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Aug 19 2021

This Weeks Exciting Goings On

Brian Hosking News, Produce

IMG_20210819_131038220

It’s been busy at Sugarloaf Ridge Farm this week. We have been working on the greenhouse. It has most of its skin fitted now. We just need to install the doors and the roll-up sides and it will ready to use. It seems to take a long time to do these infrastructure projects in between all the other jobs that need to be done to keep things growing.

We have also had some new solar panels and a battery system installed. This should mean we are now self sufficient for electrical power. Most importantly we are now able to keep things running when the grid is down, which happens from time to time. Now the water supply and cool room will not be interrupted when the mains in off.

Rainbow chard and chives are back for a new season and we still have plenty of Sugarloaf cabbages. I made a mistake and didn’t put the parsnips on the Vegetable order form last week. I’ve rectified that so you can add them to your boxes now. We also have some nice quality Pak Choi ready this week. We have got a few Romanesco broccoli heads coming on too. If you choose broccoli shoots you might be lucky enough to score one. We’ll see what we can do.

The micro greens have been going well and we seem to have worked a few tricks out to getting them to produce more consistently which is nice. They are quite popular so we will be keeping these going.

Instagram is always a great way to keep up with what is going on the farm and we try to post regularly. Please click the images below and follow us if you don’t already.

Today's carrot harvest. Today's carrot harvest.
Some good looking sugarloaf cabbages in the rain. Some good looking sugarloaf cabbages in the rain.
Coriander harvest in the rain. Get these from @org Coriander harvest in the rain. Get these from @organics_bendigo
Broccoli in the rain. Broccoli in the rain.
Strawberry guavas for breakfast. Strawberry guavas for breakfast.
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Aug 15 2021

It’s Starting to Feel Like Spring!

Brian Hosking News, Produce

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The bees are buzzing in the almond blossom and the sun is shining. Spring is just around the corner and the mud is drying out. This week the tomato seeds have been sown, and tucked into the heat bed to germinate. Tomatoes need protection from the cold, but we also need to get them in early enough to get a harvest as soon as possible in summer. We are continuing to expand our existing garden beds to create more growing space. With spring on the way this job is becoming more urgent, particularly because we are running out of places to plant! I guess this means we will have plenty of produce in the coming months.

Our green house project is progressing and we should have the plastic cover on in the next week if the weather behaves and gives us a still day. It’s a bit challenging to manage a 40 square metre sheet of polythene in the wind! Once we have the greenhouse built it will open up opportunities to expand our propagation capacity and therefore increase our overall production of vegetables. Of course this puts even more importance on getting the new garden beds ready to grow in.

This week we will have some nice Sugarloaf cabbages ready to harvest. These little beauties are not too big and should be delicious in a coleslaw or sautéed with some butter and black pepper. There are also some baby parsnips coming on to the list. These are a real treat, and have a great flavour. I can attest to this as we had some baked earlier this week. After the broccoli harvest last week there are some side shoot coming on and these are also available, quantities might be a bit of a juggle but we’ll see how it goes. Hopefully there will be an ongoing harvest of these.

I did spot some asparagus spears poking their heads up yesterday too. Keep your fingers crossed that we have enough to share!

  • Bee on Almond Blossom
  • Sugarloaf Cabbage
  • Calendulas Flowering
Aug 6 2021

Micro-Greens are Back!

Brian Hosking News, Produce

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The good news is that the micro-greens are back after a weeks hiatus. The radish and broccoli are continuing to grow well as micro-greens. We now have some beetroot micro-greens to add to the mix this time around. It has been interesting working out the new nuances to the different crops and we look forward to offering the extra variety. There are currently carrots and parsley growing and are we have just sown some red mustard and mizuna. We’re looking forward to seeing how these new crops go.

This week we need to give our carrots a break to develop some more size. We think we’ve done pretty well to have carrots available for so long. With some better planning next year we should’t run out at all. Hopefully it won’t be long and carrots will be back on the list. We have some locally developed purple varieties in the ground which we are looking forward to tasting when they’re ready.

