If you’ve ever been curious what a crop looks like as it grows over a season, then this is the post for you. I have spent the summer documenting one field of AC Chaleur potatoes throughout the growing season. The photos were taken from early June just after the field was planted up to last weekend when we were digging some spuds. It’s an interesting perspective showing the growth and development of the potato plants as they move through their life cycle. To have a closer look at how potatoes grow you can visit “One Potato, New Potato!”
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As summer begins to wind down and we begin to plan for back to school and back to work, our produce stand is at the peak of its season here at the farm. This is the first weekend we have our brand new Yukon Gold potatoes for sale in addition to our mini white potatoes. The sweet corn is picked fresh daily and is simply divine. To tease your taste buds a little bit more, we have some of Ontario’s finest field tomatoes, carrots and onions available. If you have never tasted the difference that #eatlocal produce makes in your dinner, we invite you to stop in at the farm. We also have free recipes and giant colouring posters for the kids. You can visit “What We Offer – At The Door” for more information and directions to the farm. Have a great weekend!
 Things really start hopping here at the farm once August rolls around. The harvester has been dusted off and we are digging new potatoes almost every day. (I often mull over the point of cleaning off the harvester since it immediately gets covered in dust again as soon as it hits the fields!) Picking enough sweet corn to meet our orders is a daily job. The corn stand is super busy as our at-the-door-customers come back time and time again to pick up fresh produce for dinner. All the winter wheat has now been combined and trucked to the grain elevator much to the relief of our combine operator. He had been dreading the combining job due to all the wheat knocked down during the numerous storms this summer. So from now until the harvest is completed in mid-October we will all be moving at top speed. Who needs to sleep anyways?! To see a video of the wheat being combined you can visit "A Combine In Action.”
 
It’s one of the most wonderful times of the year here at the farm! Our little new potatoes are for sale at the door for a limited time only so be sure to get some while you can. They lack a set skin so there is minimal work required to prepare them for cooking. They just need to be lightly washed and then cooked. This new recipe for grilling the potatoes is simple to prepare, simple to cook and simply yummy! Click on the PDF file above to download or print the recipe. To learn more about new potatoes and why they are different, you can visit “One Potato, New Potato!”
 We are hiring! We are seeking to hire a part time driver. This is a seasonal contract job possibly leading to a permanent position. Job requires excellent customer relations skills and involves heavy lifting. Knowledge of the GTA is an asset. AZ/DZ license is beneficial but not required. Clean abstract to be provided upon request. Resumes can be emailed to tpf.employment@gmail.com
I can’t resist adding one more post about our visit to Farmer Tim’s dairy farm last weekend. This video of the cows was taken just after the evening milking was finished. They’re munching on dinner before heading out to pasture for the night. It was fascinating to observe how all the cows knew their daily routine and could anticipate what was going to happen next.
I also wanted to add a thank you footnote to RJ. While I was shadowing Farmer Time and having the time of my life in the barn, RJ was busy in the kitchen. He washed and diced the new potatoes, husked the sweet corn, set up the outdoor pot boilers and then cooked the food that we took for dinner. In his own words, it was the first time that he cooked dinner while I farmed! To read more about our visit to Farmer Tim’s you can visit “Tater Tales Aug 1st: Visiting Farmer Tim.”  Do you know what you’re having for dinner tonight? How about some sweet corn? We are pleased to let you know our sweet corn stand is up and running today! Whether you are planning a trip to the cottage, heading off on a road trip or enjoying a “stay-cation” for this August long weekend, be sure to stop in at the farm to pick up some of the first sweet corn of the season. We also have free giant colouring posters for the kids available at the door, which could come in handy if it rains this weekend. (And it’s quite possible it will during this rainy summer.) Enjoy your weekend! You can visit “What We Offer – At The Door” for more information and directions to the farm.
This past weekend was RJ’s annual reunion with his classmates from university. Over the past 23 years we have visited many farms across Southern Ontario to catch up with good friends from school. This year we were lucky enough to visit a dairy farm outside Guelph that is owned by Farmer Tim. When I saw his two herds of cattle grazing peacefully on each side of the lane way when we pulled into his farm, I knew I was going to have an incredible photo opportunity to share.
Farmer Tim owns and operates one of Canada’s 11,000 dairy farms. His devotion to the welfare of his 40 dairy cows was immediately apparent as he animatedly explained to me the pedigree, personality quirks and names for all his cows as we walked through the milking barn. His cows know and thrive under their structured daily routine which consists of one morning milking, loads of food, quite a few naps while hanging out with their buddies in the pasture, one evening milking and then bedtime. Sounds like what I look forward to in retirement! Education about dairy farming is one Farmer Tim’s greatest passions. His patience with all of us invading his barn while he was doing his evening milking was much appreciated. He took the time to show us step by step what he was doing and why. I even had a chance to try milking a cow myself! Farmer Tim’s cows each yield about 40 litres of milk per day. The milk is piped to a huge holding tank and picked up every other day. I won’t even attempt to explain all of the complex factors and rigorous quality standards that are involved in safely collecting and storing the milk as I’m sure I would get something wrong. Instead I will leave that for the expert! I encourage you to visit his very active Facebook page and learn all about his dairy farm in his own words. “Farmer Tim” |
The Common-TaterThompson Potato FarmFarming is fascinating! 
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