Local Harvest The

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Letter from the National Farmers Union president • Eating from Kingston’s Countryside directory

Farm profile • Eating locally year–round • Peak oil and agriculture • Nurturing the soil • Reading list

Local HarvestThe

� Volume IThe Local Harvest

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Dear Reader, As a young girl in the 1970s I spent many wonderful days at a very special place: my grandmother’s farm. Grandma Rickards was a passionate fam-ily farm advocate and ahead of her time in her holistic way of thinking. She has always strong-ly believed in the empowerment of farm families and she viewed her farm as a place that nur-tured both her family and her community. Her pantry, freezer and cellar were always full with her harvest from the land. Grandma was always very concerned with the future of the family farm. She often spoke about the dwin-dling numbers of farms, the loss of agricultural land, the increase of corporate control of agriculture, loss of market power, plummeting com-modity prices, and the eroding of local food systems. I remem-ber her telling me, “Farmers need cost of production and we need to unite if we are to sur-vive.” She was very active in her farm organization, a grassroots organization called the National Farmers Union (NFU) that ad-vocated alternative structures and government policies that re-sisted corporate control of food and promoted the development and maintenance of the prin-ciples embodied by the family farm. It was a movement at the forefront of food–related issues affecting each and every one of us: the environment, food safety, rural community, and the family farm. The NFU had a holistic view, recognizing that each of these is connected. Thirty years later, my grand-mother is retired and I am now the farmer and NFU member.

Our organization still repre-sents those values and beliefs I learned from my wise and ten-acious grandmother. I am proud of what we have accomplished for farm families but I recognize that there are powerful forces working against us and that the struggle is ongoing and close to home. Canadian farmers are among the most efficient in the world, yet somehow we are at a 30–

year low in net farm income*. Meanwhile agribusinesses are making record prof-its* and huge corporate farms continue to drive out family farm-ers. Like my Grandma, I worry a lot

about the future of farming and I wonder if we are part of a dying breed. But I have hope, and always the pull of the land draws me back. It is clear that farmers are at a crossroads and change is com-ing. Each one of us has the pow-er to affect this change through our choices and actions. I am thankful for the place I have on this Earth, working with the land, my family, and my com-munity, and proud of the work the NFU does locally, nation-ally, and internationally. I use my power to support the NFU as we continue to advocate for sustainable agriculture and vi-brant local food systems. As you read through the pages of The Local Harvest, consider joining our growing community of local food advocates to help ensure healthy food and dynamic rural communities for generations to come.

Andrea CumpsonLocal 316 President

Fall ’06/Winter ’07Farm & Food Work-shops

• Help to design a local food system

• Food & farm sustainability • Local food economics and

success stories • Local food and health;

hunger & food security • Toward a local food sys-

tem/food charter, policy council, & local food dis-tribution

• Planning a conference (Fall ’07) to develop guid-ing principles for our local food system

Ongoing Initiatives

Eat from Kingston’s Countryside project • Developed local food logo

to identify and promote products farmed in Kings-ton area

• Email [email protected] for info

Farm & Food Advocacy • Discuss food and farm

issues with federal and provincial politicians

• Co–sponsor an all–candi-dates meeting in Kingston and the Islands riding dur-ing federal elections

Kingston and Area Feast of Fields • Annual event held on a

local farm that combines delicious food prepared by popular restaurants using seasonal ingredients, with a farmer’s market, music, theatre, and more

NFU Success Stories

Bovine Growth Hormone • Led a 10–year campaign to

achieve a ban on the per-formance–enhancing drug for dairy cattle

Genetically Modified Wheat • Initiated and led a cam-

paign that resulted in a ban on GM wheat in Canada

Ban Terminator Campaign • Led the Ban Terminator

Campaign in the Kingston area with a public meeting (speaker, Terry Boehms, national chair of the cam-paign and NFU national vice president)

• In March �006, the inter-national moratorium on terminator technology up-held (for now)

• National and international bans are still needed to stop terminator seeds from ever being field tested and commercialized

About the NFU

• Promotes policies that revitalize agriculture by strengthening family farms

• Advocates alternative structures and govern-ment policies that resist corporate control of food and encourage vibrant rural communities, en-vironmentally sustainable practices, and the produc-tion of safe, wholesome food

• Works for these goals on local, national, and inter-national levels

• Founding participant in Via Campesina, a global movement of farm organ-izations

Get Involved!

The NFU membership in-cludes hundreds of dedicated volunteers — farmers and non–farmers, rural and urban people, youth and elders — working together on food and farm issues. Support the work of the NFU by: • Getting involved in our

local food and farm move-ment

• Joining the NFU as a farm family or an associate member

Letter from the President

* “The Farm Crisis, Bigger Farms, and the Myths of ‘Competition’ and ‘Efficiency’ in Union Farmer Monthly (Canada), Vol. 54, Issue 7, December �003 and The Farm Crisis: 2004, National Farmers Union (Canada) Infor-mation Brief. Both found at http://www.nfu.ca.

Food facts

Contact: Phone Andrea Cumpson, Local 316 president, at 613-353-��60, or email Peter Dowl-ing at [email protected]. Visit the NFU on the Web at http://www.nfu.ca.

Family farm: A farm owned and operated by a family and usually passed down from generation to generation. It has been the basic unit of agri-

cultural economy for much of human history.

Agribusiness: Businesses that supply farm inputs (such as

fertilizer or equipment) or are involved in the marketing of farm products (such as proces-sors, wholesalers, transporters and retailers).

3Volume I The Local Harvest

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From farmer to eaterA profile of Reinink Family FarmsThe ripe strawberries drew my immediate attention. I was looking over the market stalls arrayed behind Kingston’s city hall, having just moved here seventeen years ago. It was June. The berries were at the seasonal peak, temptingly dis-played at many stalls. So were the lettuce and spinach. Unlike the big city I’d just left, the whole cornucopia of farm fare was close to home, within easy walking distance. And it seemed that much of what was on offer came from close by. Asparagus came from Pyke’s farm on Wolfe Island. One of the dealers had told me his berries came from Picton. Just as I was leaving, I no-ticed a stall at the northwest corner of Market Square. They were selling bananas. Without thinking, I blurted “Are those Wolfe Island bananas?” The response could only be described as quizzical. “Is this guy nuts?” Ever since then I’ve been using the symbolic Wolfe Island Banana to differentiate the market’s producers from its re-sellers. The former have been getting more numerous. In 1993 a thirty–something couple began showing up with a baby, a toddler, and a load of eggs. “Cleo and Clayton almost grew up in that space behind City Hall,” says Janet Reinink, recalling late afternoons at the Brew Pub, where the restaurant staff was happy to let children roam about while their parents enjoyed a bite and a pint after a long day at the market. The egg business would soon expand to include direct sales to Kingston eateries like Chez Piggy/Pan Chancho, Curry Original, and Pasta Genova. And word–of–mouth, the marketer’s best friend, turned the trickle of Market Square customers into a steady stream. Customers can also head for Tara Foods for the Reininks’ or-

