A pair of farms and an old dog

Spent some time at Haliburton Farm this week, collecting my latest CSA basket and seeing what was up with the farmstand and the farmers. “What a beautiful farmstand!” said one woman, visiting for the first time. And she was right: it’s in its glory just now.

2011 Haliburton Farmstand Carrots2011 Haliburton Farmstand Kohlrabi2011 Haliburton Farmstand Broad Beans

 

 

 

And the veg box bounty reflects that too:

2011 Haliburton CSA Blackboard July202011 Haliburton CSA Tayberries July202011 Haliburton CSA Purple Green Onions July20

 

 

2011 Haliburton CSA Salad Turnips 20 July2011 Haliburton CSA Salad Mix July202011 Haliburton CSA Onions July20

 

 

 

While elsewhere on the farm, the bees are buzzing, the weeds are growing, and the potatoes need hilling with a nice bit of straw.

2011 Haliburton Bees Orchard July202011 Haliburton Farmer Emily Weeding July202011 Haliburton Farmer Nate Putting Straw on Potatoes July20

 

 

 

Last night’s COG-VI farm tour was in Metchosin, at Sweet Earth Farms, where farmer Ian King explained how his mobile greenhouses can be pulled on their metal runners to help extend his seasons. We all admired his radicchio which was fortunately too bitter to interest the deer that had just broken into the field, obliging the purchase and installation of new deer fencing.

Sweet Earth Farms GreenhouseSweet Earth Farms Greenhouse RunnerSweet Earth Farms Radicchio

 

 

 

Then we got a look at the raspberries (thriving) and the strawberries (likewise) and were inspected by a couple of bold and curious ducks

Sweet Earth Farms RaspberriesSweet Earth Farms Strawberries+MikeSweet Earth Farms welcome ducks

 

 

 

unlike the rest of the flock which were young and skittish. Their duck barn boasts a custom designed water trough which sits on a mesh-covered drainage box so that their wild drinking doesn’t end up soaking the nice thick straw floor. The geese were interested and vocal; they are Pilgrim geese, an endangered species, so Ian is planning to raise goslings to try to safeguard some numbers locally.

Sweet Earth Farms ducksSweet Earth Farms water trough duck barnSweet Earth Farms Pilgrim Geese

 

 

 

And the final farewell goes to old Anton, who passed away today after an extremely long and joyful life, aged 15 and 3/4.

Anton Colquitz Park

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