William Mooney Gardens
Alan and Brenda Abbey
1023 William Mooney Rd.
Carp, ON K0A 1L0
839–1349 (evenings)
<hortman@xplornet.com>
What they Grow: About 30 varieties of tomatoes, 10 peppers, 10 squash, cucumber melons, tomatillos, purple potatoes, carrots, assorted greens, garlic, raspberries (including “Fall Gold”, which produces a second crop of gold raspberries in the fall), strawberries, elderberries, asparagus, perennials and shrubs
Almost all vegetables are open-pollinated heirloom/heritage varieties and organically grown.
Where They Sell: The Red Apron (‘Sophisticated Comfort Food’), and the Experimental Market at Carleton University. Possibly also the Stittsville market this summer. Farm gate sales (call ahead)
In my interactions with growers around this area, I am beginning to recognize the signs of COGS (Compulsive Organic Grower’s Syndrome, not to be confused with COG — Canadian Organic Growers). A few moments into a conversation and the signs start showing. The individuals display a contagious enthusiasm about growing and eating healthy food, a plethora of farming/garden magazines in their home environment, a growing proportion of household (and mental) space that is occupied by garden-related activity/information, excitement over heritage seeds and the compulsion to share them freely, the stamina to come home from jobs to spend their spare time planning or tending a garden, a compulsion also to spread the Good Food News to neighbors and friends, and finally, an insatiable appetite to consider and learn about how things are inter-connected (food systems as they relate to climate change, local food production and local economies, soil health related to plant vitality…)
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