In June, 2002 I found myself standing on the side of Highway 99 trying to hitch hike my way out of Whistler, British Columbia. After spending two months whitewater kayaking creeks and rivers across BC with a buddy my kayak was broken, my body was broken, and I as broke – I needed to make some cash and I heard that I could find work picking fruit in BC’s Okanagan Valley. I put up my thumb and quickly got a ride by a local woman who was commuting back to her home in Pemberton, just 30 minutes North of Whistler.
I told her of my intentions to find a job picking fruit and she said there was a farm in Pemberton that hires pickers during strawberry season. The next morning I introduced myself to the farmer. He told me he’d pay $0.50 / lb for what I picked, and then pointed me to the strawberry field. I grabbed a wagon, some trays, and a stack of pint-baskets and walked into the field to begin what I would later come to know as the start of my farming career.
It didn’t take long for me to streamline the picking process and within a few days I was picking about 50 lbs of strawberries per hour. That translated to $25 / hr for me, and boy was I happy with that! The problem however was that my back could only handle the work for about 4 hours a day – picking strawberries is some of the toughest farm work out there. By the end of strawberry season I was still enthusiastic and having proved myself, the farmer offered me an hourly position on his regular field crew. I continued to work on that farm until the end of September before travelling back east to embark on a 3-month canoe trip down the Mississippi river with another friend.
That fall I paddled 3800 kilometers from Northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico and passed countless tugboats moving goods up and down the river. I was struck by the sheer volume of corn, soy, and other agricultural commodities heading south out of the Midwest, while fuel, fertilizer and agro-chemicals travelled northward into the Midwest. Having paddled through America’s “breadbasket” I came away with a very up-close-and-personal experience of the impact agriculture has on the environment, and economy. The Mississippi river, or “Big Muddy” as it is nicknamed, carries more than 400,000 tonnes of sediment (eroded soil) every day! It is also a conduit for leached Nitrogen and Phosphorus from agricultural land. This is due in large part to HOW the land is farmed, and it made me ask the question whether there was a BETTER way to produce the food we all depend on.
The following May I returned to that farm in Pemberton, and stayed there until November. After a full farming season under my belt I was now convinced that farming is what I wanted to spend my life doing. Over the next several years I continued my education in farming by working on a few different farms, the most impactful being a small organic vegetable farm in the Cariboo region of BC called Mackin Creek Farm. It was at that farm that I learned about Community Supported Agriculture, and began to contemplate the finer details of farming such as soil management, materials handling, and marketing.
At a certain point I realized that although I loved being in BC I probably wouldn’t be able to afford a farm in that province. Especially if I wanted to be in close proximity to a larger city. BC is a province of towns, with very few cities with populations over 100,000. Farming is difficult enough on its own without having to depend on direct marketing to a small population of potential customers. I decided to move back to Ontario and look for land around Thunder Bay. Marcelle and I met while going to Lakehead University and I liked the city enough to consider settling there.
The whole time I was farming out in BC Marcelle was back in Northwestern Ontario working as a camp cook for a forestry company. She was gaining experience working in remote camps, cooking at times for more than 100 tree planters. She was very good at her job and was a favourite camp cook among veteran tree planters. After several years of working in Ontario Marcelle took a job with a different forestry company in BC and continued working as a cook. At the end of the season when her contract was over she worked at Mackin Creek Farm. At that point I had already moved back to Thunder Bay and had established a little market garden on rented land in Nolalu while keeping my eyes open for land to buy.
In the fall of 2005 I found the farm in Pass Lake. I knew that this farm could grow vegetables. All I had to do was figure out how to buy it. The sale negotiation and subsequent financing was epic – worthy of it’s own issue of Well Vittled. Suffice to say that it was a miracle that a guy no assets other than a beater truck and a broken kayak was able to buy a farm.
I spent the first 10 months on the farm by myself, anxiously waiting for Marcelle to finish her work in BC and travel in California before coming back to live with me on the farm in Pass Lake. Until she actually stayed, I wasn’t quite sure if she was going to stay.
And that in a nutshell is the story of how a guy with an Outdoor Recreation degree, and a gal with a Social Work degree come together to start a farm from scratch, despite not having grown up on a farm, and having to learn literally EVERYTHING the hard way.
