Never Ending Spring...

Hello everybody! I can honestly say i have been putting off the blog for a little while and feel a little guilty. Although let me tell you it has been a very long and hard past few weeks! So what then has gone on around the farm? What kind of changes can you expect to see this upcoming year?

Well after weeks of painstaking labor and many late nights we have finished planting about 40,000 strawberry plants, now expanding into the back fields. We have set up new irrigation lines running around the farm and spent quite bit of time planting grasses and digging gardens for the upcoming year. The one thing you truly come to appreciate living here is just how back-breaking farming really is...

Things however, are going fantastically! The animals are all in good health and the crops are looking exceptional. The warm weather has given us a head start on the growing season meaning our plants will have extra time to develop a higher quality produce. Also I have an exciting new addition to tell you all about! Some of you who may have visited the farm last year may have come across our heifer(a cow that has yet to give birth) Poppy. Well just under a week ago she gave birth to a lively new bull; bringing the total cow count to four!

It was quite the experience, certainly not for the faint of heart! It was my first time seeing any large animal being born and despite the blood, it was incredible! Must have been an interesting day at work for all the farmhands hanging around(all of whom came and watched...). All in all the early season has gone quite well, we are on top of all the work that needs to be done and the field is looking good for 2010!

To give the reader a little insight into the importance of this time of year; the early stages of the growing season are some of the most important in production. This is because they influence the way the plant matures and produces for the rest of the year. Ideally at this time of year you would see warm temperatures and lots of rain. While we certainly have the heat; rain seems to be an issue and this could be a big problem for Ontario farmers. The dry conditions expected this year will cause lots of damage to almost all crops this year and unless your farmer is constantly irrigating odds are the fruit could be a lot smaller this season.

So how as a gardener can you prevent this kind of damage? Well the most important step is to keep an eye on your garden. Water it as necessary, especially when the plants are young. Don't forget the temperature at this time of year can change on a dime and it is important to know when it will go below freezing. Plants should be kept in heat boxes of some kind overnight, to protect them from frost damage. For the bigger plots many people will choose to irrigate, the water will prevent frost damage from freezing up until -2 degrees.

Other then worrying about freezing the only other real concern now is planting. While this may be a very large job here on the farm, it is much more manageable in a backyard garden. Home growers should check seed packets and growing books for the approximate time to plant and follow the instructions for raising seedlings. As a farmer it is less off the package and more based on experience. You want to have your plants spread out the harvest as long as possible, as opposed to having all your produce come in one giant wave. One way of doing this is by planting seeds a few weeks apart, this will ensure that you always have plants producing at different times and a lot less produce is wasted(of course you also have to consider when plants pack it in or you might not get anything!).

Now things are beginning to slow down so I do hope to have a few posts up here over the next month but I will do my best! I hope everyone has stayed in good health, and that things are going well and I look forward to seeing some of you again as the season approaches! The weather is beautiful, so no excuses get around to going outside its good for ya! Who knows, you might even end up starting up a garden of your own! Alright well I have rambled enough, until the next time everyone;

Good Health & Good Eating!

Frankies Ristorante

Not all that much to do with the farm but this is a fantastic restaurant for anyone with a gluten or nut intolerance. The food is absolutely exceptional, even to someone who can eat wheat. My sister has a gluten intolerance and we are always looking for places to go to buy her good tasting and healthy food. Frankies is a fantastic restaurant with a great selection of special gluten free products. If you have a gluten or nut intolerance or know someone who does and has been looking for a place to go, this is it! I have posted a link for the restaurant in the links below, it's in Uxbridge so it might be a bit of a drive, but it is worth it!

Building a Field

The sun is shining and it's beginning to feel a lot like spring again. Much of the ground is no longer white but a mix of brown and green, and you can actually spend the day outside in a t-shirt. Yes it is feeling like spring, and soon enough we will be back out in the fields tending to what is coming this year.

Currently we are dividing up plots of the field, now being just before the growing season, it is the time when we have to decide on the fruits and vegetables we are going to carry this upcoming season. As a farmer, proper usage of your land is key to running a profitable farm. If you are growing carrots and no one wants carrots then it will not end up paying off! So farmers at this time of year carefully review what their most popular products were last season and what is currently in demand by the public. This way they can keep up with the changing markets and stay in business.

