Storage carrot harvest is underway

Storage carrot harvest is underway
Brody, Jorge, and Marcelino harvesting carrots this morning
Farm Update
  
We are well into storage carrot harvest now, thankfully it’s improving as we go.  There was a rough start with the first batch we brought in where almost half of the carrots were split or broken during harvest.  It’s caused by a bad combination of the carrots being really large and then having rain the previous weekend which made them extra crispy and prone to splitting.  Normally that sounds great, but they were so ready to burst that going through the conveyor belt and then falling into the storage bin on the harvester was too much for them.  It’s a little heartbreaking to see these beautiful, perfect carrots be broken at their very best stage, but most will be delicious as seconds.  It’s just a lot more seconds than we’re used to.

Thanks to some ingenuity and leftover heavy-duty cardboard, we constructed a slide so that the carrots have a gentler journey.  It hasn’t been able to save them all from breakage and it requires more frequent stops, but its a level of improvement we can definitely work with.  We did joke about making some kind of giant pillow… Things should be much smoother once we get through this earliest succession.  

Aside from the broken carrots, the weather is also making bulk harvesting a little challenging. It’s really important to harvest storage vegetables when they’re as cold as possible, so this warm spell has definitely shortened our harvest windows for this week.  When faced with conditions like this we would love to be able to start work earlier like we do in the summer heat, but this time of year we don’t have enough daylight to start any earlier!  We just have to get to harvest as quickly as possible before it’s warm out and make sure we have thought carefully about the priorities. 
 
Setting your Preferences: You can set food preferences for your subscription!  These preferences will change what goes into the initial list of produce we send you.  We really recommend doing this (or updating it) because it helps you start out with more things you like, especially if you don't end up customizing your order on a given week.  Also note: If you were a member with us when we used Harvie, your preferences were not able to be carried over and should be re-set!  To change them, go to ‘My Account’ and look on the right side of the page, or click this link below:
SET YOUR PREFERENCES
Job opportunities: We are looking for a delivery driver for 2-3 days a week.  Driver resumes should be sent to chris@commongroundfarm.ca​
 
Carrot harvest scavengers... The dogs always follow behind the harvester to clean up what was missed
 
FARM STORE NOTES
 
Things to note from us: There are lots of beautiful fennel coming from the fields right now.  If you haven't tried it, it has a wonderful sweet anise flavour (not bitter like black licorice which it's sometimes compared to) crunchy leaves and fronds that resemble dill which you can chop and use like a herb or garnish.  Excellent sauteed, roasted, in tomato sauce, in salad or eaten raw on its own!
 
Seconds carrots: Help us eat all those crispy carrots that split during harvest!  Seconds are also the non-uniform or smaller carrots that don't make it into regular baskets.  Great for soups, roasting, grating, juicing, and we hear the really little ones are lunchbox favourites.
 
Napa cabbage are looking great right now.  A farm crew favourite salad uses napa as the lettuce.
 
Hakurei turnips are at their prime!  These are best in the fall.  They taste like a mild radish and have the most delicious tender texture.
 
Tomato sauce: Our 2024 batch is in the store.  The 'tomato only' version is in the store now and a new one is coming soon.
 
From the field: The last of the fruiting crops, green onions, beets, cabbages, napa, broccoli, cauliflower, kales, turnips, kohlrabi, swiss chard, celeriac, radishes, head lettuces, greens, and lots of herbs.
 
From greenhouses and hoophouses: tomatoes, sweet peppers, jalapenos, chard.
FROM OUR SUPPLIERS:
 
Great Lakes Farms (Port Stanley): Mutsu, Empire, Jonagold, Courtland, Gala, Macintosh, Honeycrisp apples. New this week: Northern Spy and Fuji.
 
HOPE Eco-Farms (Aylmer): Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup/Kabocha, Honeynut, and Delicata squash. Sweet potatoes and eggs. 
 
Pfenning's: Spanish onions, garlic.
 
Through Pfenning's: Ontario Rescue, Sundown and Harrow Sweet pears, Honeycrisp and Liberty apples.  Travelling from further away; citrus, ginger, turmeric.
 
Bakery: Seth/La Houlette de vie (St. Thomas) is bi-weekly now and is available this week.  Artisan Bakery (London) is available until they closeout on Tuesday morning.  
 
Dairy: Milk, yogurt, and curds are from Mistyglen Creamery (Belmont).  Please note: bottles and jars need to be rinsed well before being returned.
 
Pantry: Mixed-pack cans from Booch (London) and cold-pressed hemp and sunflower oil from Mat's Fine Oils (Staffordville).
 
 
Magenta lettuces mid-harvest.  We flip them as we cut because we always seem to forget some tin the field otherwise

Weekly pickup / delivery schedule:

Farm pickup will be Thursday from 4 to 8 pm. 

Deliveries will be Thursday or  Friday in London / St.Thomas.  We will send out the schedule Wednesday night.

Refer-a-friend:  If you refer a friend and they sign up for our 2024 main season please send me a note and I'll give you a $25 credit as a thank-you on your account!
link:
Note that if you you will no longer get reminders about your subscription!

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