August 23, 2010

Wheat Field

Crop rotation is a very important part of good farming practices to ensure sustainability.  Crop rotation involves alternating the crops grown on the same piece of land. Here at Willowtree Farms, Rod has an intense crop rotation schedule to maintain soil quality, to reduce weeds, and chances of disease in a crop. Crop rotation is a long term strategy to ensure the overall health of the land and decrease the amount of artificial inputs.

At Willowtree Farms fall wheat is an important part of our crop rotation. In the fall we plant wheat as well we under seed red clover. The wheat germinates and begins to grow in the fall. Over the winter the wheat lays dormant under the snow. Then in the spring the wheat grows quickly and thick, forming a canopy which suppresses the weed, by shading and cooling the soil below. The wheat continues to grow and when mature and the grain is dry we combine, after we bale the straw. Straw is an extremely important secondary product, which we use a lot of for animal bedding, winter protection and mulch.

Combining Wheat Field

By this time the red clover which was seeded under the wheat has also grown up. The clover grows and flowers, which our honey bees love. Our red clover is grown solely as a green manure crop, which means we plough the clover into the soil adding organic matter.  Organic matter enriches the soil by adding soil structure, raising the pH as the clover decomposes. Red clover is also a very important natural source of Nitrogen. Red clover is a legume, which is in a family of plants which fix nitrogen into the soil through their root nodules.  Clover provides about ½ of the nitrogen required to grow corn the following year. The nitrogen released by the clover is given off slower, than the chemical equivalent. Where as chemical nitrogen can promote weed germination and seed production resulting in a lot more weed is in the crop.

Field with Red Clover

 Having wheat and clover in the rotation provides a lot of benefits to the soil. As well as many products we need on the farm. The grain from the wheat is sold to make cereal products, the straw we use for animal bedding and covering the strawberries. But most importantly is the soil remediation, given back to the soil. Making fall wheat and red clover in a rotation a very green and sustainable practice.

August 23, 2010

Planting Strawberries at FraiseBec

This week we headed to Montreal for the North American Strawberries Growers Association summer tour.We spent 2 days touring all different farms, nurseries and markets around the Montreal area. On the tour we stopped at FraiseBec the largest strawberry grower in Canada, growing 58 hectares of strawberries. It was a really interesting place to visit, to see how they plant, pick and maintain so many hectares of strawberries. At FraiseBec they also use women to pick and pack the berries as well as to cut runners. I found this very interesting because most other places only use men.

On the tour we also visited strawberry plant propagators. The propagators are where we purchase our plants each year, to plant in the spring. So it was really interesting to see that whole other side of the operation and hear about some new promising varieties. It is important to keep up with all the new varieties and changes happening in growing strawberries or you get left behind. We also saw demonstrations of new machinery used for cutting the runners of plants, but at this point I don’t think the machines can replace the quality of hand cutting the runners.

"On the Line" at Masse Propagators

Along the tour we also stopped at several farms which had markets on their farms, or used the strawberries to make secondary products such as cider. It was interesting to see other peoples markets and how they step things up. As well as to learn how they process their cider. All along the tour we were greeted by extremely friendly hosts who were happy to share their information on how they do things and they all ensured we never left with an empty stomach. We were fed many delicious meals of fresh French cuisine in giant sized proportions.

The tour was a great way to get to know other strawberry growers from as far away as the Dominican Republic. We had a lot of time to get to know each other and hear about how people do things and what works and doesn’t work for them. At the end of the day we had some new friends and some fresh ideas we can us to improve the way we do things.

August 6, 2010

Wagon of broccoli

The fields are buzzing with activity at this time of year. We are picking many of our crops each day. Right now we are picking wagons of sweet corn, bins of broccoli and cauliflower, bushels of cucumbers, beans, peppers, eggplants, and onions and baskets of tomatoes and don’t forget our flats of our ever bearing raspberries and strawberries. This means many trips back and forth from the fields to the pack house, were we wash and store the food for the next days market. All of our crops are hand picked; this means hand selecting each fruit, to ensure only the best makes it into the baskets. Hand picking also means less damage to the plant and the food for harvest.

Picking Cucumbers

 Each crop is picked very different, and requires different tools and techniques This also means the pickers have to now how to tell when each different crop is ready, because not every fruit or veggie is ready at the same time. 

Beans is a tedious job, where you are kneeling in the rows, picking each bean by hand. It takes a lot of little beans to fill a bushel. The cucumbers and eggplants have spines and require gloves. While onions have to carefully be pulled from close to the ground, to make sure you get the onion bulb along with the green leaves.

