Regenerating Life: film debut Mon Aug 14

Join me and my friend, Bionutrient Food Assoc Founder Dan Kittredge for a pre-release screening and discussion of the film Regenerating Life this Monday evening, August 14th. This is one of the first feature-length films to thoughtfully explain the dynamics through which the water cycle can rapidly balance climate extremes through our stewardship of the land.

Remember that connection between nutrient density and reversing climate change that I have been talking about for years? For those who want to understand how to better tell the story of the opportunities we have, not just the fears, this is a film worth watching.

Watch the Trailer
This Monday the 14th at 7pm Eastern, we will watch the first section of the film, which is about 45 minutes long, and conclude with a discussion and conversation. We will schedule subsequent events to watch the rest of the film in the following weeks.

Join the Screening

Old99 Farm week of Aug 6 2023

I’m having some glitches with my image software so won’t be able to include pics this week.
Suffice to say, the tomatoes look great. I harvested a 1007 gm yellow beefsteak variety today, the Kellogg’s Breakfast.

We’re having very little disease or pest pressure so far this summer. The wise ones say that’s what happens when your plants are healthy! Just dealing with mildew on the cucumber leaves. Also learned that having more snake habitat helps reduce slug pressure, because that’s what snakes eat!

Did anyone read the essay on easy food storage baby steps? I hope it helped nudge you along that direction. Will bring great peace of mind imo.

Our offering: celery, brocoli, frilly kale, Nero kale, Rainbow chard, Tiara and Savoy cabbages, Tokyo Bekana chinese cabbage, beets, bell peppers, sweet bulb onions, scallions, fennel, green garlic, baby lettuce mix, baby buttercrunch lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, carrots, collards, cabbage collards, leeks, basil and herbs. Surf to the online store here to place your order. Store pick up Thurs 4 to 6 or by arrangement.

We’re getting lots of cukes and picking them early so they’re just right for pickling.
If you want lots, say several pounds or a 6L basket, send me a message.

Yours in health,
Ian, Cami and Adam

Food Storage Essay by Sharon Astyk 2023

I reposted this from Sharon’s FB page, first put up three years ago.

