The Sosnicki Organic Produce Blog

Sauerkraut is Ready - Finally!

2012-02-02T13:48:00.001-05:00

So long overdue, our kraut is hitting the markets! Can I say sorry for taking so long? We've been cra-zy busy with cabbage storage and when it's just Ben, his mom and I- time is pinched! So now I have all the offerings I am proud of at a winter market! Our winter veg and an array of specialty foods! The sauerkraut is a super, super food! The only ingredients are our organic cabbages and unrefined mineral rich sea salt. After a couple weeks she ferments down nicely and because of the natural chemistry of cabbage - a super food is born! This stuff boasts beneficial bacteria, Vitamins C & K, Awesome minerals (besides those in the sea salt too!) and nutrients like potassium, magnesium and calcium. Excellent for your guts because of the bacteria! Put down the 'shake your belly' plastic yogurt and have a daily tablespoon of raw, unpasteurized sauerkraut instead!! Enjoy!

I just have to mention today marks our 10th Wedding Anniversary. We've been together now for 15 years and the time has flown by! I will never forget the night 16 years ago I went out to irrigate with my brother at the Sosnicki's farm..... Still to this day Ben's kind face and smile makes me just feel good about life. He is the most gentle, loving guy that is also tough, stubborn, strong and makes one hell of a great farmer! He is definitely my 'partner in grime' to the end. Here's to the next 10 Benny - the sap is saying she's loves you! wink. ;) When there is love, respect and friendship, it can only get better! Here's to kickin it' in the field bringing on feasts of organic foods for years and years to come!!!

Winter Markets

2012-01-22T14:43:00.001-05:00

The winter markets are better than ever, so it's a great time of the year to reacquaint yourself with the farmers market or come out for the first time! Fresh produce is definitely not as plentiful, but there are a bevy of great storage crops and farmers there that would appreciate your support! Evergreen Brickworks Farmers Market is turning out to be a great one happening every Saturday morning. Come eat, have coffee or hot chocolate, go skating and enjoy many other activities during your shopping experience. This past Saturday the market celebrated Chinese New Year with music and entertainment! I have a feeling, knowing these organizers like I do, more events like this are to follow in the coming weeks! Stay warm, enjoy winter and visit a farmers market soon! If you slip by our tables you will be sure to find Russian Blue Potatoes, Red Gold Potatoes, Buttery Fingerlings, Leeks, Celeriac, Garlic, huge Cabbages, tubs of frozen Sweet, Sweet Corn, Perogies, Cabbage Rolls and coming soon fresh Sauerkraut! See you there.....

The Farm's Affordable Facelift!

2012-01-12T11:33:00.001-05:00

It is due time to update and get a little fresher around here! Over the next few months at the markets and online we are getting a facelift! Our much loved original farm website created in 2004 is being retired and a new one will be taking it's place. Gone will be our also much loved generic logo as well and replaced by an exciting new one, which will essentially become our 'brand'. I am pleased to share a taste right now of our new image:

The new logo itself though simple represents our farm quite well. I tend to think of water drops, irrigation, movement, growth, change, corn stalks, cabbage, even brussel spouts when I look at it. Plus it's hard to miss all those various 'S's within it!
For other farmer's wishing to brand themselves or brush up their image, I have advice to share: Especially to all you FarmStart farmers that I am SO PROUD of for getting your certification for organic production! A huge congratulations! You do not have to get fancy. You do not have to spend a ton of money to do it. I think the main catalyst is pride and the basic want and need to showcase yourself and really get out there and do the best you can to compete with the big boys. We are a small family farm, a micro farm if you will. We have debt and a mortgage like the rest of them. Finding funds or even having a budget to spend on this type of thing is very, very hard to come by. We know that well. Please note that websites are very affordable these days to set up and implement yourself. A free Blog can do it all and then some! A more custom website can be created by a number of folks now a days for a reasonable rate. There are so many crappy businesses out there with generic, laughable websites. Be proud of your little farm and show it off!! What you do is soo important! Get your farm on Facebook, Twitter (most especially), get LinkedIn, do Flickr too! Free, free, free and can broaden your customer base big time. Make the time to post, blog, link to important things. Lots of you have mobile phones now, use them to update your customers about the farm's progress. This is the big one: A huge asset you may be overlooking are your customers! You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that one of them own an awesome Design and Communication company. These folks may be inclined to help you out big time at little or no cost or even have you pay in 'vegetables'. You'd be surprised at how much respect you get from these people you feed on a weekly basis and how they almost feel inclined to help you succeed. After all, a full stomach is a happy stomach! From cops, lawyers, judges, doctors, psychiatrists, chefs etc, you can be sure at market you are catering to some interesting folks while you feed them and their families! You may be very surprised to find out what customer 'Bob' does for a living one day! Food has this powerful way of creating a kinship between folks. Especially during a time when more families than ever are looking to support local and organic. Ben and I are very fortunate to have folks such as these in our lives that help us with the business of farming among other things. It would not be possible without them. Looking back over the years it is also such a great feeling to know how many customers have turned into friends as well. And well, after all, we are busy in the fields are we not? We can't possibly find the time (and never mind the money) to do everything! ;)

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the farm!!!

2011-12-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

It's that time of the year again and we almost can't believe another year has come and gone! We also can't believe it's been almost 2 years since we've seen SMASHY!! We miss you girlie!!!!
It's been quite a ride, lots of challenges, lots of work, but a ton of laughs along the way too. The crops did surprisingly well despite the drought this year and late head start. One of our Mexican guys suffered a medical emergency and was hospitalized but thank goodness is now A-ok!! Panzer the pup grew into a beautiful big boy and is no longer ripping the heads off of chickens!!! We had the second annual Evergreen bus tour down to the farm, had a great meal and help getting some work done! Our sweet corn was awesome, tomatoes were so-so, cabbage crop was awesome too! We dropped one market this year and we've missed it and the income it provided, so we'll try and pick it up again for next year! It's pretty tough trying to do it all, but we always seem to manage!!

We'd like to wish everyone, all our customers, friend's and family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

****For Smashy:****

We wish you happiness and peace in the New Year kiddo and nothing but the best always. You are in our thoughts daily and our memories make us giggle remembering all the fun times. We promise to continue to take good care of Lady Bug, who is getting very, very lazy without her commander and chief. When I asked dad if he had a message for you, he said: "Hey Austin! Wake up and smell the cinnamon buns!!" I bet you miss those eh? The first pic of dad immediately made me think of you, that's why it's the first one I posted! Your dad loves you and talks about you all the time. We are always, always here for you. The farm family will never change. One phone call from you anywhere and we're on the road!

What are you eating during the holidays?

2011-12-20T16:46:00.000-05:00

We had a busy day on Saturday selling to our Brickwork customers who were happily stocking up for the holiday season. A buzz of recipe ideas were shared around our tables full of Brussel Sprouts, Leeks, Celeriac, Potatoes, Garlic and Cabbages. As I fulfilled Cabbage Roll orders and sold Perogies like a mad hatter, the big talk was how popular root celery has become. I've been spreading the word about celeriac mashed potatoes and it has become quite popular! You simply buy one of our knarly looking roots, peel it good, chop it along with your potatoes, boil & mash for a great celery tasting mashed spud dish! Perfect along side turkey or chicken for your holiday meal. Roasting fingerlings is a great thing to do this time of year! I like to roast red golds, russian blues and the buttery fingerlings together with garlic cloves, olive oil and sea salt. Smash on plate and smother with gravy and what a satisfying side indeed! Boil your Brussel's in some chicken stock, toss with fresh minced garlic butter and throw beside your spuds! Ahh, and since it's been such a nice freakishly warm winter, I've been able to pick unbelievably sweet Spinach from the field! (I may get adventurous and head out there to harvest some fresh for Dufferin Grove for Thursday!) So a garlicy spinach dip as an appetizer, fresh spinach salads, hot cheezy spinach lasagna etc, etc all week long! Head to the market to stock up and enjoy cooking and eating our seasonal veg! Psst..the Brussel Sprouts are STILL being harvested FRESH from the fields!!

The start of ultimate Comfort Food!!

2011-11-29T14:16:00.001-05:00

We make the best of every single season around here. So when there is not much 'fresh' left in the fields and we are stocked to the rafters with storage vegetables, the slow cooker comes out! There is something soo comforting about coming in from the barn all wet, tired & dirty from sorting storage crops to the warmth of the home and the smell of the slow cooker!!! A few weeks ago our organic dairy neighbor came by and asked us if we wanted a young bull they had to send to the butcher. Oh yes, a freezer full of good organic beef for the winter!! So off Ben and I went to our local butcher over a week later to cut and wrap. The rules have changed at our butchers, so we now have to 'dress like a butcher' in their white coats, hair nets and Ben had to wear a net on his beard!! HAHAHA! We thought we were safe from running into anyone we knew, but no, a friend of ours, Pete, got to see us in our amateur butcher get-ups! Anyhow, down to the business of beef. I had our butcher cut the 'Texas Ribs' into a 'braising style' perfect for slow cooking and even BBQing. There are lots of recipes out there for Braising Ribs.

How we like them: BRAISED BEEF RIBS W/ WINTER VEGETABLES Using Organic Sunflower oil I braise the ribs (which I have dredged in flour) on both sides until golden brown. (see pic below - YUM!) I use a big heavy bottom pot for this. They then go into the slow cooker.

Then in all the beefy bits left in the big pot, I add a couple tablespoons of rich organic butter. Then I add a couple chopped Onions, 5 chopped Carrots, 1 big Leeks Chopped, 2 Bell Peppers chopped (optional, only because I still had them in our storage cooler), chopped garlic - lots! Render until onions soft, but not overkill! 10 mins at most. Now add about 1/2 Cup of Flour to your pot and stir well. Cook the flour in a bit in and around all your veg. Now add a few cups to cover of Beef Broth and Red Wine. On a medium heat stir and let thicken nicely. Sea Salt & Pepper to taste. Add herbs you like. Parsley is a good one, Thyme too. Now dump this magical vegetable stew onto your braised ribs sitting in your crock pot just waiting and stir all together. Cook on high in your slow cooker for 4-5 hours. After 3 hours, add some buttery fingerling potatoes! I cut them in half. This is one yummy, yummy warm tempting dish to enjoy when the weather isn't pleasant. And guess what? You can get all the veg in this recipe from us at market this week!! Oh, I lied, not the carrots. Try Pine River Organics for the most clean, sweet carrots around! Snow is coming! Get your slow cooker out and ready!

Still harvesting Brussel Sprouts!

2011-11-29T13:55:00.001-05:00

So it's now a couple days away from December and our 'sprouts are still in the ground! This picture was taken last Friday and these freshly picked sprouts were sold at the Brickwork's Saturday morning market. There will be another abundance this week as well! At any given market I seem to be answering the same questions about Brussels. Usually a home gardener has tried to grow them with no luck and ask me 'why' their sprouts didn't size up on the stock. During the growing season it is essential to 'pinch' the top out of the brussel sprouts, allowing more energy to the actual sprouts that start out as little nodes along the stock. The top you pinch out is like a big brussel 'flower'. Just head down your row of sprouts and 'twist' them off. Leave the leaves alone. They don't bother anything and as you can see in the pic, they wilt and die off as the season progresses. Folks also want ideas on how to prepare. This simplest is boiling or steaming. You can roast as well. I like to boil in sea salt and smoother in butter and pepper!! Ahh, this leads me to my recipe:

BRUSSELS & WHOLE WHEAT SPAGHETTI

1/2 package Whole Wheat Spaghetti

1 stock Brussel Sprouts

Sea Salt (for water and to taste)

2 tbs Butter

1-2 tbs Olive Oil

1/2 small Lemon

Pepper (to taste)

Garlic (as much minced as you desire!)

Boil your pasta in 1 tbs Sea salt and a shot of Olive Oil. Boil your brussels in a 1 tbs of Sea Salt until fork tender. Slice your hot cooked brussels in half. Add to hot drained pasta. Add all the rest of the other ingredients and toss well. Let sit for 10 minutes nice and hot to absorb and share flavours.... ummm...

Screw Chip Dip - Roasted Beet Hummus is here!

2011-11-20T17:22:00.001-05:00

I've eaten enough beets lately I swear I'm on a natural beet high! I love beets, and this recipe is to die for! So Ben and I cruised down to Kensington Market last week to deliver some produce to a great guy named 'Pot's. He has this groovy little store called "For Life Natural Foods". We like to buy some organic kefir and other groceries there and Pots gave us a 'beet hummus' to try out. I grimaced at it but the expression on Pots face about how good it actually was made me curious. I could not stop eating it! I altered the recipe a bit adding more garlic and some avocado. My vegan friend Kera loves it, so I won't be altering the recipe any time soon! It's been a pleasure to spread the word at market, so for those who asked, here's the recipe:

ROASTED BEET HUMMUS

1 quart Sosnicki's Red Kestrel Organic Beets

4 cloves Sosnicki's Organic Garlic, Minced.

1 Ripe, Creamy Avocado

4 Heaping Tablespoons Tahini

1 small Lemon and lots of zest

Sea Salt to taste

Chili Powder to taste

2 Tablespoons freshly Ground Flax Seed

(and any other spices YOU see fit! Play!)

~Snip the rat tail off the beets and roast in the oven in a casserole dish with a bit of water at 350 until fork tender. Usually 45 mins using a convection setting.

~Cover beets with towel to 'sweat' and loosen the skins. Peel with a knife.

~Refrigerate over night to make the beets nice and cold.

~Next day add the beets and all the other ingredients into your food processor. My ol' Cuisinart works awesome with the big blade. As one of my fav chefs Jamie Oliver would say: "Wazz it up" until it's nice and creamy with a very familiar hummus like consitency!

Eat it with a plain vessel to enjoy the flavour! I bought some Quinoa toast crackers that were a perfect pairing when I was at the Big Carrot. Oh hell, dip your kale chips in it too!!!! Enjoy. This recipe is perfect for the holiday season a head!

HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY SMASHY!!!!

2011-11-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, November 8th our daughter 'Smashy' turns 18 years old!!!! The farm is in celebration mode! HAPPY, HAPPY EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY SMASHY!

Yep, and we actually got Panzer to 'settle down' on top the straw bail too! AND freakishly he's looking at YOU!! The farm is exactly the same and not much has changed since last year. You are definitely not missing out on anything around here - just lots of work! We've recycled your birthday sign from last year. We use this board around the farm on racks and see it often and think of you ;)

Babca is doing great and she wishes you a big "Happy Birthday with much, much love xoxo Love Babca"

"Happy Birthday Austin...Love you Flowers...You have to meet Panzer-Pants who we call Mr. Pants and Ka-Punzer Love Dad xoxo."

So this morning to get ready for the 'photo shoot' Panzer is missing (down hunting at the creek with Rex) we can't find him ....Then we hear him barking his fool head off at Lady Bug. He also lost his awesome studded collar in the corn field this summer! Lady Bug is also doing well. No fence anymore, she's just all over the farm now. Kinda dirty today!

So, we love you Smash. We all miss you Smash. However we do understand and welcome you back with open arms whenever you can ;) Take all the time you need for yourself. This is your time, your young life and we wish you all the happiness and success in the the world! Remember, the farm and the farm family is always here - no matter what. Happy, Happy Birthday!

The Leek Harvest

2011-10-27T07:38:00.000-04:00

Well, we worked very hard this year growing our leek patch! This will give us another crop to head into winter with along side the bulk cabbage. We'll have enough obviously for all markets and even some to share wholesale with select retailers and food box shares.

Ben and the lifter. We've used the 'lifter' to uproot the leeks to make for easy pick up. Our carrots were a crop failure this year and usually we use the lifter this time of year on the storage carrot crop. Works like a charm.

Our men sorting, knocking excess soil from roots and piling for pick up. The leeks will be stored in large bins in our cold storage area in the barn.

Benny and quality control! They are gorgeous and most are a large size! He hilled them with the potato hill'r only once this year. You end up with a longer white, edible part that way.

Ben spends a lot of time instructing our young Shepherd, Panzer. One of the smartest pups we've ever had! He absolutely LOVES the fresh soil after the lifter goes through! He was just rolling and rubbing his face in the dirt!!
~Our leeks will be available at Dufferin Grove Organic Farmers' Market and The Brickwork's Farmers' Market all winter! ~

Leeks, Chicken & Mushrooms

Next to leek soup with bacon, this is another favorite leek recipe of mine!

3-4 lbs of Chicken pieces. In a very large skillet I brown my chicken, skin too, in some coconut oil. Give each side a good browing on medium high heat for 5 mins or so each side. Remove to plate.
2-3 tablespoons dark yellow organic butter goes into the same skillet with the chicken/coconut render.
Add 3-4 large chopped leeks to the skillet next. Optional a chopped shallot or two.
Add as many shittake and oyster mushrooms as desired next in skillet! Lots are best!
Render down until leeks are soft. 10 mins or so.
Add 2 tablespoons organic flour and stir and cook in for a couple minutes.
Add 3 cups Chicken Stock to your skillet next. Bring to a boil and stir until creamy! If it's too thick, add more stock.
Add your Seasonings! We use thyme, minced garlic, sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. All to taste.
Add your browned chicken back into the skilled and cover. Simmer over low heat for a good half hour until chicken no longer bleeds when pierced.
Serve with wild rice. This was supper last night and the whole house smelled wonderful, warm and very appetizing! Enjoy!

Putting it all away

2011-10-13T08:54:00.000-04:00

The weather has been pretty nice this fall allowing us to be able to attend to the important task of storing our vegetables for winter! We've worked hard all season growing this cabbage from seed then planting, weeding, cultivating, hand weeding and now harvesting. Bugs were definitely there, but we did not let them devastate the crop. The heads are beautiful and plentiful! We've grown a lot more red cabbages this year and about the same amount of green as past years. You can count on this farm for local, certified organic cabbages until well into next year! This is definitely a crop that does not have to be imported!

We've also grown Savoy Cabbages this year and Brussel Spouts and Celeriac (aka Root Celery). These crops will all tolerate frost. I find the Brussel's get sweeter after a good frost! The celeriac will have to all be topped and binned for the winter. We leave the roots nice and dirty and cut and clean as needed per the winter months for market sales. Celeriac is one of those yummy specialty vegetables a lot of folks question what to do with. It is lovely roasted, added to mashed potatoes, with chicken soup or even a creamy soup on it's own. Beautiful celery aroma and flavor! I've made an awesome cabbage, apple, celeriac slaw that is certainly enjoyed!

Another crop that gets sweeter as the weather gets colder is Spinach! I love spinach! My mother hands down makes the best spinach dip around with tons of garlic! Spinach lasagna, creamed spinach and eggs, fresh spinach salad with heirloom tomatoes etc,etc. We'll harvest spinach until it is completely covered with snow!! A great time of year to get your fill for sure!

