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

Old 99 farm week of Apr 1 2018

I need to entice you people!! The greens are now at peak and will keep coming. Kale, chard and lettuce. We’re also offering potted lettuce that you can put in the window, harvest a few times and have a bouquet as well as tender salads. Some micro greens available.

And coming soon: radish, globe turnip, spinach, claytonia, lettuces: rouge d’hiver, Italian, buttercrunch.

The roasting chickens are on special this week, $9/kg which is $2 off. Kale is special large bunches.

I have just started an advanced Permaculture Design for Climate Resilience course, offered by Oregon State U, online. Am soliciting you to offer your site to do the design on; you get free design documented, on how to adapt your home, farm or getaway to withstand severe weather events and climate disruption.
Call me or email soon.

I’d like to briefly mention a collaborative project in town: the Community Permaculture Lab is a volunteer group led by three of us to redesign the backyard of an Ainslie woods resident. We’ve been learning as we go, making friends, having fun. Here’s a picture of us doing the first yard work this spring: laying out the raised beds, minipond, tree sites, water capture and storage. There will be work parties over the next couple months, you can come out too!
p=.

One of my "favourite climate news sites is FasterThanExpected where there is always a picture and a ‘snip’ from a major study or article, new every day. If you want more scope I recommend The Daily Climate for headlines and more worldwide coverage. For example, What does it take to electrify everything in your home? This California family just found out: “Unless you have gone through it, there is stuff you never would have foreseen.”

Healthy Eating
Ian and Cami

Old99 Farm week of Mar 25 2018

We have delicious new greens now in the greenhouse: chard, lettuce, arugula, kale and lettuce. Hope to see you friday.

New beef, along with chicken, pork and lamb.

I have bare root trees in cold storage ready to plant, these are large caliper trees, trunk diameter from 1 to 2 inches. We need to plant trees everywhere don’t we? For the good of the planet, reducing carbon pollution the natural way.

I am registered for an advanced permaculture design course starting early April. I’m offering to work with someone on doing the design for your place, from a 1/4 acre up to 20acres. No $$ cost to you but you’ll need to budget time as the ‘client’ to think through your objectives, hopes and wishes for your homeplace. This course lasts 10 weeks. By mid summer you’ll have a design for resilience and possibly quite self-sufficient lifestyle.

Have you been following the news about how the social media are being used to influence people’s behaviour, including voting behavior? Here’s a list of what FB and Google have on you.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 farm, week of Mar 20 2018

We have fresh crops of kale and chard in the greenhouse, so I hope you feel inspired like I do! it’s first day of spring as I write this. We’ve got lots of lettuce, bokchoi and radishes on the way

Here’s some pictures
p=.

There’s lots of beef in the freezer, we are well stocked with roasting hens and still have some lamb and pork. Eggs are plentiful.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami.

Old 99 Farm, week of Mar 4 2018

This turned out to be a major breakthrough week in the campaign for climate change response. Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Sequel led off on the weekend in Dundas, Tues was McMaster Climate Change Research centre’s public lecture, Wed was the kickoff of the Bay Area Climate Summit hosted by Burlington, Hamilton and Mohawk College. Thursday is an all day conference at the RBG in Burlington on Bay Area Climate Action. And in Edmonton is hosting the IPCC Climate and Cities conference for three days with 750 climate scientists from around the world. The world is waking up to the urgency of action; you’re going to hear a whole lot more.

That and the federal government budget was made public, with dismal impact.

“This Budget has nothing for climate – nothing at all. It’s as if we’re not in a climate emergency.”
- Elizabeth May, MP

Overall this budget fails to deliver in the best interests of Canadians on the country’s most pressing problems: Growing Inequality, Green Economy and most importantly: Climate Change.

The Liberals campaigned on a promise to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, but over two years into their mandate, they are still giving the industry hundreds of millions a year in taxpayer-funded handouts. Budget 2018 should have signalled the beginning of the end for these harmful subsidies.

We don’t have enough growth on our greens to start harvesting but I’m hopeful for next week.

I have a Lineback steer in the freezer, 380 lbs of grass-fed beef. We’re offering pre-selected for $200 or 10% discount for 20lb orders, mixed according to your choice.

Roasting chickens are in the freezer, whole, halves and quarters.

We have lots of eggs.

Healthy eating to you all,
Ian and Cami