Old 99 farm, week of June10 2018

we’re heading into a long dry spell says the extended forecast. I’ll need to get irrigation set up for the outdoor gardens.

I cut hay on the weekend, very nice stand of waist high thick grasses and clovers. Now it has to dry and be baled before rain comes! I will sure appreciate any help from people on this list who can join in loading the wagon and moving the hay into the barn. Likely will be thurs to Sat timeframe. Please reply your willing and able, assuming timetable works. It’s not a lot of work, maybe 200 bales, easily done in couple hours with three to five people.

This week we have lettuce hearts, crisp and crunchy (Buttercrunch), mizuna, kale (two kinds) asparagus, arugula and herbs. There’s turnips, rhubarb, sweet cicely, lovage, dill and spearmint.

Pork sides are now sold, there will be select cuts available after butchering later this month.

On the climate front: I listened this week to a persuasive advocate for urgent action at radio ecoshock. I love this weekly broadcast of blue-chip scientists interviewed by Alex Smith on causes and effects of climate change. Michael Mielke calls himself "a “Cultural Transformation Engineer”. Earlier in his career, Michael led a movement to get tens of thousands of kids moved from state care to real families. He was the Executive Director for a movement that became the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act for Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, passed by Congress.

See a four minute appeal from Canadian climate scientist and evangelical Christian, Kathrine Hayhoe called Sound the Alarm

Of course if you haven’t already, follow me on facebook where I try to post the best of what I find.

Healthy eating,
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of May 27 2018

First off, before I forget again, I need some small plastic bottles, like water bottles, the 340 ml size. So if you’re buying bottled water on occasion, pls save for me and bring to the farm. (I use them for freezer cooling for milk.)

Lots of asparagus, we’re picking daily, will offer two for one this week. That’s two pounds of asparagus for $5!!.

We have sold the last half pig so you’ll have to wait now till the fall if you were thinking of it.

See the list of greens, herbs, meats available picked fresh on Fridays. Mizuna and Dino Kale added this week. If you can’t come friday but prefer sat or sunday, I’ll pick and leave in the cooler for you.

Yea, Justin just spent $4.8BILLION for an oil pipeline to the west coast! He must really know something the rest of us don’t, why that’s so crucial to the national interest. Shucks, who really expected him to go for the Paris accord targets anyway.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of May 20 2018

Shorter week with Vic Day long weekend. (Not really shorter but you know what I mean.)
The greens are holding up: add mizuna to the list: an asian green for salads and steaming.
Lots of asparagus, I pick daily. I wish I had a market for dandelion greens, they have really enjoyed the compost I put on the asparagus rows and are ginormous.

Lettuces, kale, spinach, chard, turnip greens, lovage, sweet cicely: that’s the list. Also dill, fennel, green garlic, chives. Turnip root is only starchy veg right now.

We watched the food doc, Magic Pill (hat tip to Ron and Irene) this week. A reminder that fat is good, pastured beef is good, sugar (in everything is bad). Consider upping your fat intake with adding pork lard to your burgers. I have it here. The movie is Aussie made, well done, 2017 issued.

Healthy eating,
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of May 12 2018

This is the numerical tally from the locallygrown site: we offer 66 items this week: Garden Transplants, seedlings (1)Vegetables (19)Meat (29)Herbs (7)Eggs (4)Other (6)

Can add spinach, mizuna, sweet cicely and arugula this week.

Special on stewing hens and kale/chard offering two for one.

We’re outside planting these days: bulb onions, potatoes, chard, beets, cabbage, brussels sprouts.

We still have some biologically active compost for sale to get your garden produce to its nutritional best.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of May 5 2018

We’re getting ready to plant outdoors, got all the beds tilled and trace minerals added with compost. May be transplanting seedlings this weekend, all going well.

The pigs we’ve been raising all winter are close to butcher weight. Are you interested in pork chops for the BBQ? Taking deposits now for halves, $100. About 50 lb of meat.

Too late for the bokchoi, it bolted in the heat of the greenhouse. Too bad, was a tasty green.

Our rhubarb is luscious and well along in the greenhouse, order for your crumble, stew and granola topping.
p=.

We have three lettuces, two chards, kale, radish, turnip greens and roots, arugula, parsley, dill, claytonia and buttercrunch lettuce in 4" pots (to eat fresh and regrow).

I’ve been mentionning dormant trees for sale; these are 4 to 5 yr old trees, well along in their growth. You don’t have to wait for them to look like they belong in your landscape. Here they are in storage, roots kept moist all winter with shavings:
p=.

Old 99 farm, week of May 1, 2018

some more tantilizing photos of great greens waiting for you at Old 99.

Bright green scalloped edged leaves on Italian Lettuce:

Lovely contrasting colour of russeted leaves of Rouge d’Hiver lettuce:

Succulent baby bok choi, for stir-frying or sauteing:

Beef in 20lb custom packs at a 15% discount from list prices, Lamb chops and roasts, roasting chickens still on special, as are stew hens.

I have trees, 6 to 8 ft tall, up to 2" dia at chest height, a bargain at $15 each, ready to plant. Do you want a picture? just reply here or call me.

Radishes, rhubarb, small turnip, lovage, parsley, rocket arugula, leek, green onion, claytonia, buttercrunch lettuce in pots or bags, pork lard and active compost, rounds out the picture for this week!

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami.

PS, are you wondering what to do for the climate? come out thurs to one or three locations to protest the Kinder Morgan pipeline. That’s thurs May 3 at the locations on the poster below:
p=.

