Farmie Musings in the Raspberries

Well, it has been a VERY long time since I have visited this site I started.  I have had a few people ask if I have a blog or are continuing with this current site.  Well here we go again!
We have now been farming 10 years....yep it happened a decade...how did that even happen?
It has been an amazing adventure and we continue to grow as a business, family and all around veggie farm.

I didn't grow up a farmer, though i did reside on a hobby farm with a large garden, assorted animals and a couple horses.  What I did learn from a young age was where our food came from.  We butchered our cows, pigs, chickens and had fresh eggs.  Also we had a garden that supplied us in the summer with plenty of fruits and vegetables and also processed for winter consumption.
I did eventually move away and lived in a few cities and had a career in the restaurant industry.  My growing up connected to food ended up turning into a passion for great ingredients and an adventurous palette.  The restaurant industry was amazing for seeing how it all connected.
Little did I know the interest my husband and I shared would lead us into the world of food production!  It was a crazy leap but a great one.  I also discovered a new found interest in local, sustainable and connecting with the whole process of farm to fork.
What has been most apparent in this farming venture is how disconnected as a society we are from our food.  Now don't get me wrong I am not on a soap box saying we all need to forage the land for sustenance....but learning and knowing how our food system works should be taught in schools and homes as it is of vital importance.
We live in an age of convenience more than ever...prepacked, available ALL THE TIME anything has made us into communities where more is better and having it all the time, well that is the icing on the cake!
It is U pick season here....yes raspberries..a whole acre!  People that know me know I have a distinct love/hate relationship with it.  My FB posts on my personal page says it all...always tongue in cheek (most of the time) with observations of the day.
First I will say I generally LOVE it...honestly as a farm I feel it is something we can offer to get people connected to the land, the process of the work and showing their children it does not come from a shelf in a store.  There is immense satisfaction in doing it yourself and seeing the "fruits of your labour"...sorry had to haha! I try not to take it personally when people are frustrated picking or aren't experiencing what they had envisioned in their minds....I come from the hospitality industry so I have a pretty thick skin ;)  But on a particularly frustrating day I mused while I myself was out picking some raspberries for our family.....why was I upset, why does it bother me...it shouldn't!
I guess people aren't aware of the work..yes yes it is work.  Those berries are small and it takes time...yep time.  A valuable commodity in this day and age I know and we are all short of it.  I just had someone leave today and say this isn't worth my time, I just don't have the patience or feel like doing it after all......I guess I feel confused...not worth it?  How can it all be not worth it....
I look out at the sea of red loveliness ( I do love my raspberries) and wonder how it became not worth it for some.  The field is made up of bushes that produce better than some worse than others, big, small, tart, sweet...yep they grow and are not a manufactured product!
We are conditioned to look for the perfect berry, vegetable etc.....that is how it is advertised and shared with society. Drop your cash at the supermarket checkout and carry on.  Getting back to the basics teaches us it is more than that.  Fresh, local, meet your farmer, get out in the fresh air and experience something you can take pride in that you did is awesome!!
If you do venture out to a local farm or u pick above all HAVE FUN!  We are all passionate about what we do and love that you want to be a part of it in some way.
Thanks for supporting local and taking the time to seek us out!

Painting and other Zen like projects

Ya...so there is a small (very small) lull between year end accounting, hockey, lacrosse and other such distractions so I decided the upstairs bathroom needed some due attention.  No major renos just a coat of paint etc...I thought how long could it take... 2 days..??  I clearly have never really done this before and taking on a bathroom apparently is one of the more daunting tasks! Ok well a week later and a few minor and not so minor nervous breakdowns it looks pretty good!  I still have a few touches to put on it but all looks great :)  The Zen part comes from not really a Zen-like attitude (which I don't possess) but with that much time on my own I had hours to think about what I was doing and what I may or may not be learning from this undertaking...who would have thought i was that "deep"! This is one of the rooms in the house aside from bleaching the living daylights out of when we moved in we have done NOTHING to it...so the last coat of paint was probably back in post civil war era...or something like that...The previous owner was a huge fan of nails..wall anchors...staples and such..you can imagine.  Again...on my own...Brad offered to help (just so you know) but I was determined to do this on my own. Also the 70's wood like veneerish cabinets needed something...  So what I have learned from this project or rediscovered about myself:

1. I am a kick butt spackeler  (or whatever the word is for that) and sander (thanks Dad!) seriously you can't tell where anything was punched through, stapled, wall anchored or what have you!  Yes i am seriously impressed with my apparent hidden talent.  No I cannot be hired out ..I hate it 

2. I am seriously afraid of heights...really...a 3 step ladder was too much..i was holding onto cabinets, fixtures and leaning against already painted wet walls.  

