September is a beautiful month. We could always use a few Septembers, especially like this one: sunny warm days that keep the tomatoes ripening on the vines; cool dewy nights that help to revive the soil and perennial forages. The air is clearer, the days are a nice length. We are just a couple of days away from the fall equinox.
A few times this year we have had folks ask when we will be offering farm tours, and I had said we would do someting in September.
September arrived a few weeks ago and we haven’t scheduled an Open Farm Day BUT if you’re a real keener you could register for the upcoming workshop that is being hosted on the farm next Wednesday, September 23rd. This workshop will mostly be attended by agrologists, but it is open to anyone. Poster below, but you need to email catherine@agrowest.ca in order to register.
The summer kept us busy with the usual summer things.
It is the busiest time on the farm, but it is also the busiest time for our on-farm guesthouse. If you haven’t heard of the guesthouse before we would encourage you to check it out, especially if you are planning any kind of gathering; family reunion, anniversary, birthday or even a low-barrier spring break-escape.
It has seven bedrooms and is a very peaceful place, perfect for gatherings, but it also lends itself to group retreats and strategic planning sessions.
Pass the word on to any avid nordic skiiers in your life as the farm is located midway between Larch Hills Nordic Centre and Sovereign Nordic Centre, a quick, 30 minute drive from both.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about it. We are moving into our slower season for the guesthouse (the in-ground pool closes in October) and we have ample availability throughout the winter.
Farm News
This week you will be able to find us at the PENTICTON farmers’ market on Satursday.
Ordering is now open for pickups next week in Armstrong and Kelowna.
Speaking of Armstrong and Kelowna, those are the only two locations where we will have FRESH Thanksgiving turkeys available for pickup. Turkeys can be ordered now (quantities are limited) however you will need to change your pickup to either Kelowna or Amrstong, otherwise the turkey will not show up on the website as it is not available to order for other pickup locations. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
The turkeys that we are selling are from the same Armstrong farmer we got them from last year. We visit them regularly and know that they have ample pasture to roam on, as well as certified organic grain feed. The turkeys are not, however, certified organic.
We recently found that we can send ordering reminders through our website, and have stopped using this newsletter quite so much. In fact we have decided to move our farm news to the blog that we have, which you can visit at your leisure. This is likely the last email newsletter you will get this way, though I have enjoyed writing them I will likely write my blogs like they are these little letters to you as well! So keep an eye out for those here.
Life News
Life continues to surprise us with her twists and turns. In August Etta turned TEN, Steve turned some age between 40 and 50.
Then, in September, Finley turned 8 and two days later his great grandmother, Gerry, who still lives on the family farm (1 km north of where we live) turned 99. Ninety-nine years old! The changes that have happened in her lifetime are quite astonishing. As is the fact that she has lived on the farm now for over 50 years.
In September I lost my only remaining Uncle. He was 80 years old, and while we were not close – he had moved from the family farm in Chase to the East coast of the United States decades before I was born – he was still the only family we had on my mom’s side. Death makes you look at life a little bit differently. Makes you reflect on what is important, and what is not, and what should not be taken for granted. It seems to slow time down a little bit, and think about both the random chance, and also the choices we do have. The choices we can make to exercise, to be outside, to celebrate family, and to eat good food.
With gratitude,
Annelise
