My CSA progress report, more than just carrots

Even though Spring is mighty slow to come to Winnipeg, the response to the membership drive is going well. Thought I should offer some nitty gritty details about what a CSA is.  

 Sign up now to get our food box for this summer into the fall harvest, only  a few spots left to ensure that there is abundant harvest for all the share holders. .

How does it work?  Every second week for 14 weeks, mid-July till the end of September you get to pick at the urban farm 273 Enfield Cr., between 5-7 pm.   alternates are welcome if you send me a heads up email at nancyblokland@msn.com

What do I grow??  The season will start with leafy greens and herbs (tea, culinary and medicinal), edible flowers like pansies, zucchini blossoms and calendula. The unsung hero of Manitoba,  rhubarb. then there are the beans are usually mid July and there will be many different kinds, then zucchinis yellow green and striped and cucumbers.   August is always the most bountiful with squashes, tomatoes, peppers, sometimes the apples beets and carrots. In September and early October  I hope for pumpkins and butternut squash that grow high into the hedges,, so it is always a  treasure hunt. If there is surplus it will go to market, but this is an idea of the nutritious beauty we harvest every year.

When things get slow there's baking from cookies to zucchini chocolate cake, muffins , chutneys, salsa and surprises!




The cost for an Casi Cielo share?   325.00 for the season covers 14 weeks between July and the end of September, Mother Nature will decide some of the specific pick up dates, but there will be pick ups every second week during that time period.

How do I sign up?  You can email info@aurorafarm.ca to let us know that you will be taking a box.  You can send an email transfer or Paypal to nancyblokland@msn.com , with the message casicielo.  check out our group on Facebook for updates, photos, recipes and more Nancy Blokland Casi Cielo.

Don't delay.  We have limited spots left.   

Spring Planning on my CSA Casi Cielo

February has begun, and with it my urge to get back into the outside earth and

zucchinis 3 kinds great for all kinds of things including salt and vinegar chips!

apples from my tree in a handbuilt altered casserole

grapes are bearing fruit in September

That means I need to shift my lens slightly to the outside of my home. yep, Casi Cielo 2016 will be taking shares and in full swing.  Thursday afternoons were just not the same last summer without harvesting and having families coming to pick up their food boxes.

Of course, things are being tweaked and improved to be more effective and efficient. This is the link on Facebook to the group where folks can find photos, recipes an updates on what is happening in the garden.  This year I hope to have more involvement by families in the growing and harvesting of food, and to incorporate a barter system of sweat eqity.
Really hoping that there wont be any woodchuck updates this season.
Here is the link to the group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/492776387465846/

Details forthcoming shortly, room for 10 families over the season with bi weekly pick up!

My name is Nancy Bokland and my   Community Supported Agriculture project or micro Urban Farm, called Casi Cielo or Almost Heaven for 2016  I have a small house on a big yard in Norwood/St. Boniface where I am living out the principle of grow food, not lawns and working to make it all an edible landscape. Since my “farm” is quite small, my plan is to offer a crate of fresh, organic (not certified) , locally grown fruit and vegetables on a bi weekly basis starting in mid- July until the end of September for a total of 14 weeks. I may take a break of a few weeks in July if we have a stall in growth like last year, but will “beef” up any slow weeks with baking and preserves. 

I love growing food and flowers.  I love sharing the fruits of my labours with others, and would love to grow full time.  I want my customers to know how I grow the food, and even have input into what I grow, to match the needs of their family’s diet.  If you cannot pick up your vegetables due to travel or other summer time issues, please call and let me know if you are sending an alternate. 

 

This year,  a full family  share in the Casi Cielo project will 325.00 per food box.    The food will be fresh, full of nutrients and hand picked.  There is risk in any farming or gardening venture, but I will aim ensure a good quantity, with high quality food throughout the season.  Amounts  and types of produce will vary with the seasons, and the weather conditions. So far the list is potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, 3 kinds of beans, beets, cucumbers, 2 types of zucchini, peppers, kale, lettuce, spinach, rhubarb, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, ground cherries, hascaps, raspberries, okra, eggplant, basil, thyme, oregano, chives, lemon balm, snap peas. The list will grow based on demand, and always open to suggestions.  

My aim is to supply enough vegetables for a family of four, or two vegetarians for each week.  Pick up locations will be one mid city (downtown) point and my home in St. Boniface.  Pick ups will be on Thursday afternoons between 5-7 pm.

If you want to be a part of my farm dream comin alive; email me at nancyblokland@msn.com, with your name, address, and phone number.  deposit of 50.00 required by April 15^th, with the remainder due June 1, 2016. Please call me with questions, concerns or requests at 204-799-3792

 

 

almost heaven Casi Cielo update

The dog days of August are upon us, and if it weren't for the slugs, I would be completely ecstatic about how the garden is growing.  It would be easy to be consumed on a full time basis by weeding this little patch of paradise, but other things like my "real" job are calling my attention, so I have to be content with the wildness and Amazonian appearance of the garden.  Spaghetti squash growing through the hedge, over the raspberries, pumpkins that will need to be harvested by ladder if we don't get frost.  Look at this passion flower, it has gone over the top of the trellis and is reaching for the sky!

Zucchini, that get away on me, when I think there is nothing there, and suddenly they weigh 3 pounds. here is a recipe to use the zucs and basil

 

 

 

 

ZUCCHINI & BASIL MUFFINS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 1 tablespoon of dried
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup canola oil
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425F. Lightly grease or line with paper baking cups twelve 2 3/4 inch muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, blend together the flour, sugar, baking powder, basil oregano, and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Beat in the milk and oil. Stir in the zucchini. Combine the two mixtures, blending until the dry ingredients are just moistened.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve warm, or invert onto the rack to cool completely

 

 

The  calendula are drying in the garage, and each day there are scads more , so here is a healing salve recipe that I am going to make later this week.

 

GOLDEN CALENDULA LOTION OR CREAM

 

You will firstly need to make up a calendula infused oil. I do this each season when the calendulas are flowering in the garden. They self seed so you won't have to plant them each year & they are so useful. To do this, pick fresh calendula petals, as much as possible, (NOT MARIGOLDS) preferably straight from the garden. Place in a pyrex bowl & cover halfway with olive oil. Boil this mixture until the oil has made the petals crisp like chips. I do mine in the microwave but you need to be extra careful getting boiling oil out without burning yourself. It works fine on the stove, using a stainless steel saucepan, but takes longer. When cool, place in a sterilized glass screw top glass jar. It will keep unrefrigerated for yonks!!!

 

3 Steps:

 

 

Step 1

 

 

·         3/4 cup purified water or rosewater or other floral water, e.g. lavender, chamomile, orangeflower,(also called hydrosols)

·         2 teaspoons glycerine

 

Heat water or floral water to 60C, then add glycerine, stir thoroughly & heat again to 70C. (I don't measure the temp, I just go by feel, the temp is not critical).

 

Step 2

 

 

·         16g emulsifying wax for a lotion or 30g for a cream

·         2 tablespoons of calendula infused oil (see above for directions)

 

Heat the oils to 70C, then pour the hot water in a slow stream onto the oil, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the temp drops to 45C when you add the next step.

 

Step 3

 

 

·         20 drops carrot E/O

·         15 drops E/O according to skin type, can be a mixture of ones you like & are suitable(see above).

 

Add the E/O's & mix thoroughly.

If the cream is too thick, add a trickle of floral water, beating & adding until you get the consistency you like. Pot into sterilized glass jars