Planting garlic in November with Karen in to scythed down beds of oats and peas. An experiment.
Andrew had just made us a wonderful cup of tea but the work must go on. Pussyhats made by dear friends and master knitters, Heather and Lise, for the demos in New York (2019?).
As well as beautiful garlic, there are beautiful herbs and flowers.
These photos are taken on the land by Magdalena of Woman Divine. In my mind, Magdalena is an artist and master formulator. She uses medicinal herbs and flowers that I grow right here to formulate super nourishing balms and oils that truly feel divine. I have been using her products for a good 10 years now and continue to feel like I am giving myself a treat every, single time. And that is twice a day, every day! You can learn more about and order her artisanal organic skin care products on line at Woman Divine. Magdalena shares photos of the herbs we grow and her to our farm on her blog and instagram here. Have a look!
I hope this message finds you and all your cohorts and loved ones, well. I don’t think an email can be sent out anymore without acknowledging the unprecedented times that we are living. While things are topsy-turvy and tumultuous, in both difficult and hopefully good ways, I am so fortunate to be working among the flowers and vegetables and weeds and soil, insects, trees and sky. The rhythms of the earth remain stable (notwithstanding this age of climate and biodiversity crises). This morning the geese were active in the skies again; last week, the garlic was ready to be pulled. Soon, we will feel overloaded with tomatoes and then before we know it, the turtle eggs will hatch and these tiny, awesome creatures will start making their way to the creek.
I hope none of you have had to experience undue hardship and have some form of refuge that nourishes you.
The lovely garlic was pulled last week and just on time (thanks to friends Karen and Jamie) before a massive downpour. Now the bulbs are drying nicely in the big solar shed and I’ll start distributing the wealth in a week or two. For those of you who have been my customers for a long time, you already know why you keep coming back so feel free to just click on the order now button below. The only thing for you to note is that the price is going up slightly this year for the first time to reflect the current organic market price for local garlic. Excellent, prize winning garlic, that is! I’m not sure if you’ll notice the difference but you may want to add on a few bulbs just to be sure
Here’s the usual reminder of what we grow. There are three varieties that I have trialed over the last 15 years and that I like the most. Susan Delafield and Red Russian are both hardnecks, Susie D usually has 4 large, easy to peel cloves, Red Russian has around 6. Sicilian is a softneck with around 8 medium to small cloves, that are terrific crushed. Susie D stores well. Sicilian is the star keeper – I’m just now finishing up the cloves from last year’s harvest. They become easier to peel with time too. Red Russian looks great and should be eaten first.
I am again selling in bundles of $20. Please send me an email indicating the variety you want and the quantity. I will be back in touch to organise an August delivery.
As well as beautiful garlic, there are beautiful herbs and flowers.
These photos are taken on the land by Magdalena of Woman Divine. In my mind, Magdalena is an artist and master formulator. She uses medicinal herbs and flowers that I grow right here to formulate super nourishing balms and oils that truly feel divine. I have been using her products for a good 10 years now and continue to feel like I am giving myself a treat every, single time. And that is twice a day, every day! You can learn more about and order her artisanal organic skin care products on line at Woman Divine. Magdalena shares her recent visit to pick and collect herbs from our farm on her blog and instagram here. Have a look!
Here they are… right in time for the bbq: Shiitake.
Side by side with their friend, Scape.
Scapes you say…..Pizza? Pesto? Pasta? Pickled? Or my favourite and easiest: grilled. Whole on the BBQ, smothered in a nice oil and sea salt. Finger food. Oh, and with Shiitake of course
Grilled Mushrooms
adapted from a real chef’s recipe
Grill mushrooms only until tender and juicy: over-grilling produces a dry mushroom.
1. Remove stems from shiitake (put in a bag in the freezer for future ‘stock’ making). Toss with oil, salt and pepper. Grill over high heat for about 3 minutes per side or until browned and sizzling.
2. Remove and toss with balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon rind and parsley.
OR Remove and eat as is 🙂
Serves 4
Scape dip
Scapes, mint, walnuts, maple syrup, yoghurt or kefir and salt whipped up to your taste in a blender.
Put it in your favourite bowl, garnish with a mint leaf and edible viola (as in the pic above).
Et voilà. 10 minutes later, ready to dip in or spread
You have been asking. Here it is. True traditional, thick and delicious syrup. The kind we think you remember from the good old days.
Covid-19 protocols are in full force: we will deliver sanitized bottles to your doorstep and you can Etransfer us the payment. Send me an email to place your order: creekntree@gmail.com. Stay safe and well.
Bang your pots at 7pm!
Scroll down for a great granola recipe using our maple syrup from friend and yoga teacher, Karen Smereka.
Super Duper Granola drizzled with electrolyte-filled maple syrup
Granola #1 from New Farm in Collingwood 3 cups Almonds Chopped or slivered ½ cup pumpkin seeds ½ cup sunflower seeds ¼ cup chia seeds 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened) ¼ cup coconut oil (melted) ½ cup MAPLE SYRUP ¼ cup hemp 2 tsp vanilla 1 tbsp cacao powder 1 tbsp cinnamon Mix all together and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes (that’s according to New Farm but I find it needs longer to make it golden – 30 minutes or more depending on the cookie sheet you use. But watch it closely!)