ganic eggs. Reinink Family Farms’ con-tinuing success, of course, did not make for less work. On the contrary. “We measure our vacations in hours,” says Janet’s husband Hank–John, whose parents ar-rived from the Netherlands in the late ’50s intending to raise pigs on a farmstead beside Lake Varty north of Camden East. It’s an idyllic spot. Every city dweller has a romantic fantasy about neatly–tended farms with white frame houses and happy chickens pecking their way around the barnyard. Run by a family with a hired hand. (Not an outfit like McNugget manufacturer Tyson Foods, the world’s largest chicken processor that outsources the risk of farming to contract pro-duction to monoculture oper-ators who may own the mega-barns . . . but not the birds.) The Reininks are diversi-fied. Their land slopes gently from the house (it really is white and freshly–painted) down to the lake. This is where they tend the abundant market gar-den that gives them insurance against depending on a single source of income. No more pigs. No more cattle. They’ve been replaced by an organic garden stuffed with spinach, lettuce, squash, heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and those famous and sometimes hard–to–get filet beans. A majestic oak shades the lakeshore, where the Reininks also have a cottage fashioned from salvaged barn board. It was a welcome retreat for the Feast

of Fields work bee that pitched in to help the Reininks with some weeding. The gang also moved a greenhouse to provide shade for people attending the Feast. “Summer’s crazy but winter’s a bit more relaxed,” explains Janet, describing the non–stop nature of the Reininks’ vocation. They started to sell the popular filet beans eight years ago. This past April customers

buying eggs at the market were already asking when the slim, tender beans that so resemble French haricots verts would be ready. “The first germination was terrible but the weeds were great,” laughs Janet. The Reininks employ two part–time workers from June to October, even though gardens and barns comprise only a tiny fraction of their 500 acres. The egg pro-duction is certified organic by Quality Assurance International of San Diego, California. Before opening the door to the long barn where �,800 hens are busily laying, Hank–John knocks carefully and gives a long, low whistle. He’s greeted by a hoarse chorus of squawking birds strutting about with no apparent purpose, like a crowd of tourists waiting for the next

attraction to open. Appearances are deceiving. At peak production, 9� per cent of the Lohman brown leghorns lay an egg a day. Another misconception has to do with the “free range” nature of the poultry business. I suspect that, like many a ro-mantic urban omelette eater, the idea of birds being free to roam outside appeals to me. I know that industrial agriculture relies on caged birds — cheap

eggs, cheap McNuggets. But even though the Reininks’ birds are free to wander out into the fenced yard, they gen-erally prefer to stay inside. That’s where automatic water and feed lines offer a steady supply of what they need. And that’s where

they can keep each other com-pany. “They’re social creatures,” says Hank–John. This doesn’t mean that they prefer incarceration in tiny cages. This is typical of most industrial egg operations in Ontario, where the average producer has �5,000 birds. The Reininks usually have about 6,000 birds in their three barns, one of which houses young chicks. Although they went or-ganic last year, the Reininks do not have to go too far afield for their inputs. Chicks come from Archer’s in Brighton. The protein source is organic grain from Homestead Organics of Berwick, northwest of Cornwall. It’s up to three times as expen-sive as regular feed and they use ten tonnes every two weeks. But they shun cheaper feed laced

with antibiotics and animal by-products. “In a cheap food economy,” says Hank–John, “if you’re not going to increase prices you have to cut costs.” As a result, their eggs cost much more than the regu-lar supermarket variety. The Reininks direct–market a quarter of their egg production. Burnbrae Farms near Brockville buys the rest, marketing them as Naturegg Organic eggs. “They laughed at organ-ics when anyone mentioned it in class at Guelph,” chuckles Hank–John, who decided to take the diploma in farm oper-ation at the famous agricultural college after finishing a degree in psychology. He had already met Janet, an English literature student, when they were under-graduates at Guelph. Now they find themselves working, often with Hank–John’s mother Susi or one of their children, in a grading station in one of their barns. Each and every egg is loaded by hand, watered clean, and blown dry before moving on to the candling booth to be checked for cracks and weighed. A third pair of hands unloads the eggs onto trays. By the time they load their blue van and head for Market Square to meet their customers, two things are certain. The stall where a nifty little wooden–and–glass cabinet displays brown eggs provides them with one of their greatest rewards — the chance to chat with customers they’ve come to know by name. And the whole enterprise has nothing at all to do with the proverbial Wolfe Island Banana.

Kingston writer Jamie Swift works with the Justice & Peace Office of the Sisters of Providence. Reinink Family Farms was the host of the 2006 National Farmers Union Feast of Fields.

4 Volume IThe Local Harvest

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The best–kept secret to nutritious food: healthy soilWine–lovers know that the secret to their favourite wine is good grapes. And veteran vinters know that the secret to good grapes is good soil. Connoisseurs often explain that the correct terroir is es-sential to a wine’s unique taste and body. Terroir is the French word loosely translated as the overall effect bestowed upon a food product by the soil and cli-mate of its local environment. That’s what determines the wine’s personal-ity. Yet such at-tention to the importance of soil is uncom-mon these days, confined to spe-cialty products. A premium cup of coffee is linked to its ori-gins, with organic shade–grown mountain coffee beans securing a market niche. But when it comes to food in general, attention to its ori-gin — the soil — has gone the way of the horse–drawn plough. When did you last wonder what type of soil your potatoes were grown in? Gardeners stay connected to their backyard soil, adding com-post to keep the flowers bloom-ing and shrubs growing. But for most, this remains a hobby, not a source of nourishment. These days our food supply rests in the hands of only a few, as large corporate farms force out thou-sands of smaller family farms. While this shouldn’t come as startling news, it should help to underline urban society’s alienation from the soil — the primary source of all our food (except fish, of course). Our growing population now relies on a shrinking number of farm-ers. And the effects of this reach all corners of our lives. The industrial, corporate food system champions the

quantity and appearance of food over quality and nutritional value. Conventional agriculture has mined the fertility from the soils that are the very basis for a healthy life. Over the past half-century, through the post–war era of industrialized farming and the more recent age of globalized free trade, we have decimated the living parts of our

soils with chemical fertilizers and pesticides and rendered what was once a fertile layer of minerals, microorganisms, and humus into a virtual sandbox. So what does this mean for the health of our families and the world around us? What can we possibly do about it? All food comes from the soil, either directly or indirectly. As a complex living system, the physical parts (rock, water, air), biological parts (microorgan-isms, insects, plant matter), and chemical parts (energy) of the soil work together to nour-ish plants that in turn feed all animals — two–legged and four–legged alike. Plants are the great intermediaries by which elements in rocks are made available to animals and built into flesh, bone, and blood. In a way, the food we eat, whether straight from a plant or from an animal that has grazed on plants, is simply a vehicle for the minerals and vitamins to reach our bodies, building and sustain-ing them. This brief Soil Science 101

