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Over the weekend, we visited Cooper’s CSA Farm in Zephyr, Ontario. For the past three years, we’ve been a member of their CSA (community-supported agriculture) and had shares in their vegetable, egg, chicken, and pork bounty. At the start of the season, the farm hosts an open house where they provide tours of the farm and explain what they’re growing and how they’re raising the animals. Although not certified organic, the farm believes in ethically and sustainably grown food. The farmer (Steve) chooses to fertilize his fields with animal manure, green manure, and crop rotation instead of using chemical fertilizers, and manages pests in a way that uses as little pesticide as possible, if at all.
Cooper’s CSA Farm also raises cattle, Berkshire pigs, goats, and chickens. My mom and I actually discovered Cooper’s because we were visiting a nearby pick-your-own farm, and as we were driving down a country road we saw a farm with hundreds of happy goats out grazing in a field. We pulled over and visited the farm, and upon discovering that it was a CSA farm, signed up for shares. The farm only has about five goats left, as the farm is turning its focus on raising the heritage Berkshire pig breed. Our tour guide told us that this year, Steve couldn’t find any ethically raised piglets to fatten up, so he decided to breed his own. Now the farm has nine breeding sows and 60 piglets that will be raised outdoors, rooting in the fields and forests and wallowing in mud pits. Happy pigs!
After such a tour, I felt I had to buy some happy meat for Ryan. I bought some beef short ribs, stewing beef, a stewing chicken, and pork chops, in addition to the asparagus and bok choy I bought for myself. I haven’t yet decided how I will eventually prepare all this meat, but I will definitely share the recipes on Kiku Corner!
The Coopers provide a delicious lunch for shareholders during their annual open house. The cream of asparagus soup and the tourtiere were especially good! Of course they serve their homemade pickles and jams.
Some of the strawberry crop was lost in the -5 C temperatures the night before. These ones, however, survived and hopefully will bear fruit in the next few weeks.
The polytunnels help keep pests and disease away.
The farm is a great place for families to visit. Instead of a sandbox, they have a corn box for the kids!
[…] the best quality Italian sausage you can afford – we get ours from our CSA box (shoutout to Cooper’s!). Gorgonzola is a great blue cheese to use, but I normally use Castello Danish Blue Cheese because […]