Excitedly there is a small amount of broccoli available, this is a sprouting European variety called Umpqua. I’m told it should produce a good sized main head, followed by many side shoots. Our Umpqua main heads are a little small, but look ready to pick to me. Hopefully we get some nice side shoots following up later on. There is also some really nice looking Hong Kong Broccoli ready for harvest. This small headed, tender variety is one that we use the whole plant (minus the roots!). It is great in stir fries, steamed or in salads. Yum! One of the best tasting broccoli varieties in my opinion.

It’s Bron’s birthday today so we planned on a day trip tomorrow. Due to the lockdown obviously we’ll be staying at home. That should mean that I’ll be able to get a few more jobs done on the farm. Perhaps I’ll continue on with the greenhouse project. I’ll make sure to post a proper update on it in the coming days.

  • Beetroot Micro-Greens
  • Red Kale Micro-Greens
  • Sango Radish Micro-Greens
  • Pea Shoot Micro-Greens
  • Umpqua Broccoli
  • Hong Kong Broccoli
Aug 3 2021

The Mud, The Cockatoos and The Frustrated Farmer

Brian Hosking News

cockatoo damaged kale

There are some things with in our control and there are some things that are not. The weather and animals are two things that are definitely outside of our realm of control. At the moment we are struggling to move around the market garden without slipping over due to the mud, in fact just last week I did just that and knocked my pelvis out of whack. Fortunately I know a good chiro and I’m feeling a lot better now.

This morning Jonas and I discovered the damage caused by some marauding cockatoos, which decided to use their secateur beaks to prune our garlic crop at ground level, it looks like we’ve lost about 20% of it. They’ve also destroyed a whole lot of kale plants, which my mate Mick would probably congratulate them on! However for those of us who enjoy eating the green vegetable it means a bit less of it for the spring time. A few beetroots, lettuces and red cabbages where also lost in the raid. The most frustrating part of the whole thing is that the cockatoos don’t even eat the food, they just wreck it, and leave it lying around for us to clean up. Tomorrow I’ll be spending some time erecting bird netting over the remaining crop after filling the gaps with new seedlings.

Really I should have expected it after all last year the blighters decimated a row of broccoli plants at about the same time of year. At least this season they have left these alone. Perhaps a better farmer would have preempted the attack and put protection measures in place early. That will be future farmer Brian!

Jul 29 2021

Mid Winter Update

Brian Hosking News, Produce

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It’s still very soggy here at Sugarloaf Ridge, but we’re not complaining after so many years of below average rainfall it’s nice to have a winter that is actually wet for a change.

The Micro Greens have been giving us some headaches this week, with poor germination in the cold conditions, so unfortunately we wont have any for next week. We are confident we should be back on track again for the week after though. Which judging by their popularity will be a good thing.

The wet weather has been causing some challenges for the plants as well as the farmers. Leaves that rarely dry out become a magnet for fungi which damage the leaves, we’re hoping we can improve our management of these problems, with the main strategy to grow healthy fast growing plants that are strong enough to withstand the disease pressure. 

We still have some Kailaan ready for harvest, and some daikon radishes to add to the list. The coriander is looking, and tasting fantastic as is the rocket which is in it’s element during the cooler weather. There are some beautiful broccoli and sugarloaf cabbages sizing up at the moment and hopefully the weather is kind to us and these crops can grow to maturity magnificently. 

There has been a lot going on at the farm. We are extending many of the existing market garden beds to increase our growing space as well as opening up new areas to use for gardens. We’ve moved a third of the orchard trees to their new locations, we now need to quickly move the rest, before spring is upon us and the trees start waking up from their winter dormancy.

I’ll endeavour to update this blog more regularly now that I have a bit more time and with so much going on there is plenty to share. Until next time stay safe and well.

Brian

(Clockwise from Top Left ) Alyssum & Calendula Flowers, Daikon Radishes, Rainbow Chard and Companions, “Sugarloaf” Cabbage, Coriander with a Volunteer Mustard, “Umpqua” Broccoli.

Dec 3 2020

Crunchy New Salad Characters!

Brian Hosking News, Produce

Garden View Nov 2020

Summer is here and whilst the tomatoes, zucchinis and cucumbers are still growing, we still have plenty of spring produce for you to enjoy.