I wrote an essay about Food Storage Baby Steps in 2009, but it still stands. Here is a very slightly modified version:
I know a lot of you who have been reading me for a while will have already got this down, but I know how overwhelming the idea of building up a significant reserve of food can be. So I thought it was worth breaking down the steps – baby steps.
Project one – Sit down with a cup of tea. I give you official permission to use another beverage if you prefer, but get a drink, tell the kids to go outside and play, the spouse that you are busy, get a pen and paper, and give yourself a little quiet time before you begin rushing madly off in all directions (and yes, I do know how hard it is to find the time – I’ve got a million childre, remember ;-)). Put on some music, breathe deeply, put your feet up, and relax a little.
All of the first projects under this heading involve drinking something and having time to think. So wait until you’ve got them, and come into this not in a panic “I’ve got to get food now!” but calmly. Now, you are going to do three things.
1. You are going to sit down and list 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners and 4 snacks that use mostly ingredients that can sit on a pantry shelf or come out of your garden and that your family likes. They don’t have to be complicated – in fact, ideally they won’t be. If you can’t think of enough of each, begin thinking through the recipes you make regularly, and asking “could I adapt this – that is, could it use shelf stable tofu instead of the fresh stuff, could I try it with kale instead of spinach in the late fall.” You can get seasonal about it, listing separate meals for different seasons, but if that seems overwhelming, just focus on four basic meals that everyone will eat – pasta with tomato-garlic sauce, your best dal recipe, stuffed wontons…whatever.
This will be the basis of your first food storage projects – you are going to build up enough of the ingredients to be able to make these meals easily, without going to the store. These are things you will eat anyway. These are things that will save you time, if you don’t have to run out when you need the ingredients. This is not a commitment to anything strange or weird – it is just shopping ahead. So figure out how many times you want to be able to make these meals. Let’s say you get the ingredients to do each of them four times (and if money is tight, it may take some weeks to gradually add a little extra to your cart) – by then, you’ll have 16 days of food you like in the house without much extra worry. If you can get case or bulk discounts, you will probably even save some money. And it is food you are going to eat anyway. If you are ambitious, and no one has interrupted you, make the grocery list(s).
2. Now you are going to get up and walk around your house. Because the next project is finding some space for food storage. Now buying a few extra ingredients probably won’t require you to do any major rearranging, unless you have a miniscule kitchen. Even then, you should be able to fit a lot of this food in the cupboards if you do some rearranging.
Don’t do it now – today we’re still drinking tea – but put that on your “to do soon” list – just sort through the cupboards, move the stuff you don’t use that often, consider getting rid of things. (You know how the nesting bowls always get cluttered because you only use the bottom 2 regularly, so the little ones are all over the place, and how your baking area has 6 little heart shaped tart pans that you use once a year, if that… that stuff can get moved to a different place, odds are. We have the sense that all like things must go together in a kitchen, but this was not actually laid down as law anywhere I know of.
But if your goal is to get more food than just your meal list, you’ll need space for it. So now is the time to begin looking. How are you fixed for closet space? Could anything be packed up and moved around (remember, if you haven’t used it in a while, you probably could move it). Are you storing any junk (and no, it doesn’t count if all the “junk” belongs to your partner, and your stuff is “good stuff” that is absolutely needed – first rule of decluttering is “you’ve got to get rid of some of your own stuff.”) Is there anything that could be given away or sold?
What about under the bed? What about the basement? What about up along the top of the kitchen cabinets? What about your bedroom? Just because it is food, doesn’t mean it has to live in the kitchen. Ideally, what you want is a pantry space – so now is the time to establish one. What will you need? Do you need shelving? Need to rearrange furniture? Need to build something? Have a yard sale? Again, don’t do it, make a list. There’s still one more step.
The third thing you are going to do is make another cup of tea or other preferred beverage and answer some questions. You may want to run these questions by other members of your family, or you may not, but the idea is to help you figure out what you want. You don’t have to write the answers, although you might want to.
1. What am I storing food for? What are my concerns? What kinds of situations are likely in my region?
2. How much food do I want to store? For how many people? For how many pets? How much water do I want to store? Am I likely to have people outside my immediate household who are with us in a crisis? Are there other things I want to store – clothing, medical supplies, tools? What are they?
3. How much time and energy do I have to devote to this? How much space do I realistically think I have to devote to this? How much money can I spend each week/month on this project. What are my biggest constraints (ie, is my family not supportive, am I working long hours, are there no good sources of bulk food near me?) How might I overcome them?
4. Where will my stored food come from? How much of it will I grow/produce? What are my goals for food preservation? How much of my food will I buy, and from where? What can I get locally, and what do I have to get through the industrial food system? What’s the best and most ethical source for my food? Remember, every dollar you spend is a vote – if you spend it at an industrial source, you say “great, do more of this” – if you spend it locally, you say the same thing to your local farmer. Now every one of us buys some food through the industrial system it is safe to say, and some of us don’t have the money or the access to do more than get their food any way they can. Those people are off the hook – but if you have any discretionary food income, you need to think a little about the votes you are casting when you buy food. Also, how can I use my food storage to save money and time?
5. What do I imagine doing with my food storage? Do I want it mostly to provide a hedge against a future crisis, or for day to day use right now? Do I imagine myself eating regularly out of it and replacing it? Do I think I will be less able to buy food later? Do I want to be able to share with others, or is my first priority protecting my own? How will I prevent loss of food to age, insects, mold? What’s my plan for making sure the older food gets eaten regularly and that I’m adding more food as I go – food is not like antiques, it doesn’t get better with age.
How much am I and my family prepared to adapt our eating habits so that we get the most out of our food storage – that is, we save the most money, we make fewer trips, we always have food to hand, as well has having a reserve?
6. Finally, ask “Do I have to do this all alone?” How can I get others – from my own family to my neighbors and my town or city involved in the project of becoming more food secure? How can I see my own food security as part of a larger community project. Do I have neighbors who might be interested in forming a buying club, a coop or simply in a “stocking up” club? Do I have friends who would like to share the work of preserving? Are there people in my community who could benefit from food storage – can I get them involved? Should my community have a reserve of food on hand in case of a crisis – can I bring this up with my municipality? What about water – does my community have water pumping stations for when the power is out? Could they be established? Are there community resources I don’t know about – gleaning programs, bulk buying groups, community kitchens, food preservation classes, friends with the same interests. What’s out there?
And what’s in here? Is my family supportive? Neutral? Hostile? Are there ways to get them on board? How did I approach this issue, if they aren’t interested in participating – could I approach it differently, with a emphasis on saving money, or on likely short term emergencies (hurricanes, blizzards, power outages) in ways that would be less scary than the way I came at it? Can I involve my husband, my wife, my partner, my kids, my parents, my friends? Can I get them excited about helping with the menus, picking out things to store, building projects, saving money, working together as a family?
Ok. Now that you are done drinking tea, and probably have to pee ???? , you can stop. That’s enough for today – I know you are all excited, and I can’t stop you from running off to reorganize the kitchen and buy 60 cans of tomatoes, but I’d encourage you to stop here, and leave some stuff for tomorrow, so you’ll remain enthusiastic, rather than getting exhausted and overwhelmed. Although if you really, really can’t stand waiting to reorganize a kitchen, you are welcome to come over and do mine.

