Last Planting of the Year

 

Last Planting of the Year
Harvesting herbs on Friday! L-R: Jasmine, Laura, Blayne
 
Farm Update
 
As of now, we have one more small succession of late-season lettuce to be planted in the greenhouse, and then we will be finished transplanting for 2025!   It hasn't been cold enough to require heating the greenhouse yet, but it has become a little too cold for the few beds of late basil we have in there right now.  Since those basil plants are finishing up anyway, they will be removed this week to make way for this last group of lettuce. 

In addition to storage harvests, we have a few outstanding projects before harder frosts arrive.  One big one will be garlic planting.  We started prep on that area a few weeks ago, so it's nearly ready for planting.  We just (literally) need to get cracking garlic!  Most of our garlic is still hanging in bundles from harvest time, so we will be bringing them down to clip/crack bulbs for planting and move the rest of the bulbs to an area where they won't freeze over the winter.

In bittersweet news, last week we also said goodbye to Blayne, as she heads off on an exciting new adventure.  Blayne has worked with us for two seasons, and many folks will recognize her big smile and positive attitude from our stand at Western Fair market.  In the last two years, not only has she put in a lot of hard work to grow vegetables for the community, but her enthusiasm and willingness to try new things have undoubtedly contributed to a positive team culture at the farm.  Coming to the us with horticultural experience, it has been wonderful to watch her build on her skills at the farm and enjoy discovering how to cook with all the vegetables we grow.  Thank you for everything you have brought to the farm.  We are glad to have been on this journey with you! 

 
Blayne and Laura joined forces to make team lunch with lots of veggies from the farm!  Pasta and tomato sauce with our tomatoes, carrots and herbs.  It went with a big salad of our kale, roasted butternut squash (HOPE Eco), apples (Great Lakes) and pumpkin seeds.  Delicious!
 

FARM STORE NOTES
 
FROM OUR FARM:
 
Leeks: Finally here!  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!
 
Spinach:  Thanks to the much-needed rain this weekend, spinach will be extra crunchy and delicious. These field-grown leaves make for a more robust fleshy texture and deep flavour we love.  We have XL bags available now.  One of the most versatile greens, spinach can be added to nearly anything fresh or cooked.  We will be eating lots fresh, wilted into soup, and freezing the fresh leaves for later cooking.
 
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, herbs (dill, cilantro, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme), salad mix, spinach, mustard greens, arugula, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, choi head lettuces, green onion, kale, collards.
 
From the Greenhouse and hoophouses: Basil and chard
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, 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
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.  Seasonal flavour: Mocha.
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, organic 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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