Washing fresh onions

 Picking sweet corn, broccoli and cauliflower are two of my favorite jobs. Sweet corn we pick in the morning, usually when the dew is still on. We walk through the wet rows of giant corn stalks, feeling the cobs. If the cob is full at the tip, rounded not thin and pointy, the cob is ready. This is also the best way to choose your corn at market, because stripping the corn before you are ready to eat it starts to dry it out. 

Nice Toss! Look at that Broccoli Soar

We way we harvest broccoli and cauliflower is one person is in the row, cutting the broccoli or cauliflower off the stalk with a large, sharp knife, and then you toss it to the person on the wagon who catches it and places it in the bin. The bins have to be carefully packed to avoid bruising.

Picking is a long and seemingly endless job, because we have so many different crops. But the variety of picking jobs is really what makes the job enjoyable for the pickers. After an hour or two they will be doing a totally different job, using knew tools and muscles, in a new position, so it makes the days fly by. Variety is the spice of Life!!

July 20, 2010

Teaching chicks to drink and eat

This year we decided to do more chickens and turkeys, because last year we raised a few for ourselves, and several people ask for them, when they saw them walking around the farm. So on June 9, we got 150 chicken and 25 turkey, day old chicks. We had to dip each one’s head into water and food to teach them how to eat.   For the first few weeks we kept them in a brood chamber with heat lamps to keep the chicks warm. As they grew we kept expanding the size of the brood chamber to ensure they had lots of space.

Day old chicks in brood chamber

When the chicks are young they don’t have real feathers, but have cute yellow fuzz. After about a week they start to develop their real feathers. The chicks look funny at the in between stage, because they kind of look bald, with a mix of large feathers and yellow fuzz. The chicks are now almost completely feathered, expect for a few late bloomers, who still look like they are experiencing pre-mature balding (it’s a McKay family trait). This means that they are almost ready to start exploring the great outdoors. The chickens and turkeys need to be fully feathered before going outside, to protect them from the sun and for temperature control. Without feathers they could get cold and, or sun burnt

Chickens and Turkeys almost ready for the Pasture

As soon as the last few feathers grow, the chickens and turkeys will start to be in the pasture outside. This will mean they get to live freely enjoying the fresh air and sun, bugs and grass and dust baths outside.  Pasture raised chickens have a more natural life, resulting in healthier and happy birds, which translates into healthier meat. Pasture raised chickens have greater nutritional qualities and a richer flavor. Pasture raised chickens are higher in Omega 3, beta carotene, vitamins and minerals and are lower in saturated fats, total fat and calories.

Our chickens will be available at the end of August and turkeys in time for Thanksgiving. Chickens and Turkeys can be pre-ordered to ensure you get what you would like at:  info@willowtreefarm.ca or by calling the market 905-985-4973

July 20, 2010

Last October we planted about half an acre of hard necked garlic. Hard necked garlic is different from what you typically find in the grocery stores, which is grown for its ability to withstand shipping and long term storage. Hard necked garlic is known for its richer flavor and large cloves and the stiff neck in the center of the clove. From hard necked garlic you also get a scape in the spring, which is  delicious in pesto or with new potatoes or eggs.

Load of Fresh Garlic

            We grow the Music variety which is a Canadian variety developed by Al Music.Music has a good sweet pungent flavor, with large, easily peeled cloves. Music garlic also stores for about 6 months.

            In June we started to harvest the garlic scapes (the center of the plant where the flower would develop). We need to harvest the scapes from the plants to maintain the bulb size, other than that all the plants energy goes into the flower.

Harvesting Garlic

Soon after pulling the scapes we started harvesting garlic to sell it fresh at market. As so many of our customers had been asking for our garlic, because they were sick of the stuff available in store, we sold the fresh garlic with the green tops. The fresh garlic has all the flavor of the dried garlic, you just don’t have to fight to get the dried skin off the cloves.

Garlic hanging to dry in the barn

            But garlic is a great flavor in many dishes and is also known to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure. And Music garlic is also high in allicin which helps to boost immune systems and circulations. So the good out weighs the smell.

July 9, 2010

Thoughtful Farmer Gaze

On Monday, Rod McKay turned 60. Rod started Willowtree Farms at 19 years old, but his love for farming and riding a tractor started as a young boy in Pickering. After 41 years working on Willowtree Farms, Rod has created a successful family farm with both of his sons returning home after university to work alongside him. Rod is still very active and is always seen working his land, picking with the boys, and putting in the long hours it takes to make a farm run smoothly. Apart his white hair and bionic farmer hip you would never guess that Rod would be 60 years old. Except that he is the wisest guy I know. Rod rarely takes time to relax or get together with his friends and neighbors, but on Sunday we had a party to celebrate his birthday. Many neighbors and friends came out to wish him a Happy Birthday. I think most of Utica, Epsom and surrounding area were at Willowtree for the party. It was great to see all his friends and hear some funny stories.  It was a fun party full of great friends, food and music.

