Prairie Orchard Farm Opens Up Farm Shares

This is the newest newsletter from Prairie Orchard Farm. They have opened up their Friends of Prairie Orchard Farm Shares for anyone interested in owning a season of their farm. I won't go into much detail because the newsletter speaks for itself. All I want to say is that it is great to support Manitoba's local farmers whether you purchase your meat and dairy from farmers, buy from businesses that sell local, attend the farmers markets, or purchase into a farm like this. Without further ado here's the newsletter:


"Friends of the Prairie Orchard

Here are the details of the farm share/CSA option you are anxiously and patiently waiting for! There is also important information about the U-Pick.

What is a farm share (CSA)?
A farm share is an arrangement where we grow food and you eat it. This arrangement is called a farm share because you are required to make a commitment to us by paying in advance for produce that you will receive throughout the upcoming growing season. In exchange our commitment to you is to grow nutritious food that is not produced from genetically modified seeds or grown using synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Together we share in the risks and rewards of gardening, i.e., weather, insects, wildlife and bumper crops.

How will the farm share work on our farm?
Currently, our fruit and vegetable farm is approximately 9 acres (4 fenced and 5 not fenced). We have divided this area into plots which will be designated for a number of purposes. For example, a portion of these plots will strictly be for our farm share gardens. Other plots will be for U-Pick gardens, fruit trees or future seed supply.

Limited farm shares: This is our first year and we know there will be a lot to learn. Therefore we are limiting the number of shares we will be offering. Limiting the number of shares will allow us to focus on providing you with the best produce and service that we can.

Cost of a farm share: A share will cost $250.00 and produce will be provided for a 10 week period (12 weeks if the growing season allows for it).

Payment: Full payment is due May 28, 2010. Early receipt of payment would be appreciated as it would help ensure that all of the people who are committed to purchasing a farm share are given the opportunity to do so.

Priority: Those of you who have already expressed an interest in the farm share option have been placed on a priority list. Priority has been assigned based on the order we received your emails or telephone calls. However, we ask that you contact us as soon as possible to confirm your intention to purchase your share for this growing season. All new interest will be prioritized accordingly.

Amount of produce: On average you will receive approximately 5-10 items per week. Of course this will be dependent upon the growing season and yields. All produce from the designated farm share gardens will be distributed in the weekly shares.

Drop off locations: We are currently making arrangements for drop off locations in Winnipeg, Morris and Lowe Farm. Drop off locations in Winnipeg will be made according to where the majority of our members live or work. As soon as we know where everyone is located we can start “organizing” our delivery strategy!

Door-to-door delivery: Direct delivery will be an option for an additional cost which will be dependent upon your location.

Purchasing additional produce: Additional produce can be purchased from designated U-Pick gardens (if available) and delivered with your weekly share. Please call us in advance with your request. (Please note: additional produce cannot be purchased from the gardens designated for farm shares. Additional produce can only be purchased from U-Pick gardens and dependent upon availability).

What about the U-Pick?
You will receive a weekly email informing you of the in-season items. Picking will be done on a first come first serve basis. An additional email will be sent to inform you when picking has been completed for that week. Calling ahead to ensure produce is available and to book a picking time will reduce disappointment.

Update:
So far the seedlings are looking great! We have tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, onions, leeks, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, arugala, fennel, cucumbers, cantaloupe and watermelon seedlings. Some carrots, beets, radishes, spinach, swiss chard and potatoes have been seeded outside. The rhubarb has emerged. The strawberry plants survived the winter. Most of the fruit trees are budding. Some raspberry bushes have been transplanted. The windows have been placed in our first building and gravel has been brought in to set our
new (used) green house on.

As usual, we can’t wait to hear from you, so write to us at peaches9@xplornet.com
Thanks again for your interest, support and patience!

Eric Gluck and Jodi Griffith
204.746.8830
Box 37, Lowe Farm, Manitoba R0G 1E0
peaches9@xplornet.com"

Gurumama, Mother to Mother, The Soap Lady, Bent Into Shape, Eclat Jewelry, & More

I found my cards from the Scattered Seeds Craft Show. I am going to apologize now that most of the artisans and crafters I like do not have websites and I do not have photos to accompany most of the features. I also didn't end up buying much at this sale because I only went with $20 and unfortunately after the $8 spent to get in I didn't have much left to spend. I also ended up liking larger ticket items like furniture and custom cabinets.

