Pannifer's: Celebration Fridays

I have been wanting to see where the wonderful food in our CSA basket comes from for awhile now.

Douglass St. Christian said he'd be happy to take me along sometime when he and his friend, Maxine were picking it up. We made our arrangements and yesterday was the day.

And what a perfect day for a visit to the farm it was! Bright and sunny. Warm but with a slight breeze that warned, "This won't last. Best enjoy it while you can!"

We arrived, in a convoy of two cars, at James and Elvina's farm, near Millbank, around noon. I was able to take a few pictures of the garden.

I get a little dizzy just thinking of all the work that goes into this!

Then it was time to load the baskets into the cars - half into Douglass's and half into Maxine's. (As the number of subscribers increased, Douglass wondered if he should invest in a van for transporting the baskets, but decided that if he and Maxine both had hatch-backs, they could get the job done with far less environmental impact than a great big van. I like that they thought it through.)

As we were loading up the cars, Elvina came out to see us. I was introduced and we had a bit of a chat. She knows the names of all of her subscribers and asked how Alan's baking plans were coming along.

We talked a bit about the garden and how much she enjoys working in it, even though it's pretty hectic this time of year. She told me that she spends all day Wednesday picking, cleaning and sorting the produce, packing it into the baskets (26 yesterday) and storing them in the cold box. Amazing.

With the visit over, it was time to head home. Stopping, of course, along the way at country markets, a bakery, a local farm. We said hello to a few of the locals.

And just enjoyed the day.

Once home, the baskets were unloaded from the cars and put on the porch, ready for pick-up. Then the three of us sat down for a cup of tea and a chat. Maxine told me that, since she started doing this, she hasn't had to buy any food in supermarkets. She has the CSA basket in the summer, the Farmer's Market in the winter, as well as some local farmers that she knows.