Late-April photo update - Spring has sprung, finally!

A gorgeous, sunny, Saturday afternoon in the greenhouse.

 Ayla's much happier attached to me than she is sitting in her stroller watching me water the seedlings from a distance.

 The bok choy is ready to be transplanted.

 So is the cauliflower, broccoli and kale.

 Swiss chard

 Tender baby lettuces

 Newly seeded melon trays

 Last year's garden is behind us now...literally.

 The soil is almost dry enough to disc! Hopefully, Jonny will be out there next weekend preparing the field for the transplants.

 The garlic is out to greet the sunshine! The straw mulch does a wonderful job of retaining heat and keeping the weeds down.

 One of two intern tents

 The intern trailer

The interns arrive next weekend and the farm will be bustling once again.  We have some long transplanting days ahead of us but after a far too long winter, we look forward to the exercise, sun and fresh air. Spring is such an optimistic time on the farm!  I'm giddy with excitement!  Have a glorious Sunday, friends!

April snowfalls bring May phone calls from customers wondering if the veggies will be ready on time.  Maybe not for the first few weeks of the Ottawa Farmers' Market but the CSA will definitely have a full basket come the first pickup at the end of June.

Our first year of farming was just like this; it was the spring of 2009, and we were apprentices at the Amazon's Garden.  Winter weather continued well into April and then spring arrived and lasted until September, bypassing summer altogether.  We harvested, weeded and transplanted in the rain because the dry days were so few and far between.  Let's hope this year is not a repeat of 2009.  I want blue skies, temperatures in the high 20s and intermittent rain, dammit!  Luckily, no matter what the weather man brings, we always end up getting a good crop.

Part of that outcome is due to our success growing seedlings in the greenhouse.  This is what it looked like on Friday during, what I hope was, our last snowfall of the season.

Hello baby celery!

 Eggplants

 Delicious vegetation!

 The onions have already received their first haircut!

What I mean by "haircut" is, we trim the onions so their energy will go into strengthening the root instead of focusing on the long green shoot.  As they grow and we continue to trim, the green shoots will become thicker and hardier while the bulb and roots do the same, giving the transplants a better chance at surviving in their new home outside.

Well, it seems our collective prayers have been answered; the expected high is 16 degrees and I see blue skies and sun out there!  Jonny used the chainsaw this morning to make a path through the brush for his tractor - the ground is so wet that he can't take his usual route without potentially getting stuck in the mud.  He's going to seed some greens at the back of the greenhouse and needs to get our giant bags of potting soil out of there with the tractor.

Meanwhile, I plan on taking Ayla and her stroller to Embrun to hand out flyers and try to encourage fellow veggie lovers to join our CSA.  June might seem far away but it will be here before we know it.  Our interns arrive in two weeks!  It feels like they just left.

Well, back to business.  Get out there and soak up the vitamin D!

Marching On

The end of March is nigh and the seeding is well underway.  I have to hand it to Jonny for getting all of the leeks, onions and shallots done almost completely by himself (he had some help from our coffee roasting friends, Sarah & Paul of Poppa Bean but other than that, he managed to seed thousands of plants all by his lonesome).  Usually, it's the two of us doing the seeding but now with Ayla more active than ever and requiring lots of attention, I have my hands full.  I haven't had time to fulfill my other duties, like advertising or bookkeeping, although I did manage to coordinate some interviews and we now have a new intern!  That makes two for this year (Joséphine is returning for another year - lucky us!!!) and potentially a third, depending on the success of our CSA registration.  Speaking of which, I'm really excited to use our new online software this year which should streamline everything, from communicating with customers to creating harvest schedules to tracking online veggie orders.  Yay technology!

Back to being swamped...
How do the ladies do it?  I have no idea how to juggle a business, care for a 6-month old, cook meals, keep up with the domestic duties, maintain a social life (or some semblance of such) and still be sane for my husband/partner in crime at the end of the day.  Maybe that's why people used to have kids in their 20s - at 22 I had the energy for all of this.  I could party till 5am then go to school and write an exam three hours later.  At 31, I can barely keep my eyes open after 10pm.  Oh well, my house is dirty, we eat too many tuna melts and canned soup, my social life consists of cracking a beer and signing into Facebook, and the business is not getting nearly enough attention but the baby is healthy, happy and as cute as pumpkin pie!  At least I can still be a good mom.