Since I mentioned cabinets I will start there. I liked this corner booth that featured beautiful distressed painted cabinets, country garden and house designed items, a little children's table, and this big country garden shed. Everything was custom made and it was very country chic. I got a business card and the business is called Calligraphy From The Heart. They haven't a website and I am not sure if this is another business owned by CFTH's Laurie Harvey. I am interested in a small double door wood cabinet that they call a water cooler cabinet. I think it would be great as a small pantry. If you are interested in more information her email is slharvey@mts.net. I am going to email her for some photos and will add them here when I hear back.

Another furniture booth was Bent Into Shape which customizes in Willow Furniture. Again, no website but I will try to contact them. I loved their willow chairs and I thought the prices were great. If you are interested in willow chairs, loveseats, mosaic tile tables, arbors, or are interested in taking a workshop email them at ree@mts.net.

Now to change direction....to....a farm.....Aurora Farm from St.Norbert. They had a fun booth with photo cards of their beloved animals, wool scarves, hats, and mitts, goat milk soap, and more. I bought two adorable photo cards of Jeffery (a baby cow) and Vincent (an alpaca) that I plan on framing for my boy's room. Too cute. If you are interested in wool items, soaps, or even horse back riding lessons email louisewillowmay@gmail.com. They have a website in the works. www.aurorafarm.ca

Now...time to switch gears again. That Soap Lady had super cute soaps. Anyone who knows me knows that I love bar soaps and That Soap Lady made beautiful looking soaps with very interested smells and designs. Some actually looked edible like the donut soaps she has posted about on her blog. All her products are made from natural ingredients. The soaps are hypo-allergenic, with no detergents, sulphates, surfactants, alcohol or sugar solutions. She uses vegetable oils, water, moisturizers, emulsifier and kosher glycerin. She can be found on her blog at www.theprimpantry.blogspot.com, www.thatsoaplady.blogspot.com or That Soap Lady can be found at the following retail stores: Fort Whyte Alive - 1961 McCreary Road, Winnipeg, Phone: 204-989-8364, 515 Osborne Street (South) Winnipeg ~ Phone: 204-219-9991 Toll Free: 1-866-924-6082 & at Sew Dandee in Osborne Village.

Another booth that I was drawn to was Eclat One of kind jewelry designs. The jewelry was beautiful but it was the glass art that I was amazed with. I especially loved the poplar trees that looked like they were topped with glass candy. They actually have a working website with photos of many of their glass art. http://www.klassworks.com

Lastly, my favorite booth of the day was split between Gurumama and Mother to Mother. Jennifer from Gurumama is continuously expanding her product line. I know Gurumama as AMAZING baby sling makers. The fabrics they choose are awesome and the quality it top of the line. What I LOVED at this sale was her reversible toddler swing dresses and not just for baby retro bonnets. Oh are they adorable. The fabrics are to die for and I will be ordering for my little girl asap!! Gurumama has a great website http://www.gurumama.ca. Mother to Mother started as Childbirth & Doula Services but has expanded to selling hip and handy wares for babies & big kids. Most items are not handmade but my favorite find of the night was Noreen's handmade eye spy bags. They are little pillows with a window on the front. Kids can peak through the window and search for items hidden within the bag filled of little plastic beads. Attached to the pillow is a search list with photos of the items so kids can try to find the items in the bag. I am picking up two from her because I am on the search for good travel goods for our 40 hr car trip in June. Noreen has a website www.mother2mother.ca.

There were also some good oldies that I have reviewed previously. EMK's bags were beautiful as usual, my friends and I always go gaga for U.S.E.D. recycled seatbelt bags, and I finally got to have a look at Periwinkle Dzyns's jewelry. I joked with my friend that she had to pick up at least one set of earrings because her husband is a computer nerd and a pair of Periwinkle Dzyns earrings would probably be quite an aphrodisiac. ;) Their reviews can be found here in case you missed them:

http://handmadeinmanitoba.blogspot.com/2009/11/emk-clothing.html

http://handmadeinmanitoba.blogspot.com/2009/12/ruth-at-periwinkle-designs-takes.html

http://handmadeinmanitoba.blogspot.com/2009/11/used-recycled-seatbelt-bags.html

Manitoba's New Prairie Orchard Farm

I have a couple friends who are in the transitional period of having an organic farm just outside of Morris. Eric has been farming for his life outside of Morris and is fed up with modern farming. Jodi has been very involved in biology and environmental science and has been trying to figure out how to make a difference and is very passionate about organic and local food. They have been working on their organic farm and orchard for the last 3 years and are considering their options for involving the public in their farming with ideas like growing classes & organic food workshops, u-pick, farm share, volunteer workers/pickers for food share, etc and have started a newsletter to keep us all posted. I think supporting our local farmers is equally if not more important than promoting our local artisans and businesses. If this is something that interests you I will be keeping up with them and posting their newsletters here.