Tokyo Bekana is back again! Our customers really liked it last time around and will be pleased that it is back again. It’s a rock star though (lives fast and dies young!) so it wont be around for long. For more info check out this earlier post https://sugarloafridgefarm.com.au/2020/11/04/asian-greens-bok-choy-tokyo-bekana-tatsoi/

Kohl Rabi is coming onto the scene this week. This is one our family favourites. We usually use it raw, shaved or grated into salads or slaws. It can also be used in many other ways but raw is best!

Kohl Rabi

The lettuces this week are new ones – Jester and Magenta.

Jester is a crisphead lettuce, bright green leaves with red splashes.

Jester Lettuce

Magenta is another crisp lettuce with attractive bronze leaves loosely surrounding a bright green heart.

Magenta Lettuce

Produce available this week:

Kohl Rabi (white)

Tokyo Bekana

Lettuce – Jester

Lettuce – Magenta

Spring Onion

Baby Beetroots

Rainbow Chard

Garlic

Rocket

Salad Mix

Tuscan Kale

Carrots – bunched

Nov 26 2020

Everyone Loves Berries!

Brian Hosking News, Produce, Uncategorized

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It’s berry season and that means we’ve started picking berries morning and night. We’ve got Raspberries, Boysenberries, Young Berries and Silvan Berries filling our fridge and our tummies!

Raspberries & Blackberries

If you would like to share in the berry deliciousness then you can get you fix this coming week.

https://sugarloafridgefarm.com.au/product-category/kitchen-garden-boxes/

The following produce is also available this week:

Spring Onion

Baby Beetroots

Rainbow Chard

Garlic

Rocket

Lettuces – New Red Fire, Pirat (Butterhead), Romaine, Marvel of 4 Seasons.

Salad Mix

Tuscan Kale

Radishes

Carrots – bunched

Bok Choy

Nov 18 2020

New this week – Baby Beetroots & Rainbow Chard

Brian Hosking News, Produce

Garden View

The following produce is available this week:

Baby Beetroots

Rainbow Chard

Garlic

Rocket

Lettuces – New Red Fire, Coastal Star, Romaine.

Salad Mix

Tuscan Kale

Baby Spinach

Radishes

Carrots – bunched

Carrots – loose

Bok Choy

Tokyo Bekana

Nov 12 2020

New Season Garlic!

Brian Hosking News, Produce

We’ve harvested this seasons garlic and it looks and smells fantastic. It has been a great growing season for garlic this year and the cloves are nice and big. I was glad to get it all harvested and hanging up to cure before the rain arrived yesterday.

Garlic bulbs will be available in next weeks boxes as well as the following produce:

Broad Beans

Rocket

Lettuces – New Red Fire, Coastal Star, Romaine.

Salad Mix

Tuscan Kale

Baby Spinach

Radishes

Carrots

Bok Choy

Tokyo Bekana

We also have Kaffir Lime Leaves now available in the Herbs department!

Nov 5 2020

Rice Paper (Spring) Rolls

Brian Hosking Produce, Recipes

Spring Rolls Cut

The Tokyo Bekana was so nice raw that I decided I wanted to keep it that way so I decided to use it in some spring rolls. I’m not the best spring roll “roller” but it’s always fun making them and of course eating them.

I chopped up the Tokyo Bekana, some Spring Onion and Radish. Then striped the leaves of some Moroccan mint, Coriander and Vietnamese mint. Bron and Lucy like smoked salmon in their spring rolls so I tore some up to include. I also prepared some bean noodles by soaking in boiling water.

Almost any fresh vegetables are good in these rice paper rolls, but I found it quite satisfying to limit the range we used this time. I think getting the proportions of ingredients in the spring roll right is important. A lot of the Tokyo Bekana and the noodles and a little bit of everything else…

Ingredients for the rice paper rolls.

Bron and I then went about filling and rolling the spring rolls. The trick here is to not fill the rice paper too full, practice here is the key. I almost always overfill mine, but they still taste great!

I also made a dipping sauce from some fermented chillies from last season, a bit of honey from our bees, some tamari and sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Our beautifully imperfect spring rolls.
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