About
our farm
Hoople
Creek Farm is the family farm of Jamie and Stacey Creskey, and our three children,
Kyle, Lindsay and Spencer. The farm is located near the St. Lawrence River,
in Ingleside, Ontario, about 85km South-East of Ottawa, and is named for the
creek that runs through our area. Our farm is on the homestead of one of the
early settlers, which our road is named after. Old iron nails and horseshoes
are frequently being uncovered as we dig the fertile clay-loam soil.
We
bought the farm in 2007, and by the spring of 2008, we were selling our first
produce at the Ottawa Farmers’ Market. The support and encouragement
we received from our first customers at the market convinced us that we were
on the right track, and inspired us to continue building the farm. We believe
in an integrated approach to farming, using the time-tested model of livestock
and crops working symbiotically to harvest the sunshine and improve the soil.
We have benefited greatly from the knowledge, advice and talents of those
working in and supporting agriculture here in the Seaway valley. With it's
micro-climate moderated by the St. Lawrence river, good soil, and welcoming
people, we feel priveledged to have the opportunity to live and farm in Eastern
Ontario.
What is Local Organic?
We
use the terms together, because we think they are just as important, and in
fact, address the same problem. We don’t believe that buying ‘organic’
lettuce grown on a giant corporate farm in California, using migrant labour
and dwindling irrigation water, and then trucked all the way here is an earth-friendly
or healthy choice. At a time in which energy use has become a defining issue,
how and where we grow our food is a part of the solution.
There
are many benefits to growing crops organically, but some of the most important
advantages are yet to be fully appreciated. Growing organically means working
at nature’s pace, which involves accepting a certain amount of give
and take with mother nature, and relying on local resources rather than imported
nutrients gained from chemical sources.
We
never use chemical pesticides, herbicides or fungicides on our crops. We believe
that by building our soil and growing the strongest plants possible, pests
and disease are greatly reduced or completely eliminated. It is an ongoing
process, but we think that knowing with certainty that the food we eat is
safe from any kind of chemical contamination is important. The benefits to
the soil, water, and wildlife on the farm make it that much better.
We
fertilize only with natural sources, which includes compost, naturally-occurring
rock minerals, and cover crops to fix nitrogen from the air into the soil.
Natural soil amendments create a healthy environment for microbes and worms
which are instrumental to building and maintaining a fertile soil.
We pick most of our produce the day before we bring it to market, and wash,
chill and pack it with care. We eat what we grow, and view our customers as
an extension of our family. The taste of freshly- picked organic produce never
ceases to impress us, and the feedback from our customers tells us that we
are on the right track.
What
are Heirloom vegetables?
Most
of the crops that we grow are refered to as ‘heirloom’ or ‘heritage’
varieties. Heirloom crops are grown from seeds which have usually been passed
down for generations, and offer a huge variety of delightful tastes you won’t
find at the supermarket. Industrial agriculture has narrowed down the crops
that are grown based on criteria such as shelf-life and yield. But a world
of variety and taste exists outside of the narrow list of crops that are grown
commercially. You haven’t tasted a tomato until you’ve had a Black
Brandywine!
Another benefit of heritage varieties is that they support a network of seed
growers, and offer the opportunity of saving your own seed because these plants
can grow 'true' from their own seed, and aren't owned by any company. They
are in the ‘public domain’ and belong to all of us, so to speak.
As
we begin the 2011 growing season, we look forward to seeing the gardens come
to life again, the sheep back on green pasture, the children running in the
grass, and welcoming our customers for another great season of healthy eating.
We look forward to your comments and questions, and wish you good health and
happiness throughout the year.
Best
regards,
Jamie & Stacey Creskey & family.
Hoople
Creek Farm
14251 Dafoe Rd.
Ingleside, ON
(613)
537-8871
Jamie and Stacey at the Ottawa Farmers' Market
in September, 2009. Our display features beets, 3 different varieties of carrots,
radishes, swiss chard, fennel, leeks, lettuce and garlic.
Lindsay and Spencer, closely followed by Sydney, running through the orchard
we planted last year.
Lindsay with a bunch of Strawberry Spinach.
We move our flock of Khatadin sheep to new
pasture every day, so they are never on the same spot more than a couple of
days a month. This naturally keeps parasites down, and allows the grass to
fully regrow.
Kyle bringing some trays of stransplants into the hoophouse in late April.
Despite
the cool, wet condition in 2009, the soya beans did well. We pick them fresh
for 'Edamame'. Makes a nutritious and great-tasting snack!
Stacey picking basil in the herbs patch.
Lots of rain brings lush grass to the pastures.
Jamie cultivating the greens garden using
a wheel hoe, a simple, but effective tool.
The kids
and a friend bringing in some loose hay with our 1951 Ford 8N. 