Jodi also has been having other workshops at the farm centering around having healthy bodies such as yoga, massage, and relaxation retreats. She also sells Miessence organic body products and teaches Zumba exercise classes in Morris. They are very busy people and cannot wait to stretch their farm over their fields.

If you know any other farmer that should be featured here please forward any details to handmadeinmanitoba@gmail.com.


Prairie Orchard Newsletter

March 2010 Volume 1. Issue 1.










Do you want to buy locally grown, pesticide free berries and garden
vegetables this summer? Do you want to know where your food comes
from and how it is grown? Do you want to handpick your own food or
have it delivered directly to your home?

Join our mailing list by sending us an email at
peaches9@xplornet.com or calling us at 204.746.8830.

What we have planned for the
2010 gardening season

We will be growing local produce for ‘Friends of the Prairie Orchard’. We will have strawberries and raspberries available along with a variety of garden vegetables (almost anything we can think of).

How to Buy Local

We want to know if you want more information about buying local produce from us this summer. If you are interested in joining our mailing list and becoming a ‘friend of the
prairie orchard’ please send us an email at peaches9@xplornet.com or call us at 204.746.8830. Our u-pick is located one and a half miles north of Lowe Farm, Manitoba on Provincial Road 332 North.


View Larger Map


History of the Prairie Orchard U-pick

In the summer of 2008 we started the orchard by planting a 700 trees and shrubs to mark off a four acre piece of cultivated land. We planted asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, and a number of different types of fruit trees (apples, cherries, highbush blueberry - to name a few). Our goal was to grow a variety of fruits and vegetables to see which ones did the best in our wet clay soil. Unfortunately between winter kill and hungry rabbits and deer almost nothing edible made it to the summer of 2009.

So we started all over again. We planted more trees, strawberries and raspberries. We also planted a variety of garden vegetables, which were destroyed by gale force winds and frost. We did, however, have a very successful crop of kale, swiss chard, kohlarabi and brussel sprouts; The hardy survivors of over one thousand plants that we nurtured indoors through the winter months.

By the fall of this year we surrounded the acreage with deer fencing, put up a gated entrance and erected our first building – an old grain bin to add character and hopefully provide a future store front and/or coffee spot.

We are currently in the process of assessing a number of independent certification agencies and moving towards becoming certified organic.








Who Are We…

Eric is a conventional farmer who has witnessed the trend in agriculture where family farms are gobbled up by large scale agribusiness. His passion for growing quality food has been ignited in a new way by his other passion, cooking, and by the prospects of returning to small scale farm values, i.e., farmers know the people who purchase their products and people know where their food comes from and how it was grown. Eric wants to give rural people access to fresh and delicious produce. His motto is “delicious food is easy to prepare when you have good ingredients’.

Jodi is a naturalist at heart. She has an education in biology and forest ecology and she is currently working towards a Masters of Environment degree. She believes it is important to have a strong land ethic, i.e., to work in harmony with nature. She also believes it is important to maintain and preserve knowledge about everything from land and animals and medicinal plants, to knitting and butter churning. She is motivated to sustain our families and our communities by providing food that is full of vitality because it is grown by creating healthy soils and without harmful pesticides or fertilizers.

Join our mailing list by sending us an email at
peaches9@xplornet.com or calling us at 204.746.8830

Support Local Farms with Culinary Event

"Feb 19 & 20: Manitoba Food Security's 2010 Getting Vocal, Growing Local conference includes workshops, discussions and displays on sustainable local eating. Held at the University of Winnipeg, events include a Manitoba dinner celebration featuring food from local farms and producers prepared by Manitoba's best chefs, and live entertainment. Conference passes are $115, single-day admission is $40 (Actually...wrong price for the day pass which is $65). 515 Portage Ave, 943-0823 for information." - Ciao! Magazine

They actually have early bird prices ($85/pass) and reduced prices for people who have limited income, students and seniors ($40/pass).

