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The Common-Tater

Journey From The Underground Part I

9/27/2016

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After months of tending our crop, we are finally ready for the harvest. It takes about six weeks of very long days full of labour intensive work to harvest the entire crop. You haven’t seen anything until you’ve lived through the harvest season on a farm!
 
The windrower is the first machine to pass over the potato crop and it is operated on our farm by John Thompson. It is a digging machine that piles up potatoes for the harvester. It digs up four rows of potatoes and leaves them into one single row.  As it digs the potatoes, any weeds, rocks and large clumps of soil are moved by a large belt behind the machine where they are not in the way of the harvester. The windrower also cleans some of the dirt off the potatoes
 
I became curious as to the origin of the name for this piece of farm equipment so I did a little research.  I learned that a “windrow” is “a long line of material heaped up by the wind or by a machine.” (online dictionary) So our potatoes are piled in a “windrow” by the “windrower.” Interestingly enough, although the name typically refers to rows of cut hay or grain crops, it also is the official name for the piles of snow left at the end of your driveway after the snow plow has cleared the road. Now you know!
 
If you would like to see a video of the windrower, you can visit the installment of The Common-Tater called “The Potato Windrower.”
 
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The Potato Windrower

9/26/2016

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The windrower is the first implement we use when we begin to harvest our potatoes. To learn more about the function of this machine, you can visit our installment of The Common-Tater entitled “Journey From The Underground Part I.”
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Farm To Fork Thanksgiving Tour

9/23/2016

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Fall is here. It brings to my mind crisp, clear days followed by cool nights, brilliant colours, and the bounty of farm fresh food. What better way to spend a beautiful fall weekend than touring our local countryside? We are thrilled to announce that we will be participating in the first East Gwillimbury Farm To Fork tour taking place on Saturday, October 1st. This self-guided tour features stops at local farms where you can purchase everything you need for your Thanksgiving dinner. Stops include The Sharon Temple, Rose Family Farm, Brooks Farm, Sharon Mushroom Farm, Bill's Turkey Farm, King Cole Ducks, and of course Thompson Potato Farm. For more information, click on the URL below. We hope to see you next weekend!
 
http://yorkdurhamheadwaters.ca/regions/york/east-gwillimbury/

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Rest In Peace Bill

9/19/2016

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March 3, 1933 - September 15, 2016
 
Bill Thompson had been around the farm for as long as I can remember.  He came to live here in 1982 till he retired in 2007.   I have very few photos as he wasn't really a selfie kind of guy, but if you met him you would remember him.  If he liked you, he would talk your ear off about current events learned by watching CFTO News.  If he didn't care for you, he would politely turn his back to you and walk away.
 
Born into the care of the Salvation Army in Orillia, he did not know his family.   He spent much of his early life in institutions until privatization closed many of them during the 1960's.  Considering his limited ability to read and do math, Bill was very proud of his independence.   A budget included groceries, pipe tobacco, and a case of Labatt Blue. He would clean his floors till you could see your reflection, then completely cover them with newspaper so he could leave his boots on.  He cooked enough food for a family of four each meal, yet never ate leftovers.  The most impressive quality was his work ethic.  He could carry product into restaurants that weighed slightly more than half of his own weight.
 
Soon we will bring Bill home to the farm for eternity.  His ashes will remain here, at the place he proudly called home and with us, who proudly called Bill family.  Rest in peace.

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"Thompson Potato Farm serves up fresh spuds in Mount Albert"

9/12/2016

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It’s always interesting to see how your farm is viewed from someone else’s perspective! Click on the URL below to read all about our farm as written by reporter Simon Martin. The article was published in the East Gwillimbury Express on Thursday, September 8, 2016.
 
http://www.yorkregion.com/community-story/6842511-thompson-potato-farm-serves-up-fresh-spuds-in-mount-albert/
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Good Luck John!

9/2/2016

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We would like to take this opportunity to wish farewell and good luck to our eldest son John as he leaves on Saturday to begin his studies at university.  John will be the third generation of Thompsons to study agriculture at the University of Guelph. He will be missed by all of us here at the farm, as well as our customers who have become accustomed to him delivering our potatoes to them. We are very proud of him and looking forward to seeing him on weekends when he comes home to help with the harvest. Good luck John, and don’t forget to study!  You can visit “Our Story” to learn more about the people who work at our farm.
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    The Common-Tater

    Thompson Potato Farm

    Farming is fascinating!
    Be sure to stop in at "The Common-Tater" to see updates about our potatoes,  farming in general, life on the farm and new recipes.

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