We asked Rebecca and Rebecca said, No more Aggies Jumping on the Bed

November 7^th at the orchard the air was brisk and clean,

Aggies piled out in to the sunlight dressing to keep warm

for any alium lover that day was a garlic dream,

the neighbouring plot was all weeds were previously grew corn

but the garlic beds were ready and the students were keen

so off we went to get muddy, this we’d been warned

Measure twice and dig once, as the old saying goes

plots chosen, we planted, offset and 6 inches apart.

The biggest bulbs are the best as everyone knows

some would grow with Rye, there progress written on a chart

Research in yield, to be written in perfect prose

But for now we dig, giving last years cloves a fresh start

The work went steady with song and much laughter
We planted, point up! and double deep in its height
the little bulbs were tucked in with a good raking after
but with all that space planted, there was extra, what a sight!
so the students descended, what was plenty, soon picked over
one task done, now another to do, this is easy with such aggie might

That corn field i mentioned, what a disastrous place
and who would have crept in but the deadly night shade
but not to fear the aggies are here and we keep a good pace
forking, pulling, racking, there are beds to be made
we are hoping our effort will leave not a trace
but weeding is labour and this class has got that in spades

In the meantime, beyond the bean poles, there are beets for the harvest
the market may be over but we can still make a good sale
there is squash and potatoes, now add beets to the mess
carted through campus, their path leaving a muddy trail
the money will got to SASA to plan adventures that are best
so when each aggie grads they can tell a good tale

when the planting and harvest and clean up is done
we round up the tools and piled back into the van
it was time (we were hungry) to get out of the sun
we felt good with our work, the days labour on the land
our pockets filled with bounty, our packs now weighed a ton
Im making pickled beets! Christmas gifts for the Kenney clan

Can you guess what we are doing? Hint: facilities will be very happy

I'd say Will is done for the day wouldn't you?

Here is the recipe mama Kenney sent me to make pickle beets, Its so easy! 

1. boil beets with the skin on for about 10-15 min depending on the size
2. then cool in cold water, skins should slip off
3. combine equal parts in pot
1. water
2. sugar
3. white or apple cider vinegar
4. 1 tbsp pickling spice in tea pouch or tea bell
5. bring to a boil and add beets
6. boil for 10 minutes and pack into sterilised jars 

The pickling spice is easiest to buy in a premixed blend cause it involves about 14 different spices. I had so many beets of differing colours, so I brewed the spices for 10 minutes and then poured the brew over the beets in the jars and used the final sealing boil to cook em in. I used a whopping 7 cups of water, sugar, and vinegar to pickle all the beets I brought home and now I have 11 1/2 jars of pickled beauty. Yum!

Halloween Harvest ~ October 31

We started off the morning at the Terraces under a fairly overcast sky. 

    

We harvested and processed some of the sorghum sweetgrass stalks to hand out as Halloween candy at the market. The sorghum is full of sugary syrup which makes it a tasty treat.

After the sorghum cutting we went to the orchard to continue the harvest. The sun broke out of the clouds and it warmed up a little (to ~10 degrees C). 

We harvested beets, carrots, brussels, leeks and potatoes. 

We cleaned them up for market and then proceeded to clear away the brassica and corn to make room for a garlic planting. It was a short but sweet Halloween morning.

Heres a fun video of some people making sorghum syrup!

A Visit to Market Day

Twas the morning before market, when all through the terrace
Not a student was stirring, not even the carrots
The 'barrows were parked in the lockup with care,
In hopes that Ag. Students soon would be there;

The veggies were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of market-day danced through their heads;
And 'Becca in her boots and Mike in his cap,
Had just walked us students for a wet terrace lap,

When out on the lawn arose such a clatter,
We sprang from the beds to escape the rain which was fatter.
Away to the overhang we ran with a splash
'til open the clouds and the sun did flash.

The sun on the veg in the new fallen rain,
gave the lustre of mid-day to students still sane.
When what to our wondering eyes did appear
but a miniature farm truck, a Nissan Frontier.

With a fit young driver, so lively for the mornin'
We knew in a moment it must be manager Torin
More rapid than eagles his students they came,
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name!

Now Biebl now Piper now Will Bailey-Elkin
On Lindsay on Jordan on Emily McEachern
To the top of the kale! to top of the wash stall!
Now wash away! wash away! wash away all!

As dirty leaves before the wash hurricane clean
When we meet with an obstacle, bound to the scene.
So down to the lockup the students they flew
packed the truck full of veg and farmer Torin too.

You Can't Beet These Honest Prices

October is officially here and the days are starting to get nice and crisp. On October 4th, 2017 our class had lovely fall weather--the type of weather where you dress in your warmest clothes but need to remove half your layers by 10 AM. Richmond had a high of 15°C with sun throughout the entire day.

Mike, ensuring that our processing station is up to snuff.

While the morning’s weather was calm and sunny, there was a definite sense of urgency in Mike and Rebecca’s voices. Our usual walk-around to assess the Terrace Garden had to be skipped so we could get right into harvesting for the afternoon market. Now that our Agroecosystems class is only three hours long, and once per week, our class is still figuring out how to use so little time in a productive manner that still contributes to our learning objectives and the overall productivity of the KPU farm. Our group harvested a small amount in a short period of time so some of the class could head over to the Orchard to pick various squash for the market. The crops harvested on the Terrace Gardens were lettuce, arugula, kale, tomato, pepper, zucchini, and cucumber. While our latest seeding of greens was growing beautifully, I believe we harvested the last of our tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers of the season.

