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Casi Cielo-CSA

My name is Nancy Bokland and my   Community Supported Agriculture project or micro Urban Farm, called Casi Cielo or Almost Heaven for 2014.  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 weekly basis starting in mid- June 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 or 23.21 per week.    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, beans, beets, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, kale, lettuce, spinach, rhubarb, butternut squash, ground cherries, hascaps, raspberries, strawberries, apples, blackberries, asparagus, okra, eggplant, basil, thyme, oregano, chives, lemon balm, sunchokes, snap peas.  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 or Friday afternoons.

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, 2014. Please call me with questions, concerns or requests at 204-799-3792

 

 

Tomato harvest around the corner

tomatoes at my house are numerous, just really green.  Perhaps this is the year where I should try fried green tomatoes.  Hoping they continue to produce through September , I have many plans for them.

One of the tough things about gardening is the timing piece I find.  How do you know how long it will take for fruits and veg to be ready for picking?? It seems like mid August is always crazy with cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes and other things and there is no time to enjoy it all.  You just find room in the freezer or steam up the kitchen with the canner until it feels like the amazon rain forest and smells like a vinegar factory.

I am going to do my best to pick out five or so recipes to stick to, marinara sauce, a chutney, dry some of the tomatoes and keep them in olive oil, and make lots of yummy zucchini chocolate cakes and fritters.

What will you be doing with your harvest???

We all need Nosh, recipe time!!!!

November is fast approaching, which has it's good points.  As the cold wind blows and snow threatens, I can rationalize more calories to fight off the chill of the days.  Here is a great recipe to go with all those soups and chilis and stews we will be eating over the next few months.  I have some tomatoes still that are not salad worthy, but great for this recipe.

Roasted Tomato Feta Scones


Makes 8 scones

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon garlic salt

4 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 egg slightly beaten

1 – 4 oz package feta cheese

½ cup roasted red tomatoes, chopped

2 green onions, finely sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the flour, baking powder, garlic salt and butter in a food processor. Pulsate everything in 3-second intervals until the mixture resembles coarse meal. If doing this by hand, use 2 knives, a pastry blender or your fingers.Transfer everything to a large bowl. Stir in heavy cream and egg, mixing the dough by hand until it comes together. Add feta cheese, roasted tomatoes, and green onions. Gently mix the ingredients by hand until the savory ingredients are evenly distributed. On a floured surface, form a big dough ball. Flatten the dough into a 1 inch disk and cut it in 8 equal pieces. Bake for 15 minutes on a baking stone or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove scones from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy this comfort food

sunday morning

It is bright and sunny and I am almost ready to go off to church.  Small business however means that the rest of the day will be devoted to labours, but labours that I love.  Squashes, tomatoes, zucchinis and pottery are packed in the truck ready to go up to the Red River General Store on Henderson Highway. It is a peaceful winding road and I love what Monique is doing with her venue.  Growing her own produce and pickling and canning much of it, and promoting and selling the work of local people.  She has a great positive energy that is just infectious.

I am continuing to tweak and refine how and where I sell my work. While I was sad not to do Many Fest because I love being with folks outdoors, it would have left my back in no shape to work at pottery or the real job this week.  So, fewer shows, more stores and more balance.