Growing and Enjoying Asian Vegetables
Brassica, Daikon, Perilla, Opo and Siberia Long Beans An immigrant family joins the local food scene Our Chi Garden is a small 1.5 acre ecological farm at the Just Food Community Farm in East Ottawa. We are certified organic with regenerative soil practices, inter-cropping, minimal tillage and consciously reducing our dependence on outside inputs. […]
How Native Plants got me Hooked on Gardening
By Nina Foster-MacLaren I’ve never been much of a gardener, but I always loved nature. Now and then I would make an impulsive plant purchase and my selection was usually based on the vibrant colour of the plant or on memories from my youth, growing up in England. For sentimental reasons I was drawn to […]
Labour Saving Techniques (part 5)
Article and photos by Rob Danforth Vertical food gardening saves space & time and maybe your knees and back! 2 of 3 sisters – add a vine like tomato, pole beans, or cucumber to climb the stalk Vertical gardening allows plants to grow up and along rather than down and out; grow flat against a […]
Labour Saving Techniques (part 1)
By Rob Danforth Let’s consider the “labour to yield ratio” or “labour to personal enrichment ratio”: when the labour side becomes much greater than the reward side of the ratio, urban organic vegetable & herb gardening quickly loses its appeal. Containers reduce your labour: Significantly fewer battles with weeds, insects, diseases, and some critters, but […]
From Rural Roots to Rural Treasures
I was born and raised on a farm between Cobden and Pembroke in Renfrew County. My parents were fourth generation beef and vegetable producers. A highlight in my childhood was to go to the weekly Pembroke Farmer’s Market. Here we sold our own beef and vegetables. My father would also purchase poultry, eggs, pork and […]
Farming Philosophy from Flat Earth Farm
When we’re talking to folks about what we do—usually over a sausage at The Sheepdog Grill—we’re often asked why we chose the name Flat Earth Farm. Is it a philosophical statement? Is it evidence of a general skepticism, or our membership in a very specific Society? Or is it a comment on the topography of […]
“They Must Think I’m Nuts!” – Lessons from a nut tree grower
I have been drawn to nuts since I was a child collecting acorns, black walnuts, butternuts, shiny horse chestnuts, not to eat or plant, I just liked them. I think most animals are hardwired to be attracted to these nutrient dense miracles of the plant world, they are high quality fuel for any creature capable […]
The Cream of the Crop
Local sheep cheese from the wilds of North Frontenac Hi, we are Jeff and Jenna Fenwick of Back Forty Artisan Cheese. We moved to the Lanark Highlands in 2012 from the city of Hamilton. At that time, we were about 30 years of age and looking for a change of pace from city life […]
Thwarting the Sweet Corn Bandits
The Blakeney Project is an initiative of the Lanark County Food Bank (The Hunger Stop)* located on a two-acre field east of the Village of Blakeney and 8km north of Almonte. Thanks to generous landowners, some initial support from Community Foundations of Canada to buy equipment and seeds, and an annual crew of over 40 […]
Support for Organic Farmers
Organics represent a significant sector in the Canadian economy. In 2020 the value of the organic food market in Canada was approximately $7 billion. Organic exports from Canada in that year were over $600 million. The number of certified organic farmers in Canada is over 6,000. Despite its growing importance, there is still only a […]