The harvest this year includes a lot of Beets as well! Tops survive a good frost, so we'll keep bringing the bunches for a while yet! Later this month we will begin to top and bin up all the beet root for winter storage. It's a healthy looking crop this year so we should have some great beets to offer well into the winter months.

I took this pic a couple days ago in the morning. Lots of beets, spinach and the last planting of our sweet corn in the back ground! As the weather gets colder, we'll still have lots of local, organic goodies to offer not to worry! See all at markets!!

September's Peppers

2011-09-21T22:17:00.000-04:00

Ben and I look forward to peppers each year. It's a long process. Seeding most peppers begins in February or early March. A lot of time and care goes into producing these gems. Now that Organic Meadow is creating some excellent quality cream cheese, 'Jalapeno Poppers' around here are notorious! So simple: Cut the top out of the jalapenos, remove seeds and insides while leaving the stem creating a 'boat'. Fill with cream cheese and either broil or bake at a high temp for the most succulent non deep fried 'poppers' around! Very addictive! Our jalapenos throw excellent heat, but all vary in hotness. One popper will make you tear, while the others only cause a mild shrug. We grew the usual hot banana's but new this year are chili's, cayenne and habaneros. Holy hot habaneros!! Orange fire crackers for sure! Come visit any market until fall frost to enjoy the hot peppers in plentiful amounts!

Another favourite thing to do with seasonal peppers is to ROAST!! Big slices, even whole peppers drizzled in olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and roasted until charred sweet! You can simply bag and freeze to use all winter or make a delectable soup with butter-rendered onions and a good quality stock and heavy cream. Ben and I are addicted to Roasted Red Pepper Soup and Garlic Bread this time of year!

My beauties. This would be a 'King Arthur' Red Bell to the right, red Jalapeno's up front, and so very special on the left are my Grandpa Mike's Red Shepherd Peppers. These open-pollinated huge tapered peppers are just damn good and bring me nothing but excellent memories. We are continuing the tradition of saving the seeds from the biggest and the best I can find out in the field for next year and years to come. I always say 'Hello Grandmpa'! when I discover my first red each year. I know Grandpa Mike would be proud of how Ben and I are treating his peppers! ;)

It wouldn't be September without Eggplants! Here are my Rosa Bianca, Fairy Tale and Black Enorma. And yes, those are our grapes! Wild, little seed filled sour things, but worth picking when I'm out by the creek. Eggplants are SOOO good when simply pan fried with garlic butter. But then again, what isn't? They act like mushrooms, like little sponges and sop up juice and flavour. On pasta they are incredible with a medley of peppers, sweet onions and tomatoes. Man, I love September! Yes, Peppers in bulk at all markets until fall frost! Talk to me at market or send an email and we can bushel you some peppers to put away for the winter quickly approaching! Oh and we have Apples this fall too! Crisp, sweet Empires! Nice to see you again!

Viva Italia Romas for sauce are in season!

2011-08-28T08:50:00.000-04:00

It is now the season to do your freezing, canning, saucing of tomatoes! We'll be bringing cases of our 'Viva Italia' Roma variety to all markets! If you need more than a couple cases I suggest you order by email jb@sosnickiorganics.com. These Viva's have thick walls and excellent flavour. I am going to roast and can a lot of tomatoes this season, but these stand alone in my sauce category. There is nothing like the smell of this sauce in your home during cold winter days! We do not have a 'perfect' tomato crop, as there is some blight out there and a lot of cracks and splitting due to weather stress , but it is certainly not a bust like the last few years. I am hoping we will have enough for everyone.

To our early bird customers that ordered weeks ago - Thank You for being patient! We've had a very stressful time as our main Mexican worker suffered a medical emergency and is currently still hospitalized, so we are struggling to get back on track. We are happy to report that Domingo is doing well and will recover completely! In the meantime we are training a transfer employee which is always fun this time of year. (note the sarcasm) We have been very, very busy indeed!

Recipe time: Organic Penne Pasta with Black Cherry Heirlooms, Shiitakes and Parmigiano Reggiano

So simple and so delicious! I buy all types or organic pasta now. Some of my favourites are the wholegrain spelt varieties. I cook my pasta tender in Olive Oil and Sea Salt and drain. I chop Striped German and half Black Cherry Heirloom Tomatoes and toss with Sea Salt while the pasta is cooking. (I find that just a bit of salt intensifies the tomato flavors). I fill up my great grandma's huge wooden cutting board with Shiitake Mushrooms, a bit of Sweet Onion and chop and then saute with some olive oil. I drain my pasta, toss in the salted tomatoes with their juice, all the mushrooms and sweet onion. Season to taste (Basil is exceptional and should not be forgotten! And fresh ground pepper!) Last but not least once I've plated I add a generous amount of Parmigiano Reggiano shredded on top. The sweetness of the Heirloom Tomatoes is what stands out in this dish. So simple and leftovers are to die for! We've been known to enjoy for breakfast!

Celebrating our Organic Sweet Corn!

2011-08-09T13:18:00.000-04:00

It's that time of the year again! Our sweet corn is available at markets for all to enjoy this week! At market, you will see my smiling face along with Benny's with a big sign stating: "Cert. Organic Sweet Corn, obviously NO GMO!!" I'll quickly discuss gmo at the end of this blog - I want to stay positive and happy for the duration! :) Cooking corn in it's husk after it's been soaked is my favourite way to eat my summer corn! Try this method on your BBQ at home! Make sure to remove the dried silk and excess husk or it tends to catch fire. When nicely charred on both sides, serve. Peel back the husk using as your holder as you baste it in good organic butter! I will be totally honest in saying that our first variety is not as sweet as the variety coming in two weeks time. So if you want to freeze some corn this year, wait until our sweeter variety is ready. I will let everyone know and am spreading the word at market!

Our corn is an all yellow variety. I've never cared for the cult 'peaches and cream' bicolour. Our sweet corn is picked young and fresh, usually on the same day as market! Definitely not starchy. Worms are free! As a refresher with farming organically, there is absolutely no chemical fertilizer applied to the land this corn was seeded on. We practice a strict rotation to keep our land healthy, therefore the land our corn is grown on has not seen sweet corn in many years. Instead a healthy dose of organic composted manure was applied last year to ensure rich growth. We do not use any type of 'pest management' (in english - spray, pesticides) with our corn. The land is healthy, the corn is healthy, the insects and worms are there, but not devastating the crop. I've got mothers and children actually looking for the worms in the corn at market! I will also never forget what a Jamaican gentleman said to me at market: "My mother told me not to trust most food unless the creatures of the earth have sampled it first!". Works for me! ;) We also only have AUGUST CORN. The way sweet corn always used to be! Most conventional sweet corn farmers use chemically treated corn seed and can plant this treated seed in cold, wet soil without it rotting very early in the spring therefore resulting in early July corn. We wait until the soil has naturally warmed up in the spring before we plant our untreated sweet corn seed resulting in August harvest each year.

Don't you just love this pathway in the corn? I will spend a few evenings at dusk walking down this trail. I will freak myself out thinking about the movie 'Children of the Corn' no doubt, but I just love the way the corn rustles in the breeze in the cool evenings. This path leads down to the creek where we've cleared a spot for camping. We've got about four plantings of sweet corn to last us well into September this year. We'll have enough to cover all our Toronto markets and also to share with The Big Carrot and also with Plan B Organic Farms CSA box program.

Ok, time for the negative. Genetically modified sweet corn is alive and well in Ontario now. GMO's are not labeled in Ontario, therefore you will have no idea if you are buying a gmo sweet corn unless you can verify from the farmer's mouth. All the information you need about GMO Sweet Corn and what to do is here: CBAN - Canadian Biotechnology Action Network

Also, just to completely confuse you: please keep in mind that just because Sweet Corn is not a GM variety does not mean it has not been sprayed or grown on chemically treated land. Certified Organic is always your best bet. In my strong opinion, cheap sweet corn should not exist. So, come out to market to support and most importantly ENJOY our Certified Organic Sweet Corn!!!

Heirloom Tomatoes 2011!!

2011-07-25T07:52:00.000-04:00

So last Saturday at Evergreen's Brickworks I had 4 cases of my Heirlooms! It was great to see my regular customers come early and get some! I love seeing the excitement of the first heritage tomatoes at market. Makes all my hard work totally worthwhile knowing how much they are appreciated.

We've been selling heirloom tomatoes in Toronto for years now and I've scaled back the actual amount of varieties. I used to mess around with over 100 varieties! I've got about 60 now of the tried and true, best of the best for intriguing looks and taste! I am happy to report that I did a large field planting along with the 'covered field' planting of about 900 plants. Here's a brush up on what our 'covered field' heirloom tomatoes are all about:

This is one 'covered field'. They are our old cold farm glass greenhouses. We have amended the soil with our kick ass field soil and our compost. The soil is top notch for growing the best tasting tomatoes! This is why I will never call them 'greenhouse tomatoes'. They are not grown in synthetic soil and fed chemical fertilizers. They have all the nutrients in this house to last them the entire growing season AND after the fall frost! Each year I plant a hefty amount of tomatoes in the field but since 2007 we haven't had much success or volume to sell because of blight. The wet years wreaked havoc on my heirlooms and I needed to do something about this. That is why the old cold frames have become essential - I can protect my plants from overhead moisture and 'wet feet', keep them dry and the disease at a minimum. I have also been able to extend my tomato growing season this way as well!

I have a lot of favourites - one would be this one up front. I also love tried and true 'Black Krim', 'Striped German' and 'Green Zebra's. These are very well known, along with the big ol' Brandywine. You'll have to visit my table at markets to see the real cool ones and try and learn the names of the new varieties I have discovered recently! ;) See you there!

The Garlic Harvest!

2011-07-25T07:34:00.000-04:00

We bought some beautiful certified organic Garlic Seed from a great guy up north. We planted it October 2010 and are fairly pleased with the results.

It was looking so beautiful early on, but a few weeks ago we noticed nematode damage on a few bulbs. I've since learned this is a wide spread issue this year and I fear these extreme weather conditions have a lot to do with it. We yanked 'er out, and have lost some of the crop, but all in all it'll be just fine. I've learned that the microscopic nematodes live in the root hairs of the garlic and when we 'irrigated' we spread them around. Then onion maggots move in and chew away. We'll remove the infected bulbs and not let them mingle with the good stock. Infected cloves will not be replanted in the new patch.

Here's the guys sorting through and hampering the garlic crop. Despite the nematode issues we still have a plentiful amount for our customers and for seed saving!

Strawberries for 2012....

2011-07-25T07:23:00.000-04:00

We really missed not having our own strawberries at market this past June! We are making sure that doesn't happen next year! Folks really missed our organic berries! This is the process so that we have them for June 2012:

These is a bundle of root stock we got in from Nova Scotia this year. Gorgeous plants, top quality. Two new varieties this year. Winter hardy, sweet and plentiful. We shall see! Our land makes all the difference I'm certain!

Ben pulling the clip planter. Because of the quality of the Strawberry plants we planted 3 times as much as we had before!

Domingo and Manuel using the clip planter to plant the Strawberry plants. I didn't think it would work, but was surprised to see the success. This due to excellent plant quality. How many times can I stress the quality of these plants! Just beautiful. G.W. Allen Nursery in Nova Scotia if you're wondering ;)

Planted Strawberries on July 13th, 2011. For harvest June 2012. This is just the beginning. Since they have been planted they have been irrigated, cultivated and are turning a nice lush green. A lot of maintenance during the growing season and then 'straw' later in the year for over wintering. Look forward to some excellent quality organic Strawberries for 2012 from us!

Beets, Kale & Tomatoes...

2011-07-10T15:24:00.000-04:00

We are growing 3 types of beets this year. We'll always have the big standard Kestrel Red's, but pictured here are our special ones: Golden and Chioggia. We did golds last year to rave reviews. They are nice and sweet and look and taste spectacular when roasted. The Chioggia (a.k.a Candy Cane or Bullseye) are new for us this year. A keeper for sure. They are early, have lighter neat tops similar to the golds, cook a bit faster, are more mild compared to the big reds. Thinly sliced in a salad is a beautiful way to show off these great beets! They are actually an Italian Heirloom I have learned, and are named after a coastal town in Italy. Starting next week they will be in abundance at the Farmer's Markets at our stall. I have also made another recent discovery: BEET CHIPS!

First, you have to chop the beets very thinly. I used my big red beets for this. I think they throw the best flavour. (Chioggia and Golden seem to brown a bit too much when crisp) Use a mandolin to slice your beets thin.(I don't have one, so I use my Cuisinart with a 2mm blade which does a decent job.) I dump a plentiful amount of the sliced beets into a bowl and top with olive oil and sea salt and mix with my hands to coat the beets well. I didn't have time to mess around with putting the beets 'single file' on my baking sheets. I did my best not to put wads of them on, but it was pretty messy and a lot of beets went on each tray. I baked them at 350 for about 1/2 hour. They go dark and give a nice 'roasted look'. Keep baking until they begin to 'lighten'. Another 1/2 hour even. Once they go 'pink' they are crisp! They really shrink, so use as big a beet as you can. Not every single one went totally cripsy, but I noticed once they cooled down they got more crisp. They are very, very good!

Really awesome baked beet chips! On the right hand side of the photo are 'dark' beets. These ones are not finished crisping up. Remove the pink crispy ones and let the 'rubbery' ones finish! Totally addictive!

Now here's some of our Nero Di Toscana, or 'Dinosaur' Kale. I've already rubbed olive oil and salt into it. I will place this stuff on the baking trays and using the same method, 350 for about 10 mins, flip another 10 mintues you will have baked kale chips. It will go very dark and crispy when finished. I also add cayenne pepper to them! Today the kitchen island is full of kale and beet chips! Tomhas, the teen who is staying with us for July is raising his eyebrows at them BUT he did try them, so it's a start!

I picked these today! So very exciting to see the first ripening of the tomatoes! These are coming out of the zany jungle of heirlooms in our 'covered field' under glass (aka old glass cold frame #1). There is soo much maintenance to do out there! I haven't had a rainy day to work out there, so there will be some late evenings and early mornings when it's cool enough to be under that glass in summer temps! We have heirlooms in the field as well this year, so they will hopefully be in abundance! Cheers, it's going to be an awesome summer with lots of great food to eat! :)

Dry July....

2011-07-10T14:20:00.001-04:00

Yeah, so now it's dry. (Check out the dust trail behind Ben and he races around checking pipes.) I mean really, really dry. Last week, the 6th of July we irrigated half the farm. Today the pipes were taken apart, moved to the other side to hit the potatoes, tomatoes etc. So we've weeded and watered the broccoli, kale, beautiful onion patch, one sweet corn patch, carrots, beets, peas, garlic, cucumbers and beans.

First line we ran to cover the broccoli and onions....beets, carrots & newly planted sweet potatoes at the back. To the left is our 'chop suey' first lettuce patch nicely disked up!

Our first patch of many of the sweetest Sweet Corn! Can't wait! Beginning of August we will have corn galore!

I love this picture! Our broccoli going 'AHHHH' after a nice long drink of water! I am not complaining about the lack of rain for now. Truth be told, and I'm scared to say this out loud, but it feels like 2007 all over again. I may have the nicest tomatoes this year! For us, because we are a small farm, irrigation is easy to manage. It is much easier to apply some water when we absolutely need it rather than deal with cold, wet summers and disease and dead crops. It does bother me when it goes from one extreme to the other. Cutting the farm grass twice a week to keep it manageable to no cutting at all for two weeks! So much rain we couldn't plant on time this spring, now no rain so we must irrigate. Ahhh, the life of a farmer. Good thing I love it sooo much! ;)

Ben & Bug and the long weekend

2011-07-07T06:55:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday was a busy one. Despite the fact it's a 'holiday weekend', we continue on as usual at the farm. Unfortunately the weeds do not stop growing for a long weekend! Our horse Lady Bug came over to the picnic table for a visit. She is very social and pretty much free range around the farm. On this Sunday she pretty much fell asleep while Ben scratched her ears. Big suck horse. She is getting adventurous and heading out pretty far on her own into the fields! When Ben cultivates, she finds a beaten path and goes out there!! It's quite funny as she's not wrecking the crops (just fertilizes them!) as she prefers a lane way to walk on. She shows little interest in the lettuces, beet greens and other crops that had me concerned as I know how much she eats!

Our compost maker is truly appreciated and loved! Panzer our Shepherd is slowly learning to respect the horse. They 'play' well. Gives 'ol Bug a bit of excersise to combat a young Shep. Bug turns 17 this year. I'm going to try and get her to live till at least 40!! Sitting under the canopy of the messiest nut tree on the planet is everyone's preferred resting spot during the summer months.

After Ben's break with Lady Bug he hit the fields again to cultivate the young crops. He's cultivating one small patch of cabbage and in the front is celeriac and basil.

Soon-to-be Best Friends. We hope.

Garlic Scapes, Green Garlic, Peas, Beets, Kale & Lettuce....our good stuff begins!

2011-06-29T17:20:00.000-04:00

It's been Garlic Scape time and I should have blogged a couple weeks ago about them! Better late than never. (Garlic Scapes are the seed pods of the garlic plant that need to be removed in order for the bulb to grow large shown in the picture above.) I'm sharing a great recipe for RAW garlic scape pesto. My mother (Thank you mother Teresa!) found this gem and had her kitchen just rockin' with the sweet spice of garlic last week spinning up a ton of this stuff for our winter pleasure.

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO:

6 Medium garlic scapes (w/ seed pod left on)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Juice and zest of 1/2 fresh lemon
3/4 tsp salt
10 or more grinds of black pepper
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano Cheese
In a good processor with large blade grind the scapes and pine nuts until very fine, scraping down the bowl when necessary. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it's the consistency you like, adding more olive oil or cheese as you like. This makes about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups.
FREEZE THIS PESTO IN ICECUBE TRAYS, REMOVE AND PACK IN PLASTIC BAGS FOR THE DREARY WINTER MONTHS WHEN YOU NEED YOUR GARLIC FIX!!!
I've also had the pleasure of bumping into Joel from 'Well Preserved' at market and he has done our Green Garlic justice (not the scapes!) with an awesome blog I encourage all to read. His posts are incredible and what he does with food leaves most truly inspired. You will spend hours on his blog at: WELL PRESERVED using Sosnicki's Garlic Greens!!!

Today was the first harvest of field BEETS! We ate our first beet greens for lunch in a stir fry with some Japanese noodles Toshimi brings to market for me. Our peas are busting at the seams as we harvest both Sugar Snap (edible pod) and the first of the Peas-In-A-Pod (shelling). Our curly kale is throwing large leaves for quick harvesting and bunching and our lettuces are flavourful, crisp and in abundance now. Check out the head of garlic Ben pulled today! Massive! Very happy crop! Enjoy the markets now folks! Finally the produce is beginning to roll! (on a sidenote: TWITTER ROCKS! For business it is an essential tool and I am enjoying it WAY more than Facebook!! Follow us at @SosnickiOrganic)

Happy Father's Day Ted!

