Is CSA right for you? Season 4 with Roots and Shoots Farm Coming Up.

 

We have just received notice that it is time for returning clients to consider signing up for the next CSA season with Roots and Shoots Farm, located near Manotick Station, south of Ottawa.  So far, we have been participating in Community Supported Agriculture with this local, certified-organic farm for the 3 years they have been in production.

Will we be signing up for 2013? You bet. And here is why.

Robin Turner, Jess Weatherhead and their team are ambitious and customer focused. They constantly challenge themselves and their farm goals to produce the best product they can for us. It is a unique feeling to know your farmer and to feel a solid sense of trust.  It is something they strive for and do not take for granted.

Much care is taken to pick well and to store well so that produce comes to us with limited shelf time with them and longer shelf life for us. Produce is harvested the same day or the day before our pick-up. Vegetables sold at the large grocery chains just can't compete with that timing.

The price is reasonable for local organically grown produce.  As a CSA member, paying up front means that we receive a discount over market pricing.  As a returning CSA member, that savings is even greater. In our latest newsletter, Robin and Jess state that full shareholders received $605 worth of vegetables for an up-front payment of $530 for new CSA members. (We have just purchased half shares since we are a small household. This means we receive a basket every other week.)

Pick-up is convenient for us.  Although the farm is 25 kms from our home, our pick-up location in Westboro is just 1.5 kms away. There are a number of pick-up locations around the city, with a promise to return to Centretown.

There is a variety of produce throughout the July to October months and a pre-set basket invites us to explore new vegetables and varieties that we might not otherwise consider. (I have included pictures of all the baskets in 2012 at the bottom of the post.) Because we know the effort that was put in to provide for us, we feel a responsibility to use it wisely and to use it all. We actually find we have limited to no refrigerator 'rotter bin' waste. The long shelf life really helps with this too.

Communication is very good. Robin and Jess would like nothing better than to be outside 24/7 tending to the land. But they are very good at taking the time to send us a newsletter each week to let us know what is in our upcoming share.  This helps us in our meal planning and augmented shopping.  They also have been great to share recipes that they are finding work for them and are enjoyed by the crew.

We also have been told of new changes and improvements coming too.  The 2013 season will be 18 weeks long instead of 16.  They are implementing a system to allow for vacation time.  The farm will be offering more purchasing opportunity right at the farm and also on-line. And they are offering flower shares. Jess' new enterprise of beauty is really growing. 

The biggest plus that has us coming back - our produce each year has continued to improve in quality, with 2012 being notably tops.  This was due in part to Mother Nature's drought conditions throughout the summer that allowed the farm to strategically control their plentiful irrigation system.  Crop rotation and improved knowledge of the land, meant that crops were placed in fields that matched their soil requirements. Garlic is a good example of this.  Our garlic in 2012 was much improved over 2011.

Perhaps a CSA share just isn't for you.  It doesn't mean you will miss out. You can still enjoy buying their vegetables at the weekly local farmers' markets.  I would regularly trek over to see them at the Ottawa Farmers' Market at Brewer Park and in Westboro on the Byron linear park. They also attend other markets.

Here are a few pictures of our eye-catching vegetables from our CSA baskets in 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are our 8 CSA basket from 2012!

Our 1st CSA basket in Week 2 - July 5, 2012

Our 2nd CSA basket in Week 4 - July 19, 2012

Our 3rd CSA basket in Week 6 - August 2, 2012

Our 4th CSA basket in Week 8 - August 16, 2012

Our 5th CSA basket in Week 10 - August 30, 2012

Our 6th CSA basket in Week 12 - September 13, 2012

Our 7th CSA basket in Week 14 - September 27, 2012

Our 8th CSA basket in Week 16 - October 11, 2012 We gifted to a friend since we were away.  She said there were also a brunch of beets with the basket.

Roots and Shoots Farm Vision
"Our long term vision is to create a dynamic farming cooperative that allows new producers to initiate and practice sustainable farming methods, while helping  Ottawa to become food secure."

If you want to learn more about the farm, the contact information for Roots and Shoots Farm is:
ROBIN TURNER
robin@rootsandshootsfarm.com
www.rootsandshootsfarm.com
613.897.8975

Double Decker Diner & Dairy Bar in Downtown Manotick

The Double Decker Diner & Dairy Bar is located on Manotick Main Street by Clapp Lane. The location is easy to spot, if not for its uniqueness alone but certainly for its sense of presence. Happening upon a double decker bus anywhere in the Ottawa area is unusual so it is a real standout in its bright British red and a blue.