Here’s a display of some of our tomato varieties the tasting at this week’s market.

Old 99 Farm, week of July30 2023

The tomato lineup is filling out, most varieties now with ripe fruit. Try a mix and match combination for an interesting table display like this.

Last week we showcased the Gold Medal variety, this week it’s Kellogg’s Breakfast.

Tomato Kellogg’s Breakfast tomatoes are very large, beefsteak-type tomatoes that often reach 1-2 pounds in weight. The fruits have a bright orange peel and oblate flattened shape. The taste is nicely balanced between sweet and tangy. The large fruits ripen late season. is known for its sweet flavor that tends to be well-balanced with a tangy acidic taste. Often considered one of the best-tasting tomatoes, these rich tomatoes have a smooth texture, making them perfect for enjoying fresh; very good for enjoying fresh on sandwiches or cubed in salads. They add a bright orange color to bruschetta and to chopped salsa. Kellogg’s Breakfast Tomato is an heirloom tomato variety that potentially originated in West Virginia and discovered by Darrell Kellogg of Michigan (hence the name). It is not a modern-bred cultivar or hybrid.

Cukes for pickling now available, in 6L baskets. If you want more pls let us know a week in advance.

Currants are finished for this season, but still have Jostaberries and Mulberries.

Our offering: frilly kale, Nero kale, Rainbow chard, Tiara and Savoy cabbages, Tokyo Bekana chinese cabbage, beets, bell peppers, sweet bulb onions, scallions, fennel, green garlic and scapes, baby lettuce mix, baby buttercrunch lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, carrots, collards, cabbage collards, leeks, basil and herbs. Surf to the online store here to place your order. Store pick up Thurs 4 to 6 or by arrangement.

Adam ElSioufi offers his greetings to the Old 99 Farm community.

My name is Adam El Sioufi but you can call me farmer Adam if you’d like.

I have been working with Ian since the end of May, and am grateful for the opportunity to help steward the land and care for the animals here. I have met some of you and look forward to meeting the rest of you and sharing a friendly hello if we get the chance.

