National CSA sign up day

Stam Farms market share treasures

 Today is the PERFECT day to sign up for a season of local bounty at a local farm!

What is a CSA?  Community supported agriculture, which is a partnership between you the consumer and the farmer as the grower.  A typical CSA share is paid for in advance, and in return throughout the growing season you will receive a basket of gorgeous produce weekly, bi weekly etc. 

Will I get to choose what is in my CSA share?  Each farm runs their program differently.  Some do offer flexibility and choice with items in the share allowing you to select your preferred greens, roots etc according to what is available.  Other farms put together the same shares for everyone. 

How much produce is in each share?  This varies farm to farm!  Most have at least 2 size options to suit each person or family’s needs.

Why do we have to pay up front?  Paying for the CSA ahead of time allows the grower to cover up front costs of purchasing seed, growing seedlings and planting while securing the farmers income for season regardless of environmental or natural factors.  Drought last year saw many farmers abandoning lesser than crops in order to save others.  Not all farms require up front payment, some may take a payment plan or accept monthly installments.  None the less the CSAs were full of what fared well for each farmer, I know ours certainly were! 

Gorgeous Matchbox Garden share

Farming grueling work – think of how hot it was last summer here in Southern Ontario and imagine working the fields harvesting in that heat!  Seriously, thank a farmer today if you can and better yet support them with a CSA commitment this year! 

Cheers!

Here are some of the beautiful farms I follow that offer CSAs in and around the greater Hamilton area.  If I have missed you let me know and I will happily add your farm to the list. 

Honest Field Farms – Hamilton

http://www.honestfieldfarms.ca

Manorun Organic Farm – Lynden

http://www.manorun.com/shares

Matchbox Garden - Caledonia

http://www.matchboxgarden.ca/services

 Plan B Organics - Branchton

http://planborganicfarms.ca

Stam Farms – Hagersville – CSA (Market share) is now FULL for 2017 but will have farm gate produce and other goodies for sale

https://www.facebook.com/stamfarms/

Tree and Twig – Wellandport – CSA is now FULL for 2017 but produce may be available, call and ask.  http://treeandtwig.ca

Matchbox Garden

The new sign at the farm

This Thursday will mark week 15 of Matchbox Garden’s CSA program!  We pick up our regular sized share Thursday’s at the farm in Caledonia and although there is a list sent out to select choices weekly, it still feels like a pleasant surprise unpacking the bag!  Occasionally items are substituted because nature hasn’t co-operated and certain items are no longer thriving come harvest but generally what you choose from the list is what you get. 

The options look something like this for a regular sized share:

Cooking Greens – choose 1 – swiss chard -1 bunch, sweet potato leaf -1 bunch, turnip tops-1bunch

Salad Greens –choose 1 –Arugula 1/4lb, baby beet greens-1 bunch, baby pok choy-1 bunch

Herbs & Flowers-choose 1- Mixed herb bunch, peppermint-1 bunch, edible flowers-1/2 pint, spearmint-1 bunch

Roots-choose 3-Beets tri colour -1 bunch, new potatoes-purple Russian-1 pint, Potatoes-white-1 pint, beets red-1 bunch, new potatoes-fingerling-1 pint, French turnip-1 bunch Cucurbit Family-choose 1-zucchini-1pint, patty pan squash-1pint, lemon squash-1 pint, early crookneck squash-1 pint, pie pumpkin-1pc, delicata squash-1pc

Tomatoes, Peppers & Eggplant-choose 2-tomatoes- cherry mixed-1pint, tomatoes-roma-1 pint, tomatoes-salad mix-1 pint, peppers-hot mixed-1/2 pint, tomatoes-field heirloom-1-4pcs, Tomatoes-paste/ketchup-1 pint, sweet peppers-mixed-1 pint

Fruit-choose 2-Pears, honey Bartlett-1 pint, peaches 1 pint, watermelon-1, apples-1 pint

One of the first CSA shares

Everything grown is certified organic with the exception of some low spray fruit sourced from fellow farms.  Hanna is always upfront about these options and they can be omitted should you not want them in your weekly bag. 

Along with being a part of the CSA program I have also purchased Matchbox Garden seeds and seedlings!  I planted an abundance of seeds this past spring that started out well but the helping hands I had liked to water a little too much ;) …Thankfully I was able to replace drowned plants with seedlings full of life from Matchbox Garden! 

 One of my favourite things about being involved in a CSA is meeting those who grow the food we eat.  It is so rewarding to drive up the lane way and be greeted by someone who has taken the time to prepare a selection of foods to feed your family.  If you ask my children where we buy vegetables they will say the farm and that warms my heart!

Evening Colours Sunflower 

Matchbox Garden started in Toronto in 2006 on a small urban lot and branched out to accommodate the farms growing needs utilizing other spaces in the GTA.  Currently the farm operates on their ½ acre property in beautiful Caledonia.  Follow the link below to the Matchbox Garden website below to learn more about the farm's history!  It’s a beautiful site with a fantastic seed catalogue.

