harvest (2)

Mushroom adventures

https://www.mycocultures.com/about/

 

Decided to learn a bit more about growing mushrooms. So invested in a couple mushroom kits. 

Have had them for a couple weeks and figured I better do something with them. 

The Oyster Mushroom wasn’t waiting for me, and thus the shrooms are starting to develop, so cool. 

Anyway, it wasn’t that hard to get them ready, cut some holes in the bags, and away we go. Now don’t laugh, I was actually out looking for pieces of wood to plant my kits in. Note to self, read instructions first. That was already taken care of , thus the word “kit” . Digging a little deeper, one can purchase the serum and that will require the logs I was searching for, so not all a waste. 

The link above is actually worth a read, inspirational , background on the business that I purchased the kits from. They are out of Quebec and have resurrected a old mushroom farm. Looks like some innovative ideas percolating there. So glad I purchased there, great story.

Learning about what we eat and grow is a good investment in our health, and mental space, helps one appreciate things more, and with time, helps one become more frugal with our resources. There is a certain satisfaction about growing your own food. 

Invested in some books as well about finding and utilizing  the wild mushrooms that we see on our journeys. My favourite mushroom growing up turns out is called Meadow or Horse Mushroom. I know where to find them and when. The challenge is getting there. Next time, I plan to gather and then resettle some closer to home.  

This fall we were blessed with Puff Balls, we had fun with harvesting and eating them. 

Chaga , our fungus from the birch tree, with its healing properties is a daily addition to our hydration adventures. 

Looking forward to our next meal served with our own delectable King Oyster Mushrooms and Shiitake mushrooms, both I have never eaten before. The adventure continues , “Be The Adventure” 

Also got a message from our shipper that the button mushrooms should arrive on Monday. 

Read more…

Harvest for Food Banks

Yesterday was a full day. I was in the field shortly after 8 getting setup. Robert Dentz and Bill lifted some more rows, they had done a number the afternoon before. People started driving in after 9. We were out of the field by 5. I headed to Prescott Food For All Food Bank with Megan with our final load, came back, cleared the field of pails and hauled the second trailer back for unloading of the pails tomorrow wrapped up just after 7, will get them back into storage and be ready for the next adventure tomorrow. We gathered over 18,000 pounds of potatoes and squash for local food banks and feeding organizations in our community of Brockville and Prescott. There had to be over 50 volunters assist throughout the day, maybe more.

Greg Houldcroft , Executive Director of Cross Town Impact stepped up another year to help get the word out and inspire youth and families to journey to the fields. This event started over 9 years ago when I coordinated with Highway Pentecostal Church to help glean the fields, that would put it around 2010.

Looking back at some old notes , we often stretched this into the colder months

 From: advisor@timothyross.com
Sent: Monday, December 2, 2013 3:08 PM
To: Leigh Bursey  Cc: Rodger McCabe  Subject: Re: ummmm.
​​
Hi Rodger and Leigh, I did a site inspection this afternoon and met with the Dents, there is not enough left to make it viable to do anymore harvesting, what is left will remain for personal consumption and perhaps some secret weapon chips :) Interesting the Kale that is still left is in good shape considering the recent weather, very impressive cole crop.
Thanks for your help and interest, Together We Did Some Great Good, thanks again . Over 4 Thousand Tons of food. Tim
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
From: advisor@timothyross.com
Sent: Monday, December 2, 2013 4:41 AM
To: Leigh Bursey  Cc: Rodger McCabe Subject: Re: ummmm. 

That year Leigh had a car accident on the Sunday before this email. I missed seeing Leigh this year, however he was out for a bit in the morning and picked a few pails that added to the effort.

We had a beautiful day and were blessed with a great day and effort. The passing of the rain clouds was huge answer to prayer, early that morning it did rain a bit, fortunately not enough to stop the process. It had been wet leading up to the harvest, Thursday morning it ws hopeful that things would turn around as we would not be able to get on the fields on Saturday if it did not. Fortunatly Thursday and Friday the wind picked up and the sun came out to help allow the fields to get dryed out enough so Robert could dig the potatoes and then the volunteers pick and bag them .