I have been growing food for close to a decade, having established and maintained several edible gardens for when I lived in Toronto, and I have been farming for over 3 years now.
I have set out on a path of deeper connection with the soil and nourishing food which led me to start my own Community Supported Agriculture project. I feel passionate about this journey and strive to connect more people to their food and share this experience with the greater community. In 2020 I started up a Equilibrium Acres CSA on leased land, after 2 years I started looking for a place to farm longer term and was fortunate to meet Ian at the Guelph Organic Conference where we spoke and exchanged contacts. We reconnected a few months later and discussed the possibility of collaborating and I am excited for what the future has in store.

Hope to see you soon on the farm,
Adam

Healthy eating,
Ian, Cami and Adam

Old 99 Farm, week of July 23 2023

Berry season is here. The neighbour has blueberries but we black and red currants, raspberries, mulberries, blackberries, aronia berries and Jostaberries! Come pick currants now, just call ahead at 905 537 0163.

This week starts our tomato season, and do we have some specials. All heritage varities, starting with flavour supremo Yellow Brandywine beefsteak. Other beefsteak type: Kellogg’s Breakfast, Sophia, Yellow Beefsteak. Pink Brandwine. Cluster types: Cherry Brandywine, Lemondrop. Specials: Patsy’s Striped, Amish Paste, Gold Medal (multicoloured).

The peppers and cukes have started too. We’re growing an italian bell pepper called Capriglio and a traditional Bull’s Nose. We chose the Wisconsin open pollinated variety of cucumber for slicing and pickling sizes. Multiple plantings should ensure cukes all through the summer.

The Sweet Potatoes have been in the ground for a month, growing vines already and the tiny tubers are starting two swell. We just put in Irish potatoes last week: four varieties, including Russets and Purples.

Gold Medal Tomato
This is our 200 plant tomato plot growing the varieties listed above.


Here’s what the heirloom seed catalogs say about this luscious fruit.
“The 1-3 lb fruits are among the smoothest bi-colored tomatoes we carry and one of the most beautiful we have seen. Yellow fruit is blushing with rosy red that radiates from the blossom end. Lovely! The firm flesh is of superior quality, being sweet and mild. They have very little acid; great for fresh eating. From the late, legendary seed collector, Ben Quisenberry.”
“A fantastic heirloom tomato dating to at least 1921, where it appeared in a New York seed catalog. Originally named ‘Ruby Gold’, the variety was repopularized decades later as ‘Gold Medal’. This heirloom bears large, beefsteak style fruits that ripen to a remarkably attractive, marbled orange-yellow-red color. It is also known for its excellent flavor and has won a number of taste test contests over the years. Has beautiful coloration when sliced too. The 1-3 lb fruits are among the smoothest bi-colored tomatoes we carry and one of the most beautiful we have seen. Yellow fruit is blushing with rosy red that radiates from the blossom end. Lovely! The firm flesh is of superior quality, being sweet and mild. They have very little acid; great for fresh eating.”

Of course we are growing more than tomatoes, about 20 crops and 5 herbs, plus berries.
Crops this week: frilly kale, Nero kale, Rainbow chard, Tiara and Savoy cabbages, Tokyo Bekana chinese cabbage, beets, bell peppers, sweet bulb onions, scallions, fennel, green garlic and scapes, baby lettuce mix, baby buttercrunch lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, carrots, collards, cabbage collards, leeks, basil and herbs. Surf to the online store here to place your order. Store pick up Thurs 4 to 6 or by arrangement.

Old 99 Farm, week of July 16 2023

Berries are on now, have you ever tried currants? Makes a great juice or smoothy.
Also have raspberries, jostaberries now, and soon gooseberries, mulberries, blackberries and aronia berries.

Farm produce is lush and in good shape, few diseases or pests, none really.

Here’s the ’brassica bed

Crops this week: frilly kale, Nero kale, Rainbow chard, Tiara and Savoy cabbages, Tokyo Bekana chinese cabbage, beets, green onions, baby fennel, green garlic and scapes, baby lettuce mix, baby buttercrunch lettuce, radishes, rhubarb, carrots, collards, cabbage collards, leeks, basil and herbs. Surf to the online store here to place your order. Store pick up Thurs 4 to 6 or by arrangement.

