OLDE FURROW FARM
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Be Stubborn, Farm On!

We are what we nourish

1/25/2018

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As soon as we can learn we start learning about food but more often than not we are taught what not to eat and why. Both Adam & I had that in our childhoods but for very different reasons. Adam grew up with a lot of food sensitivities which fortunately he grew out of and I grew up fearing food since my parents were compulsive dieters.

Somewhere along the way Adam was able to form a healthy relationship with his body and the food he put in it. Somewhere he learned the magic of food as health and learned the skill of listening to his body. This is something he has taught me since day one back in 2010 and it has transformed so much of my life.

Since that time a lot has started to shift in society and people are becoming more and more food conscious. At first, this was such an exciting time on the farm. Knowing that we were going to get to play a part in helping empower people in health. We are so excited to share any new information we gathered on the veggies and herbs we grew. This is what often excited us to try something new and we wanted our customers to be excited too!

This past year (2017) I hit a wall. There was SO much information flying at me I began to have that feeling of fear again. I began thinking about food as an enemy. I began losing touch with my body. I felt as though if I was feeling this surely our customers must be experiencing the same thing. So I made the choice to hold back more on these bits of information and just let the food be what the food is.

Then I bought this AMAZING cookbook "Recipes From The Herbalist Kitchen" by Brittany Wood Nickerson. Never had a read such a poetic cookbook. I'll be honest it made me cry a few time. Not because I was sad but just because it was so true. Having a healthy view on eating is so crucial. Just as important as what we eat. In her book she says "Food is only as nourishing as our body's ability to digest it" Our ability to digest is so connected to our minds that if we are sitting down eating a plain piece of kale and hating every bite of it - how much nutrition will we really be able to get from that?

Then it hit me! I need to be sharing all this wonderful information but it's how and when you share it. This is where my old pal Socrates comes into play with his test of three. Is it true information, good information and useful information? So much of what we are fed is often times no useful but shameful. No one should EVER feel shame about what they put into their bodies. Food is sacred. It the closest thing to religion we all share. It not only unites our body, mind and soul but it unities people from all over the world. It is as woven to our own identities as it is to the identities of those around us.

This has inspired us to empower YOU all to be fearless and proud eaters of nourishment. Through this nourishment you will help your body support your health and it will be delicious!

How will we do this? Mostly through our CSA, with tidbits going out on Facebook and at the market. (but of course we are an open resource so feel free to email us whenever you need help or inspiration with your nourishment) We have been creating information sheets for ALL our veggies, herbs and fruit. These sheets will share with you ways to store, process, and cook your food. It will also include useful information on ways this particular nourishment can help you support your health.

We really want to be part of creating a nurturing food system from the land, to the farmers, to you! <3

Below I have shared a piece written on Brittany Wood Nickerson website Thyme Herbal and a podcast she was on. Have a read and listen on food empowerment! 
​

On Health and Healing - By Brittany Wood Nickerson
"I often notice that people take interest in their health out of fear.  Time and time again I see people who are suddenly  (or not so suddenly)  overcome by the need to “take care of themselves”– perhaps because they don’t have health insurance, or find themselves with high blood pressure or high cholesterol; perhaps because they wish to strike preemptively against the heart disease, alcoholism or breast cancer that runs in their family.  Many of these people would in fact do well to take care of themselves, and their health may very well depend on it.  However, these individuals will heal not only because of specific diet changes, or the addition of healthful herbs, but because of new relationships to their own self-care and an embraced sense of empowerment. One of the first steps toward this type of change is to embody a life-giving, positive, nurturing attitude toward ourselves and the world.  No amount of vitamins, minerals or green leafy vegetables can nourish or heal the person who lives in a state of negativity, fear, frustration or anger.  When we move away from fear-based ideas about our health — ideas of “right” and “wrong,” “should” and “shouldn’t” — we can see that health is not black and white.  We can see that, actually, health is quite complex, part of a vast web of relationships to self, lifestyle, family, community and the patterns of the earth.  This process can prove a challenging one, so amidst the challenges it is important to hold compassion for ourselves and for our process of change and self-growth.
​
Health, and what makes us healthy, is as diverse as our preferences in art, film or music.  It sometimes feels easy to forget that being healthy is just that: a state of being, a subjective and personal state for each of us.  With this recognition comes the awareness that what is healthy for us will be healthy and healing for us in every aspect of our lives, and that those same acts of nourishment will build not only our health, but the health of our communities and the health of the earth.  Health is an embedded process, and to be healthy requires a connection — for many a re-connection — with our own bodies’ processes, and with natural processes outside of us.  I believe that we all possess the inherent wisdom to heal ourselves by getting to know our own rhythms, embedded as they are in the larger picture of our lives and the patterns of the earth.
People are taught to disconnect from their bodies in our culture, and to latch onto the prescribed wisdom of people they think know better than them — authority figures of all kinds.  As an herbalist and healer I see myself empowering rather than ordering the people I see, because I want to help people cultivate their own skills and connect with their own intuitive wisdom.  This view of health operates outside the paradigm of right answers and of “cures.”  Trusting this process requires a shift away from a scientific and objective idea of health, and toward viewing health as a subjective process.  Working together, we recognize that health can look many different ways; that a person’s healing path is unique, and their desire to heal, be well and live in balance with their body is their most powerful, important medicine."