3. A drop cloth and proper use of one will save unnecessary  hours of clean up...you can't mop the floor with paint thinner and expect that sh*t to mop off...not that i totally did that...well kind of...

4. Always wait to take off the painters tape until paint has dried..I was excited though...

5. Painting cabinets is scary, really.  There is a definite quick point of no return..and it happens with the first brush stroke.  OMG. What. have. I . done.  (they did turn out well)

6. One should really take down the light fixtures...

7. Taping sucks

8. Cutting in paint sucks

9. It is very hot on top of that 3rd step..really

10. The 3 step ladder kind of fits in the bathtub but one should NOT use it to balance while foot is on other side of tub...

11.  A garbage bag over the toilet will allow you to paint behind tank without taking off tank..it works!!

12. The amount and severity of the expletive is in direct correlation to how much paint has spilled or how close I was from falling off ladder.

13. I am apparently an instant gratification person ( funny cuz we farm)  apparently painting a room is not that kind of project

14.  I will do this again..soon...sorry Brad :)

It did turn out well!  Will post pics when i accessorize properly! :)

Farming to start very soon!!!

Well Hello!

I have been thinking for awhile now about this blog i have let go.....i am following a few on FB which i find humorous  and inspirational...and always seems to come at a wonderfully appropriate time.  A fabulous friend of mine posted a small but poignant note about this forgotten blog (mine) ......hmmmm time to start again methinks.  Tractors and Lip Gloss will start again...there are so many rambling thoughts etc.. in this farmie, lax, hockey, dance moms head not to mention the other hats i proudly wear: wife, friend...not all will be funny and interesting (ok who am i kidding i am pretty funny) but  as you can see from my status updates on FB a love to share what is going on...not for any comments, praise or what have you ( I don't tally the likes and comments) but just as a way with connecting with those i care about...so get ready people spammy Tractors and Lip Gloss is coming :) hee hee. Janice Martin you are to blame (ok thank) :) xoxox

The Latest and Greatest....well the latest anyway

The season has begun in earnest here now....busy in the greenhouse and fields prepping and planting. Well at least Brad has, I am busy doing other things like laundry, office, lacrosse, dance, (the kids for the previous two) and other such items like taking pictures and documenting all Brad's fine work!
We are happy though with spring temperatures arriving finally and getting ready for a fabulous new season.  We are doing some of our more "traditional" items such as Rainbow Carrots, Thumbelina Carrots, Asparagus, Summer Squash etc...and adding some new items such as Rainbow Chard and Paderno Peppers, Fun!

Cherry Heirloom Tomatoes and the Paderno Peppers are started in the greenhouse now.

 Trust me they are in there somewhere....at least that is what Brad said :) just added the day before yesterday so something is bound to pop up soon!  
These are being kept warm and cozy by our wood heater that is getting a workout on these cooler nights still...I did have it as a decor piece in the earlier years but apparently function overruled my decorating ideas and it is now out here..sigh

 Brad has also been busy in the field planting and prepping for all those items ready to be seeded now.  The irrigation has been up and running for a few days and going well.  I don't know why, but every year the first time we start it up I am always hoping there will be water!  Of course there is but you know, it is a thought.
Honestly I don't know what is planted in the following picture and I couldn't find Brad to ask him..so we will go with something yummy and a vegetable.

 Last but not least for anyone having some sort of romantic notion of farming sorry to crush it right now.  When your farmie husband pulls into the driveway with something shiny and new it is not likely a new car or boat it will be something like this......

