By: Robin T.
Metchosin Grown and Certified Organic
We love growing delicious vegetables and sharing the abundance.
Our farm stand is open every Tuesday and Saturday all winter long.
On the farm stand this week:
Arugula • Beets • Purple Sprouting Broccoli • Cabbage • Carrots • Celeriac • Chard • Collards • Garlic • Kale • Leeks • Parsley • Potatoes • Radishes • Rutabaga • Salad Greens • Turnips • Winter Squash •
Pruning the Orchard
We made the most of the beautiful weather on Sunday to get out into the orchard. Its always fun to get up into the trees and give them some love and attention. Pruning is important at this time of year so that you can direct the growth of the tree to promote airflow and a healthy balance.
While up in the branches, Sasha discovered clusters of very organised and carefully protected eggs. We excitedly brought out our entomology book, only to discover that they are the eggs of our nemesis -the tent caterpillars!
Perfect Carrots? - I didn't even knock on wood!
For those of you who have been with us over the years, you'll remember all of us suffering together through some rough times with carrots. These sweet roots are infamous for attracting every munching creature for miles (admit it, we'd all be at the feast!). The thing that bugs me most about farming is the lack of consistent cause and effect. In the past, I've tried so hard with carrots, experimenting with deterents to wire worm, and trials different varieties of carrots. No luck. And then when I resign myself to mediocrity, perfect carrots emerge. Let's delight in them this year, and then hold no future expectations, ok?
As an endnote, I attended my favourite farming conference in Washington this fall, and I did learn some new tricks for deterring wireworms, so I'll be trying my best out there, but no guarantees in 2020/21.
A Note about Collards
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I wish we had another name for these sweet winter greens. The name collards conjures up memories for some -leathery leaves that taste sharp and acrid. Or worse, slimy greens that were boiled to death and served slathered in bacon grease. My favourite quote from a Southern native: "We didn't eat collards for health reasons."
Collards in the grocery store are invariably grown where there is no frost. Frost is key for creating winter sweetness. Collards exposed to frost are an entirely different experience. We like them more than kale, which is saying a lot. And I don't harvest them until they've had a good hit of cold weather.
They're easily prepared. Take the whole bunch and roll it lengthwise. Slice it really finely, removing the coarse stems as you work your way down the leaves. Then, add these fine ribbons to soups in their last 5 minutes of cooking, wilt them over stir fries and casseroles at the very end, or eat them raw like in this recipe. May you relish and delight in your newfound acquaintance with collards. We use delicata squash instead of sweet potato for this recipe!
http://http://www.arthurstreetkitchen.com/journal/2015/3/6/shredded-collard-baked-sweet-potato-pinto-bean-and-spicy-buttermilk-dressing