Ayla's first visit to the greenhouse.

Thanks Maureen Donnelly for the unbelievably cute sweater/hat combo!

It's amazing how much snow we still have.  I don't expect it to disappear for a while.  And you know what that means; the longer the snow is around, the longer it will take for the fields to dry, delaying our field preparation, transplanting and seeding, and ultimately delaying the vegetable harvest.  We like to have veggies available in the middle of May for the farmers' market but this snow may set us back until June.  The joys of farming.  Sigh.

The greenhouse currently looks like this:

March 23rd and still loads of snow.

Thousands of leeks, onions and shallots

hand-seeded by Jonny!

The onions are germinating already!

A balmy 78 degrees inside our plastic paradise.

 Yesterday, Jonny seeded the first round of broccoli and kale and today he's out there seeding Swiss chard.  This week, he'll continue with cauliflower and cabbage.  Ayla's napping so I can get some bookkeeping done and then I'll work on the flyer and advertising, then start buying supplies for the intern accommodations.  Oh yeah, we also have our organic certification application due in a month.  HELP!

If I've learned anything about running a small business, it's to not let the stress overwhelm me.  One thing at a time.  Well, back to work!  Have a great Passover and Easter everyone!

Off to a good start: Happy New Year!

The season has already begun and the ice hasn't even melted; Jonny is working on the seed order, I'm wrapping up the bookkeeping for 2012 and starting to advertise the CSA and intern positions.  We are looking for three interns to help us with our 75-member CSA and two farmers' markets.  The Westboro and Brewer Park Farmers' Markets in Ottawa were really enjoyable  last year, so we will be returning for another season.

We are growing slowly and learning a lot in the process.  The best part of having a small business is meeting new people and building those relationships.  We've met some really amazing people; from our stellar interns to our CSA members and market regulars, not to mention fellow farmers - friends for life!  We really are lucky.

The holidays here at Luxy were fabulous!  Our gorgeous baby girl, Ayla, was spoiled by her relatives who came up from Toronto and London to shower her with gifts, kisses and cuddles.  She definitely was the highlight of 2012 and not just for us, her adoring parents!  She's now three and a half months old and starting to develop a personality.  A couple more years and she'll be out in the field with mini rubber boots on, helping me pick peas and beans!

Now the farm is resident to 3 humans, 2 cats and 1 dog.  Unfortunately two dogs was far too much to handle, so Hazel went to a good home in Ottawa.  Molly is becoming an obedient dog but we still have work to do.  By next year, she'll be a trained sled dog for Ayla!

Here she is pulling my nephew Kellen, with Jonny's guidance.

So we're keeping busy, needless to say.  I'm a lot slower completing tasks with a baby in tow, the house is a mess more often than not, and my brain is mush due to lack of sleep combined with postpartum hormones but it's totally worth it.

Family nap time with Jonny, Ayla and Mary Lou.

In another six weeks, we'll be firing up the greenhouse and starting our seedlings.  It's my favourite part of the season!  Inside, the greenhouse is sunny and t-shirt temperature, budding with new life, smelling of potting soil and new beginnings.  The contrasting landscape of snow and naked trees is what makes it magical - it's like being on vacation in a reverse snow-globe.  I'm looking forward to it!

Enjoy your winter and stay warm everyone!

The end of another season

Hello members, for the final time this year!

We would like to thank you all for being a part of the CSA and supporting our local business and sustainable agriculture.  We couldn't do this without you!  Despite the difficult growing season, we managed to supply you all with an abundance of our best veggies and according to the survey results, you are as happy with the outcome as we are.

Fall boxes are being distributed this week and below is a list of links to relevant recipes.  We will continue to attend the Sunday Brewer Farmers' Market in Ottawa throughout November and the Cumberland Christmas Market on December 1st, with greenhouse spinach, arugula, radishes, mesclun, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, kohlrabi and pumpkins.  Stop by and say hello!

Sign up now for the 2013 CSA and save $25!  Call or email us anytime throughout the winter; we'll be planning for next season and have the greenhouse fired up in March to get our seedlings started.  Have a wonderful winter and we look forward to seeing you again next June!