Check out the registration, price information, agenda, and a heck of a lot of other good local food information here:

http://food.cimnet.ca

2010. Will it be all that different from 2009?

What are Your Local Resolutions? It doesn't have to be some gigantic change in your life. Everything counts. I have a few resolutions that involve my community.

For 1. I plan to zone out all groceries and eventually aim to buy only organic and natural foods. I will eat local whenever possible and will learn to extend summer produce into the winter. I will be shopping nearly exclusively at Eat It because the staff are amazing, prices are good, and they know their shit. I hear left right and center about how organic food is too expensive. I want to prove all you unbelievers wrong. When you head to Superstore, Walmart, Cosco, and all the other huge box stores you have so much marketing thrown at you. You head with your list of 10 items and leave with a cart full. These stores pay people a ton of money to make you spend your money there. When I shop at Eat It I leave spending the exact amount of money that I thought I would. It is actually kind of eerie. I don't know how it works but if I have $120 in my wallet and that is all, it will come to $118.50. I watch nervously as they swipe everything fearing that it will go over my budgeted money and it never does. The reason is because I buy what I need there. Eat It isn't like the big grocer demons. They have what you need and none of the junk.

Another good thing about organic food which I am sure that the owners of these establishments don't want me to discuss is that the processed and impulse items are too expensive to buy. ;) I rarely get pressured into buying a $12 small pizza or a $10 box of icecream. It costs enough money that it pushes me to make my own from scratch. If I do buy an impulse item it is a real treat and I cherish it like it is gold. Can you say that about your crappy rising crust pizza or grocery processed fish sticks? I have certain items that I share with no one. I hide my Greens & Blacks Butterscotch Chocolate in my freezer and I steal a couple squares from it a day until I sadly throw the empty wrapper into the recycling.

So, I guess I should get back to the plan....I am very good with the whole mind wandering....heck...I wish I had that chocolate right now. Ugh! Well....shopping at a small local grocery exclusively will make me think about my meal planning more and I will be cutting down on the expensive items like dairy, meat (for my man), and snack items. You really can get more for your money at the box stores....more crap I mean of course. I think my hubby will have the hardest time with this so I have to ensure that there is lots of easy snacks for him around so he doesn't panic and head to the closest junk food stop.

I believe that I will spend less money while eating organic and supporting my community. By shopping at Eat It I will not only be supporting them but local farmers, bakers, and candlestick makers. I read a lot of Mother Goose with my daughter but Eat It does actually sell local made candles so the reference is fine. ;)

Ok, 2, I would like to try to buy more gifts locally. I did pretty good at Christmas. Not all items were locally made but they were bought at small local stores and away from the Box Stores. I know that there are items that cannot be made in Manitoba but just by stepping into the smaller local shops to purchase the items helps our community and keeps our money here.

3, I want to visit some of the farms where I locally purchase meat, dairy, grains, vegetables, etc. I want to go and see how my food is made and I would like to share the information found here of course.

Lastly, 4, I would like to continue to pump everyone up to our local talent here in Manitoba by continuing to feature and review local artisans, artists, businesses, & restaurants. I will keep on passing any information I find about local craft fairs, awesome community garage sales, and other community supporting events to you.

Please email me anything you think can't be missed to handmadeinmanitoba@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading my posts and please continue to check back now and then. I promise that there will be some great people featured here. You should not have to shop at stores that are so large that you cannot see the 4 walls that surround you. Shop local and make a difference to your community. Support stores like Eat It, Humbolts Legacy, Tall Grass Prairie, and all the other amazing local stores that care about their community, the environment, and helping to keep our bodies healthy.

I hope 2010 is the year that the box stores get kicked out of Manitoba because of my blog and it's readers. Ha Ha! I am not smoking anything over here....I am just having fun. It has only been a couple months since I started it and I have 250-400 visitors a week reading up on what our community has to offer. I don't see why by the end of 2010 I can't have everyone reading it. How many people are there in Manitoba 700,000? Well...at least those with internet access. ;) I really should go to bed. My brain is getting a little out of whack over here. Again, thanks for reading my dribble.

Please let us know what your local resolutions are. Post a comment for the world to see.