By planning out fields farmers are much better equipped for this task(you have a limited space and although you might like to grow all the weird veggies, a lot of the time you can't!). It is also important to plan out fields so that they are balanced to contain both animals and plants. Allowing animals to have space to live and pastures to graze has always been important to our family. So to find room for them we choose a section of field that needs to be revitalized. In other words anywhere that has been grown on for several years and has had its nutrients used up. Generally this applies to plots where we grow temporary crops such as strawberries but pastures can be adjusted to include more permanent crops such as our apples.

Fencing is strung up on all sides of the planned pasture and a specific mix of cover crops that includes different grasses and legumes(these prevent cows from bloating and are exceptionally good at renewing the soil) is planted. When the ground hardens up a bit the cows and pigs will both be left to graze and root in the pasture. This benefits the farm on many levels, the animals are allowed the space and diet that is essential for them to stay healthy and they also keep tabs on the weeds in the field. One of the best features of this method is that while the cows keep the grass nice and low, pigs will seek out more pestilent weeds such as thistles and eat their roots, saving us the weeding!

If it has been done right this process will improve the overall health of the farm and limit the amount of synthetic products a farmer needs to add to their fields. That is why it is so important, especially on organic farms to plan out their crops. It also provides a humane and ethical way of raising livestock that is lost in all these factory farms. If you want to prove this to yourself take a walk into a properly planned field and the difference can be stunning.

In the end this journey to becoming sustainable has lead us to all sorts of new practices and ideas and a lifestyle that just makes sense. I am happy to say that the new growing season is just about here and I can't wait for it! Someone once said you are what you eat and if what you eat is healthy, then it certainly can't do you any harm! I hope everyone is keeping in good health, and until next time everyone,

Good Health and Good Eating!

Fighting the Flu and Ginger Tea

Well it has been a long Winter so far and I thought i might be blessed by not catching the flu at all this winter, however unfortunately I still managed to get it! In fact a lot of people seem to be coming down with a cough or sore throat of some kind. Well today I would like to share with you some of the benefits of the miracle herb ginger.

Ginger root is an excellent source of vitamins and nutrients, something essential when you are feeling run-down. It also contains some natural antibiotics and it is rich in anti-oxidants which help boost your immune system. Personally I love the taste of ginger and always have and so ginger tea is always one of my first choices for a cold and flu remedy. Ginger has also been proven to be effective in treating nausea and settling the stomach(as long as you don't eat to much!). I was curious about any other possible health benefits of ginger and after doing a bit of research, it's obvious why it is called the miracle herb! Ginger contains many beneficial compounds that make it's health benefits range from powerful anti-inflammatory to a possible cure for several types of cancer. Many studies have been done that show ginger does not only benefit people who have a runny nose but also seems to help with conditions such as arthritis. Ginger like many natural herbs may soon prove to be much more beneficial for the body then people think and if you would like to learn some more about it's effect on the body please visit:

Ginger

I have also recently come across an article about milk. Milk is generally accepted as a healthy thing to drink, it is loaded with proteins and beneficial chemicals that can help your body. Many of these proteins are naturally formed to aid growth in the young and increase disease resistance. There was an article in Acres magazine that introduced me to the idea of caseins. Caseins are one of the most important proteins found in milk, they are primarily responsible for the development of children. There have been over the course of history two types of caseins; alpha and beta, both are essential to your health. However over the years the gene pool of cows (our number one source of milk) has been limited by selective breeding and made many cows genetically 'closer'. Many years ago a defect occurred in a cow somewhere that turned the traditional A2 beta casein into what they call A1 beta casine.

Now this didn't really seem to mean much then and I doubt anyone knew about it at the time. Over the years however, the gene that produces this mutation has been widely interbreed into other cattle, especially in areas such as the West where selective breeding has been practiced for generations. The only problem is that the A1 type of beta casein is now being linked to heart disease and autism, which could partially explain why we have such high rates of both in North America. Countries like New Zealand now force livestock owners to test their cows before they are allowed to sell any milk and Australia forces producers to label what type of milk they sell. This story really gives support to women who breast feed their babies, it may be more important then previously thought! For more info on proteins found in milk and their benefits visit: Milk Composition - Proteins and if you would like to further read on links between the A1 type casein and your health visit: Beta casein A1 and A2 in milk and human health: Lay Summary

Besides the health stories, I have quite a few things to tell you from our farm!

