Calm After The Storm
Last Friday was a wild day here in Nelson with wind and driving rain blasting in off the ocean, starting during the day and continuing through most of the night. As we have not yet finished the Nursery Greenhouse it was susceptible to the winds and one of the doors was completely ripped of the frame and will require minor repairs to hang it again. We also had at least 2 beds of Sugar Snap Peas essentially get ripped in half which has likely wiped them out just as they were covered in flowers and some advanced trees in our Nursery were also damaged by the winds.
While these are all real setbacks we are not complaining or having a pity party for ourselves. This is the reality of farming, we are creating a somewhat controlled environment with fences, irrigation, shade cloth, polytunnels etc but you are always at the mercy of the forces of nature be it weather damage, rabbits eating all your carrot tops or mice eating all your seeds before they have even germinated.
A key way we counter these risks is with a diversity of crops varieties planted at different stages to stagger our production. If one crop gets wiped out at least we have others in the ground to fall back on. We aren’t gambling everything on one crop or even one harvest window for all of our crops, we are seeding and transplanting 3 out of every 4 weeks of every moon cycle and harvesting every week. Diversity is resilience.
We will return to the Mount Gambier Farmers Market this Saturday September 6th with a wide range of delicious seasonal vegetables and a fresh batch of Jill’s amazing Sunshine Salve.
Customers are welcome to come and visit the farm to take a look and purchase vegetables and supplements Monday to Saturday between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm.
Our produce is available year round at Food For Thought in Mount Gambier where you can find a wide range of healthy products to compliment our vegetables and are featured on the menu at the Nelson Hotel.
We are actively seeking a retail outlet in Portland to extend our reach in the local region.
Look out for official farm tours coming soon!
As always you can support our family and business by purchasing our supplements which are available 24/7 from our websit and can be posted anywhere in the world.
This Week’s Available Supplements
Beef Organs $55
Reishi Mushrooms $55
Turmeric Blend $55
Green Machine $55
Bronze, Brains & Beauty $55
Just Dandy $55
Holy Health $55
Beet It $55
Bovine Collagen $10
Clean Sweep $10
Happy Heart AM $15
Happy Heart PM $15
Notes From The Garden
At Rainbow OMG we recognise the centuries long tradition of Moon Planting. In short the different phases of the Moon correspond to growth in in different parts of plants with about 7 days for each phase. The order is Leaf, Fruit/Flower, Root and Stop. We find this cycle an excellent tool for planning and scheduling of all the regular tasks needed for a functional farm.
We are currently in a Flower and Fruit Week so we have transplanted our first ever Broccolini’s, direct seeded the first Bush Beans for the season and in the Nursery we have potted on Tomatoe seedlings started in July and seeded more trays of Tomatoes, Capsicums, Zucchinis, Cucumbers and Pumpkins. We have also direct seeded a lot of ornamental and medicinal flowers across the farm boundaries.
Product Focus – Spinach
Spinach is one of our most popular crops and needs no introduction. Our Spinach leaves range from baby to quite large and will keep fresh for weeks (not days) in your fridge, it is delicious eaten raw or cooked and is packed with the following nutritional and health benefits:
- Vitamin’s K, A, C and B6
- Manganese, Magnesium, Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Copper, Phosphorus, Zinc, Sodium and Selenium
- Folate, Riboflavin and Thiamine and Niacin
- Boosts Immunity
- Stabilises Blood Sugar
- Maintains Healthy Vision
- Supports Bone Health
- Keeps Skin Glowing
- Aids in Detoxification
- Preserves Brain Health
- High in Magnesium
Here are some ideas to get more Spinach into your diet:
- Buy more or grow more of it 🙂
Spinach grows and tastes best in cooler weather and as such is a seasonal vegetable in our Market Garden.
Instagram Reel of the Week
| See what we have been up to this week at the Rainbow OMG micro farm. |
We look forward to serving you,
Evan and Jill Young
