Fairmeadow Farm Hoop House

Helping our friend Michelle at Fairmeadow Farm as she assembled her really big 20 by 100 foot hoop-house, was a good trial-run for our own hoop-house construction, though we could put 10 of covered gardens under her roof, with plenty of room to navigate!).

Not long after erecting the cover, inside and out her crops looked sumptuous, as if carved out of marzipan, obediently lined into their rows, patiently waiting for harvest.

A winter CSA is quite a different animal from a summer operation. Along with the challenges of growing with radically reduced warmth and sunshine, our weather here is unpredictable and can be quite aggressive (as we saw two weeks ago when our sudden, very wet snowfall weighed-down our hoophouse to the degree that I thought it had collapsed, though it sprung right back into shape as I removed the snow - whew!)

We've had two Fairmeadow Farm pick-ups to date and thank goodness we're proceeding with work on our cold cellar.
Potatoes, carrots, white and red onions and garlic, mixed greens, spinach, leeks and radishes, pumpkins and gourds, celeriac and herbs. Brussel sprouts and cabbage ... so far.


Michelle posts recipes on her blog (like Martha does on the Orchard Hill blog), giving information, recipes and tips for enjoying the veggies we might not otherwise serve.

Winter never tasted so good!

Our Winter Harvest, hopefully

When we bought our little house in May 2007, we had many plans, the way you do when everything seems "doable". We imagined we would keep the projects small-scale, have endless resources and energy, and accomplish anything we set our minds to.



One thing that was obvious to both of us, was our need to find a way to better utilize our south-facing back yard, which was 20% garden and trees, 30% pavement and 50% grass.

While waiting for inspiration, we set about planting perennials in any bare garden spots, and watched to see how things grew everywhere else for the rest of 2007.

Inspiration came the following February in the form of a snowy dinner visit to Orchard Hill Farm. Accompanying Martha as she "shopped" for salad greens, we found ourselves in their hoop house, snow banked-up outside the plastic walls, the earth inside warm with sprouting greens. This truly was one of those "I can do that" moments; we were both shocked and motivated.

In the following months, supported by Ken, Martha and Michelle, and armed with information (and precedents) from Eliot Coleman and his Four Season Farm in Maine, (a location which shares our longitudinal growing zone) we planned and dreamed of our own winter garden.





The hoop house concept is simple;

1) take an existing garden
2) add one air-tight, structure to contain the sun's warmth

and PRESTO-MAGICO!

3) enjoy your winter garden

Growth during the winter months will slow considerably, and the plants will eventually have to be covered within the hoop house, with blankets of row cover cloth (which we got at Lee Valley), but we should be able to have fresh greens and herbs well into the new year.

Of course, that's all theory.





I was incredibly naive in my assumption that if I could design an enclosed garden, then I could also build it, believing I was designing for engineering/construction-challenged folks like Robin and myself.

Fortunately, in stepped Lisa just when I would have despaired.




Apart from the end walls which had to be framed, and the door which had to actually open and close, I also hadn't taken into consideration the pitch of our yard for which I would have to compensate structurally.


Wind and snow loads will be tricky, and where were my yards and yards of triple-mix top soil coming from?

So, Lisa and her trailer were working overtime; we were even working by her headlights a few times.

Within days of having completed the structure, we had ordered our seeds from William Dam Seeds, which arrived in a few days and Robin was busy getting everything into the ground. One week later things were sprouting and we've been enjoying fresh mixed greens, arrugula, spinach, beet greens and cilantro.











Soon to come will be the radishes, kale and chard. We're also hoping to over-winter our rosemary, tarragon and thyme which would normally die off.





Thanks to Laura as usual and Dan for the use of his post-pounder (did I mention the re-bar used to structural support?), to Ken and Martha for all their support and wisdom, and to Michelle for showing how she "hoops" it.










And of course, to Lisa the Tool Girl for her unwavering faith that anything can be fixed with a Dewalt or a Sawsall.




Frankie says "beets - yuck"

Pickin' and Deckin'

We are still determined to live a happy life without traditional conveyance, as Brian would say (a.k.a. without a car) so it was with some faith that we set our hearts on a pick-your-own tree for Christmas, given the fact that most tree farms are not located within walking distance.

