Old 99 Farm, week of Dec 19 2016

We will hold a market on Friday Dec 23, 4 to 6, and be available for last minute rush requests.

Here we are at the Solstice, Dec 21, shortest day of the year with 9 hours daylight. What a remarkable way to remember our intimate entanglement in the natural world! Makes me feel for the many blessings, realized and unrealized, of my daily life.

Do you have your turkey, ham, goose or duck for Xmas dinner? I have a good selection, so please don’t be shy. Call anytime.
All my meat is raised here on pasture: pork, turkey, beef, lamb, chicken, duck and goose. If you want lamb sausage or lamb kabobs made up on skewers like in the photo, pls make order.

As of Dec 19th , we can offer the following crops: swiss chard, bulb onions, leek, kale, arugula, carrots, potatoes (redskin, dakota and purple), garlic, and herbs: dill, spearmint, bronze fennel.

Here’s a meditation for the week. Did you ever consider how the soil is like the stomach of plants? See Farmer Patrick Holden’s essay here, “it really began to dawn on me how understanding the intimate, biological and symbiotic processes involved in my own digestion sheds light on the equivalent processes taking place in the soils of my farm.”

“True generosity requires more than a credit card. Spending less money on Christmas forced us to be generous with our time, energy, and talents. Those are the best gifts of all – because they are priceless.”

Healthy eating and drinking, with family close by,
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Dec 11

OMG, it’s thursday midnight and I haven’t put out the weekly reminder! I checked the orders report and thank you to the faithful, no prompting needed! Even one first-time customer.

The freezers are full, lots of meat selections, root cellar stocked, and the greenhouse is still producing. Lots of eggs, no more shortages.

Come on out, I’ll check the web for orders at noon Friday for harvesting greens. Meats eggs, roots, no order needed.

We’ll be open Friday 23rd.

Healthy eating,
Ian and Cami

Old 99 farm, week of Dec 4 2016

As I write this on tuesday evening I’ve been up since 4:30am, having loaded 90 live birds into crates to take to the butcher: turkeys, geese, ducks and chicken. Now they’re all back here, chilled fresh and being frozen over the next day or so. If you want a fresh bird, now is the only time it’s possible. Same price as frozen. The turkeys range from 8 to 18lb, ducks 5 to 9 and geese 7 to 12. The chickens are for making soup and stews, with lots of flavour.

A few frosty nites in the past week, but the greens are super, thanks to the greenhouses. Same long list as last week, as itemized in attached.

Did you hear the latest about Donald Trump? He drinks raw milk! Has for a long time. I’m starting to like the guy already!

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Nov 27 2016

We’re loading up the freezers at this time of year, as the pork, beef, lamb and poultry goes off to the butcher. This friday will have beef, though in limited quantity as most was pre-ordered. Next week is marked for pork, which is in greater supply as we had 5 animals in total. Turkeys will be week of Dec 5th, same for geese and duck.

The Hobbit House (hillside greenhouse) is getting outfitted with a wood stove and underground heating this week, which I hope will extend the season for tomatoes and eggplant. Both are still blooming and fruiting in there. The bonus of the design is we will have a seedling germination room that can double as a sauna! Any volunteers to help christen it?

Still the usual bounty of greens (lettuces, chards, beet tops, kale) and roots (onions, carrots, celeriac, potatoes, garlic) and peppers, eggplants and tomatoes.

Looking forward to seeing you. Do bring your special requests and suggestions.

Healthy eating
Ian Graham and Cami Stoica

Old 99 FArm, week of Nov 20 2016

Low on eggs, will likely be that way for at least a month unless I get more hens.
Taking turkeys, ducks and geese to butcher on Dec 6, that’s two weeks from now. Would love to take your order for one.

Greens are back in the greenhouse, along with the hardy ones we’ve grown all summer: chard, kale, beet top.

Pigs went to butcher today, will be back by next friday I expect.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Nov 13, 2016

We had a delightful weekend with 18 guests learning about natural cheesemaking taught by David Asher of Cortes Is, BC. I hope we can invite him again next year. In the meantime if you want to learn, you can buy his book or contact me for a contact near you who took the course. I have my first rounds of Emmental style alpine cheese in the ripening stage already! Wait six months that’s the hard part.

We have greens, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in the greenhouse and roots in the garden. Some crops are in storage now: onions, potatoes, garlic, carrots. Please scroll down the attached list to see the full offering.

The beeve went to the butcher this monday and will be ready for you in about two weeks. The pigs are going next monday and should be back a week after that. If you ordered either of these and are reading this, please sent me a note saying so. I have a list but now need confirmation. There are 5 pigs of which 2 are spoken for (Calin, Rachel C, Anne P). I will have a dozen turkeys, 15 geese and 6 ducks ready for the Xmas season, so plan now for yours!

Healthy eating,
Ian Graham and Cami Stoica

Old 99 Farm, week of Nov 6th 2016

This is the week leading up to our special cheesemaking workshop starting with a friday evening lecture by David Asher. So this means friday will be very congested and I’d like to have the weekly market pickup on Thursday. If friday or the weekend works for you, please let me know and we’ll make it happen. I will be picking fresh on thursday so I need all orders in by Thurs 10am.

I put bulk carrots on this week, 4kg for $11. There are also those sweet young new crop carrots from the greenhouse.