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I wanted to speak about some personal nourishment and how it's helped me. I came across these wonderful ferments in 2016 from Seven Acres and at the time I was having difficultly with digestion mostly due to stress (this tends to be a rather natrual state for me, something I am working on. haha) What I have come to realize is that the friendship I have built with Jocelyn greatens the nourishment I get from these delicious ferments. Anytime Adam or I pull a jar from the fridge we instantly just have a feeling or warmness and goodness. 

If you have an opportunity to deepen your relationship with food - do it! Talk to the people behind the product and then take note of the first thing you grab from you fridge... :)
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Your Farmers, 
Adam & Courtney
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Weird & Wonderful

1/4/2018

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Every season we let people know the weird and wonderful things we plan to grow for the new season and well I wasn't fast enough to share this information since some of you are already hitting up the email with "what's new"!? We love your enthusaism for the weird things in life! 
​

MISATO ROSE RADISH

What a beautiful winter radish we've found! If you didn't know this about us already we are pretty radish obessed. In many other places radishes are like our carrots and well we think they should be! We will grow our usual black radish, green lubo radish and our classic daikon radish so no worries there.

YOKOHAMA SQUASH

For the last couple of years we have been trying to focus in on the most fabulous squash we could grow and while we have some favorites there is more to be discovered in the vast squash world. This Yokohama squash is suppose to have wonderful texture and depth of flavor. We are really excited to be growing it! Here is a link to its back story!

ASHE COUNTY PIMENTO

We have still to find a pepper we are undeniably in love with but we are not giving up on the journey! These pimento peppers although small are suppose to be concentrated in sweet flavor with a hint of pepperiness. And while these are commonly used in pimento cheese they can easily be a stand in for a bell pepper.

SEA KALE

While the majority of our crops are annuals we do add more and more perennials to our farm. When adding perennials we look for not only diversity but strength and sea kale caught our eye! This plant can seemingly survive wherever and is drought tolerant - something that is very important with a changing and uncertain climate. Its flavor similar to cabbage/kohlrabi. It can be used just the same. 

JUANE ET VERTE

This heirloom summer squash (zucchini) looks like a piece of art. From its frosty green color to its scalloped shape. I almost feel it's to pretty to eat! Zucchinis are one of those veggies for us that we could take or leave but so many of our customers drool over them so every year we try to bring them something new. Although zoodles have brought us closer to zucchinis.

BLACK NEBULA CARROT

No longer will you be disappointed when you cut into your purrple carrots only to find an orange carrot hiding inside!  Not only that but these carrots pack high levels of  anthocyanins. This is an heirloom carrot even if it looks like science fiction. 

GETE OKOSIMIN SQUASH

Now for the squash that Adam has been peeing his pants to grow aka "800-yr old'. The story is the seed was preserved in a clay ball and still germinated -amazing. These suckers get up to 18lbs (my back will thank me in the fall) and have a hint of melon flavor with a smooth texture. I doubt we will be putting a whole one is the CSA shares but some cut up ones for sure! 
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Misato Rose Radish
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Yokohama
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Ashe Country Pimento Pepper
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Sea Kale
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Jaune et Verte Summer Squash (Zucchini)
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Black Nebula Carrot
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Gete Okosimin Squash
Feel free to let us know if there is something you're wanting to try. Maybe we're growing it or maybe we can. You just have to let us know and we'll make it happen. :)
Your farmers, 
​Adam & Courtney

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Fearless Hearts, This Time

1/3/2018

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We just can't believe we will be entering our 8th season of farming!! We are so grateful to be able to continue farming year after year. It really has taken a strong family and a strong community to keep our farm alive without that I am not sure where we would be. So MANY thanks to all of those who have gently guided us! 