— specifically the path followed by nutrients from soil to plants to animals — is something everyone should keep in mind when making food choices. We often forget that the nutritional value of our fruits, vegetables, and the wheat in our bread de-pends entirely on the soil it was grown in. And if the nutrients aren’t in the soil, they’re likely

not going to be in the food. Now here’s the kicker: Most of today’s food is being grown in the equivalent of a sandbox — dry and lifeless. Research done by Agriculture Canada since the 1950s would attest to this. Periodical-ly, Agriculture Canada pro-

duces a set of tables that show the nutritional value of various foods. Researchers scour super-markets, buying food and analyz-ing its nutritional content. The results are publicly available. The proof — if not much else — is in the pudding. Between �000 and �00�, the Globe and Mail and CTV examined Ottawa’s data and showed that a fresh supermar-ket tomato has 61 percent less calcium than it did in the 1950s. The average potato, by far the most–consumed food in Can-ada, has lost 100 percent of its vitamin A (important for good eyesight), 57 percent of its vita-min C and iron (a key compon-ent of healthy blood), and �8 percent of its calcium (essential for building healthy bones and teeth). The sad irony came from the broccoli analysis. Broccoli, often cited as an excellent source of calcium and iron, has on aver-age lost 63 percent of its calcium and 34 percent of its iron since the 1951 government tests. Returning to Soil Science

101, these nutritional declines are hardly surprising. Farmland needs replenishing. Picture a forest floor, covered in rotting twigs, leaves, and animals. For-ests grow for millennia because the nutrients soaked up by trees are eventually returned. In agriculture, we need to imitate nature’s cycle by ensuring the return of organic matter to the soil in the form of compost. This is precisely where con-ventional agriculture, depend-ent on heavy doses of chemical fertilizers, loses its way. Instead of trying to imitate nature by returning the whole spectrum of nutrients, only the three elements most responsible for plant growth — nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) — get returned to the soil. Certainly, feeding the plants with fertilizer, instead of the soil with compost, does boost plant growth. But soil life deteriorates and can no longer work to pro-vide the (literally, vital) nutri-ents that our bodies need. So here we are, needing five apples for every one of our grandparents’ to get similar nu-tritional intake. We’re spending billions of tax dollars to treat rampant levels of chronic dis-ease, including cancer, heart dis-ease, diabetes, asthma, obesity, and osteoporosis (all influenced by poor nutrition). We’re fend-ing off allergies caused by pesti-cide residues that our bodies

Food factsWendell Berry said: “The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destina-tion of all.”

Xenophon said: “To be a suc-cessful farmer one must first know the nature of the soil.”

Thomas Jefferson said: “While the farmer holds the title to the land, actually it be-longs to all the people because civilization itself rests upon the soil.”

Further reading

Secrets of the Soil: New Solutions for Restoring the Planet by Peter Tomp-kins and Christopher Bird. Earthpulse Press, 1998.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself.”

Aldo Leopold said: “We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity be-longing to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

Chief Seattle said: “The Earth does not belong to us; we belong to the Earth.”

cannot recognize. We’re watch-ing our countryside decline. And the common denominator, soil health, is largely ignored. Farming is a knowledge–based tradition, not the tech-nology-based big business it has become. Unfortunately, today’s sharp decline in smaller–scale farms that raise healthy animals and crops “from the soil up” means that we do depend on anonymous, low–nutrient foods from the supermarket. Farmers who take on the extra respon-sibilities and costs of knowledge and labour intensive methods need the dedicated support of their neighbours and nearby communities if they are to stand up to their large, capital–in-tensive counterparts. For now, Kingston’s countryside cannot quite supply the volume of foods we need from it. But it can be regenerated. And with time, so can a sandbox.

Ian Stutt is a local food activist and vegetable farmer from Patch-work Gardens.


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I recall a February a few years back when it was nose–sticking cold and how all I wanted was to warm myself (and my damp-ened spirits) with a lovely hearty meal. Being a grower of vege-tables and a food lover, I was sickened by the thought of those nutrient–void cardboard vege-

tables’ clones that live like rocks on the grocery-store shelves at that time of year. What was I to do, with bare cupboards and a chill in my bones? Not too dis-couraged, I began to plan, not wanting to repeat to that extent the frustrations of not having access (or not knowing how to

gain access readily) to what I call real food. Even as a vegetable farmer I have been challenged with eating locally–grown, health-ful food in the off–season. For non–growers the challenge is that much greater. As I said, I began to plan. I

How to eat locally all year roundsat down comfortably with a new notebook and started making lists of all the possible foods that I knew could be frozen, canned, preserved, or dried. These in-cluded veggies and herbs that I grow as well as others, like berries, that I don’t. The list be-came a wee bit overwhelming, so prioritizing was the next step. I knew I wanted to eat hearty soups, berry pies, and drink herbal teas, so I figured that I wanted a good source of carrots, garlic, spinach, toma-toes, onions, peas, squash, pota-toes, herbs, and berries. Carrots, garlic, squash, and potatoes are good root–cellar-ing vegetables. If you have your own root cellar you can do this yourself. If not, consult local independent grocers, the “Eat from Kingston’s Countryside” directory in the centrefold of this publication, or ask around at Farmers’ Markets. There are growers around who store these veggies and sell them thoughout the off–season. Spinach and peas can be blanched (boiled for about a minute), then packed and frozen in freezer bags. To-matoes are great stewed and then canned (by this, I mean sealed in a jar), or you can freeze them whole in a large freezer bag to stew later. Culinary herbs and herbs for tea — including chamomile, thyme, lemon balm, parsley, mint, stevia, fennel, basil, dill, and oregano — can be dehydrated or hung to dry in a window. When they become very brittle, pack the dried leaves into labelled glass jars (they tend to look all the same). It may seem like a lot, but please don’t get discouraged. I set aside a couple of hours a week with a friend or two, and we accomplished a lot. If you are new at it, be patient with yourself. It takes extra time to find the food you are looking for with an appropriate method or recipe. You will become much more efficient in years to come and will be able to take on more exciting challenges. To find preserving methods

Further reading

For more ideas on eatinglocally, check out the “Cooking from Kingston’s countryside” column in Independent Voice, available throughout Kingston or on the Web at http://www.IndependentVoice.ca.

and recipes (by this, I mean also freezing, drying, storing, and canning), there are lots of books out there. However, I have found that most publications are heavily weighted with chutneys and condiments, which are fun but hold less bulk and sub-stance. I found that talking to parents, grandparents, and other older folks who have practiced the art of preserving to be the best way to gain great recipes and methods. My mom passed on some lovely jam and pickling recipes whose simplicity was near impossible to find in books. Logging my preserving pursuits has proven useful for planning the following year. For example, I ran out of tomatoes in February but still had, in August, pickled beets from the previous year. To source locally grown and produced food can take more time than the one–stop shop-ping large grocers offer. Aside from looking at the “product of . . . ” tags at the grocery stores, consult your local–food direc-tories (many communities have them now), and talk to farmers at the markets. Keep in mind that you can begin the pursuits of preserving at any time of the year. You can start list–making for the years to come and sourcing out foods and recipes you’d like to eat all year round. I hope that this year you will enjoy the pleasures of hearty meals from your own community.

Megan Joslin is a vegetable farmer from Patchwork Gardens and a local food activist.

Produce availability guideUnavailable

Available

Peak

SPRING SUMMER AUtUMN WINtERVEGEtABLES M A M J J A S O N D J FAsparagus

Beans (green & wax)

Beets

Broccoli

Brussels sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Corn

Cucumber (field)

Cucumber (greenhouse)

Eggplant

Garlic

Leeks

Lettuce (field)

Onions (green bunching)

Onions (cooking)

Parsnips

Peas (green & snow)

Peppers (sweet & hot)

Potatoes

Radishes

Rutabaga

Spinach

Squash

Tomatoes (field)

tomatoes (greenhouse)

Zucchini

FRUIt

Apples

Blueberries

Grapes, blue

Pears

Raspberries

Strawberries

Rhubarb (field)

Watermelon

Adapted from Ontario Foodlands’ Vegetable and Fruit availability guides.


