Our Site Has MOVED

We've moved! Please check out our new site for more info, photos and musings.

http://prairieboyfarms.wordpress.com/ 

Organic Urban Farming in La Habana, Cuba

On a recent trip to La Habana, Cuba I got the pleasure of meeting a wonderful organic urban farmer named Lalo. He and another farmer share the labour on an approx 1 acre city farm plot in Centro Habana. Their products are sold in a farmers market stall attached to the plot as well as in neighbouring markets. They raise mostly lettuces, spinach, onions, garlic, shallots, herbs etc - products that take up minimal space or that can be harvested multiple times. Their market also sells fresh squeezed orange juice (where Lalo's wife works), a carnicero (butcher) sells meat - mostly pork as Cubans do not have access to beef, and they also sell medicinal and ornamental plants. We spent the day discussing vegetables, food, soil, composting, plants, nature, ecology, organics, urban litter, pest control, weed back (see Lalo's back brace), markets and many other things. Where my Spanish failed, hand gestures succeeded. It was amazing to share stories, methods, techniques and a meal with such an interesting, knowledgeable and passionate man.  Here are some pictures from a truly inspiring day. I hope we meet again.  - Lainie

Lalo

 

Vive Montreal Vive le Quebec! dinner

The dinner at the Dep is sold out already...but here is a link to the menu and our inspiration for it.  Prairie Boy Montreal inspired dinner

Hope to see those who missed out on tix at the next one.

SOLD OUT!

Gifts & Contraband in Jars

We were walking down the street the other day and a friend stopped us and said she had something for us. We followed her to her place and Ta Da... she gave us these 2 jars of Apple Butter she made this fall from apples we had picked and given to her...but we had forgotten. So nice to get gifts like these! Especially in the dead of winter...even if it's a mild one. Thanks Erin!!

We are looking into joining a cow share. This is the raw milk we got the other day to try out. We are going to make butter with it and see how it is. Thanks Cow!

Organic?

So after 2 years of being careful not to call ourselves "Organic" for fear of the Organic Police showing up at the door demanding certification...we just found out that we ARE allowed to call ourselves organic if we actually follow the same guidelines; which we do...and then some, aren't selling out of province etc. For a while we were calling our produce MOTO (More Organic Than Organic) but that isn't  a widely recognized term yet( don't worry Len, we love it and think it will catch on!). So now we can "legally" say we are Organic. So there.

Terra Madre Dinner Pics

Here are some pics from the Terra Madre Day dinner. It was a really great night from beginning to end. Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us and to our fellow suppliers Sunrise Organics, Scotch Mountain Meats and Montforte Dairy. Last but not least thanks to Len for co-hosting such a great evening at The Rusholme Park Supper Club. We hope to have many more great nights at your wonderful space.  

We made The Grid weekly!