2011-06-19T07:25:00.001-04:00

'Happy Father's Day' to my farming father Ted who is has probably been awake for 2 hours by now contemplating what needs to be done in the fields! We're dragging you off the tractor by 5pm for a feast dad!! I love and respect you dad for making me work hard, never just giving me money or spoiling me, 'leaving me the hell alone' when I was a teen, letting me live and learn, never involving me in your adult problems while I was growing up, letting me love and be loved by all the others in my life, and for letting me know you were always there for me when I needed my DAD! Always a cell phone call or farm visit away, it's always felt warm and fuzzy to know I've got a tough farmer at my back. You're irreplaceable. How's THAT for sap!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Suckering and Stringing Heirloom Tomatoes

2011-06-12T12:11:00.001-04:00

Beautiful Sunday in the greenhouse! I have promised one of my Evergreen Brickworks customers that I would blog and teach her how to sucker her tomatoes! She has been sharing pictures off her iPhone with me of her tomatoes at market and asking how to 'sucker them' Don't you just love iPhones? This blog is for you! Once tomatoes root down and take hold, they grow like weeds! Suckering (pruning) is an important job that has to be done early and often to have 'controlled' plants and healthy, large fruit. It's one of those jobs that you finally finish and then have to turn around and do it all over again. If you have a large garden, leave one tomato plant alone and watch it all season! The beast will lop over, suckers will make a huge pile of a vine mass, blossoms and eventually oodles of fruit, the stem will throw roots and it will keep going and going! That is what we often do in the fields. This works fine IF the weather is hot and dry as tomatoes do not like wet feet and are more susceptible to disease and problems if they can't 'dry'. It saves a lot of space if you cage, string or stake your luscious gems. So lets start with a young heirloom:

This above pic is the before of an untouched young heirloom tomato. I can see three suckers off the bat. Young suckers are baby tomato plants. (Be gentle and careful not to knock off the yellow flowers! These blossoms are where your fruit comes from!) In most cases the suckers grow from the area in between the stem and leaves. (I'll share other annoying 'sucker' scenarios in a minute)

This is a good example of a sucker. You want to remove it. There is another at the top of the picture too..

Gently bend and snap them out....I KNOW it's scary to start ripping apart the tomato plant you are patiently growing, especially if you only have a few tomato plants but trust me, you'll learn and reap the benefits with gorgeous plants and beautiful fruit! So do it, bust the little buggers out of there! You'll be left with a handful of suckers you can just compost......

Suckers removed from the plant....

And the after picture! A sucker-free heirloom tomato plant! At least once a week, check and remove the suckers. Even where you've 'suckered' before they often times will 'grow back'. It's a never ending job BUT once you have a trained eye will take mere seconds to tidy up your tomato plants! Good luck and bring more pictures to market for me to see! ;)

Now, not all tomatoes are created equal! Not all 'suckers' are created equal. Take the above photo. There is a sucker growing from the tip of a set of blossoms! Remove these as well. I also find that if you grow 'striped german' or 'striped marvel', typically any of the yellow, marbled flesh ones they like to throw a set of blossoms in a V stem and throw two suckers at the same time! You must choose a 'leader' and remove the other stem/sucker. Have fun! Tomatoes are forgiving. Often time while stringing, my 'gentle' hand that is never trying to go too fast snaps the top right out of the tomato!! It eventually throws another sucker and keeps going!

A trip to Grand Bend....

2011-06-01T08:06:00.000-04:00

A booming thunderstorm followed by the rainbows last week seemed to be the last of the wet, wet weather. Probably just for a short while.... While the fields remained wet, we took two trips to Grand Bend to meet organic potato farmer Marcus Koenig and check out his seed potato stock. His seed quality was excellent! He is a kind man who took the time to share his knowledge about the different varieties and all about their tastes and how to cook with the different types. We discussed our land and soil and he gave us advice on how to keep our soil at optimum health for continued success with organic potato growing.

We finally chose six new varieties to try this year along with our tried and true Yukons and Whites. Marcus has informed us that once we try this different yellow flesh, we may never go back to a Yukon again! Hmm, we'll see! This is a Red/Gold variety we are very excited about. We needed a good red potato and this one has brilliant red skin and bright yellow flesh.

Russian Blue....suppose to stay purple when cooked....I will be making a wicked potato salad with these puppies this year!!!

Russian Banana Fingerling. I've wanted to grow fingerlings, so I am excited about these guys. Not only do we have this type, but also a red/gold fingerling too!! Also another

While in Grand Bend at Marcus's farm I once again had this amazing feeling that Ben and I are in the right business. Both our faces totally lit up at the site of all the massive totes holding all these awesome seed potatoes ripe for the picking and planting! We are lucky to connect with other farmer's such as Marcus Koenig and his wife. Despite the fact that we were 5 minutes from the lake and beauty of Grand Bend, we didn't holiday.....back on the highway to head home and put these suckers in the ground!

She's a wet one...

2011-05-18T12:34:00.000-04:00

Here's our young broccoli seedlings as of this morning. All the plants are just kinda hanging out, slowly rooting down. They are certainly not growing too fast. Everything is just taking it's sweet, sweet time this year.

Here's our lettuce seedlings. They look almost the same size as when I planted them!!!!!! It is sloppy, sloppy wet out in the fields...

Some of my heirloom tomatoes....The 'dry' greenhouses are keeping us very busy. So when you can't get into the field, the 'covered fields' are always waiting! We've got thousands of onions planted....Peas are up, carrots, beets out there and competing with the WEEDS! Oh yes, when we get sun/heat this weekend, it will be a mass weed fest!

The Great Ostergruss

2011-05-17T16:37:00.001-04:00

There is lots to complain about. The weather has been complete crap so far this year making everything more than the usual challenge. It's overly wet, therefore things don't get planted on time and when they do get in the ground they are slow going because of the cooler temperatures. (our lettuces will be at least 3 weeks late) Some say this is a more typical spring and we just go spoiled last year. Well, I guess it's important to look on the bright side. I can't stand long grass and have a date with my weed-eater each week around all trees and buildings. I can't sleep if the farm looks sloppy! It seems to be growing twice as fast this year - Especially around the chicken coop where rats like to try to 'hide out'. No cigar you nasty buggers. We are very busy with the greenhouses, so when field work cannot get done, the family is working in one of the three greenhouses. Today was mass harvest the "Ostergruss" Radish day! These guys love the cool temperatures and we were pleased to find some huge, huge ones out there! If we don't hurry and harvest, when we do get some 'heat' this weekend they are going to split! At market most customers mistake these giants for 'carrots' until the foliage confuses them. They are very eye catching and very, very good! A good spice to these gems, raw with dip is great, salad topping of course and then my favourites: Sauteed Ostergruss with butter & garlic (with the greens of course!) and Cream of Ostergruss Soup. The soup is a beautiful pink colour and I top it with chopped sauteed greens and raw round slices of the radish. I will make a note to post some pics and the recipe. Most customers following my advice and trying these dishes really enjoy them.

Above: The Ostergruss popping out of the soil! Makes harvesting pretty quick!

Above: Ben checking the crop and harvesting this morning before market....

Above: Ok, so Panzer is not suppose to be in the greenhouse. He gets to excited, wants to play and tramples the crops. He's been yelled at many, many times. He snuck in today and just sat quietly by a bin. I didn't have the heart to kick him out, he was being a good boy....

All other crops will be late this year! Enjoy the radish, we'll have them available for the next few weeks!

Spring Update #2

2011-04-12T17:43:00.000-04:00

Relaxing in the greenhouse on my laptop is such a nice, nice time! Sharing these pictures of our farm's progress is something I always look forward to as well! Though I don't blog as much as I like, I hope these posts give everyone a good idea of how we get these vegetables and herbs to town. I feel caught up today. I'm not as 'panicked' as I've felt over the last few weeks. I'm sort of a perfectionist and this is not always possible in an organic world! hahaha.. I would say that all is well and I'm nicely relaxed...until tomorrow...

We've got Lemon Grass on the go, Parsley pots here, 3 different kinds of Thyme and huge Nasturtiums! Kinda jumped the gun on these puppies! These can all be purchased through the Evergreen Garden Market grand opening May 21st.

Cilantro, Cilantro! Everyone loves Cilantro! Also in the background are some kick ass Green Mixes from Johnny Selected Seeds in Maine!

Summer Cabbages, I believe this variety is Farao. I've transplanted 3 different types of Kale, a Cheddar Cauliflower and the nutty much loved 'Romanesca Italian Spike' type too! Broccoli and a Red Cabbage are in this group as well.

Sweet Dani Basil!!!!!!

Early beets can be successfully grown as seedlings to transplant to have extra early beets for market sales! ; )

Best for last! My heirloom tomatoes are thriving! We are planting them out later than last year because it is a lot cooler. They much prefer to be in the warm middle greenhouse #2 eating fish fert and enjoying the sun....they will be transplanted shortly in Greenhouse #1 shortly! Greenhouse #1 has never had tomatoes in it before, so a nice fresh, rotated fertile base to grow some amazing beauties! I will also plant in the field, but still love being able to control over head moisture and blight within my houses...

Spring update!

2011-04-12T17:14:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Cilantro! Plants are thriving but not without great challenge. With the unpredictable weather we have to watch water application, as during cold nights and cloudy days plants do not need to be drenched. Everything is in different containers and flats, so it's a complete custom water job at all times per crop and variety. However within just a few short hours with the sun peaking out of the clouds the greenhouses heat up FAST and trays with small seedlings can dry out....It's a constant race around checking and checking the baby plants time and again through out the day. Since we use only a natural fish fertilizer it is necessary to do constant feedings to keep any plants from going deficient.

Thousands of pots are being filled with only the best approved organic soil mix....

Over 20 different vegetable crops, including 35 tomato varieties, most heritage in pots ready for May sales.....14 different kinds of basil this year! Over 20 other herbs including rosemary, oregano, parsley, lavender & thyme.. Make sure you visit Evergreen Garden Market this spring to buy our plants! They are having their grand re-opening in the new facility on April 21st!!

Looking south, down house #2. To the right you will notice tomatoes, peppers and eggplants to be transplanted next week!

Lettuce, Lettuce, Lettuce! As I've been stealing some plants for the pots, tons remain for spring field planting! Ben should be plowing tomorrow. These seedlings are ready to be planted! Need the weather to cooperate! In the background and to the right you will see broccoli, kale, onions & beet seedlings....

GARLIC!!!! The crop is beautiful this year!!!

Ben checking the garlic crop over the weekend......We will be saving a lot of this crop for next year's seed but will have plenty more than last year to share with our market customers this year! :)

Forget the snow! Spring is here!

2011-03-24T18:22:00.003-04:00

Benny checking onion germination. Very, very nice this year. Lettuce is also doing very well. You can see the lettuce seedlings peaking out from behind Ben. The weather is a lot colder than last year, meaning our expenses to heat are automatically doubled. It's a hurtful expense, but has to be paid. This is farming - working with the weather and in this business you just have to hope for the best and sometimes deal with the worse. March is unpredictable. Along with the onions and lettuce our field crops of kale, broccoli, leeks, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, celeriac etc have been approved by Pro-Cert to seed and have hit the dirt, have germinated and are holding their own.

These are some young cooking onion seedlings. These happen to be our own, but we have also successfully grown a bunch for various Farm Start Farmers. It feels really great to not only be growing vegetable seedlings for our own fields, but to grow for a 'new generation of farmers!' Ben and I really take pride in giving advice about the business of farming. It's important for folks to tour our farm, learn from us hands on.

So here's old Andy. He's saying quite plainly "Don't Mess With Me!" My sisters and mother find him hilarious and refer to him as 'zombie-cat'. The walking-dead farm cat! Andy has been around for ages and still ventures into the greenhouses each and every spring to lap up a few drips of the fish fertilizer. I guess I had to include him in our spring blog because I'm always fearful it will be his last year around the farm. Even though he is miserable, all in all, he's a good cat. He single handed takes on our young German Shepherd no problem! Three Cheers for Andy! You rock even though you are bitchy and don't catch mice anymore.

So our neighbour's 5 year old daughter likes to visit and bring me various things for our greenhouse. I love kid art! This little girl loves Lady Bug the horse. Really, what little girl wouldn't love Lady Bug? This is one smiley horse in the picture! Love it. Love the flowers. I can't seed everything myself anymore so it's nice to get presents once in a while!!

Greenhouse #2 March 24th..... Nature pots for Evergreen Brick Works, plants for Farm Start Farmers and seedlings for our fields.....

Me and early Spinach Bowls.....It's nice to have the houses 'greening up'!

Greenhouse #3 last week. A.k.a - the heirloom tomato greenhouse of 2010! We are doing a rotation therefore no tomatoes will grace this soil this year. This will be home to early Radish (this is what Ben the Bull is seeding in this picture). Later we will introduce cucumbers, peppers and beans to this 'covered field'.

So ignore the snow. Your seasonal vegetables are well on their way! In the meantime I intend on having a long overdue visit with my best girlfriends Jill & Ana tomorrow night. I deserve it. ;)

And so it begins....

2011-03-03T17:35:00.000-05:00

Spring has sprung at the farm! These beauties are the first of the Heirloom tomatoes! They are set to be transplanted next week already! (Their home will be Greenhouse #1, directly into the soil come April!) It's so nice to have the greenhouses fired and seedlings emerging! It was a very, very busy winter on the farm so there really was no break or holiday for us once again. However, when my customers ask if I have some time off I always assure them that considering I love what I do, each day is an adventure, something new and exciting happening - holiday's aren't important to us right now. I look forward to the end of cooking season and the beginning of seeding season each year. When the sun hits the glass - it's summer out there! Success has a lot to do with the weather and so far it is a bit chilly, but the thaw is coming. We have to start onions seedling early, therefore we have to apply some heat to the greenhouse - it's not cheap! To help cut costs we are doing some custom growing for Farm Start farmers and also a huge project for Evergreen. We will be handling an order of all sorts for them this year including many many herbs and vegetables plants for your urban gardens! Thousands of onion seeds have hit the dirt and have nicely germinated and should show by next week.......

We get asked often where we get our organic greenhouse soil from. Well, it's actually one of our most substantial expenses right now. We tried sourcing large amounts from Jolly Farmer out East, but it was still too costly once you factor in the shipping. We buy in 28 litre bags from our seed supplier. He is able to give us a tad of a discount because of some volume, but it's still very costly. It's Premier ProMix's Ultimate Organic Mix and it works well for us each year. It is essential to feed fish fertilizer as the seedling mature and grow. I am still sourcing a bulk amount of this stuff out. Fish is excellent with all vegetables and herbs.

Most retail garden centers should carry this soil now. If not, I would ask for it. Most conventional potting soil has all sorts of crap in it, like wetting agents and synthetic fertilizers. The organic soil has the odd twig and stone and sometimes a sea shell, but all in all a very good product. Parsley and other herbs have also hit the dirt. Parsley tends to be slow to germinate therefore I always seed late February along with the onions and leeks. Stay tuned....I'll be dragging the laptop out to the greenhouse soon to keep my orders in check and will make the time to blog more frequently and share lots of 'green' photos!

What Snow Storm?

2011-02-02T16:29:00.000-05:00

A nice cozy night on the farm last night. A big fire keeping the house warm. Ben and I arguing at 2am about who is going to go down and put another stick in the fire. Waiting for the silver barn to crack in half and fly away in the HUGE ASS STORM HITTING SOUTHERN ONTARIO every channel was crapping their pants about the night before. Ben woke up shaking his head today. The way the weather media promoted this ‘storm’ was not very accurate. We are just laughing now because I swear immediately following the ‘end’ of the storm warning in our area, it began to snow! I think we got all of 10 cm during the ‘storm’. Ben did get stuck with the tractor and plow once this morning, but I was able to pull him out with the ol’ dodge. A few big drifts down our long laneway.

First thing in the morning I was laughing as Lady Bug our horse went sauntering by the house as if to say: “What storm?“ She wasn’t hiding in the barn, she was out and about and all over as usual. Her woolly mammoth long shaggy coat had some ice on it this morning, but she didn’t seem to be bothered one bit. Panzer our German Shepherd pup spent the night in the house, while Rex stubbornly stayed in the garage. Panz was wild and reckless this morning in the snow! He steals the cat food off the barrels and steals cobs of corn I give to the horse. Check out vampire dog! We did not have a ‘snow day holiday’ today. With the warm woodstove fired in the barn, we worked grading sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, potatoes and cabbage today for Dufferin Grove market tomorrow. Sometimes I think the media is in cahoots with retailers when they start screaming STORM OF THE CENTURY just to scare people into racing town to stock up on ‘winter supplies’. How convenient for the stores that are getting ready to bring in spring merchandise. It’s just baffling how wrong weather reporters are constantly and it is beyond annoying given the fact we count on the weather for our livelihood!!!! Whatever, we roll with it, whatever this way comes! So now I can curl up in the office, blog and sip a drink while oil heats up. Ben and I are celebrating our 9th Wedding Anniversary today. Just got back from the butcher’s down the road and a deep fry is on the menu. We’ve been eating so wholesome lately it’s time to be naughty and indulge. It is my goal to kill and eat my first chicken this year and also to manufacture my own chicken burgers (with flax and all sort of spices and flavours!). But that blog is for another time. Enjoy February markets - Ben and I still have a decent amount of storage crops and intend on continuing heading in to the city on a regular basis!

…..Hey Smashy! Just had to tell you, I had one heck of a dream last night with you in it! It was hilarious and I woke up telling Ben and we both were remembering fond memories and laughing. You are soo missed, you have no idea kiddo! Remember what we were doing on this day 9 years ago? I am making Ben watch the wedding video this year, it’s been 4 years since we’ve seen it, so it’s time. He’s groaning…hahahahaha!!

'Poor Man's Supper' inspired by Babca!

2011-01-13T06:42:00.001-05:00

Ben's mother, the farm's Matriarch, Sophie Sosnicki deserves some praise. This woman has worked hard her entire life. And she's still going. She comes to help out on the farm year round. She mentioned some comfort food meals that she grew up on in Poland when money was tight. At first I thought they sounded odd and not very good, but then I made them! Potato Cabbage Rolls are fantastic! Rendering down a lot of onions with a good quality fat (I'm sure they used lard in Poland, but I opted for organic sunflower oil), then mixed with raw shredded potato, (squeeze out all the starchy liquid!!) egg and a touch of flour to bind, sea salt and pepper. Roll this mixture into prepped boiled cabbage and roast for an hour or so! No sauce, just topped each layer with a drizzle of oil and salt and pepper. It is like a savory potato pancake wrapped in soft spicy roasted cabbage! They are even better the next day as ultimate leftovers! I will be adding sweet potato and carrots to the next batch and some different spices too! Whatever storage crops you have, you may as well experiment with! The next recipe from Poland is Bean Burgers. She is specific about using 'big white beans'. I've used the white kidney and also navy beans and they are both good. Soak overnight then boil out the next day with some unrefined sea salt. Process until smooth. Add rendered down onions cooked in a fat of your choice. (I opt for a good quality organic butter or oil), egg and flour to bind once again and use your hands to create patties. Coat both sides of patties in bread crumbs and fry in a good quality fat. (Butter tends to burn so I use organic sunflower oil and olive oil). A great kick of protein and great as leftovers for lunch. Ben gives both recipes 'thumbs up'! This however is not saying much as he pretty much eats anything! If you notice both these recipes are vegetarian (if you exclude the lard) and made with food products they would grow themselves and store for the winter. We have a lot of these ingredients available at the markets this winter!! I love hearing Sophie's stories, specifically about her father and how they lived in Poland. I think Ben is a reincarnation of his grandfather!

Sophie is a downright kind woman with a huge heart. She loves her family and always puts herself second and her family first. You can tell that her life is not about 'herself', it's about everyone else. She is also very quiet and if something is bothering her, she'll usually keep it to herself to save others feelings. Ben's like this too, genetics can't lie. This can be a blessing or a curse, as she's been manipulated over the years by family members because of her kind disposition. She's got Ben and I watching over her now. She is getting older and winters are tougher on her joints, but she's still heading over to grade potatoes and trim cabbage! You can find her out in the field tackling the weeds with her hoe that rides along with her in the her in her minivan each spring and summer! She loves to laugh, so we usually have quite a good time grading and sorting vegetables. We all make quite the team and over the years I've learned to appreciate and respect her. It's a great feeling to have my own family: my mom, dad, grandma Stella, all my siblings - all able to get together with Sophie for celebrations and holidays - one big family! It will not be the same farm without her, so we will value each day she is able to come to help out. Make sure to say 'hi' to Sophie at market this year, as we expect to bring her along again! Enjoy making her recipes in the meantime.

Chew on this!

2011-01-10T17:48:00.000-05:00

And so it begins again. New Year's eve was spent on farm this year with some good friends and their insano Jack Russel's. A BBQ supper and later a trek over to a late night garage party at another farm with an awesome motley crew of hilarious folks! I never give up an opportunity to get the two funniest guys I know together - Paul and Erwin. It's nice to be back to the grind though. We've overhauled the farm office, packed away old receipts, but not to far, never know when you'll get pegged for another audit! The binder is ready for a new growing season with the new 'Crop Production Records'. Made a phone call up to Pro-Cert to remedy some minor compliance issues this afternoon. If I can get Ben to record the temperature of the compost pile this year it will be a miracle!! Smashy, we cleaned out your room finally and have half a dozen huge plastic bins full of horse stuff and old clothes we are storing in the barn for memories one day! ;) Dad and I are in the office together tonight and I'm playing old media and we were howling watching that video of your dad with earphones listening to 'El Paso' on the QEW coming home from market singing!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOL!! Markets are sleepy. Folks must be eating leftovers, on a diet or trying to figure out how to pay for all the insane Christmas gifts. I got a pretty sweet gift this year - Pepper Seeds! My aunt and uncle have retired from farming, so they gave me all my grandpa Mike's Sweet Super Shepherd seeds! It is now my job to grow up these open pollinated gems each year and save the seed!!!! Hitting the market twice a week and additional storage cabbage deliveries keeps us hoping grading by the wood stove. Hitting the kitchen to keep the prepared food available is a nice job when the weather is cold and snowy. Panzer our 6 month old Shepherd monster loves raw Sweet Potatoes almost as much as our customers! Seed ordering in underway....wish us a successful growing season! Full speed a head!

Merry Christmas From The Farm!!

2010-12-24T08:24:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again and how quickly it all comes and goes! Christmas on the farm has always been special. We all come together to eat and drink with family and friends, sharing the bounty from our harvest and buying in other great foods from local producers. For kids, well it's a spectacular time, especially if your lucky enough to actually SEE Santa outside with his big sack and know for sure his sleigh and reindeer are parked behind the big hedge in the field!!! We've had a lot of fun during past Christmas's!!

Ben and I have been rushing around - not buying gifts or dealing with mass shoppers -we don't buy into the retail aspect of the holidays, instead keep busy like elves ourselves grading storage crops, delivering produce and attending markets! It's been a busy, busy season! We get two Saturdays off, but the Thursday markets continue! Christmas eve will be a celebration packed with 'Prawn Wontons' and 'Duck Poutine', a menu sure to please! Ducks cannot be mass produced like Chicken and Turkeys, all packed into large barns fed medicated feed and hormones, as they will DIE! That is why you do not notice as much duck meat at the regular grocery stores but a plentiful amount of chicken and turkeys. They need fresh water and sun! Duck meat is dark and succulent and I am going to slow roast mine with a Rosemary Thyme Butter under the skin and it's cavity filled with orange slices! I'm then going to offer up fresh roasted duck meat a top deep fried French Fries and top with Monforte's Cheese Curds and homemade Mushroom Gravy loaded with Garlic! I'll spoil the animals Christmas morning with some cooked grain and mashed no. 2 potatoes and a hefty amount juice carrots for Lady Bug, the most gentle horse on the planet! No word of complaint when I put a Santa hat on her head for this photo!

"Merry Christmas Smashy!" (Love Bug. XXOO).

And most especially, a personal holiday greeting goes out to our daughter, 'Smashy': We miss you and Christmas just won't ever be the same without you around! Please come home one year soon! Understand that your next visit to the farm will be met with only smiles, laughs and encouragement like always. You are one of a kind. We wish you an awesome Christmas and a Happy New Year! Don't work too hard...;) Ok, OK, enough mushy crap: stay tuned, as Paul is coming over for Christmas, along with other fun friends and family members, so I'm going to get them to pose with your holiday sign too!!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

All about our Holiday Food!

2010-12-15T08:37:00.000-05:00

The farm is awash in a nice snow cover, but luckily we have missed the massive snow squalls other county's have received. This means my perogie crew had no trouble driving in from all the back roads and neighboring towns. We hit the kitchen both Monday and Tuesday of this week and have created enough holiday food now for the markets! A quick photo blog before I discuss NEW PREPARED FOODS being made! Time is flying and we are busy, busy, busy and I cannot believe the year is almost at an end!!

Above Mary and Ben rolling the dough and cutting the circles for the Perogies.....

Above Anne making the Potato Cheddar Perogies....

Above Boiling the Perogies....

Above Cooling the Perogies.....

My favorite machine, Mr. Hobart nicely put away after all it's service making dough and mashing potatoes....I love the Ukrainian Cloths the women have it wear when not in use! This machine is respected - once you've made dough and mashed potatoes by hands for years, this becomes a welcome friend in the kitchen!!

Ok, ok, before I have to disappear into the barn to grade today for tomorrow's market a quick introduction to some New Foods!! I've had my vegan friend sample and give me critical feed back, so my tweaks have been made and production is set to begin!

Vegan Perogies

Yes, it has been done and they are GOOD! We use Unbleached Organic White Flour, Organic Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt, Apple Sauce (grandma suggested I try this in lieu of eggs...interesting..), Yellow Fleshed Potatoes, lots of Onions rendered down Sweet! We are still working on a great topper, as regular perogies are awesome with bacon, butter & sour cream, so we are working on a flavourful vegan topping! The apple sauce gives a nice aroma that mingles well with the sweet onions and potatoes. Excellent lightly pan fried with olive oil.

Vegan Cabbage Rolls

Now these are awesome!! Yes Beef and Pork are our traditional, but I can't believe the excellent flavours and how healthy these guys are!! I use our own Organic Cabbage, Tomato Sauce as per usual. The filling is Long Grain Brown Rice, rendered down Onions until they are Sweet in Organic Sunflower Oil, our own Green Peppers & Sweet Red Peppers (I froze at the hall this past summer ;), Ground Flax Seed, lots of Garlic & Sea Salt & Pepper.....They are fully roasted and just need to be heated until piping hot! They are filling and delicious! I don't miss the meat - and that is rare! My vegan friend had never had a cabbage roll before and she loved them! Look for these item in abundance when I have more time after the holidays during January and February!

The beginning of inspirational winter eating....

2010-11-23T14:06:00.000-05:00

I am absolutely inspired most days by my surroundings and what I can create with what we produce on the farm. Currently we do not sell our farm`s fresh eggs at market, but yet another project to look into. Making the time to basket my eggs and head to a grading station never seems to make it into my schedule! I can have bragging rights though, as the following pictures are of my roosters, hens, my eggs and the most yellow yolks (just call them orange!) because of their healthy diet!

It was chaos around the farm this morning as I went into the barn before dawn to catch the new, free range birds to clip wings and put in the outside pen with the others. Snow is coming, it`s better for them to get used to the coop area. Also, I seem to have a 5 month old German Shepherd with a taste for chicken! Fresh, organic, free range eggs in your diet is such a good thing! Your own meat birds are good too! And I can`t wait to sample the first of our own rabbit meat. I never seem to get sick of eggs or meat but storage vegetables....man, I`m already sort of dreaming for spring! I`m making a mission this winter to create different types of foods and share recipes (specifically within market newletters) to combat what can turn into 'boring storage crop winter eating'. After long discussions with market customers and learning about different shows and chefs I have found one I am completely in love with: Jamie Oliver and his show 'Jamie at Home'. Though I miss almost all the recipes on TV, I get them online and have to share one today. This is simple, nutritious, yummy, proper way to eat! I love how his kitchen is simple and pretty tiny, he's got a very rustic garden and an even more rustic gardener that grows his ingredients for him. He often takes the time to meet with and learn from the producers of the ingredients within his recipes, such as a hunter who caught his fresh rabbits. I am very relieved to see so many cooking shows now inspiring women to feed their families properly! Out with the processed boxed, convenience foods and in with lots of fresh veg and real food! There is just no more time for excuses! I love how it is becoming mainstream now... This is very, very exciting...

I'm sharing a picture of our storage beets and carrots atop my great grandmothers cutting board. These crops will definitely be available this winter at most markets. Within his episode entitled: 'Winter Salads' I found this gem. Go ahead and try Jamie`s Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad with Orange and Lemon Dressing It is delicious, nutritious and sooo colourful! I'm also inspired at market each week. I never leave Toronto without basic staples: Olive Oil, Real Good Cheeses, MUSHROOMS.......soo many kinds....

Well, there is just too much good stuff at market. Time for me to grab my camera and take it along with me for an 'inspirational market journey' and showcase some of my fellow vendors this winter. I feed them, they feed me. It's such a win-win for everyone! Ali needs some bulk potatoes, she in turn gives me some Walnut Bread.....

Fresh Ginger and Garlic are also staples within my kitchen. Simply cooking pieces of ginger rendering it down into a simple spicy tea makes the house smell awesome and gives your taste buds a kick! It now also reminds me of my market friend Toshimi, who often drinks hot Ginger on cold Saturday mornings at market! Garlic, oh I love you! Here comes winter, here comes fresh garlic & cooked garlic a plenty! Stay tuned for some great, great winter blogging and lots of recipes all tried and true!! ; )

Prepared Food Time!

2010-11-14T15:44:00.000-05:00

Whew! What a ride this year and it’s not letting up! I know, I know everyone waits for a long time for the years first batch of perogies and one day I hope to keep them going year round. It’s just impossible at this time due to time constraints with growing a ton of seasonal fresh veg! When we can afford to employ more field labour and grading/market staff I will be able to look into prepared foods year round. Believe me, I’m working on it! Don’t I say this every year? This week was the introduction of our Organic Sauerkraut. Made from our own certified organic cabbage and certified organic onions and course salt, it is the real deal. We make huge batches and they are left to ferment in the hall kitchen for just shy of two weeks. The kitchen is kept warm to aid in the fermentation process. During this time each morning and evening it is essential to ‘check in’ with the kraut and clean off any foam and check brine levels. I still have not mastered the ‘taste’ technique and leave it up to 85 year old kitchen manager Anne to ‘taste’ and let me know when it has ‘soured’ properly for packing. We pack into tubs and the kraut is then frozen. Frozen kraut does not kill the good stuff! This is how my grandpa had his kraut - in a barrel, frozen out behind the house! Chip off what you need!! I may look into a non-pasteurizing jarring method for the future, but for now our customers are loving it this way! The majority of Sauerkraut you find in the grocery store is No.1 made with conventional sprayed cabbage, No.2 pasteurized with wine or some other brine. Ours is raw, non-pasteurized containing all the beneficial bacteria! Loaded with minerals and nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin C & Vitamin K! It is a super, super food!

And we are changing the recipe for SAUERKRAUT! I did a trial run with UNREFINED SEA SALT!! The ladies at the hall scowled at it. It was mentioned that the unrefined salt 'looked dirty'.....LOLOLOL! The old ladies obsessed with 'white'! I've learned a lot about salt and how crappy regular table salt is! The 'anti-caking' agent, iodine, bleached etc. Did you know that the refining process removes all the good natural minerals contained in the salt? Ah ha! 'They' just sell those minerals back to you in the form of supplements. May as well buy 'real, dirty salt' to begin with!! The kraut fermented with the unrefined sea salt turned out excellent. I need to use more salt in the recipe and the result is slightly more sweeter. Rave reviews so far. Next batch - ALL unrefined!
So yesterday at market I found myself surrounded by a Romanian woman, a Polish woman, and a Jewish woman. Sounds like the beginning of an awful stupid joke, but we were all discussing our heritage and our different ways to make borscht while they shopped for their vegetables at our table. I love to cook and am constantly inspired by my customers and I know I have a hand in inspiring others as well! All cannot wait for my perogies! While many of them make them all by themselves, they like ours ‘once in a while’, as hell, anyone who makes these European foods knows the work involved! So today while I do my bag labelling, work out the cost of production, do this blog, cook a big roast (to feed my crew tomorrow and Tuesday) I can’t wait to find out what I am going to learn this week from my well seasoned crew of women! Tomorrow is prep day. Cooking and mashing the potatoes with the cheese, boiling the sauerkraut and mixing it with rendered down onions in butter. The most savoury and luxurious flavour inside a dough pocket! Hands down my favourite and each year I convert more and more people who seem stuck on just potato cheddar! Tuesday I will unlock the Ukrainian Hall kitchen and be re-mashing potatoes and cheddar by 6 am, then making the dough by 7am. We’ll have unbleached white and whole wheat dough this year for both kinds. I have labelled my bags this year with ‘ingredient integrity’. We will be using our own farm grown certified organic produce as ingredients wherever possible. Beyond that every other ingredient (other than the sea salt….working on getting unrefined sea salt for all my cooking very shortly) will be certified organic and locally produced, nothing from outside of Canada. I’ve sourced excellent flour and Sunflower Oil (Canola is out!), along with organic FREE RANGE eggs! Dairy items including Butter used and the Old Cheddar Cheese will be Organic Meadow and perhaps some ‘Harmony’ brands soon, as our organic neighbours now ship to Harmony, so I like the idea of perhaps having their milk within our products! So then I start wondering how I can improve business. Next step will be doing the actual paperwork and paying the fees associated with getting the product certified so I can sell to a couple stores. I’ve got family ties with regards to working out proper nutritional labelling, so within the next few years the product line can move forward! OMG, will I have enough time? No time to worry now, head down, focus. For now, all we can manage is the farm markets! Retail sales are the best for these time consuming homemade products. I start thinking that I could get the women to begin an hour earlier to up production. Ben insists that I cannot push the older ladies and that we can’t do more than we already do. I think we can and am going to try. THEN I am reminded of Ben Stiller’s nurse character from the Adam Sandler movie “Happy Gilmore”"My fingers hurt...." …… LOLOLOLOLOLOL, ok, I don’t want to mistreat my ladies! My youngest is 65, oldest 85. We’ll be a crew of 12 on Tuesday. Eight ‘pinchers’, one ‘roller’, one ‘cutter’, one ‘cooler’ and me, the lone ‘cook’! My mother in law, my grandmother, Polish friends & Ukrainian friends. It’s a lot of work, but also a lot of fun and ALWAYS a learning experience for me! Just when I think I’ve got the recipes down pat, Anne lets me in on another secret. So here we go again folks! Potato/Cheddar Perogies, Buttery Onion & Sauerkraut Perogies, Raw Sauerkraut, Frozen Sweet Corn, Frozen Green Beans, Frozen Peppers, Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls, Beef Cabbage Rolls….I don’t even have to say ‘enjoy’! I know you all do - as you drive me crazy about WHEN the food is coming! :)

HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY SMASHY!!!!!

2010-11-08T09:53:00.001-05:00

In honor of our daughter's 17th birthday, the farm is celebrating today!! Despite the fact she cannot be here, we will party on!! After work of course! ;)

The morning of Smashy's 17th birthday starts out the same around the farm. Get the workers organized, feed animals. Ben's getting ready to head out in the field to dig the last of the potatoes of the season, as our Mexican guys leave tonight! I'm yelling, running around, looking for a board to scribble on and try and catch Ben before he disappears on the tractor. Once we're organized for the photo, Ben decides to include our new pup Panzer. 20+ pictures later getting Panzer to settle down and actually look in the general direction of the camera, we get a good picture for Smashy!! This was after Panzer dumped coffee and fought with Big Jigs the orange tabby on top the picnic table!!!

Ben particularly enjoyed writing with my new market sign marker. It's called: MAGNUM. It makes him laugh every time I bring it out! The huge, smelly black beast is probably waaaayyy too toxic for our organic markets, but it makes mean signs so NO ONE misses what I have to say and our prices are clear!

So Smashy, HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY!! We all miss you like crazy around here. Particularly Babca. Please come for Christmas!!!! Look at this new dog! Holy crap Smash, he is going to be huge and beautiful! Very, very smart and not at all whiny like Kaiseryn. It's not the same without you. We miss the fun, the laughs. But all in all, we remember being 17, and I personally don't have too many memories with 'parents' myself- LOLOLOLOL, so we get it! The farm has not changed too much and will always be here waiting for your return. Have a good one Smash! In your honor Ben has requested Steak and hot, buttery Perogies for supper. We'll toast to you this evening.... :)

Fall at Sosnicki's farm....

2010-11-05T16:32:00.000-04:00

(PPSSSSSSSTTT: For a 68 picture tour of our farm during fall time, head to our public page on Facebook: SOSNICKI ORGANIC PRODUCE ; )
Okay, so we've had a beautiful fall. We are still playing catch up for last year's tomato disaster, but all in all, much better. We are getting very good at holding our own. I think it has to do with something called pride. We've recently witnessed the horrible downfall of a neighboring farm and it made my heart sink. To think, that could be us. It is not easy making a living farming just 60 workable. It seems expenses and even wages keep heading skyward, but no one seems to want to pay more for veg. Ben and I will not pirate our produce either, meaning we know it's top notch quality, but will never charge $5 for a bunch of carrots. So a lot of other ideas are in the works to amplify earnings here at the farm. Changes implemented will take a 10 year plan to take effect and grow this farm into something spectacular! There is a lot of love that goes into growing this stuff and well, just to run your own business and display such magnificent produce, hell, I feel like the richest woman in the world! Ben and I both love what we do, and I think that makes all the difference in the world.

The picture above was taken on the day Ben turned 40. We were out by good ol' field 101, where Ben plowed up the old pasture. October 19th was a warm day and the sun felt especially nice. To have a crop of peppers still thriving at this time of year is something special!

Peppers were excellent this season! Golden Beets were awesome! Sweet Potatoes were the newbie on the farm this year. Super easy to grow, we'll be doing sweet potatoes every year from now on. Having Evergreen come for a tour was really great! Considering a lot of folks are soo far removed from where their food comes from and how it's produced, farm tours are very important - and THAT is where we come in!! I was proud of Ben - he embraced the visitors instead of hoping on a tractor and being 'busy'. Below is Ben digging up some fresh sweet potatoes to show the Evergreen Crew.....

We were able to wrap up the season over at Riverdale Farmer's Market with a gorgeous display! We had the most colourful Radish bunches ever! Peppers, Brussel Sprouts, Green Beans, Coloured Beets, Potatoes, Heirloom Tomatoes, Onions, Carrots, Leeks, Squash etc as the picture below shows....

To wrap up October of course we have to celebrate HALLOWEEN!! Carving pumpkins, like doing Easter eggs is a must around this farm! A lot of customers enjoyed the pumpkins and took lots of pictures at market! I only felt bad when one tiny sweet little girl asked me very, very concerned: "Why is the big pumpkin eating the little pumpkin?" All I could reply was: "Well, he's hungry!".....

The Jack-O-Lantern with the big toothy grin was nicknamed 'Kera' after our vegan helper! At market it proudly displayed a huge carrot sticking out of it's mouth! I'll blog as much as possible during the winter months...thanks for bugging me at market to keep blogging!!! ;)

A Dream Home.....

2010-10-22T15:56:00.000-04:00

So I get a telephone call from a friendly lady from my small town, who just happens to be in her 90th year. She's in need of some organic peppers & onions. She's been to our farm, bought produce before. A very spry, happy lady whom I really enjoy speaking with. She's definitely an organic advocate! I decided to deliver - and for a small fee: a tour of her home!

From the moment I walked in the door I had goosebumps! She was canning peppers, so immediately it smelled and felt homey. So rich with history, the house is alive! Built in the 1800's by a doctor, it is simply a masterpiece. They do not build homes like this anymore. The ceiling height of each room, the size and scale of the windows, the woodwork, oh my, the woodwork! From the sils, baseboards to window panes it is absolutely gorgeous! The kitchen was a bit too small but her stove is from the 60's and looks awesome! The pantry in this house is a entire room with original cabinets that boasts tin lined drawers for your sugar & flour. You know, when women used to cook. Parlors, a Library, 2 staircases, gorgeous fireplace, and her collectibles - good lord, the house is a museum! She has the first doll she ever was given as a child. It freakishly has 'real hair'. She's got her 90 year old baby buggy in the old nursery upstairs! Tons of pieces of furniture decades old! To me, it is the quintessential country home. This is my dream house. Using old field stone, hiring a stone mason (do they even exist anymore?) finding an old abandoned house to refurbish old wood work to use in the new build etc,etc would be my way to build a 'new' home! I'll be insisting on solar & wind power though and a brick/stone massive indoor/outdoor wood fire stove! Ahh, just dreams for now. It's funny, as when I tour my friends new homes, I've never been jealous. To me they are all just cookie cutter and cheaply built compared to these old stone relics. I felt sad when I left this home and truly wished I could pluck it up and move it to our farm!!! And whoops, I left my stainless steel 'Evergreen' coffee container there....guess I'll have to plan another trip to claim it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-10-11T14:15:00.001-04:00

What a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving - it's the official kick off of 'Organic Week' running from October 9th to October 16th! Head to www.organicweek.ca for lots of information! Our farm will celebrate by partnering with The Big Carrot on Saturday, October 16th from 2pm - 4pm at the 'Carrot for a meet and greet where Ben and I will be serving our seasonal coleslaw on our edible cabbage plates. So come on out to The Big Carrot and meet the farmers that grow your food! ;) For more information about The Big Carrot grocery store and so much more head to: www.thebigcarrot.ca

Around the farm is busy and bountiful. Cute pie pumpkins, squash & sweet potatoes are seasonal favourites and our first harvest of brussel sprouts starts this week. As we pull our carrots and golden beets from the soil, pick some sweet red peppers & eggplants to roast up for our family Thanksgiving feast, we humbly give thanks to our customers who support us week after week and make what we do possible.
For a great story to read on your holiday Monday about our farm and Schibli's visit this blog: http://topsintoronto.blogspot.com/2010/09/norfolk-county.html. Staffers and volunteers from Evergreen were on farm at the end of September and a staffer by the name of Melissa wrote a great blog about her experience.
A huge 'Happy Thanksgiving!!!' to Smashy who we think about everyday. Gobble, gobble, we miss you!!! ;)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It's still summer....

2010-09-16T20:03:00.002-04:00

Peppers, peppers, peppers! Big sweet red bells, red shepherds, sweet yellows, large orange bells, green bells, sweet chocolate peppers, pimentos, jalapenos, hot banana....ahhhh, then canning, grilling, roasting, pan frying....I love peppers!!! Was able to spend a great day with my mom canning a beautiful array of sweet peppers.... I have sooo many farm stories and crops to talk about! We have sweet potatoes (oh a blog for another day!!) I've been busy at the hall preserving the seasons in between it all as well.... Sweet Corn, in the freezer. Peppers, in the freezer. (Frozen peppers will be used later on within our vegetarian cabbage rolls.) The sweet corn was lovingly preserved this year at the hall where I make my perogies with the help of my awesome crew of women. We've managed to put a fair amount away so that I may sell some frozen goodness this winter and also heat and serve warm at various winter markets as a nice 'taste of summer' when the snow is flying. There is soo much humor along with learning during each kitchen event with the ladies.....I even got to witness a full blown argument about getting 70 year old (I'm NOT joking 70 year old) aprons their crisp white colour again!!! LOLOLOL, they are hilarious! We were able to introduce Ben's mom, the farm's matriarch Sophie Sosnicki, to the Dufferin Grove market last week! It was a great time for all! She kept busy re-loading the tables, meeting customers and watching people smile and purchase the goods from our farms' land that she helped to grown and grade. She was a bit shaky on the highways, but loved the market! We'll make this an annual thing for her.... Also this season everyone should be ROASTING red peppers....- almost as good a roasting tomatoes! Oh and our field tomatoes are finished once again...crap blight - but as our friend Paul demonstrates the 'covered field' tomatoes are thriving!!! I will have my smiling face at market with bushels of heirloom tomatoes for a long while yet!!!!! My pup Panzer is one of the smartest little dogs I've ever had! Not demanding, not whiny or jumpy - just always quiet, sitting and staring into your eyes waiting to learn more and more and more! The Big Carrot is hosting their first ever "National Organic Week" and have asked us to provide some farm photos - so that will something to include in the blog coming up as well. I will also take the time to blog with recipes shortly as well....Have the big "Evergreen" crew heading to the farm next week for a big luncheon and tour, which will also warrant a great blog! Big plans to get the 30+ city folk 'shucking' our garlic for planting in October! I will catch up with some great blogs shortly....Enjoy the pics and thanks for your interest in our farm!

GOOD LUCK with your last year of High School Smashy!!!!

2010-09-06T12:48:00.000-04:00

A quick lunch time blog dedicated to our daughter who starts the first day of her last year in High School tomorrow! We all cannot believe how fast you grew up! We all wish you all the best and know that you will be successful in what ever path you choose! You are a really great person Smash and although we don't get to visit as much as we'd all like, we all want you to know that we are here for you - ALWAYS. The farm and farm family has not changed - it will remain the same until your next visit! (Just probably more new animals!!!) Had to post this pic for you of our newest addition - PANZER. He's going to be HUGE! You'll love him! He's smart and is easy to train. Anytime you want a huge home cooked meal, head over! Harvest this year is pretty good, better than last year but not without challenges of course. Each time we are heading to market and are by passing Brantford your dad looks in your general direction and says: "Hello Austin!" Babca is doing well, even went on a holiday this summer waaaaayyy up North to fish with her Polish friends. We are taking her to market for the first time this week! She of course says 'hello' and misses you like crazy!
Well, all the best and we all hope to see you soon! Good luck Smash! Fly, fly! Love your family & friends from the farm.

The Good, The Bad & the Fun in August at Sosnickis'!!

2010-08-24T14:20:00.000-04:00

What an August! The bad news is sucky field tomatoes once again. The late blight is back with a vengeance. This means we will not be able to offer the Romas for sauce in bulk for the duration we know people expect. We are accepting bulk orders now and for the next two weeks but that will be it. This is very disappointing and another financial loss. We were truly hoping that after two years we would have some luck with organic field tomatoes.....nope. The 'covered field' tomatoes are okay however, meaning we will have the heirlooms to offer well into the fall season! Our Sweet Corn is doing wonderful! We are happy to be educating folks on the reality of growing organic sweet corn and the price we need to get in order to make it worthwhile to grow. The concept of cheap sweet corn is very, very wrong. Corn is a heavy feeder and pulls a ton of nutrients from the soil. As organic farmers being able to offer this crop means we have to be very careful with the land after a year of corn to build it back up to keep the land healthy. We are happy that our customers understand this concept and are willing to pay us a fair price for our corn. We are also happy everyone understands that organic corn comes along with 'little wormy friends' from time to time! A friendly Jamaican customer at Dufferin remarked: "My mother told me not to trust food unless the creatures of the earth try it first." I like that advice! Our corn is an all yellow, smaller kernel, sweet corn that receives a ton of praise at market. Look out for various chefs using our corn at markets this fall.
Ben and I, along with my brother Mike ventured over to Ted Thorpe's farm this past Saturday night for an event called "Tedstock".....LOLOLOL! It rained, but man, what a party! My brother Mike instructed me to soak a bunch of our corn in a water barrel, then he cooked it inside it's husk at 'Tedstock' on a bed of hot coals! What a treat to share with everyone! Chefs cooking all sorts of amazing seasonal fare, Bands playing and 'Belly Dancing in the Rain' later in the evening! I had to include a couple shots of Ben and Ted 'belly dancing'...it was awesome! It decided to pour rain, but it was still a great, great time! Ben, our new pup 'Panzer' and I slept soundly in the back of the 'ol market truck after a long night of socializing with great, great people associated with organic agriculture. Party's over, back to work! Along with great Sweet Corn, expect to see sweet large Watermelons, Purplehaze Carrots, Golden Beets, and all sorts of colourful Peppers at market shortly! We are anticipating a great fall despite the tomato shortage! We carry on! Enjoy the harvest!

Our Farm in Macleans Magazine!

2010-08-03T17:58:00.000-04:00

It feels really nice when you get to read about what you do in a publication like Macleans! Please read the entire story at: Sosnicki's in Macleans! It has become essential for us to continue to look at various ways to create value added products using our own produce to increase the viability of this farm business. We are a long way off from a successful processing business, however have it in the 'big picture' as soon as finances allow! It seems very natural to me to 'preserve the seasons' as something I grew up with both my mother and grandmother doing. I wouldn't feel comfortable relying on just grocery stores to feed me all winter. To have a bare fruit cellar and empty freezer come fall frost seems scary to me. It's a very gratifying, awesome tasting, affordable way to sustainably live. It does not take a million years in the kitchen to squirrel stuff away and also not hard to learn. Small children can easily get fascinated by the whole process and be quite occupied helping to 'bag beans' or label items. There is nothing quite snow flying on a cold January day and you've got a free range chicken roasting in the oven and a side of storage potatoes and sweet corn (nestled with golden organic butter) making your kitchen smell amazing, while you plan your next day's menu of using left over chicken, heating up some of your frozen green beans and carrots from storage to make a soul-warming chicken pot pie.....Canned heirloom tomatoes lend a hand with frozen peppers and frozen pesto cubes to create an amazing mid week pasta sauce! I use this sauce for homemade pizza base, pizza toast etc,etc when left-over. The fields are booming people! Head to your local farmer's market and buy some great food and take the time to squirrel a bit away for winter too! If you just can't find the time, I'll have frozen sweet corn and green beans available along with the perogies and kraut and a few new surprises too! ***Thanks to my aunt Carol for giving the magazine copy to mom! I never did get one, got busy, forgot about it....nice to have! Thank You!!*****

Markets July 2010....

2010-07-21T17:47:00.000-04:00

Well, we've got a new addition to our busy schedule! The new 'Bay & Adelaide Farmer's Market' put on by Evergreen ( Go to Evergreen! ) and will run each Thursday from 11:00am until 2:00pm. We'll sell until 1:30pm, as we've got to hike it over to the Dufferin Grove Organic Market ( Go to Dufferin Grove Park! ) to set up and sell from 2:30pm until 7:00pm. The Bay & Adelaide space really did need some 'greening' up and the business folk who look down at us from their office towers seem very interested in what is going on! Not only can you find our fresh produce at this market but the best honey, Merchants of Green Coffee, Monforte Dairy, Chocosol, Bruno and his mushrooms, excellent food from Brian Burk Wine Bar, Jamie Kennedy Fries, all vegan and raw foods from Hearty Catering and the list goes on. Grab a coffee, or an ice coffee, lemonaide, gourmet lunch, cheeses, fresh bread, fresh organic produce all during your lunch hour! Your air conditioned office space will keep her cool until quittin' time! The Bay & Adelaide market will run until September 9th, so please come and enjoy! Dufferin Grove continues to be a winner for our farm. A great atmosphere, great people, droves of familar faces and returning customers week after week, year after year. This market continues to keep 'the organic aspect' alive and well. Our farm volunteer Tomhas (pictured in the top pic!) has been with us almost 3 weeks and he's leaving us this weekend! The time went by fast and he did a great job! Thank You Tomhas!

Crop Updates...

2010-07-21T07:35:00.000-04:00

As folks continue to ask, I'll explain again: Our heirloom tomatoes are grown in our old cold frame greenhouses. We are able to plant them in early April and can harvest a good month before our field tomatoes start. I hesitate to call them 'greenhouse' as our tomatoes are grown in field soil and compost - not synthetic soil. We do not heat or 'light' the houses. We essentially use these houses to protect from overhead moisture and early frost and are able to squeak out the fruit early without being an energy using pig. A lot of work goes into this process. All by hand, as tractors do not fit in these houses, so cultivating is by small rototillers and hand hoes. The suckering and twining of the plants is a timely process as the plants continue to grow, thrive and throw suckers. The flavour is amazing because they are grown in the best soil! The varieties are all about TASTE, and it's just a great thing that folks have decided that these tomatoes are no longer 'ugly' but consider them as I do --absolutely gorgeous! I had to include some photos of me with a 'striped chocolate' and 'green zebras'. It's totally worth all the hard work to showcase these beauties. It's always such a pleasure at market to see the reaction to these tasty awesome looking tomatoes!
We've had some crop failures such as broccoli and the cucumbers are not so hot this year. It started off with fighting 'damp off' this year with the seedlings followed by some disease out in the fields now....We have planted another late crop and fingers crossed may have some August cucumbers. We drove through the 'hail' and massive rain storm last Saturday coming home through Brantford, so we were lucky as our farm did not receive this onslaught - but it is soo close! It could always be worse. We will not have summer carrots or beets. These crops will hit hard come September and stored for winter - yes, tons of 'golden beets' too! For August our farm will be bringing on a bevy of field tomatoes, sweet corn and all sorts of peppers! Right now is green bean city! I have been taking any and every spare minute to 'freeze' as many green beans as I can for winter sales. In fact, I was written about in the July 1st issue of Macleans Magazine talking about the freezing process! Besides spelling our name wrong and getting our acreage wrong, it's a sweet article! I'll link to it shortly. Our field tomatoes look great so far! In fact the roma and cherry tomatoes are just starting now! So for those (like me!) that have missed salsa, fresh tomato juice, bruschetta, etc,etc, - THIS is the year to catch up! I've included other pics of me in my 'tomato jungle' and one of Ben and I in our tomato field!

Mobile Blog Test!

2010-07-09T14:06:00.001-04:00

Time to blog on route! I have no time to sit at a computer but always have farm stories and updates to share! Mobile blogging and mobile facebooking will be our way to communicate from now on for the majority of posts. It is busy time and today was just beautiful to harvest in the cool showers after all the heat we've had! Beets, the first bunches of Sweet Spanish Onions, huge bunches of Kale, sweet Peas in a Pod, Heirloom Tomatoes & fresh Basil plants are some of the crops heading to Toronto this weekend! Next week: Cucumbers, Green Beans & fresh dug Potatoes!
We've started a new Thursday market: The Bay & Adelaide Farmers' Market right downtown among the skyscrapers. This market is operated by Evergreen and managed by the sweetest lady Marina, the Argentinian 'empanada' maker most know and love from various markets. 11:00am - 2:00pm every Thursday. I have hopes of pulling all those business folk down and out of the office towers for the lunch hour where they can grab a fabulous meal and buy the freshest farm goods and organic produce! The first market showed a lot of potential with great interest! After this market we venture over to Dufferin Grove Park and continue to sell our produce there from 2:30pm until 7:00pm...every Thursday.
I must also mention that I am doing my best with responding to customers' emails! I know folks need to order cucumbers and need to know when Roma tomatoes start, but please check this blog first - I will update more often! My email account gets jammed full each day, a lot of junk and a lot of deleting - but I will make more of a response effort for the important ones! ;)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Summer So Far...Sooooo Good!

