Mossy Glen Farm
NW 23-51-17 W2 S0J0M0 Garrick, SK, Canada

2020 is just about on the compost pile. And it's been awhile since we've posted. The gardening year was cool in the spring, and then average to good, with good precipitation and moderate temperatures. Although yet again, it was more of a year for cabbages than canteloupe ... We had a successful crop of most vegetables. The highlights were Rojo de Seda shelling beans (we used seed from last year's crop and almost every one of them came up), corn (Raquel from Vesey's) and shallots. Frost was fairly early (I believe September 9 or thereabouts) but the fall was mild and long, leaving ample time for harvest and prepping for next year. A few pix from the year, many of them by Mattie Mitchell ...

The first frost of the season last night.

We will be at Saskatoon Farmers Market Sunday (tomorrow). Raspberries, peas, string beans etc etc. Drop by to say hello.

Raspberries are good this year. Come pick some!

Chioggia Beets, also known as candy cane beets. They are named for the town, near Venice, where they originated, and make a nice salad (maybe with some tangy goats cheese to complement the sweetness of the beet). Or make a summery pink borscht with fresh peas and dill. The leaves are large, on the mild side, and make beautiful beet rolls The photograph is one smallish beet. I have several. I will be in Saskatoon tomorrow (Wednesday) and will deliver them anywhere betwee...n the farm and the city. $1 per pound. Feel free to order any other seasonal herbs or vegetables. We also have shelling peas, raspberries, zucchini, with or without blossoms, a variety of greens, radishes, baby carrots, baby turnips, etc. All grown without herbicides or pesticides. Message me today for orders ... See more

A beautiful summer day. The potatoes are new (yum), the strawberries are decent enough for jam, the greens and radishes are the best in years, and tomorrow is day 1 for the peas and raspberries. Also now beets, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, dill, and a bunch of herbs. The beer is cold.

Potatoes in the Rain June was beautiful. Higher than average temperatures and dry, with a couple of well-timed rains. In fact it is raining now, a little over a quarter inch of gentle summer rain, and the air smells rich with oxygen and earth. Already the greens have a deeper hue, both in the grass and trees and Ezra's pee circles on the lawn. The garden is doing well with its typical mix of oh wows and that's disappointing's. Last fall we plowed a new patch in the gras...s where the old corral was years ago, nothing left of it now except some good soil. And we planted potatoes, corn, cabbages, cucumbers and some squash. But principally potatoes, which will love this rain because they haven't been watered at all. German fingerlings, Peregrine Red, a russet and some Bintje. 3 rows each. They are growing well, and there was still moisture in the ground when I hilled them last week. So very promising, although still now only a promise, with their homey offerings of blossoms a bold declaration. I will dig some in a week or so to see how they are. See more

A visit to Jardín, Colombia, and the Finca de Los Angeles, a small coffee farm typical of the small growers in this area. Andrés and Angela worked on a coffee farm as a campesino before buying their small farm. They have 2 children, one an architect and the other an engineer, and following the pattern of many farm families, the children live in the city, and have no interest in growing coffee beans. Andres walked me and my motociclista Mario around his small farm, explaining... the process of growing the beans. Essentially the main harvest is from October through December (with a secondary harvest in May/June). The plants do not have a dormant season. There are buds on the same plants that are harvested, and in January the fields are a sea of white flowers. The beans must be hand-picked because they ripen at different rates. He has 5 workers who pick the beans. He leaves them for 8 hours to begin a fermentation, then washes and runs them through a mill to remove the rind, which is used as compost. The beans are dried for 8 days in the sun and then shipped to a growers' cooperative to roast and market them. The plants are productive in the second year and live for about 30 years. They have to be hand-pruned at various times, and the wood from the plants is used in the wood stove in the kitchen. Other characteristics of note is that this is a farmer without a tractor (the steep hills would make tractors difficult to operate). Also bananas and plantains are grown to shade the plants, which results in a second crop, which Andres used as barter for other fruits, vegetables, and the like. And the coffee was delicious! See more

I was in Tequila Mexico last week. It was fascinating to see the town (a pueblo mágico) and to see how tequila is made ... from growing of the agave to making the tequila to (of course) drinking the stuff!

Snow yesterday.

Hot peppers = hot pepper jelly!

Hops today. The Chinook matured much earlier. These are Cascade.

