Old 99 FArm cider day sat Oct 21

It’s a combined message this week, first an invitation to come out with kids (or not) and enjoy a potluck apple cider pressing. I do have 8 bushels of apples but you may want to contribute some too. start time 2 pm till about 5. should be nice day but will be making biochar too which means a fire to stay beside.

We have lots of greens, roots, tomatoes, peppers this week still. I will have fresh beef in two weeks, so you may want to check if there’s room in the freezer for a quarter. Carrots special on bulk buy 4kg or more.

Do you feel like the public is not getting the full story about Climate Change and maybe you would do things differently if you knew the facts? Don’t miss Fri. Nov 3 7pm – 9pm Guy McPherson lecture on Abrupt Climate Change at West Flamborough Presbyterian Church, 262 Middletown Rd at hwy8 (right near Wm Dam Seeds). Free, donation expected. Suitable for teens, not for kids. Discussion afterwards, refreshments. Workshop Sat and Sun: Only Love Remains, how to adapt one’s life in light of Climate Upset. $200, max 20 people

Healthy Eating
Ian and Cami

Old99 Farm, week of Oct 9 2017

Cooler weather now upon us, with rain, about 35 ml last week, more of the same coming this week.
The roasting chicks are now a month old, very lively, haven’t lost one yet due to piling on (when they get cold and do the mosh pit thing). Will be going to the butcher in less than two months. Have you ordered yours yet? $5/bird deposit please.

Lots of greens, tomatoes, roots. My organic Liberty apples are in the cold cellar, will keep nicely tillXmas.

Do you subscribe the Hamilton newsletter, CATCH? recent good summary of risks of flooding in the city. See this link for copy with further links to the local scene.

There are several climate events happening in Hamilton this month. Former Toronto mayor David Miller speaks at the McMaster Innovation Park at 7pm on October 18. Miller has just become the North American director of C40 Cities, a network of the world’s megacities committed to dealing with climate change.

The following week, local environmental leader Grant Linney is speaking on the climate change he saw during his visits this year to both Antarctica and the Canadian arctic. That’s sponsored by the local chapter of the Council of Canadians and the Hamilton 350 Committee and taking place Tuesday, October 24 at 639 Main Street East starting at 7pm.

Then on November 3 the controversial Dr Guy McPherson will give a lecture on the current science of abrupt climate change at Flamborough Presbyterian Church (Highway 8 and Middletown Road) at 7pm.
This event is my baby, with help from friends. Do you suspect you are not getting the whole story about climate risks, that is to say, probability x impact$$? This is the place to find out. (watch your reaction: slipping into ’don’t wanna know’ mode?

We’re also doing a workshop for a small number of people on saturday and sunday: Abrupt Climate Change: How will you show up? It’s akin to getting ready for many major change in one’s life. Call me for a pamphlet on this. 905 537 0163.

Yes, Cami’s doing quiches this week. would you like one? order asap.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Sept 30 2017

We have lots of ripe tomatoes, the yellow plum type, red slicing and jumbo beefsteak.

I look for the orders friday morning to pick for the 4pm arrival time. You can leave me a msg if you plan to pick up at a time more convenient, sat or sunday.

Eggs are back to normal pricing,but I’ll leave the beef roast 15% discount on for another week. Good selection too.

No one’s trying the young Perpetual Green chard; it is really yummy and tender. Now is prime condition for salad greens or sauteing, steaming, soups. All leaves no stem.

Also now ready are new crop carrots, beets and lettuce, to add to the squash, tomatoes (including Beefsteak), garlic, cilantro, parsley, watermelon, chives, Russet potatoes, onions, kale, spinach and arugula.

In the fruits department: apples, asian pears, and tomatoes.

Meats are still available in good selection. If you want roasting chickens for next winter, please give me your order and deposit of $5 per bird. I have beef, pork, lamb and goose in the freezer.

I’ve posted some good content on my
facebook page lately, if you haven’t friended me, please do, you’ll see a tidy collection of really current sources on the climate, and some fun stuff on farms, food and animals!