You know how it is. Smelling a fresh new bulb of garlic, cracking open a fresh new bulb of garlic, slicing in to a FRESH, NEW bulb of garlic…So tender and juicy, you can even eat the skins. And then there is the actual eating of that freshly harvested garlic. You can taste it, I know.
The garlic has almost all been pulled and I am very happy with the harvest so far. Here’s a reminder of what we grow. Two varieties that I have trialed over the last decade and that I like the most: Susan Delafield and Sicilian, along with a small number of Russian Red because I love their looks. Susie D and Red Russian are both hardnecks with about 4 large, easy to peel cloves. Sicilian is a softneck with around 8 medium to small cloves, that are terrific crushed. Susie D is much like Music and stores well. Sicilian – featured in the photo below – is the star keeper and can last until next year’s garlic is harvested
I’m selling in $20 bundles again. Let me know what variety you’d like and if you prefer small, medium or large bulbs. For those of you who constantly run out of garlic, may I suggest you stock up and avoid disappointment? It stores well – and adds art to your home: show them off in a beautiful bowl or upright in a vase, hang them from a high ledge somewhere. Just make sure there is air, the temperature is relatively stable and they are not in the sun.
Sicilian Silver – an Artichoke variety that stores super well
What makes our garlic GREAT? It is grown with extreme care and attention to detail by hand only. This year, we have been very lucky – no leek moth! This is a first since we started growing for sale 11 years ago. Our solar powered fans are now ensuring that they will be well cured (unless you can’t wait that long) without the use of fossil fuels. We guarantee you healthy, vibrant garlic.
Just like summer, the logs kept us waiting. But here they come. Always worth the wait. Fresh shiitake are so substantial. While supplies last!
Looking for more than garlic?
We have other goodies too:
“the best maple syrup ever” $24/1 litre mason jar
“the absolute best mushrooms – ever!” – Shiitake Mushrooms $5/115gram bag
the prettiest bouquet of Sunflowers $1/stem
and “you should have seen us eat the salad with your greens. It was delicious!!!” assortment of vegetables – please ask for a list of what the gardens are providing
This year we have ramped up our medicinal wildflower harvest and are supplying the wonderful womandivine.ca with fresh flowers. Magdalena’s formulations are out of this world. An absolute treat. Woman Divine posts gorgeous photos (including of our flowers) here.
Hopefully you are one of the lucky ones, a procrastinator perhaps, who has not yet stocked up on syrup from the woods. If so you are in for a treat. The season started late but in the end, the bounty was sweet.
Thanks to our partners, Rick and Suzanne, we have a snazzy sugar shack with refurbished windows and doors to look out at the beautiful trees; a stove that burns our wood efficiently and an evaporator that does its magic. Turning fresh sap into delicious syrup.
Our forest, including the sugar bush, is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. We use good old fashioned pails (well, not THAT old fashioned!) and fetch the sap with buckets by hand, walking along lovely trails. We get the hardwood to fire the stove from our forest. Rick and Suz bring in the softwood from their neck of the woods just minutes away.
Good morning friends. The moon is still setting outside as the glorious sun rises. We have had less rain than needed this summer and yet the Earth has continued to provide. We have a lovely hare visiting us at all hours this year. S/he is hanging out in the garlic shed; the sweetest little guardian.
I have honed in on the two varieties I like best, Susan Delafield and Sicilian, whilst keeping a small number of Russian Red and Music for those of you who must have your fix of these. Susie D and Sicilian are different: one is hardneck and one is a softneck. One scapes and one doesn’t. They are both super flavourful. Susan has about 4 large cloves and is easy to peel. Sicilian has around 8 medium to small cloves, that are terrific crushed. Sicilian lasts. In fact, there are still a few little Sicilians in my pantry from last year’s harvest. I grow smaller amounts now and am enjoying that; caring for the bulbs is less onerous this way.
This year I suggest you store or better said, display, your garlic on an open counter or table, out of the sun, in the middle of a room. Show it off on a platter. It is a prize possession. Like Andy Goldworthy‘s ephemeral land art: it will grace your home until it disappears back to nature from whence it came. And you might allow it to go out with a bang: as part of an artful (and nourishing) meal.
I sell by the bulb at organic market prices ranging from $1 for a wee one to $3 for a jumbo bulb. Most are between $2 and $2.50. Your garlic purchase is a statement. All your food choices are à la Michael Pollan. Two name drops in one email…forgive me.
What makes our garlic GREAT?
It is grown with extreme care and attention to detail by hand only. This year, the thick beautiful hay mulch allowed the bulbs to swell in spite of the drought. Little larvae are picked off by hand and the fans for drying are powered by the sun and turned just right twice a day. Little to no fossil fuels are served up on this diet. We guarantee you healthy, vibrant garlic that tastes fresh, delicious and that will store as long as the variety and conditions will allow. Money back.
Andrew continues to refine the art of growing shiitake. We have a couple hundred logs in production now and the current crop is beautiful. And delicious. Earthy and rich. Would you like to add some to your garlic order? $5 for 115 gram.
“the best maple syrup ever” is what we hear and not just from our own family. There a few bottles remaining: 1Litre $22, 500ml $12 and $250ml $9. Pure gold.
Creek'nTree Farm 