Ayla & The Sweet Potato

Sweet potato pie: http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/11/sweet-potato-buttermilk-pie/
Sweet potato fries: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lcs-sweet-potato-fries/
Pumpkin muffins: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/pumpkin_spice_muffins.php
Butternut ravioli: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butternut-Squash-Sage-and-Goat-Cheese-Ravioli-with-Hazelnut-Brown-Butter-Sauce-14287
Butternut lasagna: http://www.marthastewart.com/314642/butternut-squash-and-sage-lasagna
Acorn squash recipes: http://www.thekitchn.com/10-ways-to-eat-an-acorn-squash-129731
Swiss chard soup: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/swiss_chard_soup.php
Sausage, potato & swiss chard soup: http://www.cbc.ca/bestrecipes/2010/01/sausage-potato-and-swiss-chard-soup.html
Kohlrabi curry: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/special-dietary-needs/vegetarian/kohlrabi-curry/

Cheers,
Team Luxy - Daizy, Jonny, Ayla, Joséphine & Greg

CSA Newsletter: week #16 - Oct 9 & 10

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
We are at our final week of the regular season CSA.  Next week, we will have a fall box available for those interested.  It will include $50 worth of winter squash, potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, kale, chard, and possibly eggplant and peppers.  We will arrange a pickup/delivery time and day with each of you individually.

If anyone is interested in helping plant garlic this Saturday, Oct. 13th, we will begin around 3pm and provide food for after the hard work is finished.  Send us an email!

Now, I'll have to make this newsletter short and sweet because on Friday, October 5th, I gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Ayla Beatrice Näf (pronounced Eye-la)!  She arrived at 8:36pm after a good 21-hours of labour, 2 weeks early.  At 6 lbs, 5 oz and 19 inches long, she's tiny and amazing.  I can't wait for you all to meet her!

I got home from the hospital last night, and after less than 3 hours of non-consecutive sleep, I'm in no head space to be searching for delicious recipes.  However, here is your list of veggies for this final week:

• Cabbage * chou
• Spaghetti squash * courge
• Turnips * navet
• Sweet potatoes * patate douce
• Spinach * épinards
• Carrots * carottes
• Beets * betteraves
• Kale * chou frisé

Please don't forget to fill out your surveys.  I'll send out a final newsletter next week with the results.  Have a great long weekend!

Cheers!

Team Luxy

CSA Newsletter: week #15 - Oct 2 & 3

Hello members!
Your veggies this week:

• carnival squash * courge
• pie pumpkins * citrouille
• cherry tomatoes * tomates cerises
• field tomatoes * tomates
• carrots * carottes
• beets * betteraves
• turnips * navet
• lettuce * laitue
• onions * oignons
• baby bok choy * pe-tsaï

We hope you are enjoying your different squash varieties!  Here are 8 delicious recipes for your carnival squash.  You will receive a pie pumpkin just in time for Thanksgiving.  Try making pumpkin soup, pie or pumpkin empanadas.  We still have field and cherry tomatoes!  Most farms no longer have tomatoes, so lucky us!  Baby carrots and beets are here for another round and new to the CSA this year are turnips!  Here are some ideas for cooking your turnips.  Lettuce and baby bok choy are your leafy greens for this week.  You'll also receive a quart of onions for your everyday cooking needs.

carnival squash * courge

 white turnips * navet

I'm afraid to say that next week is the last CSA pickup!  We will be offering an extra share to those of you interested, and it will include more squash, potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, greens, etc - for a total of $50 worth of veggies.  Email me if you're interested in purchasing this extra fall share.

Also, sign up for the 2013 CSA now and receive a $25 discount!  The early-bird special will guarantee you a spot in the CSA and will only be available until March 1st, so get your $100 deposit and post-dated cheques in soon! Having payment early enables us to buy seed and potting soil in January, and pay for heating the greenhouse in March.  It's a win-win situation!

2013 Prices (16 weeks):

Farm pickup $450 early-bird discount, $475 after March 1, 2013.

Embrun pickup $475 early-bird discount, $500 after March 1, 2013

Rockcliffe pickup $525 early-bird discount, $550 after March 1, 2013.

We are also offering bi-weekly shares next year (8 weeks):

Farm bi-weekly pickup $250

Embrun bi-weekly pickup $275

Rockcliffe bi-weekly pickup $300

And if you have a family of 5-7 people, you can buy an extra full share for $450 or add on an additional bi-weekly share to feed all of those mouths!

Enjoy your second-last share!

Cheers,

Team Luxy