Healthy eating,
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Sept 24 2017

Wow what a hotspell, ground is really drying up but still a way ahead of last year. Greenhouses are really too hot, can’t get the heat out of them. But it means lots of ripe tomatoes, the yellow plum type, red slicing and jumbo beefsteak.

I look for the orders friday morning to pick for the 4pm arrival time. You can leave me a msg if you plan to pick up at a time more convenient, sat or sunday.

Eggs are back to normal pricing, thanks to all for coming last week with extra orders. Will hope to see you this week too!

The young Perpetual Green chard is really yummy and tender. We had a full bed of it in the greenhouse over the winter, it went to seed and self-propagated a month ago or so. Now is prime condition for salad greens or sauteing, steaming, soups. All leaves no stem.

Also now ready are new crop carrots, beets and lettuce, to add to the squash, tomatoes (including Beefsteak), garlic, cilantro, parsley, watermelon, chives, Russet potatoes, onions, kale, spinach and arugula.

In the fruits department: apples, blackberries, pears, asian pears, and tomatoes.

Special this week: Beef roasts 15% off listed price. Most are around 3 to 4 lbs. Try cutting in steak slices, marinating and barbequing. I did one like that last nite, a sirloin tip roast which is fine grained, no fat, and it was tender and flavourful.

Meats are still available in good selection. If you want roasting chickens for next winter, please give me your order and deposit of $5 per bird. I have beef, pork, lamb and goose in the freezer.

I’ve posted some good content on my facebook page lately, if you haven’t friended me, please do, you’ll see a tidy collection of really current sources on the climate, and some fun stuff on farms, food and animals!

Naomi Klein posted a tender essay about the family vacation this summer on the Sunshine Coast, smokey and tarnished by the huge forest fires raging out there.

Old 99 Farm, week of Sept 20 2017

Just when I get the egg production back up people slow down their buying! So I have lots of eggs, now on 3 for 2 special. Get some for your friends and relations.

Last week I added baby chard to the list of vegetables we can offer; we had a great crop of perpetual Green Chard, more flavourful than the coloured chards, in the greenhouse. It went to seed before we removed it, and now have several beds full of young chard, suitable for salads or steaming as a side dish, putting smoothies, soups etc.

Also now ready are new crop carrots, beets and lettuce, to add to the cantaloupe, squash, tomatoes (including Beefsteak), garlic, cilantro, parsley, new chives, Russet potatoes, onions, kale, spinach, three kinds of peppers, and arugula.

In the fruits department: apples, blackberries, pears, asian pears, and as mentioned melons and tomatoes.

Meats are still available in good selection. If you want roasting chickens for next winter, please give me your order and deposit of $5 per bird. I have beef, pork, lamb and goose in the freezer.

Another reminder for placing orders for beef quarters and roasting chickens. As soon as I get two orders I’ll take a beef to the butcher.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Sept 10 2018

We’ve got lots to offer, 89 items to be exact. And so come on out at least once this summer for just-picked produce. Today I am adding baby chard to the list; we had a great crop of perpetual Green Chard, more flavourful than the coloured chards, in the greenhouse. It went to seed before we removed it, and now have several beds full of young chard, suitable for salads or steaming as a side dish, putting smoothies, soups etc.

Also now ready are new crop carrots, beets and lettuce, to add to the cantaloupe, squash, tomatoes (including Beefsteak), garlic, cilantro, parsley, watermelon, chives, Russet potatoes, onions, kale, spinach and arugula.

In the fruits department: apples, blackberries, pears, asian pears, and as mentioned melons and tomatoes.

Meats are still available in good selection. If you want roasting chickens for next winter, please give me your order and deposit of $5 per bird. I have beef, pork, lamb and goose in the freezer.

Here’s a curious quote to put the urgent climate disruption issue into perspective: “If you were going to weaponize an issue to take advantage of the weak points in the American political system—to highlight all the blind spots, dysfunctions, and irrationalities—you would create climate change,” Ezra Klein wrote last year. “And then you would stand back and watch the world burn.”