2010-06-28T22:07:00.001-04:00

Well, freakishly we've got enough rain we have not had to irrigate at all! So much for the 'hot n' dry' theory -so far. Pipes laid and connected, then disconnected and moved around so we could cultivate. Each and every time the damn dames with their suits, hair & lipstick come on in front of a green screen on the weather network and start in with 'tornado warnings' and show pictures and video of 'hail' in neighboring county's with a sort of gleam in their eyes (like their job all of a sudden got exciting) make me obviously stressed and want to slap them sideways. The majority of the time they are very, very wrong and don't know much unless it's pissing on their heads and for this forecast I can get myself on my iPhone via a nifty radar!! Despite the stupidity of some suits, this summer so far is great for the crops! We've used an approved pesticide called 'Entrust' to finally help out with the Colorado Potato Beetle that has always wreaked havoc on spuds, tomatoes and whipped out our eggplants each year. Each rain day gives me ample opportunity to work in the 'covered fields' on my awesome heirloom tomato crop. Broccoli seems to have begun and soon to end....the heat has made this crop very crappy, so enjoy it and look to the fall for decent, heavy heads of this crop. Onions thriving, cucs coming along. Peas are excellent and sweet, Green Beans are in blossom. Sweet corn is well over a foot tall, cultivated and will be available in August. Pepper plants are great looking. I feel a pepper year too coming on! Last pick of strawberries is this week. Watermelons growing, soy beans are being cultivated and doing great! Storage cabbage, squash and a later crop of cucs are being field transplanted this week which will empty greenhouse #2 finally. Beets, beautiful big beets are plentiful! Kale's thriving and the last of the lettuce will come off this week! We failed to get pigs this year, just completely ran out of time this year. BUT I have baby 'meat' bunnies that have been born! Har, har, good luck with this one I tell myself! They are pretty cute. Ben has told recent company that this is a 'retirement' farm for animals. We'll need a good year this year and the next two to try to catch up financially because of the last two crappers. Like I've said 'so far, so good'. However, I always feel pretty rich and happy about what we do pulling the market truck down the drive to the barn after a long market day....job well done, happy customers, good food delivered, awesome daily emails full of compliments for what we do! Thanks... :)

Farmin' Father's Day!

2010-06-20T15:17:00.000-04:00

There is just something special and irreplaceable between daddies and daughters! Especially so if your dad is a farmer. There is something very nurturing about seeding, caring for and harvesting crops that makes these types of dads some of the world's best. "Down to Earth" perhaps? Though I didn't bother asking dad for money when I was young, (as I got the longest speech about the current price of corn and beans or his famous line: "You've got two hands and a brain - go make some yourself!") he would pull a few surprises and give me $50 before a school trip or when I didn't ask... He made me work hard, taught me all about integrity and respect. I listened to my dad (until I was about 15), then he backed off as I got older and let me grow and learn about life for myself. There were times and are still times to this day when I don't often talk to him....but I know that I can call him anytime (on his cell, as he's likely to be in the field) and he would always be there for me! You can never cut ties between a daddy & daughter. For my dad and I, it's less sappy, less dramatic and less touchy vs the mother/daughter relationship - but just as powerful! A lot is said by saying absolutely nothing at all. A quick 'hi' and a grin and you just know how much your loved! I can't imagine life without dad - it would be a very lonely place and I don't think I'd be half the woman I am today without my dads love and support! Hell, I wouldn't be farming today if it wasn't for his influence either!! Happy Father's Day to all Papas! ***And Smash, if you can't make it over to the farm for Father's Day, daddy totally understands, no worries - he loves you turd!! ; ) *****

CERTIFIED ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES 2010!

2010-06-09T08:24:00.002-04:00

Our strawberry patch is nestled in between a beautiful crop of our spelt wheat. Snakes, mice & our cats are having a lot of fun out there! Our first pick was Tuesday, June 8th this year. The crop is bountiful! We have two varieties, an early and later variety. Generally early berries are not super sweet, so don't worry if your first savor of the year doesn't prove to be the 'sweetest'. With heat that June should throw, berries sweeten up later on in the month. Ben and I have our berries picked into our white 3 litre baskets, then we grade them into the green quarts you see at market. (Quality control you see!) We've bought our own boxes/flats this year to re-use and re-use again! They then head into our cold storage the day before market to stay 'cold' before the trip to the city! We've ordered 20,000 more plants for this year, so another patch will go in (**another new variety we want to try for 2011!) as generally when a patch reaches two years, it begins to die off and not produce. Enjoy the harvest! Kera our Wychwood helper is heading to the farm with her 'food machines' - a turbo blender to make smoothies and an ice cream maker! I will make the daquiris!! Ben and I are currently enjoying blended Strawberries, Avocado and a bit of Bee's Universe Honey for breakfast! I will be freezing a ton of these guys to enjoy come winter as part of my new 'preserve the seasons' weekly task.

Greenhouse Heirloom Update....

2010-06-09T07:51:00.000-04:00

*****Coming soon!**** Our Heirloom Tomatoes! Grown in our own field soil and compost in our 'covered fields' - the taste is exceptional! Protected from winds, excessive overhead moisture, extra warmth - no matter what mother nature does to me this year I WILL HAVE HEIRLOOM TOMATOES!!! ; ) Over 80 varieties to choose from and let me tell you A LOT of work went into this project! Suckering and running these beauties on twine is an ongoing task - but a labour of love - perfect job for early mornings, late evenings and rainy days!!

Catching up....

2010-06-09T07:38:00.000-04:00

Trying to catch up with blogging! Lots of stuff happening around here! Planting, planting like mad! Harvesting huge heads of Lettuce and Asian Greens like Bok Choy and Tatsoi; Weeding, hoeing, cultivating! What we've been up to the past few weeks: planting Winter Squash, second planting of Cucumbers, Sweet Potatoes (yes, another crop!**), transplanting Celeriac, Brussel Sprouts, Tomatoes (roma, round & cherry & heirloom), Peppers ( LOTS of different peppers thsi year!!); Being weeded and thriving is a huge Broccoli and transplanted Beet patch, sweet white Onions, Kale, Kolhrabi, etc,etc...**Picking strawberries, ordering new plants (our exsisting patch is two years old, time to get new); Peas in blossom, Green Beans thriving, Sweet Corn germinated and growing awesome, potato beetles 'mating' on potato plants and hanging out on every single Eggplant I have!! (soon to die via natural remedy called 'entrust') and the list goes on and on and on!!!! Fields look beautiful! Always feel behind, but on a rainy day like today is when I have time to get organized! Ben and I still have a good feeling about this year! Time to catch up! Enjoy the harvest that is going to hit hard very, very soon!

Lazy days of summer?...early treat...

2010-05-27T21:33:00.000-04:00

My inspiration to blog is around me each and every day - but.... to find the time....This heat is different, hope she keeps going truthfully. I want tomatoes and peppers this year! Ahh, the first field harvests. Lettuces; huge heads of deep green romaine, large and fluffy red & green leaf, soft and melty green bostons and 'Sangria' reds. Each day for lunch Ben and I whip up a new salad creation to savor. A fav around here is certainly homemade ceasar with big chunks of real bacon and a dressing with enough garlic to kill what ails you! But a simple green and red leaf mixed, or boston/butterhead with a light olive and balsamic with our radishes beats the heat and keeps the stove off other days. Stir frys with Quinoa and our fresh field bok choy and tatsoi with a newly aquired taste for 'miso' (a fermented soybean flavouring) and buckwheat noodles (inspirations from our farm friend Kera) are other new digs we are enjoying sampling. Along with early field harvest comes the great task of planting everything else in orderly fashion and weeding what is already out there....and then comes greenhouse no. 3...my baby heirlooms....Hanging hundreds of strings, suckering and gently twining the plants up, up, up while I examine the blossom formation and excitedly greet the start of green fruit forming! We had a great visit from our friend and chef Ezra Title & gang on Tuesday. Most know Ezra and crew from 'Chez Vous' the folks that make the most amazing, amazing breakfasts at select specialty farmers' market in Toronto. He is also the chef in the television program "The Healthy Gourmet". His first visit to our farm should render another, as I love to treat up the foodies and chefs in my life, so they were granted free and roaming access to our 'volunteer green garlic' patch and overwintered leek patch ONE day before Ben was scheduled to plow 'er under! It was such a joy to share our greenhouse heirloom planting with the group and the rest of the farm! Well, as we speak, Ben is rolling in with the big white market truck from another great day at Dufferin Grove Organic Market. Sun just finished setting on some beautiful poppies (another gift from my mom..)...Time to feed the man and get ready for another long but worthy day or harvest tomorrow, and I hear it will be more seasonal temps - NOT that I'm complaining! Cheers everyone, enjoy the food we bring on in 2010!! Hey, and Smashy: good luck with exams and kicking grade 11 to the curb!!!! ;)

Now taking orders for Our Organic Horse COMPOST!!

2010-04-14T08:44:00.000-04:00

Once again this year, Ben and I will be making our organic compost available to the city of Toronto gardeners!! I had lots of great reviews once again in 2009 from folks, so we decided to share again! Each bag is $5 and will cover approximately 10 sq. feet 2 inches thick. We begin delivering to Toronto: April 15th, April 22nd, April 29th, May 6th, May 13th & May 20th to DUFFERIN GROVE MARKET on THURSDAYS. Beginning May 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd at WYCHWOOD BARNS on SATURDAYS. More dates may become available in May as delivery is needed. I ask that you email me at jb@sosnickiorganics.com with name, phone number and number of bags ordered and date and market you wish to pick up at. You will be put on my compost list! Do not wait too long, as we shut down compost orders once we get busy on farm with other various tasks. I've also decided to create this blog to assist you Torontonian's with some answers to your numerous questions I've received via email thus far. I hope this helps out.....
1. "Do you sell bulk quantities at a discount?" a. no, sorry.
2. "Is this plant based or animal based compost? Is it organic?" a. All animal based and completely organic! Here's the story: We grow all our own certified organic hay, oats and grain crops. Our horse eats only our own food source! Her manure, her small contribution, is piled along with our neighbours cow manure behind our barn. Our neighbour is certified organic dairy. He buys the straw from our grain crops, uses our straw for 'bedding' for his cows and our payment is 'used bedding', a.k.a. manure! The pile is concentrated and is turned twice annually. Micro organisms do their job by breaking down or decomposing the pile until we are left with odorless black gold, rich with nutrients! We run it through a dirt shredder so it contains no lumps and is easily spreadable.
3. "How much do I use for two big planters? Is this compost suitable for vegetables?" a. As much as I would like to magically know the dimensions of everyone's planters, I do not. I can tell you that this compost is perfect for all vegetable crops along with flowerbeds or lawns too! Don't overload is one word of advice! It is nitrogen rich, so if you dump tons on a vegetable garden for example you will have lush, lush growth, but little yield!! This website will help: COMPOSTING Council of Canada located at http://www.compost.org/compost.html. Scroll down to 'How can I use compost' and you will be happy to see discussions about topdressing, flowerbeds, tree planting, vegetable gardens, mulch and lawn establishment. If you have any additional questions not covered here, please don't hesitate to email and I will do my best to get back to you!

Spring at Sosnicki's!!

2010-03-17T14:29:00.000-04:00

This is the type of dream weather you hope to have to get your seeds sprouting! Gorgeous full sun, higher evening temps - stuff in the greenhouses are just thriving! My heirloom tomatoes are rooting down, growing dark green and loving the heat in the houses! Onions and lettuce are up and going too! (they actually prefer it a bit cooler!!) Our first broccoli plants are up, same with baby kale, and Asian greens such as Tatsoi and Bok Choy pop and grow very fast! Some of these plantings will be for our 'covered fields', others will venture out into the field but also be covered this year. Amaranthus, Sweet Peas, Petunias, Summer Thyme, Millet, Tomatillos & Snap Dragons just to name a few other varieties of fun stuff we've got started around here too! Pepper seeds are swelling and germinating loving this heat! Peppers love the heat like tomatoes! Our radish and green garlic have sprouted in greenhouse #3, a pic included of Ben watering those crops! Enough blabbing (blogging) - Ben's calling, I'm needed with the staple gun in greenhouse #1 pronto! Cheers, enjoy this weather, it's gonna get cold again!!

About Our Heirloom Tomatoes (part. 1)

2010-03-02T16:48:00.000-05:00

Time to showcase a few varieties of heirloom tomatoes! It will be a neat way to learn about some of the different kinds we grow, what they look like, how they taste, where some of them came from before they get to market! A teaser for those that cannot wait for local vine ripened organic old fashioned real tasting tomatoes!! The early ones have now been transplanted into larger pots for individual thriving growth! The neat thing about these tomatoes is that even the foliage of the plants differs from variety to variety! Some with potato leaves, some stocky, some bright green, some almost a greyish colour (Pink Zapotec). Some new ones we are excited about are "Azoychka". This heirloom is orangy yellow, delicious and rare! 'Tobolsk' is 100 years old "originally from the Urals near the city of Tobolsk, Russia - Sweet, Rare & Precious" says Gary Ibsen, the man I look to for neat and new varieties (www.tomatofest.com). I cannot wait for this one! I do lean more towards the Russian, Ukrainian & Polish varieties, as that is part of my own family heritage and one day when I begin my seed saving adventures I plan to dig deep into heirlooms from these countries (lots are hardy and more 'rough' and 'tough' and do well in cooler climates!) "Moskovich" is another one, this one being a rich deep red with excellent taste! I am also hitting Australia this year with "Aussie". Gary Ibsen describes it by saying: "Dependable, red glossy tomato with rich delicious, bold, rich complex tomatoey flavours!" Wow, can't wait! For fun this year we've got "Banana Legs" which is bright yellow, meaty and shaped like a banana! Also "Mortgage Lifter Bi Color". This one I bet will be similar to Striped German that is always very popular! Any tomato that can help with the mortgage is always welcome! It is golden yellow with red marbling and the fruits weigh in at 1-2lbs...stay tuned for many other stories, as we are once again growing dozens of different kinds!

I smell tomatoes!!!

2010-02-11T19:59:00.000-05:00

We grow especially early tomatoes, as we need them to be especially large to transplant into our large glass greenhouse come April for June sales. It is such an amazing thing to gently roll your hand overtop them and smell 'tomatoes' when they are such young seedlings!! I'm transported back to the field!! This is still a new thing for us, so it will be 'fingers crossed' that we do everything right to offer this type of thing so early with flavour integrity intact. I really have a need to bring back the old flavour of tomatoes. The flavour the ladies talk about while making perogies. The flavour of tomatoes before 'chemical, shelf life generic red tomatoes' took over a long time ago and ruined what this amazing fruit/veg truly IS!! When you sliced a tomato and could smell a TOMATO! Most kids now a days have no clue what this means and that is sad. Stay tuned as I will have LOTS to talk about regarding tomatoes in the near future......

Available this FEBRUARY from Sosnicki Organics!

2010-02-04T12:31:00.000-05:00

We are happy to be able to offer an abundance of our own produce this winter! There is still lots of room for improvement and many years a head to do this! We would really like to offer as many certified organic, local and our own further into the spring months as well! Many new things coming in the next few years! For now available at Toronto markets: Winter Cabbage -small, tight heavy heads suitable for cooking with, making sauerkraut or fresh slaws. Excellent peppery flavour! Celeriac - celery root is excellent shredded with cabbage and apples for an amazing coleslaw, dice and boil with potatoes for 'celery flavoured' mashed potatoes, make a creamy soup & excellent with roast chicken!! Potatoes - we have Superior whites, Yukon Golds and Cheiftan Reds in all sizes!! Onions - cooking onions left! Not a great onion year and we are tossing close to half the crop out while grading. Too wet last summer and a lot of rotten in the centre... Carrots - some really sweet Nelson & Bolero variety for fresh snacking and cooking. Beets - Kestrel Organic is the variety of this versitile root! Simply cut tail off, scrub and roast until fork tender. Skins will 'peel' off with your fingers! No need to peel before cooking. Boil them with skins on too. Roasting beets is best then tossed with butter, sea salt, pepper and a few of your favourite nuts and even a hit of feta or ricotta cheese! In the perpared food department we are offering Whole Wheat Perogies (*new!), Potato Cheddar Perogies, Sauerkraut & Buttery Onion Perogies, Gluten Free Perogies (*new - available after Feb. 11th), Beef, Pork & Garlic Cabbage Rolls, Mushroom & Celeriac Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls & frozen tubs of raw Sauerkraut! Also pork products such as Ground Pork & Pork Chops available at the Saturday market only! All food comes fully cooked and frozen for your convenience. Enjoy February at the Farmers' Markets and thanks for your continued support!!

Starting the year off right........

2010-01-13T16:50:00.001-05:00

We are proud to point out that we remain a Certified Organic produce farm. We have updated Certificates of Conformity for Canadian Organic Products Regulation, USDA National Organic Program and European Organic Regulations. The outside-of-Canada certificates come in handy if we need to export grains. We will have the Canadian certificate PLUS the Organic Production Summary available at each market for peace of mind. The production summary lays out all acreage and also lists all products certified, rather than just the 'general' listed on the certificate itself. We certify each year for these 5 reasons: We feel we have an obligation to our consumers buying 'organic'. It is cost effective, basically an expense that is 1/3 the cost of year round vendor fees at ONE market. The certification process has very fair and basic rules and regulations regarding vegetable and greenhouse production. Paperwork that takes maybe 5 minutes a day to complete and is essential to look back on to learn from. Last but not least, it feels right to have a third party involved in making sure you are crossing your t's and dotting your i's when you are feeding people food for a living! Since we have to compete with many, many other farmers and many, many other 'labels' and 'signage' for various other organizations that look 'organic', I've included pics of labels and certificates to look for when seeking out certified organic food!!! When it comes to our farm being certified 'local' please take a look at our address on our certification! Yep, we're local. On another note, during this cold winter a really, really great coffee table book to make you certainly grin from ear to ear would be Amy Goldman's THE HEIRLOOM TOMATO. What a spectacular book! Beautiful descriptions, beautiful pictures to learn from until you meet me with my heirlooms at my tables this summer!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Sosnicki Organics!!

2009-12-15T16:17:00.004-05:00

What a year! It went fast and I can honestly say I am not too sad to see it almost over! I have fingers crossed for a REAL summer 2010! (heat? Sun?!)
A goal of mine was to have heirloom tomatoes for Xmas and we did it!! Just a trial run, so full speed a head for next year!! All our Dufferin customers on Thursday can expect to enjoy some RIPE HEIRLOOMS! We will also have our VEGETARIAN CABBAGE ROLLS along with our perogies of course for quick holiday meals. Vegetables available from us for the Christmas markets will be Brussel Spouts (harvested this Tuesday morn.), Celery, Carrots, Celeriac, Potatoes, Onions, Beets & Cabbage. We've celebrated some milestones this year: the matriarch Sophie Sosnicki is officially a senior and we celebrated her 65th with a big pig roast on a beautiful evening in August. A bevy of friends, neighbours, relatives all joined together to eat and drink and have a blast together to celebrate with Sophie.....My stepdaughter turned 16 in November and I still cannot believe she grew up soooo fast! Despite the overall bad year (financially that is), Ben and I still smile when we look at each other whether it be from across the barn or across the field and we certainly laugh more than complain (well, Ben anyhow! lololol!). Respect between the two of us (including mom Sophie too) and the love for what we do on this farm will ensure the success of this business no matter what is thrown at us for years to come! We tackled an audit this year (no need to make ANY changes on our returns meaning I'm doing something right in the book keeping dept.), Health Canada here taking samples searching for e coli (non found and a nice clean barn to boot!), the death of our entire tomato crop to name just a few BIG negatives that will be remembered from 2009. BUT there is not time for whining,- full speed a head to 2010! May the New Year blow your bitchin' hair back, knock your socks off and bring you lots and lots of local organic produce!! ~Sincerely, Jessie Sosnicki & Ben too!!~

Facebook can be great for business!!