The first frost of the season last night.

We will be at Saskatoon Farmers Market Sunday (tomorrow). Raspberries, peas, string beans etc etc. Drop by to say hello.

Raspberries are good this year. Come pick some!

Chioggia Beets, also known as candy cane beets. They are named for the town, near Venice, where they originated, and make a nice salad (maybe with some tangy goats cheese to complement the sweetness of the beet). Or make a summery pink borscht with fresh peas and dill. The leaves are large, on the mild side, and make beautiful beet rolls The photograph is one smallish beet. I have several. I will be in Saskatoon tomorrow (Wednesday) and will deliver them anywhere betwee...n the farm and the city. $1 per pound. Feel free to order any other seasonal herbs or vegetables. We also have shelling peas, raspberries, zucchini, with or without blossoms, a variety of greens, radishes, baby carrots, baby turnips, etc. All grown without herbicides or pesticides. Message me today for orders ... See more

A beautiful summer day. The potatoes are new (yum), the strawberries are decent enough for jam, the greens and radishes are the best in years, and tomorrow is day 1 for the peas and raspberries. Also now beets, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, dill, and a bunch of herbs. The beer is cold.

Potatoes in the Rain June was beautiful. Higher than average temperatures and dry, with a couple of well-timed rains. In fact it is raining now, a little over a quarter inch of gentle summer rain, and the air smells rich with oxygen and earth. Already the greens have a deeper hue, both in the grass and trees and Ezra's pee circles on the lawn. The garden is doing well with its typical mix of oh wows and that's disappointing's. Last fall we plowed a new patch in the gras...s where the old corral was years ago, nothing left of it now except some good soil. And we planted potatoes, corn, cabbages, cucumbers and some squash. But principally potatoes, which will love this rain because they haven't been watered at all. German fingerlings, Peregrine Red, a russet and some Bintje. 3 rows each. They are growing well, and there was still moisture in the ground when I hilled them last week. So very promising, although still now only a promise, with their homey offerings of blossoms a bold declaration. I will dig some in a week or so to see how they are. See more

A visit to Jardín, Colombia, and the Finca de Los Angeles, a small coffee farm typical of the small growers in this area. Andrés and Angela worked on a coffee farm as a campesino before buying their small farm. They have 2 children, one an architect and the other an engineer, and following the pattern of many farm families, the children live in the city, and have no interest in growing coffee beans. Andres walked me and my motociclista Mario around his small farm, explaining... the process of growing the beans. Essentially the main harvest is from October through December (with a secondary harvest in May/June). The plants do not have a dormant season. There are buds on the same plants that are harvested, and in January the fields are a sea of white flowers. The beans must be hand-picked because they ripen at different rates. He has 5 workers who pick the beans. He leaves them for 8 hours to begin a fermentation, then washes and runs them through a mill to remove the rind, which is used as compost. The beans are dried for 8 days in the sun and then shipped to a growers' cooperative to roast and market them. The plants are productive in the second year and live for about 30 years. They have to be hand-pruned at various times, and the wood from the plants is used in the wood stove in the kitchen. Other characteristics of note is that this is a farmer without a tractor (the steep hills would make tractors difficult to operate). Also bananas and plantains are grown to shade the plants, which results in a second crop, which Andres used as barter for other fruits, vegetables, and the like. And the coffee was delicious! See more

I was in Tequila Mexico last week. It was fascinating to see the town (a pueblo mágico) and to see how tequila is made ... from growing of the agave to making the tequila to (of course) drinking the stuff!

Snow yesterday.

Had great authentic Mexican food yesterday at Picaro. They have a good variety of mezcal and tequila and do tacos right. Friendly servers. Fun place. They got me thinking about sangrita ... Muy buena comida mexicana al restaurante que se llama Picaro en Saskatoon. Tacos mezcal y tequila! Viva Mexico!

Hot peppers = hot pepper jelly!

Hops today. The Chinook matured much earlier. These are Cascade.

Step 2: Transfer to a bigger pot. In this case a pressure canner. Thanks Renee. Raid your garden for good things to add. Today I added leeks, onion, carrot, sweet and hot peppers. And garlic from yorktongarlic.com (the best). Also some parsley, oregano, thyme and rosemary. Add cinnamon stick, coriander, black cardamom, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Then perform incantation and wait for magic.