Here’s last week’s CSA harvest basket

You can still sign up for the harvest basket, shorter number of weeks.

Healthy eating
Ian, Cami and Adam

Old 99 Farm, week of July 9, 2023

We have fruits on our harvest list for the first time this year: berries that is: currants, raspberries, jostaberries. Coming will be Mulberries, gooseberries, aronia berries, sour cherries.

The vegetable list is strong too with new crops of kales, collards and cabbage. Still have a week or two for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and cukes. All together we are harvesting 20 vegetables each week.

Here’s an excellent article on the benefits of a ketotonic diet, eg high fat, low carbs. Top Twenty Foods to Eat on a Keto Diet .

World Council for Health has a weekly interview show online. This week is Doctors Paul Marik and Thomas Seyfried on metabolic origins and treatments of cancer and why a ketogenic diet is so beneficial https://worldcouncilforhealth.org/newsroom/.

I’m open to a few more Summer Harvest basket subscriptions at $32 per week. You get 8 to 10 veggies with options and a dozen eggs. Sign up here.

Crops this week: Baby frilly kale, Rainbow chard, Tiara and Savoy cabbages, Tokyo Bekana chinese cabbage, beets, green onions, baby fennel, green garlic and scapes, baby lettuce mix, rhubarb, carrots, collards, cabbage collards, leeks, and herbs. Surf to the online store here to place your order. Store pick up Thurs 4 to 6 or by arrangement.

The snake picture ID last week was not successfully answered by anyone, it’s an Eastern Milk Snake, harmless to humans.

Healthy eating,
Ian, Cami and Adam

Old 99 Farm, week of July1 2023

Hello Friends,
We have lots of vegetables for you. Is the Thursday pick up date stopping you? Did you know you can arrange your pick up day in advance? Place your order, pay by Interac and come on over!

Here’s the display table last week:

I’m open to a few more Summer Harvest basket subscriptions at $32 per week. You get 8 to 10 veggies with options and a dozen eggs. Sign up here.

Crops this week: Baby frilly kale, Rainbow chard, Tiara and Savoy cabbages, Tokyo Bekana chinese cabbage, beets, green onions, baby fennel, green garlic and scapes, baby lettuce mix, rhubarb, asparagus, carrots, collards, cabbage collards, leeks, and herbs. Surf to the online store here to place your order. Store pick up Thurs 4 to 6 or by arrangement.

Anyone recognize this species of snake? I hope it’s a rare one!

Here’s me inspecting our lush crop of scallions, aka green onions.

Healthy eating!
Ian, Cami and Adam

Egg cartons alert: needed urgently

Addenda to notice this week,
we’re out of egg cartons and it’s something everybody loves to recycle.
so ask your neighbours please, could they collect egg cartons for you?
Then you can bring in when you come for veggie or meat or eggs! will have a surprise veggie for you!

thanks
Ian

Old 99 Farm, week of June 25 2023

We’re getting more and more crops planted, new ones and successions of favorites like carrots, arugula, lettuce and beets.

Here’s me with my favorite cow, Christie, in the golfcart this morning!

You can get garlic scapes this week, ready for making garlic arugula pesto, or just cooking with garlic flavour.

I’m open to a few more Summer Harvest basket subscriptions at $32 per week. You get 8 to 10 veggies with options and a dozen eggs. Sign up here.

Crops this week: Rainbow chard, Tiara and Savoy cabbages, Tokyo Bekana chinese cabbage, beets, green onions, baby fennel, green garlic and scapes, baby lettuce mix, rhubarb, asparagus, carrots, collards, cabbage collards, leeks, and herbs. Surf to the online store here to place your order. Store pick up Thurs 4 to 6 or by arrangement.

Healthy eating
Ian, Cami and Adam

Here’s my suggested webblog for the week: www.climateandeconomy.com, for a global scan the the truly important headlines.