For a even-handed treatment of the trends, risks and consequences, see the UK site, Envisonation, which includes an action plant that concludes, “The work required to enact the above will require huge resources to be employed, it will be the biggest economic generator ever and because the result is a secure and stable future, confidence will soar, as efficiency not growth becomes the deciding factor.”

“Too hard to do you say?”

So now who is the prophet of doom?

Healthy Eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 farm, week of sept 1. 2017

market is wide open this week, check the listing for all fruits and vegetables, meats and eggs.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami
ps Cami is back to school so order you sauces cabbage rolls ahead of the week you want them.

Old 99 FArm, week of Aug 27 2017

We’ve got a sizeable number of fruits to offer this year: 5 types of berries, apples (soon), peaches, cantaloupe, watermelon, and pears (soon). All organic, grown with attention to the soil nutrients following Michael Phillip’s biological approach.

We have peaches, cantaloupe and watermelon: first time ever! Also blackberries and aronia berries. We can offer the following crops: new harvest chard and kale, beet root and tops, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, beans (yellow, green and purple varieties) sorrel, New Zealand spinach, rhubarb, lovage, sweet cicely, arugula, basil, parsley, purslane, chives, cilantro, bulb onions and peppers.

Eggs are smaller than usual still, but plentiful. Packed as mixed weight dozens averaging to meet or exceed Canada Grade A standard.

I need to remind to order your meat: roasting chicken, beef and pork for delivery later in the year.

From the Permaculture Apprentice blogsite, some good advice: focus on five basic categories in daily resilience building: anything that has to do with water systems, infrastructure, growing or storing food, the farm economy, and expanding one’s social network and capital.

Says blog author Will Horvath, "If you’re like me and sometimes have a hard time ignoring all the negativity around us, try to focus your attention on what is within your control and influence. Your efforts matter.

When you do feel anxious, make sure you actually do something that day that moves you towards a more resilient situation. Set your bar low, so low, that doing small things is a win for the day.

Understand that to be really resilient and capable of handling things, no matter what happens, you’ll need to build inner resilience and be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Tools and gadgets are great, but your brain is the ultimate tool that needs sharpening daily.

In all of this, don’t forget to be grateful for the abundance in life you DO already have. It’s easy to be fearful, but we need reminding to be grateful. So, when you feel bad or down, reflect on the good things you have in your life.

Finally, one of the most important components of resilience is a community. Connect with others and start building a parallel system that will ensure you and the people around you have a good life, no matter what happens on the world stage."

Healthy Eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 FArm, week of Aug 20 2017

The list is getting longer and longer of vegetables, fruits and meats plus eggs available and grown here at O99. Yes we have enough peaches to offer this year: no chemical, tree ripened, Red Havens. $3/liter.

As of Aug 20th , we can offer the following crops: new harvest chard and kale, beet root and tops, purple potatoes, peaches, blackberries, aronia berries, tomatoes, cucumbers, zuchinni, beans (yellow, green and purple varieties) sorrel, New Zealand spinach, rhubarb, lovage, sweet cicely, arugula, basil, parsley, purslane, chives, cilantro, bulb onions and peppers.

Now is the season to help me plan for raising meat animals: chicken beef and pork. I need to know baseline quantities before committing to raising the animals. Chickens: $5/bird min 5 birds, beef $100/quarter, pork $50/half. Please put on your order so we can discuss when you come over.

Watch The Incredible Journey of Oil on youtube here. It’s got some remarkable footage of the ways oil has become indispensable to the modern lifestyle and military. Which of course is about to change as we become resolute in protecting the human habitat from fossil fuelled carbon pollution.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Aug 14, 2017

More choices this week: string beans (green, yellow, purple), peaches, beets, beet tops, zucchini, peppers. In addition to last week’s offerings: spinach, chard, kale, tomatoes, cilantro, parsley, dill, and all the meats, eggs. Yes eggs are now back in good supply; the new hens are settling in. Egg size starts out small so we don’t have Jumbo or Extra large just yet.

I invite you to sign up for roasting chickens as in the past: $5 deposit, minimum 5 birds. Price same as last year.
Also taking advance orders for beef quarters and pork halves.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami