The Gleaner

Market Baskets provide multiple benefits

le mercredi 23 mai 2018
Modifié à 14 h 13 min le 23 mai 2018
Par Mario Pitre

mpitre@gravitemedia.com

Emily Southwood - Tomatoes are ripening in the greenhouses of local organic farms as they prepare for a busy season of market baskets. Subscribing for a weekly fruit and veggie basket is mutually beneficial, offering an advantage to small time farmers (through predictable sales and less wasteful practices) and to consumers increasingly craving organic, local, and sustainable produce. In other words, market baskets provide an accessible option for rural and city dwellers alike to never eat foreign produce in the summer. Valley residents can currently take advantage of two organic farms offering CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) market baskets this summer: Ormstown’s COOP les Jardins de la Resistance and les Jardins Glenelm in Elgin. Here’s the lowdown on each: COOP les Jardins de la Resistance has operated since 2006 when a group of friends without agricultural backgrounds launched their organic farm on Rang des Botreaux. Since then, the team of members, employees, and stagiers (from CVR and HAECC) has evolved. But their mission to grow quality, organic produce has stayed the same. The COOP takes pride in learning from veteran local farmers, as well as on occasion borrowing equipment, such as a hay gun, allowing them to evenly cover this year’s thriving field of garlic. Jess (a nine-season farm veteran) says, “We’re incredibly grateful for our close-knit farming community. We never stop learning and improving.” The farm’s 200 baskets are delivered to multiple drop-off points in Montreal; it also shares a stand at The Atwater market, and sells through several stores and restaurants. New this year, a drop off in Chateauguay has been added to the roster. Additionally, those picking up directly at the farm can select the contents of their baskets. “It will function more like a prepaid market card,” Jess explains. “We want the community to have a say in what they want.” Baskets will be starting a week earlier this June thanks to funding for a newly constructed, heated greenhouse, and thus tomatoes planted in early April will appear in the very first baskets. [caption id="attachment_48182" align="alignnone" width="521"] Ian Ward of les Jardins Glenelm. (Photo Sarah Rennie)[/caption] Les Jardins Glenelm is an organic, bio-intensive, micro-farm operating in Elgin. This year marks its third season of selling market baskets subscriptions through Equiterre and fifth year on the farm. Glenelm specializes in around 40 varieties of veggies that are more difficult to find in grocery stores (heirloom tomatoes, several kinds of peppers, eggplants and beets). Fresh colourful fruit is always picked small to ensure the best flavour, and its mesclun mix is a popular favourite. The farm boasts two greenhouses and a seedling greenhouse, currently filled to capacity while waiting for the field to dry out. It starts one greenhouse every spring to maximize the possibility for early planting, which enables having produce ready for the first summer markets. Its large variety of produce will be available each week at the markets starting on May 23, with baskets beginning in early June. Subscriptions come in single or family format with a variety of produce including options for berries, syrup and honey. Glenelm’s pick-up locations are the Huntingdon County Farmer’s Market, and the Valleyfield Public Market. Farmer Ian Ward also came to organic farming from a non-agricultural background with a passion for learning, “Most of the work is done with hand tools, but it's all worth it when we watch people's eyes light up when they choose what's in their basket.” For more information and to sign up, visit: https://www.fermierdefamille.com/en/cooplesjardinsdelaresistance/basket/2018/2/ https://jardinsglenelm.com/sabonner-sign-me-up/