In this time of change and great unknown there a few things we do know for sure: that we all need to continue to eat good, nutritious food, and that growing has definitely not been cancelled for us here at Sunrise Gardens.
Change can be good; it is a natural process which is best embraced.
We will be making some important changes in response to Covid-19, the need for physical distancing and a continued need to get our produce to you, our friends and customers.
What hasn’t changed is our commitment to excellent sanitation practices. We have increased our vigilance to keep all surfaces clean and sterilized; we use a strong hydrogen peroxide solution on all food packaging surfaces and throughout the growing areas, daily and now several times a day. We continue to wash our hands often and use gloves when appropriate. We are a small crew of 6 and it’s a relief to know that we are all taking this challenge with great care and consideration. If any one of us is feeling any symptoms or feels that we have been at risk, we will not come to work and we know that we will support each other in staying home.
At the time of this writing, the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market is still in operation, for which we are grateful, as this is where we purchase a large portion of our groceries and sell 100% of our produce. Please visit the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market website https://osfm.ca/ for current updates on changes being made at the market.
Kathryn, Trish and I have all put our heads and our hearts together and have come to the decision to limit our presence at the market to every second week. We will continue to bring the freshest, most nutritious produce; however, we will be selling only in larger sizes to reduce the need to shop with us every week and thus reducing our and our customers’ risk. As you know, the majority of the produce we offer will store well in the fridge over a minimum of 10-14 days and some shoots and greens will stay fresh in the fridge for closer to 3-4 weeks (pea shoots and spinach, for example). Due to our skill and focus on season extension we expect crops of spinach, mixed greens and radish to be harvested within a couple of weeks, so indeed it is an exciting time.
During the alternate weeks, on Saturdays when we are not at the market, we are offering home delivery of orders over $25.00 in the Edmonton area. We are working hard to set up an efficient ordering system via our website or email and will continue to update on how we will be moving forward with that. The list of what produce is available, size, price, payment options and delivery schedule will be available on our website and through our newsletter. This does not have to be complicated and is a temporary solution to this challenging situation.
We encourage you to reach out via email if you have any questions or would like to communicate with us for any reason.
Greatest thanks for your patience and support during these transitions. We appreciate being able to continue to do the good work we love!
Wishes of health to you all,
Dawn and the Sunrise team.