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Asselstine, Sue & Tim11�5 Ardoch Road, Clarendon(613) �79-1�08Garlic. Available at Frontenac Farmers’ Market.

Barry’s Big BirdsBarry & Jeanette Jenkins1118 Closson Rd, RR #1, Hilliar(613) 399-5301Emu meat, oil & oil products. Available at Kingston Public Mar-ket.

Bee QueenKaren WhitemanBox 377, Tamworth(613) [email protected], candles, hand cream. Available at Pan Chancho, Sigrid’s Natural Foods, Bookstore Café (Camden East), Tamworth Bakery, Verona IGA, Stone Mills Fam-ily Foodmart (Tamworth), Pam’s Flowers, and Marlbank General Store.

Betsy “B” HoneyBill Lake�71� Round Lake Road, Battersea(613) [email protected] and comb honey. Avail-able at farmgate or call for ap-pointment.

Bovey, Kevin & Jill33�8 Latimer Road, Elginburg(613) 353-6561Organically-raised beef, certified organic farm seeds. Available by phone.

Bueno Bean RoasteryHeather Priestly & Jill Wanless637 Norris Court, Unit #8, Kings-ton(613) 389-760�http://www.buenobeanroastery.comOrganic fair-trade coffee, coffee & tea syrups, loose teas. Avail-able at Kingston Public Market and at Norris Court Store.

Burt’s GreenhousesBrian, Burt & Ruth HaywardRR #�, Odessa(613) 386-34�6http://www.burtsgh.comGrowers of fine annuals & per-ennials for retail and wholesale markets. Available at farm store or on website.

Cameron’s Riverview FarmArchie Cameron(613) �78-�97�4010 Watson Corner, MacDon-ald’s CornersMaple products. Available at Kingston Public Market.

Cedarwood FarmBrian & Marilyn McGrath1030 Frizzell Road, Tamworth(613) 379-�7�7Organic vegetables, herbs, maple syrup, baking. Available by phone.

Coutts FarmRon & Diane CouttsRR #5, Perth(613) �67-0�77Naturally-raised beef and maple syrup products. Available at Kingston Farmers’ Market.

Desert Lake GardensPat & Rick DawsonDesert Lake Road, Hartington(613) 374-3047http://www.dlgardens.comOrganic vegetables, meat, honey, maple syrup, herbs, berries; Kingston area food box. Available on website.

Doublejay FarmsPeter & Dianne DowlingHowe Island(613) 546-0869Producer of Organic Meadow dairy products. Available through various local grocery stores. Certi-fied organic.

Earthrise Organic FarmKathie & Francis Groenewegen3113 Sydenham Road, Elginburg(613) 545-9�[email protected] of Organic Meadow Dairy products, meats, and eggs. Available at farmgate. Certified organic.

Elmtree FarmTom WallerRR #4, Arden(613) [email protected] Seasonal fruit and vegetables. CSA catering to Ottawa and area.

Flintshire FarmsFlinton(613) 336-855� or1-800-448-7461Pheasant. Available by appoint-ment.

Forest FarmDavid Hahn & Marion Watkins9874 Canoe Lake Road, Godfrey(613) �[email protected] maple syrup and garlic. Available at Frontenac Farmers’ Market, Food Gifts in Westport, and at Tara Foods and Bearance’s in Kingston.

Forman Farms GreenhouseCharlie & Christine Forman4096 Brewers Mills Rd, Seeleys Bay(613) 38�-7914Vine–ripened, pesticide-free, hydroponic tomatoes, cucum-bers, peppers, sweet corn, and other vegetables in season; an-nuals & perennials. Available at farmgate & local grocery stores.

Frog Morton FarmsCarolyn & Ron TurnerRR #1, Elginburg(613) 54�-575�Lamb by the side or whole; wool. Available at farmgate.

Fruition Berry FarmKen & Christine Paul3�08 Hughes Road, Kingston(613) [email protected], raspberries, pump-kins. Available at farmgate.

Garden Treasures Green-houseSandy & Ron BedwellCounty Road 11, RR #1, Selby(613) 388-��6�Seasonal vegetables and flowers. Available at Frontenac Farmers’ Market, Tamworth Farmers’ Mar-ket, and farmgate.

Garlic FieldsBernhard & Joannie Karschau3380 Latimer Road, RR #1, Elgin-burg(613) 353-446�Seasonal organic vegetables, gift baskets, gourmet foods. Available at farm store and at farmgate.

Gorr’s Maple SyrupGary & Carole GorrQuinn Road, Harrowsmith(613) 37�-�601Maple syrup, soft maple sugar, maple butter, granulated sugar, maple jelly. Available at Quinn’s Meats, Bennett’s ValueMart,

Trousdale’s IGA, Sydenham IGA, Silver-brook Garden Centre, Hind Quarter, Tiffany Gift Shoppe (Harrow-smith).

Guthrie Farms Quality Beef SalesMarie & Jim Guthrie�338 Sydenham Road, Elginburg(613) [email protected] by the side or choice of cuts. Avail-able at farmgate.

Haanover View FarmsOliver & Renate Haan406� Blessington Road, Marysville(613) 396-66��Ecologically produced pork. Available at Frontenac Farmers’ Market, Sandhurst Mar-ket and farmgate.

Henderson FarmsRobert HendersonRR #1, Wolfe Island(613) 544-4063http://www.hendersonfarms.on.caJams, jellies, and marmalades. Available at Kingston Public Market, Cooke’s Fine Foods, and Bread & Butter Bakery.

Hillside Coffee Company/CaféGary & Gayle Dickinson�779 Rutledge Road, Sydenham(613) 376-68�3http://www.hillsidecoffee.caFreshly roasted fairly traded or-ganic coffee. Available at café and store. Wholesale available.

Honey Pie Hives & HerbalsBay WoolyardCherry Valley near Picton(613) 476-3�[email protected] teas, honey, herbal seasonings, jellies. Available at Sleepless Goat, Village Green, County Sunshine, Waring House.

Honey Wagon FarmsEd & Sandi Taylor�65 Sandy Hook Road, RR #8, Picton(613) [email protected]

Large variety of seasonal vege-tables; maple syrup; no herbi-cides, pesticides or fungicides used. Available at Kingston Public Market and at farmgate.

Judy’s Jams, Jellies, & Jar-fulsJudy & Mike Dumbleton3475 Buck Point Rd, RR #1, In-veraryPreserves. Available at Frontenac Farmers’ Market.

Kepler–Bell FarmsJoanne & Les BellElginburg(613) 545-1335Naturally–raised lamb and lamb sausage. Available at Glenburnie Grocery and at farmgate.

Kerr, David & Brenda1505 Palace Rd, RR #4, Napanee(613) 378-6490Maple syrup, produce, beef, lamb. Available at Frontenac Farmers’ Market.

