sosnicki organics

Yesterday I had a riot at Evergreen Brickworks teaching 'Growing Taste Buds' with Kate Leinweber . (check this nutritionista gal out!) The kids were fantastic and a lot of learning and fun was had! To learn more about this program go here: Growing Taste Buds! At Evergreen Brickworks! They got their hands dirty right away planting some heirloom tomatoes! After tomatoes we started to cook! In season at Sosnicki's is the Ostergruss radishes, so chopping and pan frying was one station's job, making 'cabbage plates' was another task, sautéing the radish greens, pan frying sweet corn and making a bechamel cheese sauce rounded out all the jobs the kids took part in! We chatted about the ingredients as we cooked then everyone got to eat! It was a great class and I will definitely teach and assist with more in the future! Great bunch of kids! A truly great facility and great program!

The big pink 'carrots' have hit the market scene again! Absolutely not carrots - there is no way I could grow them this fast, but Radishes are another thing all together!! The Ostergruss are actually a fall German radish but they do so well in our covered fields they have become a spring and fall crop on this farm! Mild, spicy flavour that add the colour and zing to a field spinach salad this time of year for sure! Or a side dish by pan frying the roots until tender in olive oil, butter & sea salt and at the end of cooking toss in the radish greens that will render in no time! Enjoy the Great Ostergruss again!

Ok, so from one extreme to the other. Welcome to farming. Apparently we may get some snow this coming week. Not surprised and we'll roll with it just fine. I've been pinterest-ing beauty pics of lettuces, chickens, planting. All was well...or was it? Nope. Last week we had wind. Major wind that for a few hours in the afternoon created a sand-blast effect that seriously halted my day. We have a little sandy knoll in field 101 that I often call 'the beach'. Sweet potatoes grow well there, carrots like it too. That blasted wind was clipping in the right direction picking up that sand and firing it directly, and I mean directly, at everything we planted. The result was devastating. I actually went out on the quad during the storm, got a face full of sand feeling it whip with such force. It literally shredded the lettuce. The baby kale was laying over shredded too. Nevermind broccoli, collards, cauliflower plants all beaten into submission by frickin' sand. After she sto...

So march is almost over and I would say it's been one for our record books around here. Beautiful temperatures have allowed us a head start on growing AND the added bonus of saving on supplement heating costs of the big glass beasts!! There were many nights this month the furnace didn't even run out there and it was awesome!!! Now the shift in weather has us snuggling up again, covering tender seedlings, checking the furnace before we go to bed and during the wee hours of the morning. Back to normal again. I wonder what April has in store? Hoping for the best but can always deal with the worst. Happy Spring, here's some cheerful pics. And YES, that Spinach is from OUR fields! Available each Thursday at Dufferin Grove. Ben and I are eating a ton of spinach!! The carrots are also a spring treat! I've been juicing them along with our cabbages.

What a riot of a March! Total paradise outside and hot as hades in the greenhouses! So we've got mass germination and mad watering going on! A bit worried that with all this glory weather something wicked this way comes....two roads over a couple weeks ago a farmer we knew got struck by lightning and his barn caught fire. The weather is behaving unusual. Of course everyone is happy to see this warmth and summer temps, but perhaps we may pay for this....Too good to be true. Hmmm.... For now, I will post pics and relish this absolutely amazing weather! Happy growing and living folks!

So a while back at the Brickworks Farmers Market, one of my fav Evergreen volunteers, Marcella told me something interesting. She had been using apple cider vinegar on her hair for a long while. Waaa? Her hair looked shiny, clean, soft. She told me that after a while she didn't have to wash her hair as often! I was very skeptical. After all, I've been messing with my hair and using 'products' since the dawn of time it seems. It all started in the 80's....enough said ;) My mom always colored her hair too. From 80's perms that were dyed blonde to a bright red bob for my wedding, my mom's hair was the only thing processed about her, the rest was legit. From her homemade food, herbal remedies, canning, preserving, modest wardrobe, she was the ultimate farm woman, down to earth hippy lady. All except the hair. My mom didn't even wear make up! No perfume- she would get a headache. Just the hair. And we all know how our mom's influence us. By the time ...

On a hot summer day in 2011 on our farm, one of our Mexican men, named Domingo collapsed.  When the paramedics arrived he was experiencing some major seizure activity. He was taken to a local hospital and later that day transported to a larger hospital in Burlington for care.  He saw many different doctors, underwent many tests and once diagnosed (for an ailment he sadly brought with him from Mexico) was treated and I am happy to report he is now doing fine. It was a terribly scary ordeal. As Domingo's employer, I worked closely with the local Mexcian Alliance, The Mexican Consulate in Toronto to ensure Domingo was treated fairly and received after care and any medications he needed to make a full recovery. He spent 13 days in the hospital and I made sure RBC paid him a sum of around $1200 for missed wages and additionally covered the cost of his medications (considering he is required to contribute $3.36 per week into an insurance policy).  Domingo has an Ontario health ...