Garlic Planting for Dummies

Measure out a bunch of 100' rows

Dig 2400 holes

Take a clove of garlic

Put it in the ground pointy side up

Cover clove with soil

Be happy you only have 2399 left to plant

Wait til Spring 

Star Vegetables

A great year for Prairie Boy Zucchinis "fresh, tender, refreshing with a green earthy finish".             93 pts (LK, Veghead)

Interveg love. They will make a beautiful juice.

New pics

As the summer rolls forward, we just wanted to share a few pics from the last few weeks. It has been really busy and also alot of fun. We've made so many new friends this summer and are having such a great time talking about and eating great healthy food.
Special Shout Outs to:
   • Mark and Joyce from Sunrise Organics for their mentorship, wisdom and patience with us.
   • Len Senater from The Depanneur , our new neighbourhood food hotspot where we are a part of "interesting food things" happening.
• Everyone who has been a part of the experiment and experience we call Prairie Boy. You continually inspire and encourage us. 
Sincere Thanks,
Grant and Lainie

Grant bragging

Lainie's gigantic farming hat

Prairie Boy Food Terminal

Garlic Angel, Mark Grahlman

Kelli Grahlman, Son of Garlic Angel

Carrots, being carrots

Nosey Cherry Tomato

Siamese Cherry Tomatoes

Beautiful Sunflower

 

Letters to the Editor?

One of our main reasons for growing food is that we LOVE to cook and eat and yet, ironically,  it feels like we havn't had any time to cook or eat lately.  The lowest we've "sunk" recently was me spoon feeding take out roti to Grant as we drove back to the farm at 11pm. The opposite of "slow food". hehe

We've since promised each other to make more time to cook and eat together and with friends or at least leave the other some leftovers.

In contrast to us eating take out in the car, we have been receiving amazing and sometimes hilarious feedback, pics, texts and recipes from everyone. It is so inspiring to hear and see what everyone has been cooking up with the veg we grew. It's making me hungry just thinking about it. Here are some samples from the last few weeks. 

 Grilled Tomatillo Salsa

 "Thanks for the beets, lettuce and garlic fronds... sauteed the beet greens last night. SO delicious! Having the beets roasted on the BBQ tonight. The butter lettuce is yummy with simple oil and vinegar dressing. We are spoiled..." 

"daddy i met a real farmer"

"just picked up the beets. I left ten bucks under the green bucket at the bottom right of your back stairs"

"farmer lainie and her mister - wow. what an abundance of joy you dropped off at my house . thank you thank you thank you. good eatin xx"

 Lasagna using zucchini and eggplant instead of noodles

"Made an indulgent breakfast: squash blossom and pecorino-fresco frittata with garden herbs. Thank you Prairie Boy and MonforteDairy"

 "awesome basket"

 BBQ roasted beets and jalapenos

"i just unpacked the crate and it was like a treasure chest of goodies...i can't wait to start using and experimenting...it's truly a bounty of riches"

Mixed greens, green and yellow beans, anchovies, capers, roasted beets and bbq'd salmon kebobs

 Zucchini and Squash Blossoms with basil and peccorino Pizza

Thanks you everyone for sharing your enthusiasm and dinners with us. - Grant and Lainie xo

10 days in pictures

It's been a crazy 10 days filled with harvesting, cleaning, drying, growing, delivering, friends. visiting, dinners, sunburn, mosquito bites, laughter, tears, helping, sharing and some serious cases of weed back. Self diagnosis of sore back from weeding. Here is a peak into our last hard, rewarding, busy 10 days. -Lainie