Mountain Road SimmentalsAgnes & Ernie Hagerman440 Mountain Road, Tamworth(613) 379-�980Beef, whole rabbit, rabbit saus-age. Available at Erinsville Farm-ers’ Market and at farmgate.

Multatuli Coffee Merchants7�1 Progress Avenue, Kingston(613) 389-7994


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http://www.multatuli.caFair trade and organic, locally roasted coffee, tea, cocoa, and sugar. Available at Progress Av-enue store, on website, or at vari-ous local grocery stores.

Nikita Herbs and Preserves(613) 547-�0�6Natural jams, jellies, chutneys, dressings, oils, herb vinegars. Available at Kingston Public Mar-ket, Cooke’s Fine Foods, Card’s Bakery and For Every Season.

Oak Leaf Lamb LandTony & Lynne Locke434 Lower Oak Leaf Road, Athens(613) 9�8-��46Lamb by the side, whole or choice of cuts. Available at farmgate and by phone.

O’Brien’s Farm MarketJack O’Brien875 Kingston Mills Road(613) 549-71�[email protected] & vegetables. Available at Kingston Public Market and farmgate.

Old FarmNancy George3916 Highway 15, Joyceville(613) [email protected] heritage tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, preserves, cut flowers, and honey. Available at

Kingston Public Mar-ket, and at farmgate.

Orbit Valley FarmJeff & Sue PetersInverary (613) 353-�403Duck, goose, guinea fowl, organic beef. Available at farmgate.

Organic Farm-ers Cooperative (Quinte)John VanDerheydenRR #1 Frankford(613) 398-64�1Seasonal vegetables, potatoes, and meat. Available at Kingston Public Market and Belleville Farmers’ Market. Certified or-ganic.

Patchwork GardensEric Williams, Ian Stutt, & Megan Joslin4649 Milburn Road, Battersea (613) 353-1373Organic vegetables. Available at Kingston Public Market.

Perry Maine–Anjou FarmsDave & Kim Perry4547 Yarker Road, Harrowsmith(613) 377-6668Pork, beef, maple syrup, organic vegetables, preserves. Available at farmgate, Frontenac Farmers’ Market, Tara Foods, Desert Lake Gardens.

Pykeview MeadowsJason & Christina PykeWolfe Island(613) 385-�[email protected] meat: hamburger, steak, roasts, sausages, and meat pies, jerky; and leather goods. Avail-able at Kingston Public Market and Lansdowne Park, weather permitting.

RavensfieldTitia PosthumaMaberly(613) �68-��48Vegetables, herbs, pastured pork. Available at Kingston Public Mar-ket Foodsmiths and the weekly Perth Community–Supported Agriculture food box. Certified organic.

Ray & Gerrie’s Herbs & BerriesAlso The Worm Factory (vermi-culture)874 Grady Road, Foley Mountain, Westport(613) �73-7595http://www.rayandgerries.comGourmet greens seasonal vege-tables & herbs. Available at Kingston Public Market, Tara Foods. Certified organic.

Reinink Family FarmsHank–John & Janet ReininkRR #3, Yarker(613) 378-�[email protected], free–run eggs and vege-tables. Available at Kingston Pub-lic Market. Eggs available at Tara Foods, Sigrid’s Foods, and McCor-mick’s Store. Certified organic.

Roblyn Eyrie Farm��1 Ferrier Road, Perth(613) �69-973�[email protected], including pick–your–own, honey, eggs, poultry. Avail-able at farmgate and Foodsmiths in Perth.

Rockledge FarmDale Williams4114 Howes Road, RR #3, Odessa(613) 389-8900Pastured pork. Available at farmgate and Frontenac Farmers’ Market.

Roots Down OrganicsJeff KlugGananoque(613) 38�[email protected] vegetables, duck. Avail-able at Kingston Public Market.

Sands Produce & Bedding PlantsErnie and Henny Sands43�� Battersea Road, RR #1, Bat-tersea(613) 353-�877Bedding plants and vegetables in season. Available at Fronte-nac Farmers’ Market. Open daily Mother’s Day to October 31, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM.

Silverbrook Farm Market & Garden CentreDarryl SilverSydenham

(613) 376-6�19Vegetables. Available at farmgate.

Sonset FarmOrrie, Andrea, & Charlie Cumpson4403 Latimer Road, Inverary(613) 353-��60Producer of Organic Meadow dairy products, organic beef, pas-tured pork, spelt flour & kernels, seasonal vegetables, and eggs. Available by phone and at Glen-burnie Grocery. Certified organic.

Stevenson ApiaryRon & Theresa Stevenson�88� Perth Road, RR #1, Glen-burnie(613) 54�-0511Honey, beeswax candles. By appointment or by chance & at Glenburnie Grocery.

Sun Harvest GreenhousesAlison & Greg Shannon�54� Perth Road, Glenburnie(613) [email protected]–free hydroponic toma-toes, lettuces, cucumbers, corn, garlic, herbs; annuals & peren-nials. Available at farmgate and various local grocery stores.

Sweets Corners Bee Co.Iain & Stephanie Harper36� Sweets Corners Road, Lynd-hurst(613) 9�8-�[email protected] (liquid, cob, creamed, & flavour infusions), beeswax candles, natural cosmetics. Open daily 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM; also at Gananoque PharmaSave, The Green Gecko, and Tara Foods.

Toba ApiaryTom Kaemmer6�6� Bedford Road, RR #1, Sydenham(613) 376-98�5Raw, unpasteurized liquid honey and beeswax. Available at Tara Foods or call for appointment.

Topsy FarmsSally Bowen & Ian Murray14775 Front Road, Amherst Island(613) 389-3444 or (888) �87-3157http://www.topsyfarms.comWool products: blankets, yarn, knitted items, sheepskins; lamb (custom freezer orders Oct – Feb). Available at Wool Shed (Amherst Island), via website, or by phone.

Vegetables Unplugged Com-munity–Supported Ecologic-al Growers’ CooperativeKathy Rothermol, Emily Dowling, & Andrew McCannHowe Island(613) 546-0869Organic vegetables. Available through CSA foodbox program, Produce Town & Quattrochi’s.

Vicki’s VeggiesVicki Emlau81 Morrision Point Road, Prince Edward County(613) 476-7�41http://www.vickisveggies.comHeritage tomatoes; vegetables & herbs. Roadside stand morning ‘til night (seasonally).

Vista FarmMargaret Plume & John Westrate357 Sweets Corners Road, Lynd-hurst(613) 9�[email protected] and pickled garlic, organic vegetables, wood, square bale hay. Available at farmgate, by chance or appointment.

Waddell ApplesCharlie and Marita Waddell�645 Washburn Road (at Hwy 15), RR #1, Seeley’s Bay(613) 546-1690Apples in season, picked or pick–your–own (weekends). Open daily mid-August to October, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM or by chance.

WiseacresJohn Wise1957 Centreville Road, Centreville(613) 378-�[email protected], vegetables, field crops, beef, pastured pork, eggs. Avail-able by appointment and through Desert Lake Gardens food box. Certified organic.

Wilson, Gonzalo & Dianne(613) 395-569�Honey, fresh cut flowers, natural beauty products. Available at Kingston Public Market.

