Bumper crop of Sunchokes!

 

Bumper crop of Sunchokes!
Photo from a couple weeks ago when we planted our last-of-the-year spinach.  It's now nearly ready to be harvested!
 
Farm Update
 
 Our tunnel plantings are growing well now.  We have started harvesting from some of them here and there, not because we are finished in the field, but because the greenhouse plants will be in better shape over the winter if we do.  We call this type of vegetable our “cut-and-come again” crops because we plan on harvesting each planting more than once.

Cut-and-come-again crops are great because they’re more efficient to produce, especially for the winter when it takes a lot more time and effort to grow and establish new seedlings.  Winter chard, spinach, dill and cilantro are all in this category.  A key part of  keeping them healthy through the low season is harvesting them regularly and cleaning up the parts we leave behind to regrow. We keep residual stems short, take off any leaves that won’t be harvested in the future, and remove weeds regularly. These hygienic practices improve airflow and keep only healthy, growing tissues on those plants.  Lots of our common weeds tend to be susceptible to diseases like powdery mildew, so weeding also stops them from spreading it to our crops.

The chard and spinach have already had their first harvest and are regrowing quickly.  This week we’ll move on to harvesting the dill, which will also allow us to do a more thorough weeding of that bed when the leaves are out of the way.  It’s nice to have a little boost from these first greenhouse harvests while the cold weather and short days starts to make the field crops develop more slowly.

Lastly, we had the first sunchoke harvest on the year!  We moved the sunchoke bed this season and it is thriving in it’s fresh, new spot.  Sunchokes are perennial, but we wanted to move them to hopefully reduce the level of canker we saw last year and to move them away from enterprising critters.  Results are great so far!  Check out the photo below to see the bumper harvest.
 
We were very happy to pull up the first sunchoke plants to find so many beautiful tubers!  
 

FARM STORE NOTES
 
FROM OUR FARM:
 
Sunchokes: Also called Jerusalem artichokes, sunschokes are related to sunflowers.  Indigenous to North Americe, sunschokes are both edible and ornamental.  They grow into a 10' tall plant with a beautiful sunflower-like bloom.  When the plants die back the the fall, you can dig up and eat the tubers!  
Use sunchokes any way you use carrot or potato, and no need to peel.  Grated/thinly sliced in salad, in soup or stew, roasted, scalloped, sauteed or mashed.  Flavour is similar to potato but slightly sweeter and nutty.
 
Leeks: Leek are in the onion family and have a mellow, sweet onion flavour.  They are often paired with hearty fall vegetables like potatoes, carrots and squash.  Leek can lean on the savoury side paired with mushrooms and thyme or fresh when paired with lemon and wilted greens, like collards or chard.  A very versatile vegetable.  If you have not tried leeks before, start with the classic: leek and potato soup!
 
Kale and collards: 
Green kale has the most robust flavour and will hold its structure well when cooked.  Purple kale has a red/purple/blue colour, softer texture when raw, milder flavour, and fewer frills on its leaves. 
Toscano is also called lacinato or dinosaur kale. It has the most robust texture and keeps its dark colour when cooked.  Slightly milder flavour than green kale. 
Collards are more similar to cabbage in sweet flavour.  The leaves have a really nice tender texture that holds together when cooked.  Lots of folks also use collard leaves in place of flour tortillas when making sandwich wraps.
 
From the field:​ Leeks, carrots, beets, potatoes, sunchokes, herbs (dill, cilantro, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme), salad mix, spinach, mustard greens, arugula, celeriac, rutabaga, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, choi, head lettuces, green onion, kale, collards.
 
From the Greenhouse and hoophouses: chard and dill
FROM OUR SUPPLIERS:
 
Early-season delicata and honeynut squashes have finished, but there are new varieties have been added. Fuji apples are now in season.  We've also brought in parsnips and russet potatoes for this week's offerings.
 
PRODUCE
 
HOPE Eco-Farms (Aylmer):​ Tetsukabuto, stripetti (striped spaghetti), butternut,​ and black futsu squash.  Sweet potatoes.
Great Lakes Farms (Port Stanley): Macintosh, cortland, empire, gala, honeycrisp, mutsu, spy, jonagold, sunpunch, golden delicious, fuji.
Forest City Microgreens (London): Fresh microgreens
Daryl Myny (Aylmer): Spanish onions
Pfenning's Organics: Red onions, russet potatoes, parsnips
Through Pfenning's: Ontario Empire, Gala or Liberty apples, and Asian pears, shallots, and mushrooms.  From further away; lemons, limes, ginger, turmeric.
 
DAIRY and EGGS
Mistyglen Creamery (Belmont): ​Non-homogenized and vat pasteurized milk, yogurt, and cheese curds.  
HOPE Eco-Farms (Aylmer): Eggs.
Through Pfenning's: L'Ancetre butter and grass-fed cheeses
Gunn's Hill (Woodstock): Brie, Handeck and Five Brother's cheeses
 
 FROZEN
3Gen Organics (Wallenstein): Ground pork, sausage, bacon, ham, tenderloin, chops
YU Ranch (Tillsonburg): Pasture-raised ground beef, beef patties, stewing beef
New Leaf Foods (London): Plant-based beet burgers
 
BAKERY
Seth/La Houlette de vie (St. Thomas): Organic sourdough bread made using local grain that Seth mills himself. 
Artisan Bakery (London): Sourdoughs and pastry made with local flour.
J&D Peters Tortillas (Aylmer):​ Corn, spelt, whole wheat and unbleached flour tortillas.
Lewis Baked Goods (St. Thomas): Organic flour ready-to-use pizza crusts.
 
PANTRY
Aldred Maple (West Lorne): Amber, dark, or whiskey barrel-aged maple syrup.
Wildflowers Honey (St. Thomas): Unpasteurized honey from hives all over Elgin County, including our farm!
Mat's Fine Oils (Staffordville). Fresh, organic and cold-pressed, hemp and sunflower oil. Store in the refrigerator.

PICKUP / DELIVERY SCHEDULE

Pickup Instore: Farm pickup is Thursday 4pm-8pm. ​Western Fair is Saturday 8-3 pm, Kitchener Market 7-2 pm.

Delivery: Thursday or  Friday in London / St.Thomas.  We will send out the schedule Wednesday.  

RETURNING CONTAINERS

We love to re-use wherever possible!  We can take our CGF boxes and liner bags, strawberry and blueberry baskets/boxes, milk bottles, and egg cartons. 

For delivery, please leave these return items out where you would like your order dropped off.  Thank you!

 
 
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Common Ground Farm 6986 Middle River Road St. Thomas, Ontario N5P 3S9
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