As of Nov 6th , we can offer the following crops: swiss chard, beet root, beet tops, green onions, bulb onions, celery and celeriac, leek, rhubarb, kale, arugula, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes (redskin, dakota and purple), sweet potatoes, garlic, and herbs: chives, dill, spearmint, bronze fennel and lovage.

There is still room in the Natural Cheesemaking workshop, $100, 9am to 4pm Sat and Sunday.

Healthy eating,
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Oct 30 2016

We had a wonderful dinner yesterday, all raised here: rack of lamb, baked Potato, sour cream and chives, carrots, chard and fresh apple cider. I should have taken a picture! In fact we were talking about how to encourage more of the 200 of you who subscribe to this blog to try sourcing some of your food here. A gallery of sumptuous meals, nutritious too, raised here, might be a start!

This week, we continue to offer a long list of fresh vegetables, meats, eggs: swiss chard, eggplant, beet root, beet tops, green onions, leek, rhubarb, kale, arugula, tomatoes including cherry and beefsteak, carrots, sweet potato, potatoes (russet, dakota and purple), garlic, and herbs: chives, dill, spearmint, bronze fennel and lovage… and lamb, chicken, and eggs.

Still some seats available for the Natural Cheesemaking workshop Nov 12-13 and lecture by cheesemaker David Asher Fri Nov 11 pm.

Healthy eating,
Ian and Cami

Old 99 farm, week of Oct 23, 2016

We had a delightful cider making event here on the last two Saturdays. Locally we had four families participating, and processed about 6 bushels (35L) of apples. Then daughter Kelly brought 16 friends from Toronto for the fun last weekend. We could compare the flavour of different apple varieties and indeed, some are better than others. My favourite was Spartan. All told about 100 L of cider of which I’ll try to make batches of hard cider and save some sweet cider for sale.

There is the same excellent choice of 62 items this week as last, including three varieties of potatoes. The envelope puleeze: swiss chard, beet root, beet tops, green onions, leek, rhubarb, kale, arugula, tomatoes including cherry and roma, carrots, sweet potato, potatoes (russet, dakota and purple), garlic, and herbs: chives, dill, spearmint, bronze fennel and lovage.

Inquiries are rolling in for the cheese-making workshop so if you are interested please register soon. To do so go to markets/workshops
This comprehensive course begins with a session on dairy fermentation, covering Kefir, Yogurt, Creme Fraiche, and Cultured Butter. In the afternoon we make lactic cheeses such as Cream Cheese & Chèvre, and then we take the same curd and age it into Crottin, Valencay and Saint Marcellin.

On the second morning we look at rennet cheeses, preparing the basic curd that can become many different styles of cheese, including Camembert, Blue Cheeses, Washed Rind Cheeses, Mozzarella and Feta. On the second afternoon we make an Alpine Cheese. And with its leftover whey we prepare a batch of fresh, warm Ricotta.

Two days of learning allow students to see many cheeses through the beginning stages of their evolution, and provides insight into how all styles of cheeses evolve from the very same milk.

If you aren’t ready to actually MAKE cheese but are interested and like to eat it, come to the friday evening lecture by David Asher here at the farm, 8pm, to learn the history and practice of cheesemaking.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 farm, week of Oct 9 2016

Cool nights are upon us, even some risk of frost, though normal for this time of year is 5 to 15dC.
Lots of freshly harvested vegetables for you here as usual, including newly dug potatoes: Russet, Purple, and Redskin. We have about 10 bushels (35L) in total. Still have some vine ripened tomatoes, slicing and yellow cherry, lots of eggplant too. Try New Zealand spinach this week. We’ll be digging Sweet Potatoes soon, then curing them for sweet flavour. Egg prices are up a bit as supply dwindles.

CIDER MAKING DAY SAT OCT 15 2PM

This weekend is the cider pressing day at Old 99. Starts 2pm till 6, bring your bottles and apples. I’ll have apples here for $10/bushel. A bushel (20Kg) makes about 2 to 3 gal (8 – 12 L) cider. It’s a kid friendly day, so bring your young’uns.
Some people may want to come early to help set up and start picking in our 100 yr old orchard.

I have to put in print: you are here at your own risk, it is a working farm and I can’t be held responsible for accidents, etc.

CHEESEMAKING WORKSHOP

The Art of Natural Cheesemaking: two day workshop Sat Nov 12th and Sun 13th with David Asher, of Cortes Is, BC. Cost is $100 per person. 9am to 4 pm both days. We will have a lecture format presentation on Friday evening, 8pm at cost of $20. Come for one or both. You can register online here at locallygrown and pay a deposit when you come for vegetables and meats. Limited enrollment due to space.

Here is what David says about this workshop.

This comprehensive course begins with a session on dairy fermentation, covering Kefir, Yogurt, Creme Fraiche, and Cultured Butter. In the afternoon we make lactic cheeses such as Cream Cheese & Chèvre, and then we take the same curd and age it into Crottin, Valencay and Saint Marcellin.

On the second morning we look at rennet cheeses, preparing the basic curd that can become many different styles of cheese, including Camembert, Blue Cheeses, Washed Rind Cheeses, Mozzarella and Feta. On the second afternoon we make an Alpine Cheese. And with its leftover whey we prepare a batch of fresh, warm Ricotta.

Two days of learning allow students to see many cheeses through the beginning stages of their evolution, and provides insight into how all styles of cheeses evolve from the very same milk.

Look up David’s bio here.. His book is The Art of Natural Cheesemaking, 2015, 300 pages. He will have some for sale here.

Healthy Eating
Ian and Cami