The recent interest by CTV Ottawa in finding the best chip truck in the region has rekindled our teenager's poutine interest. Although not regular fare, when he gets the opportunity to have chip truck fries, it must be poutine. So far, 853 CTV Ottawa readers have weighed in with their expertise and campaigning ability. As well, some 34 tweets have come in to @CTVOttawa registering their vote.

The highly unscientific leader board looks something like this:

Double Decker bus in Manotick	103
S&G's at Maitland and Carling	65
Wes's Fries in Arnprior	60
Magic Fryer, Canadian Tire, Coventry Rd	51
Poutine Queen in Almonte	48
Fritimania on St Joseph Blvd	42
Sweet Potato in Carp	33
Claude's Chip Stands - Cummings/Ogilvie	32
Mike's Chips, Carleton Place	28
GJ's on Trim Road btwn 174 & St-Joseph	28

We have been watching as the comments have been posted on the CTV website and it is clear there has been some very serious campaigning going on by a number of vendors. All in good fun as this is the chip truck season. And those on the leaderboard are likely fairly reliable locations, so no harm done I suppose.

On our way home from Gananoque yesterday, the teenager took a shot at validating first place, the Double Decker Diner & Dairy Bar in downtown Manotick, by ordering a regular poutine. He had been there once before and although he liked it, he is skeptical of its top seed.


The experience was as he expected. He says the crisp in their fries works well for poutine. Also, he appreciates that they understand the importance of layering in the cheese and gravy, not just putting it all on top. But like his prior experience, the curds just aren't a first rate product for him (no squeak) and the gravy is just too salty. At that proclamation, I went in for a taste and wholeheartedly agreed that this gravy is heart-stoppingly, too salty. What a distraction.



I took their smallest fry, called regular and enjoyed it well enough.

A soft drink is $1.25

Regular Fries $3.50 (What I would compare size-wise to a medium at other stands)
Large Fries $4.25
Family $8.00

Regular Poutine $4.75
Large Poutine $6.00

Parking is ample as is the seating. There are a number of umbrella'd picnic tables outside. Cozy tables and chairs on the second floor of the bus, makes for a retreat if you are looking for shelter from the elements.

They are trying to get the word out there and now have their own Facebook fan page.

Manotick is lucky to have the Double Decker right in town to service those with the chip truck craving as they really aren't too bad. However, the teenager still says the best fries are Wes' Chips in Arnprior and the best poutine is S & G Fries at Carling and Maitland. Though, he chooses to continue his search for the best, in case it is yet to be discovered!

In the language of the Poutine Chronicles, this place is 4 curds out of 5.

Double Decker Diner & Dairy Bar
Manotick Main Street by Clapp Lane
Manotick, Ontario

Mon to Fri: 11 am - 7 pm
Sat to Sun: 11:30 am - 7 pm

Local Organic Vegetables All Summer Long Delivered to 'My Door'

Friday morning my husband sent me an email from work with the terse subject line veggies... The body of the email contained only a URL, http://www.rootsandshootsfarm.com/. As I checked out the link, I landed on the website for Roots and Shoots Farm. I have no idea how he heard of the place. I do know he sent it to me because he knew that I have been dabbling with the idea of signing us up for summer food drops of locally grown organic vegetables and that I have been reading to better understand the concept of Community Supported Agriculture.

We are in the Westboro area and there seems to be an interest from local farms to serve our village in this way. My research has by no means been extensive, but I did come to realize that committing to a veggie drop every week for 16 weeks may not work for our summer timetable, now laden with sporadic plans.

When I saw that Roots and Shoots Farm was offering a Half Share where I could receive a selection of seasonal produce every other week for the 16-week program, I impulsively signed up right away. This is as close to speed dating as I have ever come. But I also rationalized that my $275 was likely not at great risk. To have signed up on such short notice is so against my 'research to the death' personality, but this is one time that I felt that I just could not pass on somehow being involved.

So if you are reading this blog in the hopes that I have done all the research on locally grown food drop programs in the Ottawa area, then I will disappoint. However, if reading this can inspire you to contemplate participating in a vegetable box scheme that is right for you and your family, then consider this the impetus to start your own queries. Perhaps the website Just Food and their Ottawa Buy Local Food Guide will help you get started.