Here at RTBF, Brian is our farmer. He has been growing food for close to 45 years.
Farming is not for the faint of heart. We can’t control the weather: is it too cold, too hot, too dry, to wet, or did the weather conditions make the plants all mature together. Or, was the seed germination rate terrible and the weeds are taking over and the bugs are having a feast. So many things to think about and so many things you can not control. But farming was never considered a get rich quick scheme, but it is a life style choice and one that requires perseverance, positive thinking and faith. Faith that the seeds you plant will produce a crop and there will be people who want to buy it.
Here at RTBF we like to say that we have grown everything from asparagus to zucchini and what we don’t grow we partner with like minded local farmers. Here at RTBF we start with by growing in our greenhouses, we direct seed carrots, beets, onions, kale, Asian greens, lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers etc. and we seed for later transplanting into the fields when the weather warms up. From years of experience we find that cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, brussel sprouts, fennel and many more seedling varieties are best transplanted into the fields to ensure we have a crop.
We start seeding in March and keep going until mid August. This allows us to have fresh veggies available for our CSA program and farm market well into November. In fact we have had fresh brussel sprouts in our Christmas market. Harvest is a daily thing and product is washed and placed in coolers to keep it at it’s best. We harvest first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, that way the heat of the day is not in the veggies and they last a lot longer. We use heirloom seeds, which means our veggies have flavour and nutritional value but may not last as long in the fridge.
Our farm market sells our produce as well as produce from partner farms. I mean we can’t grow everything, but we know farmers who have the same farming philosophy as us and are excellent growers, mindful of the importance of their soil and the crops they grow.
Check out our farm market and see what we have to offer.