Freshly cut and washed mixed greens.

Once the Terrace harvest was complete we met Torin and Grace downstairs in the sustainable agriculture storage area. Torin and Grace had just finished harvesting an abundance of produce from the Orchard Farm-- so, we amalgamated all of our bounty, and loaded the truck up for the market. Since Nick and I were volunteering to help run the market stand, we hopped into the truck with Torin, Grace, and Johnny, while the rest of the class went to go harvest squash at the Orchard.

Jordan, finalizing some very important documents.

As we drove to the market location we discussed a recent CBC Marketplace episode, which uncovered and made public the issue of Ontario farmers market vendors selling produce that was not grown on their farms. Many of the farms that were investigated told bogus stories of how they grew and harvested their produce from their own land, when in reality they had stopped by the local wholesale distributor, removed the stickers, and re-sold it as their own. While lying to your customers is always an unethical thing to do, our discussion led me to believe that re-sellers do have a place in farmers markets, and that publicly shaming produce sellers, and farmers may not be the right route to go if creating a sustainable food system is the objective. Torin’s family runs a vegetable farm in the region of Ontario where the investigation took place, and immediately after the investigation his family estimated that 1 out of 5 customers interrogated them about whether or not their produce was truly grown on their farm. This attitude will surely create more distrust between both the producer and consumer.

Setting up the KPU market stand.

This topic brings up a consistent issue in our food system: the local food movement has trained consumers to believe that ‘knowing thy farmer’ is the only thing that is needed to ensure a sustainable food system. While this is key, I believe consumers should also attempt to educate themselves around the food system as a whole and the interdependence of the many different scales of agricultural production that currently exists. Re-selling produce is quite critical to many vegetable farmers, as it allows them to have a larger number of products to sell, and while a farmer may be incredibly passionate about growing the finest cabbage, his or her ability to re-sell some peppers alongside that cabbage, could just keep their business stable and secure. 

Ontario boasts some of the largest, most vibrant farmers markets in Canada, and this is most definitely due in some part to farmers who re-sell produce. Furthermore, re-sold wholesale produce is usually going to be cheaper, making farmers markets accessible to both low and high income citizens. Everyone deserves the right to walk outside and buy their groceries under the summer sun.

So, while I do not support any entrepreneur who knowingly lies about the origins of their product, I still do not support the public shaming that took place in the CBC Marketplace episode. If we want to practically deal with farmers market vendors who lie, here are some policies that could be put in place: 

• Have a cap on the number of re-sellers/ wholesale distributors that are allowed in a farmers market. 
• Institute a policy that requires all re-sellers advertise where their products are truly from. 
• Have third-party audits of all farmers market vendors.  

KPU market stand

The rest of the day went very well. We had a small rush of people during the first hour, and steady customers until the end of the market. Although we didn't completely sell out, our sales were estimated at just above average. On a high note, everyone loves our beets! So many repeat buyers commented on the delicious flavour, and the beautiful variety of colours that were offered.

Getting Ready for the Market-ocalypse!

Tuesday September 26 2017

Even though we are in autumn now, the sun and the heat came by to say hello one last time this Tuesday!

Early Blight on Cherry tomatoes

 

During our usual walk about we assessed the terraces to see what is to be harvested for the market, and what is to be taken out because of the change of seasons, or disease.

Cucumber season is now over,  but there was enough greens for a few bags of salad blend.

The Cherry tomatoes are still producing despite the presence of early blight, and the nasturtiums bounced back very nicely after being infested with aphids in the summer. 

The Kale Trial: no data was taken from the kale trial this week.

Rep 1 is improving! This could be do to the cooler temperatures which kale can thrive in.

Rep 2 by the sunflowers is still pathetic, which isn’t surprising as they are so close to the sunflowers that can exude phytochemicals that can restrict the growth of other plants nearby.

Rep 3 looks like it has been hit with some powdery mildew near the base of some of the plants, and some plants were even starting to bolt, which is concerning at this time of the year.

  

Piper giving the melon a sniff

Stark preparing a breakfast snack for us all

Scalopini

Mike checking out the mystery squash

Arugula

Baby Kale

Nastursiums

The arugula on the terraces is doing very well! And the kale next to the arugula was harvested as baby kale to add to the salad blend, as well as mustard greens.

Piper and Will transplanting onions

Once the truck was packed up and off to the market the rest of the students transplanted some very sad looking onions, and we will all have to cross our fingers that they will survive the transplant!

Some weeding was done, as that is always needed, and then that was it!

The Market:

It was a race to the finish line on the terraces as always! The truck needs to get to the market site and have everything set up by noon, and as always (at this new location) it was a very busy start. Stark even said he had to fend off customers before the market opened like they were zombies in the Walking Dead!

Last weeks market broke the all time record in sales, unfortunately this week was not as successful as last week, but there are no complaints from anybody because this new location is so much more profitable then the previous location on campus.