2009-11-27T13:07:00.002-05:00

I am absolutely enjoying the use of Facebook! Not only for personal use to keep tabs on family and friends, but for our farm business by the creation of the public page: "SOSNICKI ORGANIC PRODUCE". I've been on facebook for years but just recently 'opened it up' by becoming visible for everyone to find me, view my friends etc. This lead to the quick creation of our farm fan page and what a riot! Within a few short weeks it is obvious of it's success and we've got dozens of familiar faces becoming 'fans' of our business! I've witnessed the media giving facebook a pounding on occasion by casting fear towards the use of it which I feel is very unnecessary. Unless you are creepy or conniving it is a great tool for your personal life AND your business! With so many privacy features you can manipulate it as you wish. A LOT of teens have family and parents as 'friends' but can totally hide anything they wish be it pictures or conversations. Now, I can completely understand why teens do this! lololol!! We personally don't bother with all that and leave our facebook account pretty much wide open with no worry about what anyone will see or read! I'm a woman of integrity with no worry how my online publishing's could ever haunt or hurt me down the road. I take great pride in 'googling' my own name and the name of our farm on occasion to hear what folks are saying about us and it is uplifting to say the least! It is very powerful to type your business name, hit enter and instead of your own ramblings about how incredible your business is - OTHERS are doing it for you!! People power. I love this blog and cherish every post and picture but sometimes it almost seems as if I'm writing to hear myself - until I'm met with a customer with compliments! But I need others to hear from others too! On a monthly basis a link to this blog is sent to the market manager to be sent out in the newsletter reaching 500+ people, but there is room to reach more faster and be able to interact! Facebook fan page is much more instant and interactive! With so many people now on board it's become an essential tool for us to connect with potential customers along with keeping existing customers up to date. And because I am a technology junkie my iPhone comes in handy to create quick posts with pictures and to keep things up to date! (An organic farmer with an iPhone? Damn right with no guilt! I quit smoking Nov. 2007 and you'd be surprised how much money you save and what you can afford when you quit that sick habit!!) Your business is more likely to gain customers if they can see and hear from other customers - via facebook aka 'fans'!!! And let me tell you, when you have your east end customers traveling all the way over to the west end to 'find you' during the winter months - you're doing something right! That is the power of our product, our awesome veg, but I'd still like to think that my work online has a bit to do with it too! ;)

Food Happenings around the farm....

2009-11-18T17:45:00.004-05:00

Let's see, last week we rented the hall and our crew of 12 made quite a few organic perogies!! Cheddar and Yukon Gold potato filling along with Buttery Onion and Sauerkraut ones too! Everyone at market was happy to see them again! Our pigs went to the butcher yesterday, Ben, his mother and I went and assisted in cutting and wrapping today and Ben and I are enjoying our first taste of our own BBQ pork spareribs tonight! We will have packs of loin chops, ground pork and sausages available at market shortly. The meat is not certified organic YET. We are working on this for next year. The little pigs we bought this year were run of the mill from a local auction, not organic to begin with. We are seeking out organic piglets for next year, pasture raise them and have them certified! In the meantime understand that our uncertified pigs were raised on all our organic produce along with our neighbours organic peas, barley and oats too! Lean and lovely meat for sure! We are harvesting tomatoes from the greenhouse still! We are going to make it to Christmas with them I think, esp. with all this great weather!!!

Construction on the farm....

2009-11-18T17:36:00.003-05:00

Finally after quite a few years looking at the ugly old remains of the old pig barn laying in our horses pasture, we have buried it! Thanks to my brother and his operating skills running a huge excavator! Ben ran a dump trailer to make it go smoothly and we even had help from our 83 year old neighbour Ed too with his tractor and loader! Looks a lot nicer out there now!

Prince Charles checking out our vegetables!!

2009-11-07T17:42:00.009-05:00

Beautiful day at Evergreen's Brickworks this past Friday. The 'hush hush' event involved a handful of vendors from the Brickworks Farmers' Market (now officially over for the season) to join together to showcase our products for Prince Charles and other importants. Chef Jamie Kennedy catered the event along with greeting HRH and lead him around for the meet and greet. No one really had any idea what to expect. For all we knew he was just going to wave at all of us and take off. To our surprise he took the time to engage with almost all the vendors present. Ben and I were greeted with a firm handshake as he examined our produce shelf and asked us if we grew all of it! Proudly stating so, Ben then went on to tell him that we've been farming organically since 2001 and HRH was quick to see we were certified too! We spoke briefly about celeriac, then he asked us if we had any trouble with potato blight this year. I told him no and I remember my little moment with the Prince as he said in his rich British accent: "Well you have to just cut the tops right off" and I grinned and almost shouted "That exactly what we did!" and we laughed and he shook his head and said: "It's always something or other when growing". A very neat experience to say the least! The rest of the time we enjoyed mingling drinking wine and eating tasty treats compliments of Jamie Kennedy's crew and met and took pics with others like Jim Flaherty the Finance Minister of Canada! A huge thanks to my sister Jennie for taking all these pictures and capturing the moment for us!!

Fall Storage #4

2009-11-05T14:37:00.003-05:00

Cutting Cabbage, Ben inspecting the last of the Spanish Onions & Lady Bug who was once covered in burrs is once again clean and happy!

Fall Storage #3

2009-11-05T14:31:00.003-05:00

More fall storage...Potatoes, Celeriac, Cooking Onions

Fall Storage #2

2009-11-05T14:28:00.002-05:00

More pics from the cooler....Carrots, Cabbage & bins of Celery!!

Fall Storage

2009-11-05T14:22:00.002-05:00

There should never be any doubt where our stuff comes from this winter! No, not our 'neighbours', not our 'brother' or 'buddy down the road'. We worked very hard to provide more of our own for when the snow flies! This amount will not last that long. I'm thinking with carrots we will still be out by mid January if not sooner. Beets should last quite a while though! There are 5 bins of celery, all standing up with buckets of water inside for adequate moisture. We'll see how that works out! Enjoy the pics!

"When can we go back to Mexico?"

2009-10-23T14:47:00.003-04:00

My guys are pretty homesick and ready to fly back to Mexico! Not yet guys, but soon! Harvest continues! We should be starting winter cabbage harvest by next week. Our potato crop is outstanding! We will have plenty of our own this winter for all markets and my perogies! We have lots to harvest yet..... In the pic our men are getting fresh celeriac ready for market by cutting the roots off and washing them. We will have a good supply of celeriac for winter markets. Our leeks pale in comparison to last years crop! We just planted them too late, so they are small. We should have lots to store as well, but very labour intense washing and messing around with the tiny things! Flavour is excellent, so well worth it! Gotta get my share of leek and potato soup! (esp. with some fresh baccon, as my pigs go to the butcher in a few weeks!) And Brussel Sprouts! YUM! These are soo fresh, tastey and good for you! We will have them available in a few weeks at all markets!

Seasonal Recipes........

2009-10-12T16:03:00.004-04:00

Great fall harvest so far! We are busily working getting all potatoes in the barn (a little behind with this task), pulling up two patches of beets, twisting off tops and getting ready for storage...Here are some great recipes Ben and I are enjoying:

Celeriac & Apple Slaw:

1 bulb Sosnicki's CELERIAC

1/2 head Sosnicki's CABBAGE

3-4 Sosnicki's 'ugly but sweet' APPLES

Shred each vegetable and toss together. (I use a cheese grater for the apples and celeriac and then just thinly slice the half head of cabbage with a long knife). Toss with 1 tbs HONEY, 1 tbs OLIVE OIL, 1/2 tbs natural SEA SALT and atleast 1 tbs PEPPER. You can add a dollop or two of sour cream or mayo, but I like it without! Really yummy and great served with a pork dinner!

Fall Pork Soup:

2 lbs Pork Soup Bones; 1 medium Sosnicki's Cooking Onions; 1/2 bunch Sosnicki's Parsley. Cover your pork bones with water and add onions and parsley. Render down for a good hour. Remove bones, strain broth. (Once bones cool, make sure to pick the meat clean off the bones to add back into your soup with the veg!) In a big fry pan put 1 tbs organic butter and render down two Sosnicki's COOKING ONIONS. When soft Add 1/2 cup Sosnicki's CARROTS sliced; 1/2 cup Sosnicki's GREEN BEANS snapped in half; 1/2 cup Sosnicki's GREEN PEPPERS diced; 1/2 cup SHITTAKE MUSHROOMS chopped. 1/2 cup Sosnicki's RED POTATOES chopped. Cook until al dente. Pour all veg in with the pork broth and simmer for 5-10 minutes and add spices to your liking. I add chopped parsley, minced garlic, at least 1 tbs natural SEA SALT (it will be too bland without salt, ADD SALT! The butter does not contain enough!) and lots of pepper! I think it tastes even better the next day! Enjoy the fall season!

Our little piece of Earth....

2009-09-14T16:10:00.004-04:00

My dad likes to fly. Two weeks ago he went up with a local pilot and took some area photos! I'm sharing two of our farm. If anyone ever doubts we produce our own stuff, here's proof of our 60 workable acres! The dark, vibrant green strips are our organic soybean patches! All vegetables are in fields 101 & 105 this year. (the top in pic 1 and to the left in pic 2.)You can also see the long strip of our strawberry patch in field 102. (bottom in pic 1, top right in pic 2)It makes me a bit sad, as I can see where the tomatoes used to be, and it's just strips of brown soil now. The grading barn and the greenhouses also really stand out in these photos! There is a lot of space in those 'covered field' greenhouses that we will be using to their full potential. Behind the barn is a large pasture area we are currently cleaning up for use for organic beef cattle and organic pigs coming in the near future!! In between the soybeans was our hay field. Ben has since plowed it under as it was old. You can totally see where Ben has dug the potatoes and all that we have left!! LOTS!! The potatoes are located in the top right of pic 1 and top left/center in pic 2. Cabbage is very obvious with it's blue/green colour! On either side of the strawberries was were our veggies were last year....Nice to have these pictures to share! Thanks dad!!

The Great Fall Harvest!

2009-09-14T15:49:00.003-04:00

I picked all this produce today! (except for the onions that are all in the barn nicely curing) The great fall harvest is beginning! Currently at market we are selling fresh Green Beans, Swiss Chard, Beets with fresh tops, fresh dug Potatoes, 'Candy' & 'Superstar' Spanish & Redwing Onions, fresh cut Cabbages, greenhouse Heirloom Tomatoes, Golden Sugar Beets to name the majority! New this week is fresh pulled Carrots! Our sweet carrots are back with a vengeance! Fresh tops to boot, so you know they are field fresh for sure!! Also beginning at the end of this week will be our fall Broccoli harvest! Next week, we will have tons for all markets. This fall we will be offering Celery, Leeks, Celariac (root celery, very tasty!), Empire Apples, Red Delicious Apples (not an abundance and not pretty at all from our trees lining the farm driveway), Pie Pumpkins, Squash, Brussel Sprouts, Spinach, Arugula & Tatsoi. Going into storage with the leeks and celariac will be tons of cabbages, carrots, beets & onions.

Globe & Mail and Well Preserved......

2009-08-31T15:21:00.004-04:00

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/attack-of-the-killer-of-tomatoes/article1257864/

Forgot all about this article from last week or so. (Busy with my mother in laws 65th Birthday celebration! Big farm pig roast!!). Cut and paste the above link to your browser (sorry, having a 'linking blog issue')to view a short article regarding the 'death' of our field tomatoes in the Globe & Mail....

Also a mention to a great couple Joel & Dana from 'Well Preserved' (wellpreserved.ca) wrote a nice article about us at: http://wellpreserved.ca/2009/08/16/a-sad-day-at-the-market/ that is a great read and ALSO the PICTURES ARE AWESOME!!! Those are my babies!!! LOLOLOL!!! I think I have separation anxiety sometimes with these tomatoes, especially during this year when I have soo little!! LOLOLOL!! These folks were generous enough to lend me a wonderful huge hardcover book all about heirloom tomatoes.....

Fall Greenhouse Plantings....

2009-08-31T14:44:00.003-04:00

OMG this feels sooo awesome! I got my seeder out and seeded some trays of lettuce and asian greens!!!! YEAH!!! It is surreal to be working in the middle greenhouse traditionally used for early spring seeding. August used to show nothing but hotter than hell, very weedy greenhouses at Sosnicki Organics. No more. We are putting them to work year round from now on!! We've been trying our hardest to maintain them and with all the overcast and rain and cool temps this year - we've been able to work under that glass with ease this season. We are working away with our small planting of tomatoes in house #3. Pictures #1, #2, #3 & #4 have all been taken in our 3rd greenhouse. The back part of the house is completely empty - hence where all our lettuce and asian green transplants will call home in a while. (This WOULD have been full of tomatoes IF I would have known all my fields were to DIE this year!!) We hope to offer these crops to the market after fall frost when fresh greens are scarce and missed by all, so I'll still be able to reap a few rewards before years end.. The last pic is of greenhouse #2. The entire house wears a ground cover and tables and is used for seedlings and plants. We will probably be taking apart the back half, tilling and ammending the soil to make room for more 'covered field' plantings! Greenhouse #1 still needs alot of attention, but will act as a covered field as well within the next year. The heirloom tomatoes in house #3 are thriving EVEN despite the fact we encountered a bit of blight and bugs in there too!!! Any piece of broken glass that allowed a trickle of water to fall on a small section of plants constantly this season were riddled with blight like the field fellows!! The others protected from overhead moisture have been fine. I included this picture of Ben suckering a few plants - they are very, very tall now and are draping over the top bar! I needed a step ladder to pic a few cherry tomatoes yesterday! I love it!! More to come, as our greenhouses are assets we intend to use to their full capacity from now on....

Fall Crops Update...........

2009-08-31T14:19:00.002-04:00

What a year! With the cool temperatures and all the rain, it didn't even seem like summer arrived! I think it was the fact that I had no field tomatoes that still throws me for a loop at least weekly. With September arriving tomorrow, it is time to discuss our fall crops. All is looking pretty good I must say! Financially we are taking a hit by not being able to provide sweet corn, melons and tomatoes, BUT since we grow a diverse group of crops, the others will pull us through!! Currently we are offering some neat looking new varieties of zucchini at market - "Key Largos" & "Patty-Pan". Also fresh dug spuds, cabbages, onions, beets galore, peppers, herbs, swiss chard, carrots, greenhouse heirlooms, fresh cut cabbages & tons of onions and I'm probably forgetting a few items...We have more green beans and broccoli beginning shortly. We will also have a fine selection of squash and pie pumpkins! My stepdaughter and I planted these by hand in July (purposely skipping planting on the crappy sandy knoll) so we have big, beautiful plants producing some nice looking fall pumpkins and squash! In picture #5 here you can see our gorgeous celery! Beside it is root celery (celariac - great to boil and mash with potatoes! Or dice and roast!) and in the distance leeks, brussel spouts (I'll blog about these cool little guys once they get bigger!) and a whole ton of cabbage (pics #1 & #2). I took this pics last Thursday and today as FINALLY we were able to weed and cultivate! Some fields were nasty with weeds and too embarassing to take photos of! Trust me, our organic farm get messy too, I'm just selective with my photography!! LOLOLOL!!! (for example take a look at pic # 4. To the far right of that photograph IS home to basil...can you see the basil? I can't hardly FIND it nevermind!!! Weeds are growing fast as hell this year....) It is sometimes very hard to keep up, but we always try our hardest, as I don't need these buggers producing more and more seed......Anyhow, the fall harvest looks plentiful! I'll blog about baby beets and carrots shortly....BTW, summer is hardly over - just beginning in my books...

Seasonal Food for your health........

2009-08-10T14:06:00.004-04:00

Last Friday I was on a high. Ben was feeling the same way and asked for another cup of 'juice'. Usually Fridays are met with lack luster feelings. We have a big day harvesting and have to go to bed early to be up and going by 3am Saturday for markets. - It's nice to have discovered a way to feel 'better' about our work schedule! Over the past few years we've made lifestyle changes. ****Quit smoking the big one! Ben: October 2003 & Jess November 2007!!**** (I held onto the world's dumbest comfort crutch for way too long after Ben!!) Now, the introduction to juices made from our organic vegetables is a welcome addition! A bit of work, but worth every second! We are making an effort to offer vegetables for 'juicing' as affordable as possible at markets. We know how much it takes to juice a few cups! There are tons of websites out here regarding juicing. I don't need to re-cap. Just google it and a wealth of information is right there. Ben and I feel particularly good after a couple daily servings of carrot, cuc and a tiny bit of beet. (Watch it with beets! Very powerful! My mother in law drank way too much one time last year and had a racing heart!!) You feel awesome: more energy, softer skin, elevated mood and mindset. Kera, our awesome market helper this year said (0nce she learned I'd been juicing and felt great) "I can just see you and Ben becoming vegetarians and doing yoga in the fields!!!".......hmmm, not right now for us. You are what you eat, ALWAYS take care of the insides! But, just remember to 'juice' in moderation as this high concentration of vitamins should not be messed with by going overboard....
Cucumbers! It is cucumber season around here! The cuc beetles are not too bothersome and so far no disease in our patch! WOW is all I can say! We should continue to have an abundance of great cucs at market this week! These cucs we sell are PERFECT FOR SALAD! People are always asking me at market: "Are these eating cucumbers??" I always laughed at hearing this and came up with many different answers for THAT question I usually kept to myself. What they always meant was "are they just for 'pickling'?". My answer is always NO. I think that these cucs (ones grown for dill pickling) are the BEST for salad and fresh eating! The flavour is awesome and they have tiny edible seeds the long English type do not. Peel, slice thinly, mix with sour cream a bit of sugar and cracked black pepper - WOW! Kids love! BUT you can also make your dills too! Again, google. I cannot give my mother's recipe away! I can tell you it is not brain surgery and is not hard! Just like cabbage rolls, it's the prep work that takes the longest! Basics: Water, vinegar, sugar, pickling salt, LOTS of garlic and LOTS of dill....that's all I'm saying...I might want to pickle for money one day!! LOLOLOLOL!!

