Gearing up for the Season and Other Fun Facts

In this newsletter

• Why sign up for a CSA?

• Re-release: Dreaming of Tomatoes...

• Organic Plant Sale

• Store highlights

• Farming fun fact of the day

• Bonus fun fact

Why sign up for a CSA?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a mutually beneficial agreement between farmers and the community. CSA members sign up for a weekly or biweekly box of vegetables (and sometimes flowers). This helps the farmers plan their season and guarantees sales while providing members with fresher, tastier, minimally packaged vegetables throughout the season at a better rate than grocery stores. Members become intimate with the flavours of the season and are directly connected to their food production.

Our customizable boxes mean that members receive their favourite items and skip the ones they don't like.

Members cutomize their box from home using our online platform. They can also purchase additional grocery store items like bread, eggs, and mushrooms, as well as prepared foods by Boulangerie Marcel which operates at our farm. We also offer subscriptions so you can automatically receive items you consumme regualrly like eggs and bread.

I love getting a CSA because I know the produce is super fresh, minimally packaged and the online platform makes customizing my order and adding additional grocery items really easy and convenient.

For more information, checkout our website: https://www.rootsandshootsfarm.com/csa

Sign up and find more info by clicking here!

And don't forget we also have a flower CSA!

You can also add bouquets to your CSA order at certain times of the year like the bouquet of lisanthus you can see in the picture below.

If you're not yet convinced, maybe a re-release from my April 2025 newsletter will do the trick... ;)

Dreaming of Tomatoes...

Anyone else finding themselves dreaming of tomatoes right about now?

Don't get me wrong, I love our fresh greenhouse winter greens but I'm really starting to crave tomato mayo toast (or "toast tomate mayo" as we say in Quebec). A slice of fresh sourdough from Boulangerie Marcel, a thin layer of mayo, a couple slices of farm fresh tomatoes, basil, and pinch of salt and pepper.

One of my favourite parts of our Summer CSA program is the extent of our tomato season. The electric heated greenhouses give us a tomato harvest from early June to October.

Are you also craving summer tomatoes ? You can sign up for our CSA and secure your access to organic farm fresh juicy tomatoes from June through the fall.

And if you're part of the crew who dislikes tomatoes (an obvious flaw I'll forgive...), fret not! The greenhouses also provide us with an extended sweet pepper, eggplant, green bean, lettuce, and basil harvest. Plus, since our boxes are customizable you can order the items you really love. No tomatoes for you! (and more for me mouhahah...)

Sign up for our CSA by clicking here!

Organic Plant Sale

Our plant sale has begun!

Come checkout our organic vegetables, flowers, and herbs seedlings while sipping an espresso and chatting with your farmers. We'll be here to answer your gardening questions!

Jess is especially excited to offer different-sized packs of her favorite flowers including high value cuts like lisianthus and gladioulus that will give you blooms all season.

We also have organic seeds from Semences Nordiques.

• When: Now until early/mid June during store hours.

  • Thursday: 10h - 17h15

  • Friday: 10h - 17h15

  • Saturday: 9h - 16h

  • Sunday 9h - 15h (New hours!)

Store Highlights

The greenhouses are bursting at the seems with arugula, spinach, salad mix, kale, bokchoy, and chard. As a result, we have tons available for farmstore customers.

We also started harvesting green garlic (young garlic plants) which are a great seasonal substitue for garlic. You can use the whole plant at this stage!

AND we have daffodil bouquets!!!

We have weekly fresh meals available made by Boulangerie Marcel along with their breads, pastas, pastries and transformed goods. I'm currently obsessed with their chilli crisp made with our celeriac and so many delicious ingredients. I add some to every dish!

Store hours once again until our extended summer schedule kicks in:

• Thursday: 10h - 17h15

• Friday: 10h - 17h15

• Saturday: 9h - 16h

• Sunday: 9h - 15h

Farming Fun Fact of the Day

We transplanted our peppers, eggplants and cucumbers into the greenhouses. We're so excited for our first harvest of these crops early July or sooner! We also planted our early beans in the greenhouse and managed to get our first crops in the fields including tons of onions ! Exciting times!

Bonus fun fact

Rhubarb and asparagus season is just around the corner! We'll have some available for our store/plant sale customers as soon as they're ready. Another great reason to pop by the seedling sale!

Happy Spring!

Kat and the Roots and Shoots Farm Team