Queen Beet
Coral Sproule
1026 Bathurst 6th Concession
Perth, ON, K7H 3C9
264–2499
<cestor13@hotmail.com>
Andrew and Linda Gehrke
85 Beckwith St. East
Perth, ON, K7H 1C3
326–0465
<andygehrke@yahoo.ca>
www.perthfarmersmarket.ca
What they offer and where:
Assorted sprouts, full range of seasonal market vegetables (highlights include: heritage varieties, purple cauliflower, burgundy okra, fresh pod soybeans), eggs at farmgate
CSA shares June–November (still a few available)
Perth Farmers Market: Crystal Palace, Perth
Saturday mornings May 10 – Thanksgiving
Wednesday mornings July and August
Beckwith Gardens and Queen Beet
Something is brewing in a sleepy corner of the town of Perth. Something I find both very exciting, and very inspiring. Something, uh, dare I say it, even revolutionary?! People passing a large lot on Beckwith St. are beginning to crane their necks with curiosity wondering just what exactly is going on in the huge “used-to-be-a- lawn” backyard behind the house. This is the new home of siblings Andrew and Linda Gehrke — formerly the operators of By the Brooke Organics, a farm ten minutes from Perth. Most people move out of town to become farmers. They did that — for the last four years to be precise — and now they are relocating themselves, as well as the seedlings for their market garden, to what is soon to become Beckwith Gardens — Perth’s first backyard market garden!
Add to the Gehrkes radical, rural departure Coral Sproule, a young woman recently returned to the area and starting up her own farm — Queen Beet — after four years of apprenticeship with a large, multi-farm CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) operation in southern Ontario. Coral, Linda and Andrew are teaming up this year to jointly supply CSA shares (weekly food boxes) to 20 families, and to offer a full range of seasonal vegetables at the Perth Farmer’s Market. Urban and rural agriculture meets collective energy. Sounds like a great idea!
There has been a renaissance of urban agriculture over the last several years in cities throughout North America. The popularity of community gardens has taken a few further steps, and now enterprising new farmers are tapping into the potential of unused or underused urban space, such as backyards and vacant lots, to grow food for markets and CSAs. Cuba in particular has experienced a boom in organic city farming since the collapse of the USSR, and other cities and towns where people are becoming more aware of both the need to develop local sustainable food systems, and the possibility of using the unused, available arable spaces around them, are following suit.
After four years of market gardening on their farm outside of Perth, Linda and Andrew grew frustrated with the production losses they experienced due to groundhogs, deer and drought. Fencing and irrigation help to diminish these problems but they are among some of the largest expenses a market gardener might face. Rather than having to deal with these challenges, and inspired by an organization called SPIN Farming (Small Production Intensive Farming <www.spinfarming.com> — a website everyone should check out for inspiration) Andrew and Linda bought a double lot they found on Beckwith St. in Perth and are in the process of setting up shop. When I visited, the “backyard” (a generous half-acre) had been transformed from an unused grass field/lawn behind the house into the beginnings of a garden that will supply much of the produce customers find in their weekly food boxes and at the market stall they’ll share with Coral. Deer and drought aside, Andrew added that peak oil, rising fuel prices, climate change, and the need to wean ourselves from fossil fuel dependency also influenced his decision to move from the farm. Most of their customers live in Perth, so delivery of their CSA boxes will use a minimum of energy. There’s even talk of getting a delivery bike system together to further reduce energy use for transportation. Andrew also mentioned his hopes that their garden might inspire others to try their hand at growing food in their yards — something that was commonplace not that long ago!
Coral’s interest in small-scale mixed farming and growing food for local consumption incubated while working at The Big Carrot, a natural food store in Toronto. There, she witnessed the importance of, and the difficulties with, sourcing an adequate and consistent supply of locally grown food. The problem is complex and partly due to our climate. That aside, however, there simply aren’t yet enough growers offering the diversity needed, and (seasonally) the volume necessary to supply the demand. She determined to become one of those producers and collaborating with other growers is a way she sees to help tackle the problem of volume. Presently, much like the Gehrkes, Coral is in the throes of preparing a large garden on her parents’ farm just outside from Perth.
On top of the huge amount of work that normally goes into maintaining an established market garden, the first growing season for any garden requires additional efforts in planning, breaking new ground and preparing the soil. Though both Coral and the Gehrkes will maintain their separate gardens, their arrangement not only lessens the stress of ensuring adequate supply for the CSA and the market particularly in the first year — it also means they can help each other out when big tasks need tackling. They look forward to sharing equipment and machinery, share some of the responsibilities, work and costs, as well as their collective knowledge, experience, and ideas. and provide support for each other through the good and bad times.
Between the three of them, they plan to make a wide variety of produce available at both the market and in the CSA boxes, including heritage tomatoes, salad mixes, Swiss chard, kale, garlic, beans, peas, brassicas, herbs, root crops and more. Coral will probably grow some of the more “space-consuming” crops like squashes and melons. Watch also for some of her more unusual edibles such as fresh pod soybeans (edamame), purple cauliflowers and burgundy okra. Andrew and Linda will continue to offer their delicious sprouts and baked goods, on top of a full complement of veggies from the new garden. There may even be some sweet potatoes grown by Coral’s mother Donna later in the year! Though not certified, they all use organic production methods.
For several generations now, society has relentlessly trained us to believe that independence, self-reliance, private ownership, and competition is the way to go — particularly in business. For farmers these days this usually means extremely long hours, onerous expenses, and the necessity for one or two people to “do everything” — growing, animal husbandry, marketing, harvesting, packing, distribution, research, repairs, market presentation and sales, bookkeeping, administration and certification, etc. Those large farming families used to serve a purpose! During her years of apprenticeship, Coral experienced firsthand the benefits to a multi-farm CSA approach that sourced produce for boxes and farmer’s markets from a number of nearby farms. This generates a greater capacity to offer a larger number of CSA shares and to attend farmer’s markets without compromising the variety and consistency of produce available to both. It seems that collaboration can make a lot of sense.
Look for Beckwith Gardens and Queen Beet at the Perth Farmer’s Market starting Saturday, May 10. A few CSA shares are still available. For more information contact any of them (see above contact info).
Barley and Swiss Chard Skillet Casserole
Yield: Makes 4 servings
1 c water
¾ c uncooked quick-cooking barley
1 c chopped red bell pepper
1 c chopped green bell pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder or a few cloves of garlic
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 c coarsely chopped packed Swiss chard leaves (available later in May at the farmer’s market)
1 c rinsed and drained canned navy beans
1 c quartered cherry tomatoes (sweet grape variety)
¼ c chopped fresh basil leaves
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs
Preparation:
Preheat broiler.
Bring water to a boil in large skillet; add barley, bell peppers, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove skillet from heat. Stir in chard, beans, tomatoes, basil and olive oil. Sprinkle evenly with bread crumbs. Broil, uncovered, 2 minutes or until golden.