Helping Our Neighbors in Maine
The giving season at Veggies to Table is fully under way. We have already donated over 300 pounds of fresh organic produce. Yesterday we gave 30 pounds to a local family living in the crisis of food insecurity.
The morning was spent picking and preparing the produce and our lovely neighbor came by to deliver to the family who is a couple with a four year old. We donated heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatillos, basil, parsley, zucchini, kale, salad, cilantro, celery, the first red onions, some jalapeño peppers and a bouquet of flowers, everyone needs flowers.
Farm Photos
Almost two weeks ago we welcomed three Wwoofers and Kelsey Kobik an amazing Maine farm photographer to the Oui farm. It was a very hectic and also very fun week. We worked hard, donated a lot of food, and sweated a lot. It was hot. We also ate well and shared our love of Maine with the Wwoofers making trips to Popham beach, and our favorite swimming holes around the area.
Thanks to our farm manager Rachel, Kelsey Kobik and Wwoof-USA for a great week of labor and entertainment. We learned a lot, laughed a lot and probably gained weight. Things have already changed so much since these photos were taken. Everything is lush and large. We are currently harvesting cucumbers, zucchinis, kale, salad, cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, herbs, flowers, cabbage and peppers. The onions are getting close to ready and the garlic was harvested and curing.
We are now busily planting our fall crops which include more kale, salad, broccoli, cabbage, carrots and herbs. More to come!
Our first Celery
It’s finicky and prone to disease. It needs to be watered regularly. We decided to grow it, and succeeded. We have already donated a bunch and will donate more along with more cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, salad and kale.
Picking and Donating with Veggies to Table
We are harvesting so many things these days. We have a plethora of cucumbers, zucchinis, kale, cabbage, broccoli, romaine, arugula, mustard greens, basil, parsley, and now garlic. This morning we donated 40 pounds of cucumbers, zucchini and cabbage through our gleaning group that will go to local organizations that help community members needing healthy food. I will soon be harvesting all of the garlic and hanging it to dry, but tonight I will just be making pesto.
We also have so many flowers from borage and zinnias to sunflowers and soon dahlias. The tomatoes and tomatillos are starting to ripen as well. The abundance of this time of year is such a joy.
Summer on the Oui Farm
After digging out our, very large, beds by hand to eradicate as much of the invasive weed (quack grass) we found everywhere . . . we planted like crazy.
We have been busy. SO busy I have been remiss about writing here. I promise to try to be better. It was a challenging start to our grow-to-donate farm but we have truly begun.
Everything is growing beautifully. We have already harvested tons of greens, salad, zucchini, peas, snap peas, kale, herbs, scapes, cabbage, broccoli and lots of flowers. So much more is on the way. We have started donating to local organizations including meals in a local church, summer lunch programs for children who don’t have enough food, and a group delivering directly to local families in need.