Edible Ottawa
A Convinent, Over Generations, with the Land
Photo by Amy Zambonin
Neil Woods' great-grandfather bought the land that he farms today with his family (his wife, Chi-Anh, daughter, Sarah and son, Oliver) just north of Wakefield, Que., in 1861. Woods sells much of the huge variety of vegetables he grows in person at the Wakefield Farmers' Market, where he's the only vendor who has been there since the beginning.
Three generations of the Woods family enjoy a warm summer day on the porch of their farm house, from back left to right, Samuel, Winifred, Leyton, Neil, Chi-Anh, and in front, Oliver, Quinn and Sarah.
At Avonmore Berry Farm, Dave Phillips and his wife, Pam, top right, flanked by their son Andrew and his wife, Megan, operate the 90-acre farm Dave's parents bought in 1981 while still living in Toronto.
Since that time, Phillips has grown the farm to 300 acres (150 of which is farmed), comprised of four different types of soil, which allows the family to grow a wide variety of crops, including strawberries and raspberries, 20 different vegetables, as well as wheat and soybeans.
Photo by Matthew Liteplo
Photo by Matthew Liteplo
Photo by Matthew Liteplo
It's too soon to tell if their four-month-old grandson, Nathan, will take over the farm one day, but in the meantime Andrea and Orrie Cumpson, together with their son Charlie and his wife Hailey, manage the family's diverse farm...
Photo by Matthew Liteplo
... that includes producing organic grass-fed dairy, heritage grains, pasture-raised pork and chickens and horse-boarding and training.
