G'Day Folks,
Finally our new coolroom is up and running!! We had it commissioned last Monday and it’s running perfectly. This is a major milestone for Sohip and will not only allow us to grow more organic food for our community but save a lot of back breaking double handling.
Our new coolroom is also large enough to pack your orders, which means no more 3am starts to beat the heat. We take so much pride in making sure your fruit and veg is as fresh as possible and for over 3 years now we have been rising out of bed well before the birds have woken up, to harvest your veg and pack your orders in the cool morning hours ensuring that freshness you're all use to.
The first of the summer veg has been planted and despite the cool change killing some of the Zucchini’s, we should have summer vegetables coming off our farm in 6-8 weeks. We did have a failure on the first corn and bean planting and will need to re-plant again this week. We tried a new seeder and the settings weren’t quite right.
I am so looking forward to you all trying our freshly picked corn, it is unbelievably sweet. The corn we get from Duke farm is never as sweet because of the extra travel it takes to get it. As soon as you pick corn from the field, the sugars immediately start converting to starch. Which is why they can sometimes taste floury. As soon as you see Sohip corn on the website, be sure to add to your order and eat it as soon as you can. Share it with friends and I have no doubt it will be the best corn they have tasted in a long time.
I am so looking forward to you all trying our freshly picked corn, it is unbelievably sweet. The corn we get from Duke farm is never as sweet because of the extra travel it takes to get it. As soon as you pick corn from the field, the sugars immediately start converting to starch. Which is why they can sometimes taste floury. As soon as you see Sohip corn on the website, be sure to add to your order and eat it as soon as you can. Share it with friends and I have no doubt it will be the best corn they have tasted in a long time.
Last week we also released a few thousand parasitic wasps called Trichogramma. These little guys are a beneficial insect and help us keep on top of the caterpillars until our native Braconid Wasps turn up. I have found in previous years the Braconid wasps take a while to get going and aren’t as effective because they lay their eggs inside the caterpillar which has already eaten some of the crop. Where as the Trichogramma wasps lay their eggs inside the caterpillars eggs, killing the caterpillars before they emerge and start to munch on the leaves.
All in all, we are off to a good start this Spring, the pests are under control, we are on top of the weeding. The new coldroom is operational and our spirits are high. It’s a good feeling to be on top of things for once, as summer is an absolute slog here on the coast. Most farmers take the summer months off, but we are unable to do this financially. So being organised and having some extra help over these months is crucial.
All in all, we are off to a good start this Spring, the pests are under control, we are on top of the weeding. The new coldroom is operational and our spirits are high. It’s a good feeling to be on top of things for once, as summer is an absolute slog here on the coast. Most farmers take the summer months off, but we are unable to do this financially. So being organised and having some extra help over these months is crucial.
I hope you're all enjoying this cool change after what was a hot start to spring. We certainly are making the most of it!
Thank YOU for joining us on this epic journey & supporting Your local farmer!