Our cow gillian has finally calved, giving birth to baby Willow and we now have added three piglets to the farm for the upcoming season! As some of you may be aware, our family is trying to source only local foods, and this means growing the majority of our greens and raising most of our meat. This will be our second time raising pigs and honestly it is great to have more. Pigs are fantastic animals to have around the farm. Now that we have three more we no longer send out any green waste and our compost piles require a lot less work! As well I can now say I have tried milk fresh from the cow and it was an experience, (Although I did not do the milking, it was good!).

As far as farming in Ontario goes, we are now closing in on a key time for farms around the GTA. Many of the perrenial crops (such as apples and raspberries) need to be pruned before coming out of dormancy in the spring. Home gardeners should also be checking their patches right now. If you are a raspberry grower now is an excellent time to clean up your canes.

• If you are growing raspberries you need to prune them within the next few weeks, while they are still in dormancy. If you wait too much longer, sap will start flowing through the plants again and pruning may cause more damage then good. You must also identify whether or not you are growing early or ever-bearing raspberries.
• If your raspberries produced earlier in the summer then they are an early variety and you must selectively prune. Cut out all the dead canes from the previous year, then you should thin out your canes to about 11 canes per meter.
• If your raspberries produced right up until the first frost they are ever-bearing. This means that it is probably best to simply cut down and remove all the canes and let the plants start fresh in the beginning of the season. You should dispose of all waste canes as they can cause the healthy plants to catch diseases.

Things are also starting to shape up for this years growing season. The farm is being cleaned and we are in the process of planning out what we are growing this year and where we are going to plant it, things are beginning to get busy again! Unlike the majority of people, our family is spending super-bowl sunday building a new pig pen... all part of the journey back to real food! I hope everyone has managed to stay healthy over the past month and if your coming under the weather, you might want to give ginger tea a shot! Until next time,

Good Health & Good Eating!

Working Off the Holidays

Well the holiday season is now officially over, I hope everyone had a good break and remained in good health! The one thing that comes this time of year with all the good food, gifts and family is a bit of a belly and some extra pounds. Of course this isn't too bad but many people do their best to work off these pounds after the season. Being healthy and keeping in shape starts in your diet and conditioning your body also relies on your food.

Of course there are many workout strategies that target certain areas of your body but since this blog is not for personnel training I will leave that to the readers to look up! However I will give you a few tips on how too keep in shape and maybe find a natural alternative to all the creams and medicines that supposedly 'prevent aging'. My first tip starts with working out. First off for a basic overview; when you work out or exercise you are forming many small tears in your muscles, when you consume protein, the proteins attach themselves to these tears and your muscles grow. To get these proteins many people will turn to protein supplements and manufactured products, however with all the new discoveries in the world of health it's looking a lot like these products may actually cause more damage to your body then good. A good alternative of course are eggs, which are naturally very high in protein and other nutrients essential to your health.

Another common problem experienced by athletes is the build up of lactic acids. For those who don't know lactic acid is formed when your muscles are not getting enough oxygen while they are being used. The resulting buildup of lactic acid is what causes the pain in tired muscles. One method to break down lactic acid and combat this pain is to consume potassium rich foods, an excellent source of which is bananas. So a good method for people who are just starting to work out or are looking for alternatives to conventional methods would be to make a smoothie containing two eggs, a banana, cocoa powder and some milk.

Also I have done some research into anti-oxidants and aging. Though the exact cause of aging is not determined, there is a theory now that is rapidly gaining in popularity, and many of the signs are looking like is correct. This theory attributes aging to the consumption of free radicals. A free radical is basically an atom or molecule that has an unbalanced valance shell, or in other words requires additional electrons to become stable. The danger is that when you consume free radicals, they steal electrons from the atoms in your cells forming more free radicals and eventually killing the cell. The damage is accumulative, and occurs over the years. This damage is now being associated with aging, which could help to explain why people who have had a diet rich in anti-oxidants for most their life seem to age better then people who don't. Anti-oxidants enter the body and have an excess of electrons, therefore they can stabilize free radicals without becoming free radicals themselves. So evidence now suggests that by having a diet high in anti-oxidants you may actually be combating the aging process.

So in conclusion, want to start to shape up that body? You will need lots of exercise to start and a diet full of anti-oxidant rich foods. Who knows, if people actually start to eat more fruits and veggies and healthier foods, manufactured and synthetic cosmetics might become a thing of the past. Until next time everyone;

Good Health & Good Eating!

Want more info on the science behind anti-oxidants and free radicals? Visit: Understanding Free Radicals and Antioxidants