leaf Lettuce
1 bunch beets
1 bunch broccoli
1 head cabbage
1 bunch rainbow chard
1 bunch kale (except one box that gets a bunch of collards)
1 bulb fennel (2 bulbs if they were small)
1 long English cucumber
1 bunch parsley
3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
1 lb rhubarb
1.5 lbs peas

Substitutions and Cancellations

We are unable to accommodate substitutions, except as described below. In order to help you learn how to use vegetables that might be new to you, we will include regular recipes on our farm blog at http://glenvalleyorganicfarm.blogspot.com. We are also unable to cancel boxes. If you are going on vacation we invite you to offer your box to a friend or neighbour. We also offer an option through NOWBC Co-op to donate your box to a food bank if you are unable to use it on a given week.

There is one way to change your box: come out to the farm and create your own! Many 2009 members expressed the desire to have greater access to organic berries or to be able to choose specific items for preserving. We've decided to open our Strawberry and Raspberry beds to CSA members who want to visit the farm for U-Pick during the season. We will do the same for other crops, such as pickling cucumbers, that might not be featured in the boxes or that you are looking to preserve. This will allow people to access these highly perishable crops at a great price -- either in addition to your box or in substitution of a similar value of your box plan.

Connection with the farm

There are a number of benefits to being a member of our CSA. This includes:

Work parties
This might not have been on everyone's list, but some people requested a CSA in a truer model of shared agriculture -- including the work. As a result, we're going to organize a few weekend work parties throughout the season when you can come out and work with us on specific projects. In exchange, you can choose additional produce to take home or even create your own box for that week. This could also allow us to do some special CSA crops -- like edamame or dried beans -- that you would help tend and ultimately harvest. Plus, it's a chance to see the farm at different stages of the season and an opportunity for us to get to know our members better.

Fun parties
Our CSA members are invited to our open house in May and we're also going to plan a big harvest shin-dig. This will include a large potluck and a preserves exchange. We expect this will happen at the farm in late September or early October.

Farm updates
Our weekly blog posting will provide you with an insight into farm operations, thoughts about agriculture and a number of recipes to help you learn about new ways of using the vegetables in your box.

Signing-up

If you are interested in joining our CSA for 2010, please e-mail glenvalleychris (at) gmail (dot) com.