June 2012

Full speed ahead here at the farm…our opening weekend was a great success thanks to all who came out for their annual tomato plants.  Our sourdough artisan breads flew off the shelf, tomato plants left the farm in anticipation of being planted and the smell of summer was definitely in the air. 

 Many crops are in the ground though we continue to plant out all season long.  We are looking forward to the first delivery of our CSA boxes this week as well as meeting our many new customers. 

 For our customer convenience…it’s chicken time again.  This weekend at our farm-gate stand, The Mall, we will be selling our free run, pastured chickens.  They eat certified organic grain as well as all sorts of goodies from the earth and soil, which makes for one tasty bird.  Our chickens this year are $6/lb and they do sell out quickly.  Please let us know if you want us to put one aside for you.

 We are also up and running with our outdoor, wood-fired oven…each Saturday at The Mall we offer 3 varieties of organic, sourdough, artisan breads.  We are having lots of fun with our beautiful oven that Gregory finished building last year.  It appears that our sourdough seed bread is turning into a signature item.

We are having a bit of trouble keeping up with the egg orders…so we ordered another 40 laying hens.  They are heritage birds and they arrived as day-old chicks so they won’t be ready to lay until the fall, at approximately 6 months of age.  I’ll keep you posted when we have eggs in abundance.

Community Supported Agriculture

Our first delivery of the 2012 CSA box program is this Thursday and Saturday, June 14^th and 16^th.   We are looking forward to eating our way through the farm-growing season with everyone.  All the produce in the boxes is grown right here on our farm, harvested perfectly fresh and ripe, certified organic, tasty and nutritious…and very beautiful to look at I might add.

 Check out our website for more information, drop locations and to sign up for your 2012 CSA share.   www.WicklowWay.ca

What’s Available at Wicklow Way …

Artisan sourdough breads

Mesclun mix

Arugula

Spinach

Turnips

Radishes

Kale

Asian greens

Rhubarb

Cookies

Smoked sea salt

Dried heirloom tomatoes

Smoked tomatoes

Chicken, Duck, Pork

Chicken & Duck stocks

Olive oils

Balsamic vinegars

Our own honey

Meat chickens are available this Saturday, June 16th.  Please let me know if you would like to reserve a chicken or two.

Upcoming Events…

Port Hope and Cobourg Farmers Markets

Optimism…

We are very excited about the season ahead.  We’ve had sufficient rain to water in our plants and for decent germination on our direct seeded crops.  Peas are starting to flower, lettuces are heading up, the kale is amazingly beautiful, and our interns are doing a great job.

 We are milking both Indirha and GingerLee and have enough milk for drinking and making cheese.  It’s surprising how much milk two little does actually give.  It is definitely keeping me busy. 

 Gregory is currently building housing for our two pigs that we will pasture out in the third meadow.  They will spend the season rooting up and fertilizing new ground for cultivating crops in the future.  Keep in mind that late this fall we will be offering pork for sale.

 This past Sunday several girlfriends from grade school came out for a visit to Wicklow Way, a tour of the farm and lunch al fresco – salad with wood-fired roast duck breast, freshly made goat cheese, artisan breads…and of course…a little bubbly.  There was lots of laughter and catching up over lunch and a forced day off for Gregory and me. 

 Farm life is hard work, invigorating, sore muscle making, stressful and peaceful, overwhelming and emotional, interesting and educational…I could go on and on.  Mostly it is sharing our love of food, our passion for the outdoors and growing beautiful produce, and immense gratification when you enjoy and appreciate what we do here on the farm.  Thank you for letting us share a bit of who we are.

Enjoy the season,

Elaina & Gregory

June  2012

www.WicklowWay.ca

“Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity."

Lindley Karstens