For the last 10 years we have put everything we have into this farm. All of our money, all of our time, all of our creativity, perseverance, and patience. We have had successes, but also some failures. We have gained a lot of skills, and continue to develop new ones. Many animals have been born on this farm, and least one human has almost died on this farm. Many crops of vegetables have come off this farm, and in ways both big and small this farm has had an impact on our community, our friends, family, and all of you. We still have exciting plans for the future of this farm and look forward to developing our vision for agriculture in our community. It is remarkable to me that despite any former ambitions or assumptions about what I would do with my life it was a chance ride with a stranger that led Marcelle and I to farming.
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We seeded a buckwheat cover in some fields that have already been harvested. Keeping a living crop on the surface helps to prevent soil erosion during a wet fall or spring.
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Partners in good food!
Mexico: Triunfo Verde Cooperative
This shade-grown sustainable coffee is sourced from the 346 member Triunfo Verde Cooperative. The member farms are located in the high mountains in the buffer zone of El Triunfo Verde Biosphere Reserve.
Tasting notes: Nutty and citric. Aromas of apple, honey, and nuts.
This week's bread from
Both Hands BreadPeasant Bread
Sifted whole wheat flour, water, unrefined sea salt, yeast.
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This is the season for making pickles and other preserves. Last week we baled some green hay and wrapped them in plastic bags where they will ferment and make a delicious and nutritious feed for our cows.
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Breakfast Tacos with Collard Greens
INGREDIENTS
- 6 ounces (about 1/2 bunch) collard greens, stemmed and washed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small or 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 chili, minced (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground pepper
- 6 eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 6 corn tortillas
- Crumbled queso fresco or other grated cheese
- Green or red salsa
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring an inch of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer. Place the collard greens in the top part of the steamer, and steam until the leaves are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from the steamer, rinse with cold water, squeeze out extra water and chop medium-fine.
- Wrap the tortillas in a heavy kitchen towel and place in the steamer basket. Cover tightly, steam 1 minute, and turn off the heat. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, without uncovering, while you finish preparing the filling.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it is tender, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic and optional chili. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, and stir in the collard greens. Turn the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring often, for another 5 minutes, until the greens are tender and the onion is lightly colored.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cilantro. Add to the pan with the collards and onions and cook, stirring, until set. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Spoon onto hot tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, and serve, passing the salsa on the side.
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Garden Feature
Collard Greens
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Collards are leafy green vegetables that belong to the same family that includes cabbage, kale, and broccoli. While they share some resemblance, they have their own distinctive qualities. Like kale, collards are one of the non-head forming members of the Brassica family. Collards' unique appearance features dark blue green leaves that are smooth in texture and relatively broad. They lack the frilled edges that are so distinctive to their cousin kale. A staple food of the Southern United States, collard greens, unlike their cousins kale and mustard greens, have a very mild, almost smoky flavor. The leaves are thick and robust and are best wet-cooked to bring out their sweet flavour and juicy texture. Collards are a very hardy vegetable and are mainly grown for fall and winter harvest. In our opinion, collards kick kale’s ass! Enjoy!
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Carrot Tops?
Please remember to remove the tops from your carrot bunches! Did you know that your fresh vegetables breathe even after being harvested? When the carrot tops are attached they draw moisture from the carrot root in an attempt to stay fresh and leafy, resulting in the carrots becoming rubbery and limp. Your carrots will last longer in the fridge if you remove the tops, wrap in plastic and store in the drawer of the fridge.
THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR CARROT TOPS:
- Compost. Do you have a compost pile? They are perfect for layering with your other food scraps and “brown” fibrous material.
- Feed your bunny/guinea pig/chickens. Organic food is not just for people. Pets Everywhere are choosing organic food too!
- Eat them yourself. There are a number of people online who claim to enjoy carrot top salads, pesto, smoothies etc.
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Thanks for visiting!
We want to thank everyone who came out to visit the farm this summer. We feel honoured to be your farmers, and always welcome your questions about how your food is produced. Look forward to more open farm days in 2017.
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Nikki harvested some more of those delicious hakurei turnips this week. They are a fall favourite on the farm.
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APPLE CIDER, HONEY, GRANOLA
Again this evening the folks from Roots to Harvest will be at Wilson Street Park selling cider, honey, and granola. Bring cash and add some extra goodies to your CSA box this week!
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Our hens have been working overtime and we have extra eggs to sell this week. Eggs will be available this evening at Wilson St. Park to our CSA members. $5 / dozen.
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