As luck would have it, our friends at Orchard Hill Farm have, for the past few years, held an annual evergreen tree sale. We were actually quite lucky to squeeze in this year as they’re basically sold-out; they're getting out of the tree business and growing their C.A.S. business.
In the words of Blanche Dubois, we've always relied on the kindness of strangers, so we borrowed neighbour Laura's car, the interior of which we protected with a tarp large enough to cover the exterior, and headed south to the farm.
Once there we met up with bro and s.i.l. who were on a tree-hunting mission of their own, and before long 2 trees had been felled and we all were busy tying and wrapping.


At home our tree was quickly installed in it's stand and we decorated it while watching that warm and fuzzy holiday fav, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Our colourful hodgepodge of ornaments remind me of past Decembers and of friends who are longer with us, so decorating the tree is as much about 2007 as it is about the 43 years that came before. And with my folks enjoying their 50^th Christmas as Mr. and Mrs., it’s also a celebration of their lives together, and our time with them.

Christmas often feels like “looking back” to me, in nostalgia and reflection, whereas New Year's Eve serves to focus me on my future goals and new horizons.

So as much as decorating the tree felt like the beginning of the Christmas season for me, bringing it home from Orchard Hill Farm really felt like New Year's.

The junk in my trunk

It’s not much of a secret; I likes my junk food.

When it’s mealtime, we eat very well. But those other 12 or so waking hours a day can be a feeding free-for-all. For this reason, we don’t have ice-cream in the house. I’ve always told myself, if I’m willing to walk to and from the Elgin Mall, I can have a peanut-buster parfait. Of course, once I realized I only burn about 150 calories during the trip, I switched from the 730 cal. parfait to a 400 cal. medium hot fudge sundae. I figure the rest should be burned-off during our daily 3k power walk.

Another weakness is potato chips, which we reach for pretty regularly. Like cigarette smoking (the quitting of which was one of the toughest, most positive things I’ve done for myself) the best way to stop a habit, is not to start. Since we are well past that point, we’ve discovered an alternative to our evening chip craving; freshly popped corn.

As a treat during their summer visit with us, Soo and Scott, apart from teaching us the proper way of prepping our BBQ, showed us a few tricks for making perfectly popped corn;
The corn, salt and enough vegetable oil to moisten the pot and kernals, goes into the pot at the start. The heat is turned to medium and the lid is cocked. Once you hear the first “pop”, start the shaking. You know the rest.

Something I didn’t know; butter separates when heated because the water has evaporated. To keep your melted butter creamy, add a teaspoon or so of cool water at the start of the process.

As with any recipe, the better your ingredients are, the better the end result will be. Since popped corn involves, at the most, 4 ingredients, try to get the very best. One of our last Orchard Hill Farm pick-ups included some cobs of freshly harvested popping corn. As it was still “young”, we had to set the cobs aside for a few weeks to cure and recently we had our first taste of this season’s fresh popping corn, expertly popped as per Soo’s instructions, topped with creamy, melted butter. Of course, Soo and Scott aren't likely eating much popcorn; she's just joined the staff of Canadian Living Magazine and he, along with Simon Bower, has just opened Lucien Restaurant, Toronto's most elegant, new hot spot, so they're kinda busy!

I won’t say we don’t still eat chips, but at least once a week you’ll see Robin at the stove, shaking a pot. Of course, once in while you’ll also see me shaking my pot over to the Mall, on my way to the DQ.

Who would have thought ...

.... that I'd be climbing the beams of a straw bale structure, tightening the straw and helping place the metal roofing sheets? That little dot near the peak in the left picture is me!
I recently wrote about a day we spent at Orchard Hill Farm, helping raise the structure of the apprentice cabin. Yesterday, under moody skies and surrounded by the beautiful, bare forest, Robin and I returned to help as the tin roof was installed (actually, not tin; the roofing is made of a new product called galvalume). The wood planking and straw bales were already in place, and the North face of the roof was completed the day before, so all we really had to do was be keen and follow instructions. Which we did. Mostly. We did have a minor incident drilling a hole where no hole was supposed to be drilled, but that's another story.

And to see the world from the top! With a view like this, it didn't feel like work (as always, click on the image for a bigger picture)

And the view to the north is pretty nice too.




