Let it be known that I am now beginning registrations for 2011 weekly produce boxes. Not to worry, I haven’t given up on 2010! There are still lots of vegetables coming your way for another couple weeks. But for the sake of keeping the momentum going, let’s start thinking ahead. A huge benefit of CSA is that farmers can earn a steady income year-round. This has incredible, tangible advantages to both the farmer and the farm’s health.

Earning CSA income early in the fall means there is no need to rush through tasks such as compost application and soil preparation in between shifts at the grocery store. It means more time to spend on websites, member relations, planning, record keeping and continuing education. It means growing vegetables later into the fall, and starting earlier in the spring. It means a decrease in the need to purchase expensive credit, which in turn means a bigger budget for farm operations. It means a farmer dedicated to the land 12 months of the year, physically and mentally capable of responding to its needs.

To prove just how much of a difference early payment makes to me and to the farm, I am offering early bird discounts for members who pay their deposits before November 1st and December 1st, 2010. You can pay the total all at once, or you can pay the remaining balance anytime, and in any number of payments, as long as the total amount is received before March 1st, 2011.

Although the system stays basically the same, there are a few notable differences this year. First of all, I will be selling fewer weekly boxes. I feel this will increase the quality of the weekly produce box. It will be easier to give everyone larger portions of a larger selection of produce. Among other things, I want to offer a more consistent supply of salad greens, a larger variety of hardy greens, and good solid portions of vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, beans and broccoli.

Selling fewer prepaid boxes will also allow me to start a little earlier and end a little later. The 2011 weekly food box is now extended to 20 weeks, and the biweekly box is extended to 10 weeks. I feel this is just the beginning, and I hope to keep stretching the vegetable production season with the use of cold houses, row cover and mini-tunnels.

Another major change is the price schedule. A farm is healthiest when treated as a long-term, self-sustainable organism. It requires a staggering amount of work and money to get the whole thing going, but once momentum is established, the production systems function efficiently and generously. In order to show my gratitude to those who have stood by me during the exploration phase of this project, I have introduced a sliding scale in the weekly box price. The scale offers a discount to members who return year after year and offer the farm their dedication and their support. Thank you!

The last change I want to mention is a new delivery fee. Maintaining central pickup locations around town, and getting the food there, is a very involved process. It requires attentive administration, as well as the vehicles and infrastructure capable of moving large amounts of produce in a safe, timely and efficient manner. There continues to be no charge for pickups at the farm, but those who pickup at our other locations will be charged the equivalent of $2 per week.

*Send an email to info@riverglenfarm.ca for you copy of our 2011 Registration Package.

This is a single weblog entry, posted on September 29th, 2010. Comment here »

I am sad to say that Riverglen Biodynamic Farm has also pulled out of Feast of Fields for similar reasons. I am happy that Loblaws is supporting Canadian Organic Growers. I would like to see more collaboration between the two organizations at a national level. However, Feast of Fields is a local event, and Loblaws has no place there whatsoever.

I hope the organizers recognize their very large mistake and re-think their sponsorship strategy for next year. I for one, will not attend Feast of Fields as long as it is made a scam publicity stunt for Loblaws.

I offered the Feast of Fields team to hold Feast of Fields on my farm for free. All I asked was that COG Ottawa re-reimburse the cost to keep the event field mowed short. Riverglen is an Ottawa Greenbelt Farm, situated between Nepean and Kanata, 15 minutes drive from downtown. Promoting sustainable agriculture in Ottawa’s Greenbelt would have been a fantastic opportunity for both COG and the NCC.

However, my offer was declined because there aren’t enough bus routes to the farm. Instead of promoting better use of the Greenbelt, a local farm, and keeping costs down, COG decided on Lebreton Flats and Loblaws. I’m very disappointed.

Once again, I applaud for Loblaw’s exceptional commitment to providing a certified organic line of products. But they are not local, Ottawa products. Feast of Field (organized by COG-Ottawa, not COG-national) is an event celebrating food production in Ottawa. Not BC, not even Ontario. Ottawa. Period.

If Feast of Fields is to be an event about the global food industry, organics all over the nation and all over the world then sure, bring on Loblaws, Metro, Pro-Organics and the other wholesalers, bring on the trucking companies, the Chilean nitrite miners, the plastic container manufacturers, the certifiers… Lets bring them all in and make it a big organic trade show!

But Feast of Fields is going to be about people in Ottawa doing the best they can to produce and serve good food that is from Ottawa, then please leave the whole global/national organic drama out of it… please… just this one time…

Sincerely,

David Burnford

This is a single weblog entry, posted on September 12th, 2010. Comment here »

I took part in these classes last winter and I thought they were very enlightening. It was a great chance to further my biodynamic knowledge and open some doors into Rudolph Steiner’s larger world view.

This is a single weblog entry, posted on September 11th, 2010. Comment here »

Greetings CWY allies!  You are receiving this email because we are in urgent need of at least 1 more Host due to an 11th hour development.   Please publish the information below amongst your networks and help us out by calling anyone whom you know who may be interested!

The Volunteers will be in Ottawa on the 16th and I will be leaving town this weekend to attend their orientation camp.  I will have some availability to meet with interested Hosts over the next 48 hours and can connect after we return to Ottawa on the 16th with the team.  THANK YOU!

Subject heading:
“URGENT: Canada World Youth Returns to Greater Ottawa from Sep. 16 – Dec. 6th! Hosts needed!”

Body text:
” Founded in 1971 by the late Honorable Jacques Hebert, CWY has enabled close to 33 000 youth engage in the development of equitable, sustainable and harmonious societies by participating in this CIDA funded program.

CWY is actively seeking Hosts and Volunteer Placement organizations to ensure that a diverse cross section of Greater Ottawa is included in the young Volunteers’ experience.   For 2.5 months, the group of 9 Volunteers from across Canada & 9 Volunteers from Kenya (ages 21-23) will be living in pairs with local hosts and volunteering over 4000 hours of service to local organizations.

CWY provides $168.00 /week + bus passes to help offset the cost of hosting two motivated and independent Volunteers who have undergone a thorough screening process.

All that is required is one spare room and a mentoring environment!

To get involved or learn more, please visit http://sites.google.com/site/cwykenvo/ and contact Khan, Canadian Project Supervisor at 613 875 2330.  cwy.kenvo@gmail.com”

–
NoorKhan S. Bawa & Janet Wanjiru
Project Supervisors
Youth Leaders in Action Program
CWY Ottawa 2010 – KENVO Kenya 2011
613 875 2330
http://sites.google.com/site/cwykenvo/

This is a single weblog entry, posted on September 9th, 2010. 1 Comment »

No, we won’t be latin dancing, but we will be making and canning our own homemade salsa, using farm fresh veggies. Canning is a great way to preserve the harvest and ensure that you can enjoy local produce all year round.

Join us on Thursday, September 16 from 5:30-7:30 PM at Riverglen Farm for a group cooking and canning session. No experience necessary (but experience is also welcome!) Our goal is for everyone to learn the basics of home canning, and to take home a jar of homemade salsa. All ingredients and supplies will be provided – we are asking for $2 per person to cover equipment costs.

Please RSVP to Leela at Leela.ramachandran@gmail.com so we can make sure there are enough veggies and jars for everyone. See you there!

This is a single weblog entry, posted on September 6th, 2010. Comment here »