Visual Evidence: The Greens are Great!

Three delicious greens, now in prime condition: Lettuce (three kind), Kale and Chard (two kinds)

Log in to place your order
for pick up on Friday or at time suitable.

Old 99 Farm, week of Apr 21 2018

Pretty much same story as last week, it’s drier though!

But the greenhouses are looking good. As I’ve been telling y’all for a month now, I have lovely greens: young and tender kale, green chard, rainbow chard, lettuce. I tested the Brix reading on my kale, it’s gone from 5 to 10 in the last two months. Means more nutrients in theh plant and better flavour. It’s prime, picked same day, will keep for couple weeks in the fridge. I’ve put it on two for one special, that is, I’ve doubled the standard quantity per bunch. Eat more greens, should be a mantra. There are french breakfast radishes now at harvestable size.

There the eggs, pastured meats are your healthy source for protein and animal fats. Have you gotten unbrainwashed yet about eating crisco, bechel, margarine etc. instead of butter, lard, fatty meats? I pork lard, minced ready to render or use as is.

Stewing Hens are on special, discount $2 off the kilo price.

Did you notice my 20lb beef pack? Less than a quarter but still good selection of cuts, steaks, roasts, burger, for $220.

I have large caliber trees for sale, which I raised here, at a very good price, $15. For 25mm diameter minimum and at last 2m tall. Ready to plant: cherry birch, osage orange, butternut, all Carolinian ian forest species we need in our forest canopy here.

I have formulated a winning compost from the cow manure and straw in last year’s bedding ammended with biochar and active microbes. Price is $3/bushel (35L) or bulk $60/cu yard (22 bushel) Bring your own containers or trailer which I can load with my tractor.

Old 99 Farm Week of Apr 15 2018

just when we were all set for spring, nice surprise major snow and rainy weather over last few days, we got about 70ml of precipitation! Ground is very sodden, will be a late spring planting outdoors this year.

But the greenhouses are looking good. As I ve been telling y’all for a month now, I have lovely greens: young and tender kale, green chard, rainbow chard, lettuce. It’s prime, picked same day, will keep for couple weeks in the fridge. I’ve put it on two for one special, that is, I’ve doubled the standard quantity per bunch. Eat more greens, should be a mantra. There are french breakfast radishes now at harvestable size.

There the eggs, pastured meats are your healthy source for protein and animal fats. Have you gotten unbrainwashed yet about eating crisco, bechel, margarine etc. instead of butter, lard, fatty meats? I pork lard, minced ready to render or use as is.

Stewing Hens are on special, discount $2 off the kilo price.

Did you notice my 20lb beef pack? Less than a quarter but still good selection of cuts, steaks, roasts, burger, for $220.

I have large caliber trees for sale, which I raised here, at a very good price, $15. For 25mm diameter minimum and at last 2m tall. Ready to plant: cherry birch, osage orange, butternut, all Carolinian ian forest species we need in our forest canopy here.

I have formulated a winning compost from the cow manure and straw in last year’s bedding ammended with biochar and active microbes. Price is $3/bushel (35L) or bulk $60/cu yard (22 bushel) Bring your own containers or trailer which I can load with my tractor.

Cami made beef broth this week, very aromatic.

I hope you’ll take a minute to write your MP about the Kinder Morgan pipeline. It’s become our Standing Rock north. A prime minister who is willing to give or invest millions in a US pipeline co, is no prime minister of mine. He should instead invest in the renewable infrastructure that could give us a chance at seeing habitable conditions remain intact in our lifetimes.

This is what I wrote to MP Filomena Tassi to:Filomena.tassi@parl.gc.ca 5 days ago. I hope you can too, even just cut and paste this and edit to your liking.
Dear Filomena,
I wish I could have been in cabinet as you discussed how to proceed on the KM stalemate.
Unlikely as it seems, I hope Justin stands down from his absolute endorsement and commitment to getting Alberta oil to the world market.
This is quite possibly the Alamo for the climate; build KM and the world ecosystem is set for destruction within a human lifetime. A world as we know it gone forever.
On the other hand our government could make this the most important decision of modern times; to once and for all to see, to take the climate crisis seriously, to stand up to oil interests and the American government, to make the issues the topic of wide and far reaching public debate.

Of course mothballing KM will mean crashing world oil markets and even the stock market. We need to be prepared for that anyway.
It could mean the end of any chance at re-election for you and your party, this June.

The world is watching. Did Justin and Canada indulge our capacity to keeping hoping that the climate agreement in Paris is our firm commitment?
Or did he dance the tune, not walk the talk?

I hope to hear from you about these thoughts,

Yours truly,
Ian Graham

Healthy eating,
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Apr 9 2018

Late reminder to you this week.

There are lots of greens, very delicious green chard (very similiar to spinach), rainbow chard, and Red Russian Kale are the most bountiful so I’m offering a two for one special. It freezes well, if you’re making smoothies and worry it won’t last till next time you come. Also several lettuces, including live in pots. First radishes, claytonia and rhubarb now available.

I have excellent active compost ammended with microbes and minerals. $3/bushel (35L) or $60 a cubic yard (22 bu in a cu yd). Bring your own containers or trailer.

Don’t forget beef and chicken, pastured and grass fed (well, not the chicken so much!)

I hope you’re paying attention to Kinder Morgan pipeline protests: it really has the potential to shift the conversation to ‘do whatever it takes’ to protect ourselves and our children from runaway climate disruption. See my facebook page for best articles.

Healthy eating