And I thought it was bad last year: 2009 The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

2009-07-30T18:25:00.003-04:00

I had a freak this morning. Ben has been prepping me for days and I have been in total denial and can cast him a frightening evil eye any time he would mention: "tomatoes not looking too good out there". I have been afraid to look. Afraid to deal with the fact I may have toiled away for months and months all for nothing.....I sucked it up and went for a peek this morning. I can honestly say that we will not have ANY and I repeat NOT ANY field tomatoes this season. All 100 varieties of heirlooms are riddled black with blight and potato beetles. Same goes for all the romas and round slicing varieties we hoped to sell in bulk quantities this year. It was bad last year because of the rain, BUT this year the rain and cool weather started A LOT earlier, along with no sun - a breeding ground for disease and infestations. The greenhouse heirlooms are awesome BUT I do not have quantity this year, so it's going to be scant at each market. I am done my spazz. I farm, this type of thing happens - you learn to suck it up. My dad scolded me one year when I was whining. He was right, not a thing you can do about it, why stress and shit your pants? Along with the bad comes the good. We have not had to irrigate! Our onions, spelt, celery, celariac, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, beets, carrots etc seem to be thriving!! Our peppers are small, but holding their own. We will weather this storm, like we do every year and carry on to deliver tomatoes another year!! I've included pictures of our beautiful onions, spelt and celeriac & celery and also my poor tomatoes and an UGLY pic of one of my heirlooms completely covered in potato beetles!! These buggers are EVERYWHERE!! It is safe to say I will only be eating Ontario greenhouse tomatoes this year, as many of my own as possible. Any field tomatoes around are bound to be sprayed all to hell....

Cheesy Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta

2009-07-27T14:57:00.003-04:00

Both Saturday night and Sunday we ate Bruschetta! I kicked it up a bit this year by baking it with cheese. Very, very good!!! Sunday my sister made it with our roma tomatoes. People always assume that romas are just cooking tomatoes. No way! With meaty, thick walls they cut into excellent 'pieces', perfect for this recipe! So use regular red romas OR use our greenhouse heirlooms! I use mostly 'stuffer' type heirlooms, the ones that are accordian, ruffled shape for good pieces, then some beefy other colourful ones I used Yellow Ruffled, Pink Zapotec, Black Krim (not a ruffle, but meaty with excellent flavour!), Green Zebra (great look and flavour, but pretty juicy!) & Flamme (awesome bright orange and meaty!) and other various types like Costoluto Genovese!

Jessie's Cheesy Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta:
6-10 medium Tomatoes*
8 cloves Garlic minced* (oh yes, perhaps more, esp. if they are small cloves!!)
1 medium sweet white onion, chopped*
big handful of Basil Leafs chopped finely*
2 tbs Olive Oil
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbs sugar
12 or so slices light rye bread
another 2 tbs Olive Oil & 1 tbs Butter
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Chop tomatoes into small cubes. Add half the minced garlic, entire chopped onion, 2 tbs Olive Oil, salt and pepper to taste & sugar & all the basil. Mix well. Let marinate in fridge for a long time (0vernight is best, but if you only have a few hours, it will still be ok). You can give this a shot of balsamic vinegar if you want too! I left it out last time and it was fine. Pre-heat oven to 375. Place rye bread on baking sheets. Melt butter on stove top and add rest of minced garlic. Barely cook, just until you can really smell the ol' garlic! Use a generous spoon and add the garlic butter to coat each piece of rye bread. Meanwhile strain your tomato mixture. (Reserve the juice for dipping later. Your bruschetta will be soggy if you don't strain the juice.) Add a generous spoon full of tomatoes and basil mixture on each bread slice. Add a dollop of cheese on top of that. Bake for 20 minutes or so, until rye bread is toasted, cheese is bubbly. Absolute heaven! Use the left over marinate juices as a dip if desired...
(*produce we have available at markets!)

G.S.T., WSIB premiums, Source Deductions, Audits & Inspections: The Joys Of Business, advice to other farms and businesses...

2009-07-23T13:22:00.007-04:00

I'm in the office all day today....time to break and do a blog!!
You would tend to think that busting butt in the field then grading the harvest, then traveling to Toronto to sell would be work enough, but not for our organic farm. We are a business and paperwork is part of it. There is a great sense of pride when the government calls you back after a lengthy audit and tell you: "We see no reason to make any changes to your returns. Have a great day." I experienced this a few weeks ago. Through our bank, our accountants & my computer records, the auditor spent all day going through deposits and records. I spent the day cooking a cleaning, made the best of it. Keep it straight, keep it clean - audits are a breeze. Rounding the second quarter of 2009 now, G.S.T. is due by month's end as well as Workplace Safety and Insurance Board premiums. Every transaction via the bank and on credit cards is run through "QuickbooksPro" (an awesome accounting program I highly recommend) and all usually goes smoothly. I purchased an inexpensive flash drive, my entire QB file heads to the accountant this way at year's end for review. Due the 15th of each month are payroll deductions. Also a breeze as all payroll is run through QB and calculating deductions is now a click of a button. We do pay a monthly fee to have QB updated online esp. to keep payroll up-to-date. Then the Health Board is a constant every year. You cannot run a separate home for offshore employees without an inspection and you certainly cannot sell any type of food without an inspected kitchen. We deal with a lot of government agencies. Then comes Organic Production Records. This is not a chore, rather a necessity for future success of the farm. I can sit back on a rainy July day like today and look back 3-4 years and see what we had planted, where it was planted, how much was harvested and sold. By attending to these comparisons and studying our 'profit/loss' Ben and I can see what is working and what is not and how many changes need to be made. Also, when our annual inspection comes along it makes life a lot easier to have everything ready! I must say that office work is truly the pits compared to working with our produce and selling at market. At the end of a long day doing the books I feel lazy, my body lagging from lack of actual movement. This reminds me of an investment banker that came to stay with us a for a week. He just wanted to get out of the 'office' and see what it was like to work outside! He had his hands buried in the cool soil pulling up the years first potatoes and remarked: "Boy, it would be pretty hard to be depressed out here in the fresh air". Business is hard, not something for everyone. It seems that there are soo many small businesses that try and fail by creating a generic website and pasting a picture of a professional office space they don't own and listing a home address. It's very sad in a way and you should represent yourself honestly with your own photos with any successful website and always add customer/client testimonials. I've also come across some business websites that are even referring to 'staff' in the third person, then talk about 'I' right after?? Grammer bad and shady for a professional website to say the least....however IF you have a product or service that is competitive and viable in the marketplace it just might work - like these Greenhouse Heirlooms! Our field heirlooms can't even compare to these beauties! I can't get enough of these to market and they sell in minutes. They have no shelf life, have to be picked, sold and eatten day before or day of market, therefore big chain stores won't be able to offer my types of varieties...hmmm, potential, potential.... Marketing these magnificent gems and other organic produce is certainly worth the office work! We spent a small fortune creating our website (www.sosnickiorganics.com) a few years ago. A local company with local guys just starting out, it was worth every penny, as I wanted to help their business too. It truly makes it your own to create from scratch like this! If you don't have the cash to spare, you can always try out www.webs.com This is a free website maker. BUT keep it simple stupid rule should apply - if you want to truly look professional, these free makers may make you come off looking 'Mikey Mouse' if you have bad grammer and are trying too hard. Start with a blog, have fun & be yourself!! Starting a farm or other business? Get familar with the government agencies and a good accounting software program, a good accountant, prepare a space to call 'office' and keep GOOD RECORDS!!! Good Luck!!!

GREENHOUSE HEIRLOOMS (project greenhouse #3)

2009-07-19T14:08:00.004-04:00

Well, if all goes well and the heirloom tomatoes continue to look and taste like they do so far, I may just only use our greenhouses to grow these magnificent gems! I swear to god growing tomatoes this way is embedded in my genes! I picture Ben's dad and my grandpa together with me while I'm working. I really think my grandpa Mike would be proud of this project. I love seeing them grow and climb and produce gorgeous tomatoes!! I have a new obsession now- pruning by removing the suckers off my plants. Like a grooming session or a 'tomato haircut' I now CANNOT just water or harvest, I have to stop and fiddle with suckering and winding the leader stem up the twine... It has now become a Sunday morning ritual and I LOVE IT! Gently hoeing then raking up suckers, then watering when I finish grooming. Great results are now following! Some pictures of Ben watering after all maintenance completed, my black/green tomato hands showing the removal of a sucker, and the ripening of many, many different kinds. I grew 100 different varieties this year that are all 'flagged' out in the field. My greenhouse planting will only yield under 200 plants and I grabbed them randomly to plant and failed to label any variety. Good practice learning what is what for sure!

Harvest kicks into full swing this week.....

2009-07-19T13:45:00.003-04:00

This week expect more fresh dug Red Norland Potatoes, Superior White Potatoes, bunches of Sweet White Onions, fresh Beets with tops, perhaps the first of the Carrots, *Green Beans*, *Cucumbers*, field TOMATOES - some romas and round slicing are showing their pretty faces out there now!! Cherry tomatoes, some Zucchini and zuc blossoms, more Broccoli, Greenhouse and Field Heirloom Tomatoes, this year's summer Cabbages, big Basil plants with intact root (use the entire plant for pesto or quick recipes OR simply place in a vase or glass with water and let sit on your kitchen counter all week to use at your lesiure OR plant outside, pinch the main leader stem and continue to grow this gorgeous plant yourself in the garden or pot!) More gold and red Swiss Chard, summer PEAS - the sweet shelling type; fresh Herbs including parsley, margoram, sage, thyme & stevia. While grading our onions out last week I came across this little snail. Enjoying the cool weather just slugging along our onion tops, he was given a new home next to the side of the barn in the long grass. I've always thought these little critters were rather neat... Sure, the weather is cooler than usual, but as we do each year, we expect anything. Since we have lots of diversity planted, we simply harvest what is ready and wait for others....warm weather suppose to happen later this week....DO NOT ask for bulk romas or cucumbers for canning YET. There is no volume out there without the heat.

Yesterday & Today; market & farm.....

2009-07-12T09:15:00.006-04:00

We are in full swing at the brickworks farmers market each Saturday from 8am till 1pm, along with Green Barns & Withrow Park. We have an abundance of fresh dug potatoes, broccoli, swiss chard, beets, peas, last of the strawberries, fresh basil plants, spinach & herbs. Lettuce harvest is officially over. We'll pick up with the salad greens come fall. Cucumbers should arrive next week and more greenhouse heirlooms....Just checked the fields today and it looks like our sweet onions are ready for market next week too! We also have a new helper on the farm and his name is 'Ben' too! This Ben is quickly becoming a familar face at all our weekly markets! He has lived in Cairo, Jordan and is currently living in Guatamala with his mother, and has traveled all over the globe. This student is cleaver as a whip and seems to be enjoying his time on our organic farm! The mornings are tough for both him and my stepdaughter, esp. the 4 am wake time on Saturdays!! Having loads of fun while getting work done and all learning from eachother.

Ahhh, July!

2009-07-12T09:10:00.003-04:00

Some pictures taken just this past week! We are harvesting lots of Swiss Chard, Beets & reaping the very first harvests of my greenhouse heirlooms! They are beautiful and their taste is absolutely fabulous! Great soil, great taste!

June photos....

2009-07-12T09:05:00.002-04:00

Greenhouse heirlooms!! Coming along nicely during the month of June! We suckered them and have them growing up on tomato twine. The clusters of tomatoes are beautiful...A quick snap of our garlic scapes sauteed with our sugar snap peas...

June farm photos...

2009-07-12T08:45:00.003-04:00

Busy, busy times! But what an amazing time of year! I'm just going to post pictures today and quick thoughts about crop produce around here the past few weeks! Strawberries are coming to a close. A successful first year growing. 7 baby chicks born by the end of June, Big Jiggs one of my favourite barn cats doing what he does best - not much at all. And I always take time to smell my own roses....

It's Strawberry Time!!

2009-06-14T15:20:00.003-04:00

It's been a cool spring, but the strawberries are making themselves known now! I find the sweetness to be lackluster and am hoping with warmer temperatures this will be remedied. We don't have a huge patch, 11 rows all about 500 ft long, but they are healthy and look like they are going to kick out a lot of berries for the retail markets! We grew two varieties that were planted last year. You can go back in our blog and view pictures of our men planting the strawberries in 2008. I've also posted an 'irrigation picture'. Berries need water, so we fired our guns and will water when they need it. We did not take ONE PIPE out last year at all for any crop! Lots of rain!! Set up this year was nasty, as we had to check each pipe for animals before hooking together. (I've dealt with skunk in the pipes before and it's not fun!!) Our strawberry varieties are not super huge, average sweetness and pretty good shelf life. (Meaning we won't be selling the tiny mushy super sweet ones which a lot of folks assume are the norm on an organic farm. This pissed me off a bit, as I want some tiny mushy super sweet ones!!! Great for jam!! I'll be putting the plants in this year for 2010 for super sweet mushers!) Anyhow, that aside, the ripe ones I've been sampling are fabulous, so they will not disappoint! There are 3 main determining factors for the best strawberries: the variety, good soil and good weather. We have excellent, healthy soil, good varieties and the weather is so-so. They will be just fine! Come to market all next week and find out for yourself! Ben will be running Riverdale on Tuesday, Dufferin on Thursday and we'll be pulling 3 markets on Saturday all over downtown T.O. - Withrow Park (south of the Big Carrot), Evergreen's Brickworks and Wychwood's Green Barn market...

Fields & Greenhouse #3 progress.....

2009-06-03T18:03:00.005-04:00

More catching up with blogging. May was colder than I would have liked, but hey, you deal. Greenhouse #3 allowed us to bring on the early greens. Next will be early surprises like heirloom tomatoes and zucchini! All trial runs this year- we are experimenting!! I had to share early pictures of the greenhouse zucs, tomatoes (taken last week) & a nice snap of our field lettuce patch taken today! We will probably begin by cutting fresh romaine for the weekend! Busy, busy, busy! We have planted all our cucumbers, all tomatoes in, basil, eggplants, herbs, etc,etc. Ben just got finished seeding out some 'golden beets' too!! If that's not enough, I get the great news from Revenue Canada to expect an audit within the next few weeks! Yippee perfect timing!! I swear to god, why can't it be the dead of winter?.....anyhow we keep good books, so it won't take too long AND I usually use this opportunity to ask tons of questions. We had a payroll audit a few years back and as the farm's bookkeeper I am required to fill out a ton of various forms 'on time' like source deductions for employees and quarterly GST to name a few. I always have issues and questions. No time more perfect time for answers than having the government sitting right at your dining room table!!! You have to use these opportunities to your full advantage!! Fresh this week at market will be our field spinach.........and perhaps a government agent with a laptop looking over my shoulder..LOLOLOL!!!

Sosnicki's potatoes 2009.......

2009-06-03T17:43:00.003-04:00

Yes, I should have completed this blog in May - took all the pics, never blogged. Better late than never. We have planted more potatoes this year than any year prior. With new markets, more winter demand, it is important for us to be able to offer more of our own! We used untreated seed in 3 varieties - a red, yellow (golden) and whites. Our goal is to certainly save our own potato seed, but we always end up selling or 'perogie-ing' every last one!! The glorious 'green' picture is of our early whites which was taken today! They will be available at all markets come mid July!! We actually still have some late yellows to put in the ground yet! They will be late storage. My stepdaughter was over when we were planting some of the potatoes this year, so she got to run the 'stick' and make sure the potatoes were flowing into the planter properly. The planter has spinning arms with spikes on them that are sharp as hell, so my stepdaughter just laughs at me when I instruct her to be 'careful', and not to 'put her arm in there' (really?) LOLOL!! Pics: 2 planting on May 3rd. 2 hilling on May 27th and todays green growth!

May progress in pictures.......

2009-05-27T17:02:00.002-04:00

Available at markets during May 2009.....

Greenhouse lettuces, asian greens, radish & beautiful heirloom tomato plants! No time to blog regularly!!

BOOM!!!

2009-05-08T19:25:00.002-04:00

The greenhouse greens took a mighty hold!!!! Heat, moisture, perhaps they reached the compost underneath, well, whatever - BOOM, here we go with our mighty first #3 greenhouse harvest!! Next week the markets will get a plentiful blast of early head lettuce and asian greens, and the week after that. I know by the last week in May the Asian wonders will be finished and we'll still have some lettuce. THEN we'll hit the field bounty. Naturally Ben and I are both saying "We need to plant more" as customers just gobble this stuff up hard and fast...we're working on it.....All these pictures taken TODAY, just less than an hour ago!!

My Good Mother....

2009-05-05T19:52:00.004-04:00

My mother is a good one. Much to her dismay I'm sure, I have taken what she taught me and turned it into a full-fledged business with Ben. -- I gave her end-all grief about farming and the entire lifestyle growing up. I disliked working in the fields, picking cucs, grading out cucs, hoeing onions, snapping beans, canning veggies, etc,etc growing up. It was like pulling teeth, but she made me do it. My mother sent me to school with a lunch pail full of: homemade bread with homemade peanut butter -(she would go to the local health food store, buy peanuts to grind, 'cause store peanut butter had lots of sugar and other crap in it) dried fruit, (she loved her dehydrator, so we had lots of mason jars adoring the kitchen loaded with peaches, pears, apples) , a thermos of juice, (commercial "drinking boxes" were crappy and too full of sugar) so my siblings and I got homemade grape juice or 'rendered down' concentrate to calm the sugar content. My mother gave a damn about our health at all times. Not about what was 'cool' or what the 'other kids had',- she did what she knew was healthy and right. She never seemed to care what 'advertisers' were up to, as I cried and begged for 'pink' cereal - and it just didn't happen. Besides our daily menu, this was very pivitol in day to day life: I was never in charge of my mother's happiness. She never involved me in any drama or chaos. Sure, my parents had lots of problems while I little and growing up; lots of family issues, money problems, but NEVER ONCE was I EVER directly involved. My mother created an environment which was completely NON STRESSFUL for my siblings and I. I could feel free to be myself, love anyone I wanted too with no worry it might 'hurt mommy'. I love my mother sooo much for LEAVING ME ALONE and letting me be me!!!! My mother and I have never been 'best friends'. She had her own friends, and I had mine. I sure as hell NEVER shared everything with my mother growing up.!!!! I seriously think this is very, very normal and healthy! She never tried to buy my happiness with materialistic goods - didn't work out. My mother didn't play that game. What I have now with my mother is mutual adult respect and love. She made me work during my childhood, BUT she never made me worry, - she let me live my life as a child, a teenager and grow into an adult without worrying about her and life surrounding us. She did her best to protect ME, I never felt the need to have to protect her. THANK YOU MOTHER TERESA, and Happy Mother's Day!!! I am trying to do my best to pass along what you've taught me...you are one of the best.....