Let the Harvest Begin..


The lavender is blooming.
We pick it to make our blueberry lavender jam all year, and to sell in the shack here at the farm.

Harvest time has begun...for everyone.
The challenge to our family this summer..will WE get to eat a strawberry!


We grow a lot of garlic to sell in the summer. 
The garlic scapes (the flower that comes up in the centre of each garlic) are up  We snap them off so the energy goes into the garlic bulb.  You can eat these and they are great to cook with. 
How many do we have...


This is just one pile.
We gave bags of them away, then went to Granville Island on the weekend, and saw that they were selling for two dollars each! 
We are now considered really really good friends to have.

 

I've raised my girl to understand that we all have to work together.
So she and her daddy had scape duty.


I had to make jam, so I couldn't have garlic hands.
At least, that is what I told them.

 

Wiz them up in the processor with a bit of olive oil, into some ice cube trays..


Voila.. garlic cubes for cooking or making pesto.


I also finally got my act together and joined facebook.
Well, Missing Goat joined facebook.
I'm still learning how it all works, and will do my best to keep up with both.

Lady Bug 101...


Buy your ladies.


Wait till dusk. 
Spray sugar water on plants.
Open bag.


Speak nicely to them.


Everyone knows, ladies respond to flattery.


see.
(for those who don't know, ladybugs eat pests in your garden like aphids)
You can buy them at almost any garden centre nursery.

Snow on the Ground..


I'm feeling like summer is finally here.
It's still a bit cold, but the peonies and roses are in bloom.


We have had a lot of action at the farm this past week.
A newspaper story about the farm and being organic...


...then a tv crew for the Express on Shaw TV.


But what I've been obsessing over, are the flowers in the garden.


Giant blooms bursting here..


giant blooms bursting there...


giant blooms bursting everywhere.


and after the giggles stop, and they are fast asleep.. I grab my camera and head out.


to see the summer snow.

Missing Goat Found...Online!


Finally, Missing Goat is available online!
We have four jams, all certified organic and delicious.
Blueberry with Lavender, Very Very Raspberry, Rhubarb with Rosemary and coming soon...Strawberry with Black Pepper.

These are the new labels done by a lovely gal I met last fall while shooting her home and family for a magazine in San Francisco called Anthology.
If you need some happy graphics done, give Nerissa a visit.
I love my new labels. Nerissa read my mind.
Oh, if you want to know why I have 3lbs on the labels...it's because there are three pounds of organic berries in each batch of jam.  Each batch of jam makes only 6 jars! 
That's a lot of fruit in each little jar!


I also want to thank all of you for the overwhelming response to my help wanted post.
WOW
So many of you put my ad on facebook, twittered about it (I know that isn't the right word???) and I was swamped by kind people all wanting to help.
So, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Help Wanted!!!

photo by Janis Nicolay

I know most of you live far far away in a wonderful land.
But...
Some of you live nearby. 
So...Help!


The farm opens in a month and we need some lovely people to come work with us.


We need blueberry pickers.
While my girl is always eager to help..it lasts all of 4 minutes and the profits are low.
You can pick in the morning, you can pick in the evening.
We start Mid July and close end of August.

photo by Janis Nicolay

We need someone who likes to bake pies! 
Every Saturday at the farm is blueberry pie day.


There is also lavender to be harvested...

photo by Janis Nicolay

..and lots of jam to be made.
This requires some experience in the canning department please.
Or, if you have always wanted to learn to make jam, you are super eager and would give it your very very best effort, then I would love to chat.
All jokes aside, I am serious!
Help!!
Oh, for those who don't know, I live in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

oh, and to answer what the last shot was from my last post...

Early Mornings..


We finally had some hot weather this weekend.
So, we've been up early gardening in our pyjamas.
As I mentioned earlier, it's almost expected around here!


I've been getting boxes and boxes of rhubarb.  I have a new Missing Goat jam about to launch - Rhubarb with Rosemary.
It's so good, but honestly, after chopping 150 pounds of it, my enjoyment is fading.
Another hundred next weekend ...anyone free to help chop??


I love the light in the early morning.


I love the shadows too.


My friend Janis, gave me the thumbs up on my back lighting, so, I felt encouraged to try more. 


Even weeds seem magical.


Now I don't give myself praise to often, but this, is my back light pride and joy.
Though the glowing ears of that bunny were damn fabulous too!
Good morning dewy strawberries.


And then I saw this.
Can you guess what it is? 
Give it a shot.
I'll let you know in a few days..