There is lots of pictures on facebook, this link should take you there.

https://www.facebook.com/omegastewardship/media_set?set=a.10155511473375563&type=3

Greg has album at

https://www.facebook.com/pg/CrossTownImpact/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1967092233371333&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDtObyWVXOjfdP30bSAK5IMyZzpo1udXwEkDIFvQHge3gtKUnpTypeK3anCpEq9Q5ratXNl9Zi_-Rmlu5ZlhJhnLNryvXbc-LwiG4XrYCjBBFHsosKv0PnlUTTH5144_EWWCYxFqb-C_jE907X04pukCfsSSrjiJ2zibaE9bIFkMZxdb1k0_3-PEI2bixPMkLgB2xav5Sy1cRWMzQYu3Ze4lf--4r2mXQ&__tn__=-UCH-R

There is also some video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ8Ci_E95Ns&index=2&list=PLhhVyaUmOQur0rWarodS7R-IZ83neSIGv&t=0s

 

Event Page yr 2018

https://www.facebook.com/events/252158168820736/

Event Page Year 2017

 https://www.facebook.com/events/136567547086454/

Event Year 2016

https://www.facebook.com/events/546632402194822/

https://www.facebook.com/pg/CrossTownImpact/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1169036719843559&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCazWgQ4SdKeLuU6JG6HLwReyBALnuVOYCwpBx_C6WDGgY58PKrKiOuaMD0nwPqIMvQaeDQPrqK8Ok0lhk4RYun3UFB5O8Wsq1pvKF6PB-yt37OBc5j-BIQxnTczhxHhj6ydidL04yIz3nHse6ylKh6OhJAWK8WwSMmp5DS50NbSfNyP5HqX8PU_Cs0stifUPwrgdz7Ap3OACiQwoDfYUcmDn4scB7qKg&__tn__=-UK-R

https://www.facebook.com/omegastewardship/media_set?set=a.10153781321420563.1073741895.727085562&type=3&pnref=story

Event Year 2015

https://www.facebook.com/greg.houldcroft/media_set?set=a.10154776959060282&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/omegastewardship/media_set?set=a.10153026923140563&type=3&hc_location=ufi

https://www.instagram.com/p/8aF0sTR60w/

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156091696175282&set=a.10151301171315282&type=3&fref=mentions

https://www.facebook.com/greg.houldcroft/media_set?set=a.10154776891170282.1073741933.510830281&type=3

Event Year 2014

https://www.facebook.com/greg.houldcroft/media_set?set=a.10154754538255282&type=3&hc_location=ufi

https://www.facebook.com/greg.houldcroft/media_set?set=a.10154754538255282.1073741928.510830281&type=3

Event Year 2013

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=630250570350187&set=a.609011945807383&type=3&theater

 

 

 

 

We don't always get potatoes, in 2011 there was none. 

reviewed with Iris next weekend, for church harvest , Sat Oct 29
​- need shovel's, pitch forks, knives for processing
​carrot's, beets, cabbage, squash

Hotlist Task Created: Phone Call, no potatoes this yr. but other stuff
With: Dentz, Robert & Iris
Scheduled by: Tim Ross  Assigned to: Tim Ross  October 17, 2011

I believe I started this back in  2009 so we have about 10 years of harvesting under our belt at this point. I say about as over time our memories float around the beginning , going to search my archieves and confirm at some point :) 

In the year 2013 I wrote 

Year2014 - Tentative Date Set , Year 5 , it will be an all day event, come and go as you please. Rodger and I have worked the full day almost every time in the past , so it really needs a full day's effort and depending on the produce availability a few extra visits may be required to get it all gleaned.
There was about 5000 pounds of potatoes that we were unable to glean, plus beets , kale, squash , tons of stuff that we just didn't have the people power to glean. Hopefully next year with a greater outreach of volunteers, and expanded time line, that can all change, many hands make for light work.

 

so that is looking like year 2010 start harvest, the planning seed began in 2009 from a conversation I had with the Dents's that fall. 

So, looking like year Year 10 will be 2019, and for fun, lt's set a tenative date  Sturday October 12, 2019 with a rain date oct 19

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gleaning

 

 

 

Read more…