Because I am the guy that I am, I have to say we had a wonderful lunch; warming by the wood stove, we had homemade tomato soup, and bread you could top with fresh butter and cheese. There was thick sliced salami for those of that persuasion and coffee with raisin, date or apricot squares for dessert.

By the end of the day, as the sun began it's journey towards the horizon, the south face of the roof was complete, including the cap running the length of the peak and a patch over the hole for the stove stack. From condo living to tin roof laying, in 6 months.
I can't wait to see what's next.

Our Cinderella Pumpkin and Hallowe'en

On one of our September visits to Orchard Hill Farm, along with the usual selection of wonderful veggies, fruits, herbs and flowers, we were told we could help ourselves to some brilliantly coloured Indian corn and a pumpkin.

Now, I'm not talking about a Charlie Brown's pumpkin patch kind of pumpkin. I'm talking about a full spectrum of shapes and sizes from tall and slender to wide and squat, some with deep ridges and some almost completely smooth, and colours ranging from creamy white to deep, deep scarlet. I must have been standing there looking like I'd just moved from the big city because Michelle approached to recommend what she felt was the most beautiful variety;
the Rouge Vif d'Estampes, or Cinderella Pumpkin.

The Rouge Vif d'Estampes "is deep red-orange, flattened, heavily sutured and was the prototype for Cinderella's carriage pumpkin". I had to agree, it really was the most incredible looking pumpkin I have ever seen. We put it, and the corn, in our front room to enjoy.

Fast forward two months ...

Recently, while visiting Martha and Ken at the farm, I noticed what looked like a pumpkin which had been dropped from a ladder, sitting squashed on a baking sheet. When I asked what had happened, Martha explained she had simply baked her entire pumpkin in the oven (pricked a few times to let the air escape) and a piece of which was the base of the soup we had just eaten (which was really yummy). So, after we had enjoyed looking at our beautiful scarlet pumpkin for as long as we could (until November 17, in fact), I put the whole thing on a sheet and baked it at 250f until it collapsed (about an hour).
A word of caution; these babies hold a lot of moisture, so prick your vents towards the top and expect alot of juice when you slice into it, after it cools.

As for Hallowe'en, apart from one suspicious character offering to do some cheap home repairs, our first ever real Trick 'r Treater came in the form of a very scary skeleton.

Our other, run-of-the-mill, carved pumpkin may well have survived the ride home from the store on Robin's bike and a fall off the make-shift window display table, but the morning after Hallowe'en, somebody enjoyed kicking it down the street.

At least we didn't get egged!

Raising the Cabin

I love the idea of “pitching in”.

When asked to help with a project, I usually jump in offering whatever I can. More often than not it’s a “2-for” as I volunteer Robin too. In return, I expect a genuine appreciation for the offer and respect for my offering.

We recently participated in a small scale barn-raising at Orchard Hill as farm friends gathered together, raising the structure for a pier & beam, straw bale cabin. Sitting on a concrete foundation, the two story structure (a future home for the farm apprentices) incorporates passive solar radiant sub-floor heating. The majority of the materials, from the hand-hewn beams to the straw bales, were drawn from the farm.

Of course I’m not writing about cabins or construction or even sustainable living. I’m writing about a rare, genuine sense of community; a community of which I am privileged to be a part. Like Scotland’s mythical Findhorn, there’s a spirit at Orchard Hill, quietly nurtured, whose sole purpose seems to be respectful gratitude. Or perhaps that is just what the spirit brings to me, because that’s what I need.

This energy was hard at work as 50 or so folks were joined in a harmonious group effort. Under a moody sky and amid leaf-filled gusts, I watched as leaders led, workers worked, and children played. Upon breaking for lunch, we joined hands in a silent prayer then each took a seat on our straw bale chairs, enjoying the food and company. (I loved my cheesy-crunchy mac and cheese, roasted veggies, coleslaw, green beans with pesto, tomatoe/black olive/feta tart, some of Robin’s salad and fresh bread, followed by tea, pumpkin-carrot cake and chocolate-covered-almond-peanut clusters). Okay, so I writing about community AND food; we must nourish both the soul and the body.

Though we were unable to elevate as much of the structure as we would have liked, the day was a wonderful success for me as my spirit was raised once again. Raised simply by being in an environment of respect and gratitude.

And did I mention mac and cheese?