Hello Rainbow OMGers,
February has delivered yet another week of gorgeous, mild weather. We like to call it “beach weather” when the cool southerly wind is blowing.
As you can see in the photo above we have begun expanding the number of market garden beds at the front of the farm block. We are installing 5 north/south and 5 east/west beds along with a large, “L” shaped bed for Ginger and Turmeric. We aim to utilise all the land we have at our disposal. There is also room for at least 4 more beds up that back to develop in the future.
We start by mulching the paths, then we broad-fork the beds and top dress them with topsoil to bring the beds up to level with the paths. We will be cover cropping all the new beds with Buckwheat to kick start the biological processes in the soil. All beds will be periodically heavily mulched with compost as part of our fertility program.
We have added two new products to our webstore. Customers can now purchase Coriander Tincture and Beef Liver Capsules to incorporate into their natural health regimes.
As we scale up our CSA it is great to know what we can provide our Members all year.
This week we have finally have some Carrots available! We are still learning our trade when it comes to consistent carrot production but we are very happy to have them available.
The garden is also providing a lot of Zucchini’s, Beefsteak Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes. Basil, Bok Choi, Cucumbers, Beetroots, Butterhead Lettuce and Parsley .
Crops currently growing but not ready this week are Rainbow Chard, Green Beans and Capsicums.
We have a new Gardenkraut brewing away in the fermenting crocks that will be ready in a week or two.
Become a Member, Save Time and Money.
Life is busy, we get it, so in order to make life easier we have launched our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Monthly Subscription.
Save over 25% off retail and receive 4 different vegetables and 1 herb bunch
Never miss out and let us do the hard work for you by purchasing a 4 week CSA Share which purchases deliveries for the next 4 weeks and we will choose the best range of available vegetables for you. If you wish you can specify your order each week, otherwise we will take care of everything.
Large Families can purchase 2 shares if necessary and we will increase the variety in your share.
We look forward to serving all of our CSA members .
Some of our crops may be a little different to what customers are used to so we will be providing Vegetable Profiles in our Weekly Post and in a dedicated page on our website. This will provide recipe ideas and nutritional information for all of the vegetables we grow.
Vegetable Focus: Carrots
Everyone is familiar with carrots. They can be eaten raw or cooked and are one of the most popular root vegetables on Earth.
Did you know that the original carrot was purple? It is rumoured that the orange carrots we know and love today originated in 17th Century Holland where growers bred orange varieties to gain favour of Dutch Royalty, orange being the colour of the royal family. This may or may not be true but it is a good story anyway 🙂
In terms of nutrition carrots contain:
- Vitamins A, C and K
- Thiamin, Niacin and Vitamin B6
- Potassium
- Beta Carotene, Lutein and Zeaxanthin
Carrots can provide the following health benefits and more:
- Protecting Eye Health
- Boosting Immune System with Antioxidants
- Decreasing Risk of Stokes and Heart Disease
- Protecting Against Cancers
- Maintaining Oral Health
- Boosting Skin Health and Wound Repair
- Protecting Brain Health and Improving Cognitive Function
Carrots are a crop we should be able to grow all year in our climate, customers can look forward to them being consistently available as the farm continues to develop.
There is a limited supply so get your orders in now.
This weeks available produce:
- Butterhead Lettuce $7.50Â
- Carrots $7.50
- Zucchini $7.50
- Cherry Tomatoes $7.50
- Beefsteak Tomatoes $7.50
- Cucumbers $7.50
- Basil $5.00
- Beetroots $7.50Â
- Bok Choi $7.50
- Parsley $5.00
All items listed for $7.50 are discounted at 3 for $20 when paying with cash or cryptocurrency.
Please head to www.rainbowomg.com to finalise your orders by 5:00 am Friday morning. All Rainbow orders will be delivered from 3:00 pm Friday. For all clients who do not live in Rainbow, Local Pickup times can be arranged by contacting us.
We look forward to serving you,
Evan and Jill Young