 Free Farm newbies Lisa and Julian

 Julian in the neighbours' Soy at sunset

 Julian picking beans

 

friends coming for dinner

 

 sweaty farmer Grant

Grant, Jim and Olen harvesting garlic

 Jim and Olen Lesson 1: cleaning garlic and putting dirt in bucket

 First veg boxes/stockings for delivery

 Espelette Peppers from Spain

 Ripening

 Ah Houston, we have a Tomato problem

Squashes

 Big A** Heirloom Tomato

 Zucchini Blossoms-new and old

 Corns - something has been knocking down stalks

 Crookneck Squash

 Baby Watermelon

 Green Tomatillos

 Cylindra Beets

 Fennel

Rainbow Swiss Chard

Labour Day Weekend

Quality Control

September started out super hot but the arrival of this weekend had us wearing jackets to do deliveries this afternoon. As i got home at 6 am from working a night shoot, Grant got up and went to the farm to harvest. By the time he got back i had slept for a few hrs and gave him a hand organizing all the orders. We dropped veggies off to Multiple Organics, Enoteca Sociale, Grace, Bohmer, Marben, The Atlantic and Cowbell. It seems like everyone is super happy with the tomatoes and some of the chefs actually came to the car to snoop in the window to see what else we had. It was interesting to hear Grant talking to the chefs about their recipes and witness them be so passionate and truly excited to get a fresh batch of vegetables right from the farm, picked that morning. There sure are some talented chefs in these restaurants and it feels really good to be a part of their creative process. 

Note to self: Build a bike trailer to do deliveries next summer. Traffic was/is brutal and cyclists were passing us...so next year it would be great to deliver on bike - faster, more eco-friendly and waaaay less stressful.

I had more deep thoughts but they've vanished and i need to get ready to go to the farmhouse tonight after grant finishes his "real job". The next few days will be spent relaxing with friends, eating good  healthy food that we grew oursleves, breathing fresh air and not working. It's been a very long, hard summer but it feels worth it. Now it's chillax time.

Happy Labour Day all you hard workers!  -Lainie

TTT sandwich

3rd post in 1 day! We must be productive when we have the time. Last night I finished a 10 week tv series and am psyched to have some spare time to help with the farm; just in time for harvest! As Grant is off delivering tomatoes, i wanted to take the time to document what has been going on with the veggies from where i sit.

Things are growing and ripening at an exponential rate. Soon the house will be filled with actual tomatoes instead of the tomato grow op that was here all spring. ;) 

I woke up this morning to the smell of toasted tomato sandwiches...delicious. My favourite summer meal. So simple. It reminded me of my good friend Judy who lives in Amsterdam who taught me all about the art of the tomato sandwich from growing up eating incredibly fresh tomatoes from her parents garden in Winnipeg. She is CRAZY for tomatoes and taught me alot about picking them. She was the pickiest tomato picker out there and i think she would approve of what Grant is harvesting. i wish i could courrier her some. hmmmmm.........

I was obviously the first guinea pig and i must say they are delicious. My favourites are the black crims, juane flammes and all the cherries. Actually those are the only ones ready, so they are all my favourites ;)  The big ones seem to have alot of cracks which is apparently a result of absorbing too much water too fast. Sorta how you feel after eating too much...;) only we just undo our belts not open our skin. I'd rather have mind blowing flavour and a few cracks than pristine  looking fruit that tastes like cardboard.

Things started rolling last week at Cowbell with Grants' fried green tomatoes. They were apparently a hit. Thanks Chef/owner Mark Cutrara for putting them on the menu and being our first restaurant to serve Prairie Boy tomatoes. Chef Carl at Marben has also purchased some tomatoes and squash blossoms. Pots at For Life Organics in Kensington market has tomatoes, as does cafe/caterer Belly in parkdale. Grant is out today delivering to new chefs now that we have more than just a few samples. Last but not least, our heatwave seems to have broken which means the tomatoes are going to ripen like crazy starting now because apparently they won't ripen above 35˚ or something like that (Grant knows) and i had my first tomato, tomato and tomato sandwich for breakfast (which was actually 3 kinds of tomatoes, cukes, avocado and a little red onion).

 it was scrumdiliiscious! -lainie