squash, squash and more squash!

Come and get them! We have all kinds. It's time to make your favourite squash stew, roasted squash or soup.

Here is one of my favourite recipes. The best part is all of the ingredients can be sourced local and organic!

Squash stew

1/2 cup dried black bins or 1 can black beans, well rinsed and drained - if using dried soak for 8 hours, then cook for 1 hour
1 winter squash (hubbard, butternut etc.)
1 small red onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
Four ripe tomatoes (or 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes) Small bunch of basil or oregano chopped, or 2 tbsp dried Pinch of cayenne

Cut squash into chunks, removing seeds and skin. Steam them until a fork can be inserted (5-10 minutes, not too long since they will cook more later).
Saute the garlic and onions in a pot until soft. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and add to the pot. Then add the beans, squash and seasonings and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Thanksgiving Market and Gourds Workshop

Come out and enjoy the local, organic harvest. Apples, melons, potatoes, beets, carrots, cabbage, leeks, squash, pumpkins, fall decorative items and more...

Join us for our gourds workshop and squash swap from 10:00 am - noon.

Gourds are one of the oldest cultivated crops that are believed to have spanned the entire globe in prehistoric times. Gourds were most commonly used for storing supplies, hauling water, making cooking and eating utensils, musical instruments, bird feeders,bird houses, and rattles. Today gourds are still considered one of nature's greatest gifts to mankind.

Join us for a discussion of gourd growing and drying. Learn about the variety of vegetables in the cucurbits family and how to grow them organically. Bring a squash from your garden this season and swap it for a different variety.

Sept 26 update

We will be set up at the Wellesley Apple Butter and Cheese Festival on Saturday (in front of the Old Mill) so there won’t be a produce stand at Diversity Gardens for Saturday, Sept 26th.

- If you want produce this week - you can pre-order by contacting us at tschumilas@rogers.com and we will leave your order boxed with your name on it, on the vegetable stand. Please order by Friday am. You can just leave your payment in the container provided there.

Apples are coming now - we have Paula Reds (perfect for apple crisp and sauce) and Macs this week. More varieties to follow. Please let us know if you want a quantity of a particular apple and we’ll try to source organic for you.

Squash, squash and more squash. We are just starting to pick. Right now we have different types of spaghetti squash, pie pumpkins and North Georgia Candy Roaster.

Tomatoes have been hit by late blight everywhere - so they are dwindling now. This is likely the last week for tomatoes.

Leeks are being dug - so its the time for leek and potato soup for sure!

We expect to offer produce until October 31 - and that will be our last day. So - just a few more weeks. (Then I can sleep in on Saturday mornings finally!)

Canadian Heritage Tomatoes

Did you know that there are no longer any garden tomato breeding programs in Canada? All new varieties on the market are bred for American gardens and growing conditions. Most seed companies are importing seeds from other countries and tomatoes that were bred in Canada in decades past are being lost.

Join us at Diversity Gardens on Saturday, September 19th from 10am - 12 noon to explore why we need to save Canadian tomatoes and how we can do that. Taste test many varieties of organic heritage tomatoes, take home seed and stay for an afternoon tomato canning workshop.

Want to do more? Join Seeds of Diversity's Canadian Tomato project. Check it out at http://www.seeds.ca/proj/tomato/

local, organic apples at Diversity Gardens!

Come and get 'em! This week we will have Jersey Macs and Paula Reds.

Macs, Courtland and Spartans will be available mid September.


Why organic apples?
Apples, as all orchard fruit are one of the most heavily sprayed crops. The USDA Pesticide Data Program has found 42 pesticide residues on apples, and that is just from production. Before conventional apples make it to the grocery store displays they undergo a fungicide dip and shellac based waxing, and sometimes irradiation.

For more information:

Organic apple Production
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/fruitover.html
http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/rcbtoa/training/fruit.htm

Conventional apple production
http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/food.jsp?food=AP
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/pub360/7appcal10.htm
http://postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu/PC2004A.pdf
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13514892/Preservation-of-Fruits-by-Waxing

What's On Your Food?

Find out what chemicals and pesticides are on your favourite foods at www.whatsonmyfood.org.

harvest season is here

Summer seems to have come and gone, but that means we are heading into the fall bounty! Each week we will have a great selection of yellow and green beans, lettuces, potatoes, garlic, onions (red and Spanish), shallots, leeks, zucchini, beets, carrots, tomatoes (cherry, heritage, salad), squash, broccoli, cauliflower....and ready this week organic sweet corn!

We won't be updating the blog site for what is available each week at the market stand as much over the harvest season, unless there is something extra to highlight, but stay tuned for our Eating Organic blogs instead - recipes, tips and ideas for eating local and organic.

Also, check out our up and coming workshops at Diversity Gardens:

Seed Saving Garden Tours

Saturday, August 29, 10:00 am and 1:00 pm

Bring a bundle of envelopes and join us on a seed saving walk through our heritage flower and vegetable gardens. You will learn about pollination and how to save seeds for a wide variety of ornamentals and vegetables. Take seed home with you. Save Seed and Save the Future!

Preserving the Harvest - Canning Peaches

Wednesday, September 2, 6:00 - 8:00 pm

Want to enjoy fresh peaches over the winter? Join us for an evening session on canning basics. Each participant will take home 3 jars of peaches and all the information and skills needed to preserve peaches at home. We have ordered in spray and fungicide free peaches from Niagara. Space is limited to 10 participants, so register early!

Cost is $30 per participant. Register in advance by emailing us at cogpww@sympatico.ca

Rediscovering Canadian Tomatoes

Saturday, September 19, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Did you know that there are no longer any garden tomato breeding programs in Canada? All new varieties on the market are bred for American gardens and growing conditions. Most seed companies are importing seeds from other countries and tomatoes that were bred in Canada in decades past are being lost. But - you can save them!! Come learn to grow heritage tomatoes and save their seed. You’ll get a chance to taste true Canadian tomatoes and take some of their seeds home with you for next year.