 Now it just arrived yesterday and is not put together yet but it will allow two of (us, yes me apparently) to plant into the mulch while this is pulled behind a tractor, loaded with seedlings, it will poke the holes, drop water and "we" will transplant.....hmmm..i sense an ab workout coming with this.  I will post pics later but had to share my "shiny new " gift....HA!  

This is just the start....stay tuned...

The Office Hates Me....

I had very high hopes for this week in here.....I started Sunday with purging and organizing the office, heck I even put a candle in here for goodness sake....
Monday was all in all a very successful day in here..Though I was cross eyed by the end of it I had a real sense of accomplishment when I was done.  I even cleaned up my days work, filed it all away (neatly) and it looked as though nobody was ever in here.  Ya well that was yesterday.
The thanks I get from the office for all my dedication (ok 1 day of it..baby steps)
I want to hurl the printer out the window, take the computer and put it in the oven and watch it melt, take every receipt and piece of paper in here and stamp POSTED on it and chuck it in a grocery bag, burn it and hope that all the necessary information will magically transform itself into a reconciled tax return.
I would go have a nap but the massive pile of laundry on my bed / and couch to be folded will stop that from happening........
This is all before 9 a.m. I sense a long day ahead....I wonder if I have any relaxing candle scents in here.....I'll go look......

Purgatory - Office

Yes it is true..i saw this in an office cartoon...some people call purgatory the place between eternal suffering and eternal rest, I call it the office...I HATE the office..yes HATE!  With every fiber of my being..mostly because I am not good at it and haven't been able to master a whole heck of a lot of it over the years.  But this is a new year with new hope.
See I am junking out and turning this office into an official zen like state of bliss that will have me happily skipping my way into it daily to do wonderful things such as batching, posting, etc...that is what people do right?
So I started at the door and am moving clockwise in an attempt to place, organize and refresh.  I got as far as the keyboard then the anti-office helper on my shoulder says "hey what's going on in the world? Check the news, check facebook, check DYAC, you deserve a break..." the office helper did have a point!  Why I have been working away for at least a half hour in here...
And so it goes...2010 taxes done..with a lot of tears, hair tearing out and such.  And that was just from Brads aunt who helps me..poor thing, man she must LOVE me more than life itself.  You should have seen how I reacted!
You see, I care very much of our finances, personal and business but I just can get this whole debit / credit system..it is backwards in accounting from the bank..why would they do that??  It is just not fair!
As well, if the sheet doesn't balance to the penny I really don't mind chucking in 50 cents or even 10 bucks..let's make it balance and carry on!  This kind of office sense makes sense to me but unfortunately not Revenue Canada or Brads Aunt...hmmm seems picky to me :P
This of course leads to notes upon notes, cheat sheets etc...that make sense when she is here and as soon as she leaves it looks like another language (which it is) and I am again left with the eternal office suffering.....
So today, yes....it is a new start...a new day...and I will get this place looking spa-like..heck I may even start charging people for the calming effects it will have on them when they come in here! 
So my office vows for this season:
1. I will post invoices daily so as not to have the grocery bag full I have now to do.  (They are altogether though right...except for the ones in the console of the car)
2. I will reconcile monthly the bank statement...and put them in a place I can find them to do so.
3. I will not throw away anything from the government or official looking that may or may not be imperative to doing actual year end stuff.
4. I will pay attention and take better notes when Betty is here, instead of doodling on the clipboard
5. A place for everything, and if one doesn't exist I will create one properly...apparently the jamming in folder doesn't work for everything
6.Shiny object and office helper on shoulder will not distract me...will not.....
7. I will set office hours and get kids to leave me when I am in office...(hahahah that is a good one...I wonder if I can get an electric fence around the door...)



So off I go, before and after pics to follow...

OOOP FB notification...no I will ignore, I will ignore, I will ignore...............this is gonna be harder than I thought.... :)
 

Twist on Bellmann Carrots - Fresh Start and GFS!

Check out what Fresh Start is doing with our products!!!!  Ready to use in a Shred or Angle Cut! How about Rainbow Carrot Soup? Colourful shred on salads and as plate garnish! Also available is whole peeled carrots! Save time and labor dollars!
Thanks Fresh Start and GFS!  Look for more fabulous ideas through them soon!