Wolf Hollow FarmKeith Skelton & Joli MansonInverary(613) 353-6�18Grass-fed organic highland beef. Available by phone.


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Eating their wordsLearning about the benefits of eating locallyWendell Berry has rightly point-ed out that, while many people recognize that food is an agricul-tural product, most people don’t think of themselves as partici-pating in agriculture. Food localism, a movement underway in North America and Europe (yes, even here in Kingston), aims to reconnect farmers with eaters and remedy the ignorance that many of us have about from where and from whom our food comes (and even what it contains). And while there is no substitute for visiting a farm or meeting farm-ers at the market to provide in-valuable information about our role as eaters in the agricultural system, there’s also nothing like a good read to teach and inspire. Look for copies at your near-est library and if you don’t find them there, ask that they pur-chase a copy. If you’re interested in that title, chances are other will be too.

Fiction

• Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Harper Collins, �000. This novel weaves together three stories set in and around a farming community in southern Appalachia: one about a wildlife biologist, another of a city girl who’s become a farmer’s wife, and the third about two elderly and feuding neighbours. Kingsolver, who holds a degree in ecology and evolution-ary biology, masterfully crafts a profound story about the char-acters’ connection to the land, plants and animals of the re-gion. As described in the book’s

inside cover, each character’s “discoveries are embedded in-side countless intimate lesson of biology, the realities of small farming, and the final, urgent truth that humans are only one part of life on Earth.” A pro-vocative and entertaining book for discussion in your book club.

Non-fiction

• The End of Food by Thomas F. Pawlick. Greystone Books (Douglas and McIntyre Publish-ing Group), �006. Subtitled “How the food industry is destroying our food supply — and what you can do about it,” this book describes how the industrial food system is producing food with declining nutritional content and increasing toxic con-tamination, while damaging the environ-ment and driving family farmers out of business. Writing in a pas-sionate and conversational style, Pawlick advocates growing our own food and supporting local food producers. The book in-cludes 30 pages of footnotes and sources for further information.

• The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry edited by Norman Wirzba. Shoemaker & Hoard, �00�. Wendell Berry is a farmer and prolific writer of essays, novels, and poetry. This particu-lar collection brings together twenty–one of his essays on agriculture and economy, cul-ture, and religion. It is a great introduction to Berry if you are not already acquainted with this celebrated thinker and writer. One of the many strengths of the book is that it explores agri-

culture as it relates to several aspects of society — the en-vironment, our fam-ilies, com-munities,

culture, and religion — not sim-ply food production. As such, it is a book that will touch farmers and city–folk alike. Wonder-fully written, this is a book that should be read by anyone who believes we can build a better society.

Cookbooks

• Simply in Season by Mary-Beth Lind and Cathleen Hock-man-Wert. Herald Press, �005. • More–with–Less Cookbook: A World Community Cookbook by Doris Janzan Longacre. Herald Press, �001. (First published 1976.) • Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politic-ally Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon. New Trends Publishing, 1999. Buying locally introduces us to sometimes unfamiliar varieties of foods with no cardboard–box instructions to help us prepare them. A great cookbook, therefore, is a smart investment for the local–food eater, and these three cook-books are more than just a col-lection of recipes — they look beyond the kitchen to consider our health and the well–being of our communities and world. Simply in Season has beautifully and cleverly arranged recipes by season, and includes an index of recipes by

ingredient. Now you can shop first and plan your meals sec-ond, based on what is fresh and available that day at the market. More–with–Less, like Simply in Season, is commissioned by the Mennonite Central Com-mittee. Its main emphasis is on “how to eat better and consume less of the world’s limited food resources.” It celebrates whole-some, simple foods, many with international origins. Recipes are presented in a clear, easy–to–follow format. Finally, Nourishing Traditions is a cook book that has the po-tential to totally change the way you eat. In addition to provide simple and delicious time–tested recipes, it also argues against the modern “fat–free” yet high–sug-ar diet, and instead advocates the benefits of fermented foods, animal fats, and other staples of the pre–modern diet. With 700 delicious recipes, from the basics to the unusual, it’s a cookbook that should not be overlooked.

Periodicals

• Acres: A Voice for Eco–Agri-culture. Monthly. Available on newsstands or from http://www.acresusa.com. This monthly magazine on organic and sustainable farming “reaches more commercial–scale organic and sustainable farmers than any other publication in North America.” The magazine is fam-ily–owned and independent of “government, extension, the universities, agribusiness, and the agrichemical industry.” It provides articles on a wide range of issues from soil, weed and insect control, and marketing to information on the latest eco-nomic and environmental issues of the day.

Compiled by Holly Grinvalds with the NFU Local 316 Feast of Fields Education Team.

CreditsThe LocaL harvesT (Volume I, Fall 2006) is a publication of National Farmers Union Local 316 and represents a collab-orative effort of the NFU Feast of Fields Education Team. Printed by 1000 Islands Pub-lishers in Gananoque, ON.

Contents are copyright © 2006 by the contributors; all rights reserved. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The LocaL harvesT or NFU Local 316.

to contact The LocaL harvesT, phone 613-353-2260 or email [email protected].

ediToriaL TeamStacey Corcoran

Megan JoslinWendy Luella Perkins

Ian Stutt

PhoTograPhersMegan Joslin

Christina KearnsWendy Luella Perkins

Ian StuttCharlie Walker

coPy ediTorsMary CameronHolly Grinwalds

ProducTionDamian T. Lloyd

and Renée Stephenfor Early Afternoon Media

Special thanks to National Farmers Union Local 316 Feast of Fields Education Team.

addiTionaL resources

FarmFolk/CityFolkhttp://www.ffcf.bc.ca

FoodSharehttp://www.foodshare.net

Sustainable tablehttp://www.sustainabletable.org

CISAhttp://www.buylocalfood.com

Seeds of Diversityhttp://www.seeds.ca


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The bottom of the barrelPeak oil and our food systemCompared to any historical civilization, the food available to us today is astonishingly in-expensive and easily accessible. It also depends on inequitable relations between farmers and food companies, ecologically unsustainable growing practices, and (most importantly) cheap energy. In a very real sense, the price and availability of food is directly proportional to the price and availability of energy. Currently, the energy required to produce food comes almost entirely from fossil fuels like oil, which is likely to be in serious decline quite soon. Peak oil is a model of global oil production which suggests that all–time oil production takes the shape of a bell curve, with low production at the be-ginning and the end but very high production in the middle. We know that the world’s oil supply is finite and will there-fore eventually run out. But the important question isn’t so much when the oil will run out; it’s when supply will begin to decline so rapidly that the integ-rity of industrial civilization is seriously and adversely affected. Peak oil is a theory that originated with geophysicist Marion King Hubbard in the 1950s, but despite its longevity

most people still haven’t heard of it. However, awareness is growing rapidly because of the large amount of data accrued supporting the theory, the work of many activists and advocates, and the urgency of the problem. We will reach peak oil within the next several years, though some researchers believe that it happened less than a year ago. What’s under debate among independent petroleum geolo-gists is not whether oil produc-tion will peak, but when and most importantly how rapid the supply decline will be after that peak. All this is important because oil is unique among energy sources in its recent abundance, ease of storage and transport, high net energy yield, and ability to act as a source of carbon for the manufacturing of plastics, pesticides, and other materials. Independent energy analysts agree that alternatives like solar or wind power do not have the ability to replace oil at anywhere near the current levels of con-sumption. Supplies of natural gas are likely to decline even sooner and more rapidly than oil. Other current alternatives, such as nuclear power or oil sands, could not be scaled up rapidly enough to compensate