Let's talk about last season. 2017 had a lot of changes from working more closely with fellow farmers in the maritime small farms co-op to what crops did well to what didn't! For some reason our broccoli did amazing yet our cabbage was laughable at best. Our cherry trees exploded and our peppers were so late. Every season is so different from the next and well I (Courtney) love that! These fluxuations are what keep us learning and humble.

Working with the co-op gave us the confidence that we did know what we were doing and the path we were following was the right one for us. You often find yourself fighting over which way to go. Should you head towards the pile of money or should you just sacrifice all that you have? Well, that answer is in the middle! We often tried to sacrifice as much as we could and just crossed our fingers that all would work out. Somethings do but other things need more action on our part.

This brings us to the 2018 season with more clarity on how we like to move forward on our farm. We were fortunate to find another young apsiring farmer that wants to learn the ropes of a CSA and we are ready to make an expansion on our farm. So, yes we are going to have our first employee this season and we can't wait for you all to meet her in the spring! We've waited so long to take this step because we wanted to make sure we had something to offer besides a paycheck something much more substantial - Knowledge!

What isn't going to change on the farm? Well, growing lots of weird and wonderful vegetables of course! We always say we need to stop but let's be honest -we can't! Instead we are going to lean into the weird and wonderful- muwhahaha! We got our first batch of potatoes last season from true seed that will be planted out this season. We are again going to try and grow lots of heirloom squashes (hopefully with more sucess this year aka get that hay on!!) because there are some amazing flavors out there!

So I guess what I am trying to say in short is that in 2018 we are going to follow our hearts without fear, not be afraid to grow WITH quailty and remembering we got to take care of our needs too! Let the balancing act of growing forward begin! 
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Adam & Courtney
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Haying the potatoes!
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Will 2018 has broccoli this beautiful? I hope so!
And now I must sneak some of Adam's wonderful poetry out into the world once again because to me the simplicity of what he writes is as real as the nature that is all around us and well he doesn't seem to get that so I am going to bug him to share more and more. Even if that means I have to be sneaky. Haha.
This Time 
by Adam Webster
​
I can feel it
can you feel
it coming
a change in the movements
inside and out
thundering under your feet
whispering through the air
this is the time
we have been waiting for
the weight is over
prepare for the light
the cause of your life
and to rejoice
enjoy this time
it's now
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Here are the some of details of our 2018 CSA season. 
  • Deliveries are every Wednesday Afternoon done by us the farmers!
  • We will have all the same locations as last season - Bedford-Natures Cove, Halifax-Humanit, Dartmouth-Blended Athletics, Tantallon-Cornerstone Naturopathic plus the 'Choose your own location' as usual.
  • Our offerings are veggies, eggs, ferments, flowers, pork and chicken shares. With the option to order weekly add-ons of meat and eggs from Emily.
  • We will be offering an 'Early Bird Share' for the 30 week veggie share and the ferment shares from now until the end of February. Save $1.50/wk on your veggies and save $.50/wk on your ferments.
  • We are also offering a 'Choose Your Own Weeks' share for those vacation but still want to be part of a CSA. There is a minimum of a 15 week commitment but can be any weeks in between June- Dec. This offer can't be combined with 'Early Bird Share'.
  • We finally have created a special offer for members who have been with us 3 years or longer called the 'Veg Head Share' which gives you FREE delivery/admin fees. A value of $3off/wkly.

    Here is more about our shares: 2018 CSA SHARES
    Here are all the perks we are offering this season: 2018 CSA PERKS!
    Here is the sign-up sheet: 2018 CSA REGISTRATION​
    Here is the online shop for those who want to pay by paypal: 2018 CSA ONLINE SHOP
    *Additional fees are charged with paypal payments. E-transfers are Free.​
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Some of our poatoes from true seed. :)
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  • Home
    • Meet The Farmers
    • How We Grow
    • History Of The Farm
    • Contact Us
  • Produce Shares
    • Sign Up & Pay
    • CSA Locations
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  • Farm Blog
    • Farm Photos
  • Recipes
    • Veggies
    • Fruits
    • Herbs
    • Pickles