The seeds sold by Matchbox are all hand harvested by Hanna!  They are certified organic, open pollinated and fantastic quality.  Heirloom and rare varieties are the focus all of which are full of flavour and add lovely colour to any garden! 

Hanna truly cares about the environment, the plants and all the little beings that play a role in the delicate ecosystem and uses gentle farming methods promoting sustainability.  Her experience is something she shares happily and I appreciate how willing she is to help trouble shoot my personal gardening challenges.  

This years seed order

My family is thankful for a great CSA season with Matchbox Garden.  The drive to the farm is scenic and peaceful, I often make a stop at the river.  Each week we are greeted with a warm smile and a bag full of beautiful vegetables and fruit for us to enjoy throughout the week. 

I encourage everyone I meet to take the time and get to know the farmers who feed their families on some level.  You will be amazed at what the partnership will give you and yours – healthy wholesome food & knowledge to last a lifetime. 

Thanks for Reading! 

Matchbox Garden's website: 

http://www.matchboxgarden.ca/

Share from week 14 with extra watermelon and bulk tomatoes

Fall is near

Golden Rod in bloom

Cooler nights, autumn skies, apple picking and pumpkin pies!  Autumn is my absolute favourite time of year.  Though I do not have any fall beds planted or any of the delightful fall goodies such as butternut or acorn squash in my gardens I look forward to buying them from local farmers!  

My tomatoes suffered the most but they started out poorly as I planted them close to a black walnut seedling.  PSA – black walnut trees are toxic to tomato plants among others such as peppers and apple trees!  I planted 23 tomato plants in hopes I wouldn’t have to buy any tomatoes for canning but that just didn’t work out this year.  Out of the surviving plants I have received maybe ½ a bushel which is not a lot in terms of saucing.  Luckily there are many wonderful farms that did much better with their plants and I could buy from the best!

A small tomato harvest

Peppers have shone this year for a change.  Aphids were ramped initially and I almost lost all 30 pepper plants but in the end I took the advice from a lovely farmer friend and kept all but the obviously deceased in the ground.  Currently ring of fire peppers are ripening to a beautiful red, gypsy peppers are still pushing out new fruit and any day the scotch bonnets will start changing colour!

Summer's bounty

Beans lined my front beds for the better part of July.  Green were very productive while the yellow and purple had a harder time.

Cucumber wasn’t a win here this year.  We had maybe 6 out of 6 plants!  With each hot day they suffered greatly, it was evident with their midday wilted leaves.  No amount of water could help them this season but the few we received were wonderful!

Zucchini was accidentally planted and until recently wasn’t showing signs of fruit.  There are a few on the plants now though and we look forward to picking them when they are ready!

Potatoes were a surprise crop that I didn’t intend to plant but I was offered a gift of seed potatoes and couldn’t resist.  Earlier in the season I harvested them all as new potatoes as the plants seemed to be dying back faster than they should have.  Home grown potatoes – there is nothing like them.

Flowers and cukes

I also planted herbs and some kale – lots and lots of basil that is only now starting to turn, rosemary, sage and dill which did reasonably well for me considering the conditions.

Sunflowers, bachelor buttons, zinnias, marigolds, calendula, cosmos and nasturtium were also planted for some floral colour all of which my children loved to pick and display in their hand painted jars. 

As my gardens come to an end and I start to put them to rest until spring I remain thankful.  Despite the harsh weather we have had this summer they still provided us with a decent amount of healthy hearty produce and lots of learning opportunity for my future gardens.

My efforts were so small compared to those of farmers,  This season has been hard on everyone.  So if you are a farmer or grower - THANK YOU! 

Where I began

Hi!  My name is Jessica. I am an almost 33-year-old mother of two children, ages five and two.  We live on the outskirts of the city with enough space to grow a decent sized garden.  I have a passion for local farms and shops in and around Hamilton, Ontario and am often advocating local foods to anyone who will listen.

The greater Hamilton area has an eclectic selection of eateries, coffee shops and retail space to suit the tastes of everyone.  Nestled along the edge of the city, numerous townships house beautiful farm land—this is where it all starts!   We are so fortunate to have the incredibly important field-to-table element in this area.  It may be seasonal but it can be preserved!

Matchbox Garden's CSA

I began my search for local gems in 2014 after I started to really consider where our food was coming from.  I took my questions online—reading descriptions and FAQs about local farms, coffee shops and eateries.  I looked for sustainable and responsible practices, humanely raised meats, organic practices, fair trade practices and the use of local items when possible.  I would go to these places and buy their offerings, enjoy the environment and usually have a good conversation if I was at a farm!

Stam Farm's Market Share

Our family garden is my contribution to the greater health of my family.  I dream that someday I will be able to feed more than just us!  I have had a garden for years, though this year was the largest with lots of ups and downs.

Our own zinnia

My journey is ongoing and I continue to visit my favourite farms and shops, meeting amazing people along the way.  I am always looking for new places to explore and look forward to growing my list!  My hope for this blog is that it will be a place people can find out about the wonderful treasures in the Hamilton and surrounding area and enjoy them too!