for oil decline even if we were to ignore the ecological impli-cations of such attempts. This means that peak oil also rep-resents a peak in global energy production. Cheap oil underpins the whole of industrial society. Every sector — communications, banking, transportation, health care, agriculture, and of course power generation — depend on cheap oil for various reasons. While it is theoretically possible to compensate for a decline in energy availability in many of these areas, efforts towards these adaptations should have begun more than thirty years ago to allow time for scaling–up. Even now efforts towards this goal are somewhere between minimal and non–existent. Agriculture may be one of the most immediately and ser-iously affected sectors of society as a result of a decline in oil sup-ply. The production and distri-bution of food under a system of globalized industrial agriculture is staggeringly energy–intensive. It’s estimated that every calorie of food energy we get from eat-ing requires about 10 calories of oil energy to produce. It’s hard to overstate how fundamentally unsustainable, even dangerous, that ratio is. To even have a remote chance of being sustain-able, a food growing practice must yield more energy than is put in. But industrial agriculture requires massive energy inputs, including energy to synthe-size inputs like fertilizers and pesticides and to process and refrigerate foods, as well as fuel to run farm equipment and to transport food great distances. The energy required can be so large that some operations, like industrial pork production, gobble up a mind–numbing 68 calories of oil energy for every calorie of food energy. (If this energy came from human muscle power instead of from oil, then a 150–pound person

would need to do the equivalent of running �00 miles for three ounces of bacon.) A decline in cheap energy means an increase in the costs of food production. Since trans-portation is a primary energy expense in getting food from field to table, food from further away will become expensive sooner. But focusing on price increases would merely scratch the surface of the problem. The unsustainability of the ratio of energy inputs to energy yield mentioned above must be cor-rected for food in the future to be produced at all, regardless of cost. And this means drastically restructuring the way that we get our food. It must be local, of course. It must also use less en-ergy and fewer energy–intensive inputs, areas in which organic cultivation leads the way. Truly addressing energy decline means dramatically increasing the number of people growing food, whether through backyard “vic-tory” gardens, community gar-dening, community–supported agriculture, or other creative approaches. The situation is far from hopeless, but it is serious. Local food was the status quo a cen-tury ago, but much has changed since then. Challenges include a major increase in human popu-lation, destruction of farmland by suburban expansion and in-dustrial agriculture, draining of aquifers, the more recent stress-es of climate change, loss of low–energy farm tools and skills, and the precarious situation of many heritage breeds of plants and animals well–suited to lo-cal food systems. We must also take into account the lag time to implement more appropri-ate food systems, and the time required to scale transitioning. Serious and society–wide efforts are needed to build and nurture new and existing local food systems. Daunting though the problem may sometimes seem,

ignoring it will only worsen the situation and put our food se-curity at serious risk. The breadth of these chal-lenges means, ironically enough, that we have a wide range of possible actions to choose from in addressing them. Buying food which is locally and organically grown is a great start. Ultimately, though, eaters will benefit from becoming personally involved in getting their own food, whether this means learning about and eating wild edible plants, grow-ing a garden, or participating in a food/labour exchange with local farmers. Happily, this work is not only important but immensely rewarding in terms of personal learning, commun-ity building, and (as Feast of Fields demonstrates) delicious and nurturing meals. I heartily encourage you to get involved because, though the greatest challenges may be in the future, our rewards begin immediately.

Aric McBay is a writer, activist, and small-scale organic farmer.

Further reading

The Oil We Eat by Richard Manning. Read it online at http://www.harpers.org/TheOilWeEat.html.

The Oil in Your Oatmeal by Chad Heeter, online at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/�006/03/�6/ING-3PHRU681.DT.

Life After the Oil Crash by Matt Savinar, online at http://www.LifeAftertheOil-Crash.net.

The Party’s Over: Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial So-cieties by Richard Heinberg.

The Long Emergency by John Howard Kunstler.

Food facts

Community supported agri-culture: A food distribution model linking local eaters and farmers into communities. Typically consists of a group of shareholders who pay a sum in advance in exchange for a regular selection (eg. weekly) of in–season crops produced by a nearby farmer.

Statistic: Only about 10 percent of the fossil fuel en-ergy used in the world’s food system is used in production. the other 90 percent goes into

packaging, transportation, and marketing.

Vandana Shiva said: “What the industrial economy calls ‘growth’ is really a form of theft from nature and people.”

Aldo Leopold said: “The old-est task in human history: to live on a piece of land without spoiling it.”

Mahatma Gandi said: “The Earth provides for every man’s need, not every man’s greed.”


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Big corporations are marketing organic food. Local organic farmers are concerned that organic standards will be compromised, given the quantities and prices promised by big box stores. In the Kingston area, organic producers meet standards set and verified by a third party certifier or set their own standards. Get to know your local farmers and their farming practices.

Beware of big box organics

Farmers take seriously their roleas producers of safe, wholesomefood. As owners of large prop-erties, which often include environmentally sensitive areas, they share their land with many species of plants and animals. Farmers need to respect the surrounding environment and take responsibility for preserv-ing valuable wildlife habitats. Stewardship Councils facilitate that endeavor by working with landowners, many of whom are farmers, to not only preserve but enhance wildlife habitat. While stewardship initiatives are not directly related to food produc-tion, they help ensure that food

is not produced at the expense of the surrounding environ-ment. Stewardship Councils, which operate in each county of Southern Ontario, play a posi-tive role in influencing the land management practices of private landowners. In today’s era of financial constraints, partner-ships, and self-regulation, Stew-ardship Councils seek to link landowners with funding, infor-mation, and expertise to ensure that good management practices flourish. The Lennox and Addington Stewardship Council (L&ASC) promotes responsible land care

and encourages a cooperative approach to improving our local environments, bringing people together to work on projects that improve the quality of our lakes, streams, and forests. The diversity of nature is represented in the L&ASC by the divers-ity in the backgrounds of its members. They are teachers, environmentalists, hunters, woodlot owners, and farmers. The L&ASC has been very act-ive since its inception ten years ago, undertaking several import-ant projects. Stone Mills Township, home of the �006 Feast of Fields, is also home to the last 10 nesting pairs of the endangered Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes in East-ern Ontario. The L&ASC has worked extensively with farmers north of Newburgh to naturalize acreage that encourages shrike activity. The Loggerhead Shrike Habitat Restoration Project works nicely with beef cattle pastures. The L&ASC has also facili-tated the fencing of the Wilton Creek shoreline to preserve the riparian area along the water-way. In the past, cattle were allowed free access to the creek

in order to drink. This damaged the shoreline and contributed to the erosion of its banks. Now re-sponsible farmers, with the help of the L&ASC, are preventing cattle from entering the creek. By fencing off the area, and using innovative devices such as nose pumps and solar powered pumps which draw water from the creek, clean and fresh water is available to cattle without any impact on the shoreline. Many farmers diversify their operations, either by choice or by financial necessity, in ways that can affect their properties and, as such, the natural en-vironment. Stewardship Coun-cils cooperate with farmers to

Environmental stewardship

minimize that impact. For in-stance, many farms include for-ests which the farmer may wish to utilize, either for firewood for personal or commercial use, or in the production of lumber. Stewardship coordinators are available to advise as to how to sustainably harvest wood from one’s property. As part of their regular programming, the L&ASC offers workshops on woodlot management, tree planting, selling standing timber, and wildlife education.