July 9, 2010

Willowtree Strawberries

This year we started picking strawberries on Thursday June 10, which was 10 days earlier than last year. From the beginning the strawberries were sweet and juicy, with little damage from the spring frost. For the most part the king bloom berries (from the primary bloom in each flower cluster), were very large and perfect for dipping in chocolate.  The berries this year are all sweet with a nice rich red color, because they got lots of sun especially the berries from “Willowtree special variety”, my personal favorite of the 8 varieties we grow.  I wait for these berries each year because this variety produces very large but VERY VERY sweet and juicy plump berries.

"Willowtree Special"

 We had many pickers helping us to pick all the berries; they have been picking a couple hundred flats of strawberries a day. That is a lot of hard work and time spent kneeling in the rows in the hot sun. The field was also full of U-pickers for a couple weeks, with people of all ages coming to pick berries to make jams and strawberry shortcake. I met one man who was 91 years young and still out picking his own flats of berries. Amazing!!!      

            Along with still picking strawberries we are now picking raspberries and black raspberries, sweet peas, green and yellow beans, cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, leaf lettuce, garlic and fresh basil. The picking board is starting to get full, with all the different crops which must be picked fresh each day.

June 18, 2010

Cows and Calves in Pasture

Spring is an exciting time to keep an eye on the cows in the pasture. May and June the cows give birth to new calves, so far this year we have had 18 new calves born. There are also still several cows, as wide as a couch, which means we are expecting several more calves in the next couple of weeks.

New Calf

            It is true a miracle of life to watch how quickly the calves are able to first stand on their wobbly legs. Then within minutes of being born they are able to walk and run. Once they “find their legs” they are black bundles of energy. They love to run to and for, with random kicks and jumps for emphasis throughout the pasture.  But they are never too far from mama, who always has her eye on them. The cows are very protective mothers and keep the predators away; even our farm dogs get charged if they get too close.

Calves and Cows enjoy the Green Pasture

            From the pictures you can see that the mothers are brown Limousin cows, but their calves are all black. This is because we have a Black Angus bull. The cross results in calves which appear all black, but are actually a Limousin/Angus cross. Once the calves get there winter coats you are able to notice their Limousin side, because they grow longer fuzzy red/brown hairs.

Why cross the breeds you ask? The reason is the Limousin cattle are a little “wilder” and harder to work with, but are a desired species for their quality lean meat and high yeild. Black Angus are calmer animals and therefore easier to work with and well known for their flavour.  The result of crossing the breeds is easier to deal with calves with higher yielding, lean flavourful meat.  Making our lives easier and the job safer,  when we have to work with the cattle, and a tasty lean meat for the BBQ!!

June 7, 2010

 This year for the black plastic we got a new planter, called a water wheel, which made planting a dream. The water wheel makes a hole and waters the plant, and then we sit behind and but the plant plug in the hole and close it up. This new planter is so slick we just needed 3 people to plant all the tomatoes, and other plants. Last year we planted all these plants by hand as well, which was a huge job, we had to measure and make the wholes, plant the plant and then water each one by hand.  This new machine saved about 7 people and a week over hand planting. A farmers dream!

Miracle blankets

           In the spring we use floating row covers on crops to help increase the temperature, to help give plants a head start when it is cool. The floating row covers are a giant thin blanket (like a bounty sheet) that we roll out over the fields. The blankets lay over the plants, and allow light to transmit and retain heat. These blankets perform a miracle in advancing the crops. We used blankets on broccoli and cauliflower, strawberries and sweet corn this year. This is  picture of sweet corn, which was planted on the same day, same hour and is the same variety. The difference is that the plant on the left was under a floating row cover and the plant on the right was under no blanket.  The contrast is amazing isn’t it!! This advancement in the plants under the blankets will mean sweet corn will be ready earlier.  

I can’t wait sink my teeth into a  fresh cob of sweet corn.

Kelty Salmon

Comparison of Sweet Corn

March 14, 2010

For the last 10 days Marlene and Rod have been traveling around Florida and some of the southern states to get some new ideas for the farm and market.  This seasons new big idea for the farm market bakery, strawberry shortcake?  Al and Kelty are still in South America, and Jordan will be heading back from British Columbia next week.  Things are planted in the greenhouse and we are hoping for an early spring!!!