Hank–John Reinink is a local farmer, co–owner of Reinink Fam-ily Farms. Stephen Pitt is co–or-dinator of the L&ASC.

For further informationFor more information on how the Lennox and Addington Stewardship Council can work with you as a farmer, and/or landowner, phone Ste-phen Pitt, L&ASC coordin-ator, at 613-531-5700 ext. 57�3, email [email protected], or visit http://www.ontariostewardship.org.

For the Frontenac Steward-ship Council contact Bret Colman at 613-531-5714 or email [email protected].

For the Hastings Stewardship Council contact Jim Pedersen at (613) 478-6875 or email [email protected].

Food facts

Sustainable farming: A way of raising food that is healthy for eaters, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers and animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer, and supports and enhances rural communities.

Aldo Leopold said: “The farm is a place to live. The criterion of success is a harmonious bal-

ance between plants, animals, and people; between the do-mestic and the wild; between utility and beauty.”

Wendell Berry said: “Wheth-er we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do.”


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Eat from Kingston’s CountrysideWise choices for people and the planetIf there was one simple thing that you could do to support the local economy, protect the environment and improve your health, wouldn’t you do it? Well you can! We all can — by choos-ing local food.

Enjoy tastier,healthier food

Fresh food, eaten at the height of ripeness has exceptional fla-vour — taste a freshly picked tomato and you’ll experience this first–hand. The longer unprocessed food is stored, the lower its nu-tritional content. Food shipped long distances can spend weeks in transit and storage before be-ing sold, while local food is often sold within �4 hours of harvest. Local farmers offer varieties bred for taste and freshness, rather than to withstand long–distance travel and extended shelf life. By choosing locally produced food, you pay for taste and nutrition, not transporta-tion and packaging.

Support family farms and the local economy

Family farms* are an important part of the Canadian tradition. However, Canadian farmers are a vanishing breed, and it’s no wonder — selling prices are at historic lows, often below the cost of production. Small–scale farmers who sell directly to local eaters get full retail price for their products, giving them autonomy from agribusinesses and some meas-ure of price certainty. Eating from Kingston’s countryside strengthens the

local economy by keeping our dollars circulating in our com-munity.

Build a vibrantcommunity

By choosing locally produced food, eaters and farmers have an opportunity to get to know one another in a way that builds real relationships based on dir-ect knowledge and trust — the foundation of strong commun-ities. Such connections also lead to a more diverse and localized food system. Bakeries, artisan cheese making, and canneries flourish in such communities. In turn, networks form to promote community development and af-fect change locally and globally.

Slow downand feel the land

By buying directly from local farmers, we are re–establishing a time–honoured connection be-tween the eater and the grower. Eating local food connects us more directly with the seasons, the weather, and the miraculous circle of life that sustains us all.

Promote food security and sovereignty

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have phys-ical and economic access to suf-ficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” (World Food Summit, 1996) Food sovereignty refers to the “right of peoples to define their own food and agriculture,” in contrast to having food large-ly controlled by international market forces (Via Campesina, �00�). Food security and sovereign-

ty identify human beings, rather than corporate interests, as the central concern of agriculture. By supporting sustainable food networks locally, we are build-ing a more secure and sovereign food system.

Nurture the soil, plants, and animals

Large–scale industrialized farms are distinguished by monocul-ture — many acres of one type of crop or animal. Animals are reduced to “units” of a system, and subject to the rules of ef-ficiency. There is pressure to compromise space, feed quality, and overall humane treatment to minimize cost and maximize profit. Small–scale family farms are often patchworks of cultivated, fallow, and wild land, creating an independent system. Animals have access to the outdoors and are free to carry out their nat-ural behaviours, such as rooting, pecking, and grazing. A well–managed family farm is a place where the long–term health of all beings, the soil, water, and air is valued. Eating from Kingston’s countryside helps to nurture vital eco-systems.

Preserve biodiversity

Biological diversity refers to the variety of all forms of life, in-cluding species, genes, habitats, biological communities, and

ecological processes. This inter-dependence is essential for the longevity of life on our planet. In the modern industrial agricultural system, varieties are chosen for the greatest yield, uniformity, and for their ability to withstand industrial harvest-ing equipment, packing, and shipping. By contrast, most small-scale farmers grow many var-ieties and species, striving to work with the bounty of nature rather than against it. It is com-mon to see the use of several breeds of cattle, a variety of heirloom plant species from saved seeds, hedgerows, forested areas, and crop rotation. Con-sequently, biodiversity is often promoted and preserved more effectively.

Protect the environ-ment

Vast amounts of greenhouse gases are produced in transport-ing food across our continent and around the world (each meal travels an estimated �,500 km). It follows then that we can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by eating locally. Small-scale family farms are also less likely to use chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides (all of which are damaging to the environment and human health). When you buy directly from the farmer, you can ask about farm practices and/or visit the farm to see how your food is grown. Supporting local small–scale farms enables farmers to be bet-ter stewards of our environment — preserving fertile farmland.

Celebrate our region and its bounty

To live bioregionally is to live with greater awareness of the local ecology, steeped in the

natural history of the place and committed to making choices that help to balance human ac-tivity with the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. By choosing local food, we are making connections be-tween the food, the land (soil, plants, and animals) and the people who produce it. These connections lead to a recogni-tion that our bioregion has an amazing capacity to provide for much of our food needs.

Create a sustainable legacy

By choosing more local food for ourselves and our families, we are consciously working to create a positive future for our children’s children that includes healthy food produced on small–scale farms for many years. We are part of a global movement to create sustainable food systems, in balance with nature, for generations to come.

Compiled from various sources by the NFU Local 316 Feast of Fields Education Team.

* Please note, that while we use the term “family farm” throughout this article, it is meant to encom-pass the wide range of small–scale farms using sustainable farming practices.

About the “Eat from Kingston’s Countryside” in-itiative

In February �006, the National Farmers Union launched our “Eat from Kingston’s Countryside” logo that identifies and pro-motes local food. See page � for more information about the logo. We also have an Eating Close to Home direc-tory (see the centrefold of this paper) to help people find out where to access fresh, locally produced food.

Food factsEric Schlosser said: “Dur-ing the 1980s, large multi-nationals were allowed to dominate one commodity market after another. Fam-ily farms are now being replaced by gigantic corpor-ate farms with absentee owners.”

1� Volume IThe Local Harvest

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Photos by Christina Kearns; collage design by Dianne Dowling

National Farmers Union

Feast of FieldsImages from �004 and �005

Celebrating local, seasonal foodfresh from the family farm

• 650 to 700 visitors annually • 16 area restaurants involved • 30 farms in the farmers’ market • touring the farm • learning about food and farm issues

Documents

Local Harvest The