BIZ SPOTLIGHT: Robert Deroche - Soil Warrior

One overcast morning...I found myself driving to meet someone in Maberly.

It is early spring here and I am not alone when I say I miss the garden.

The earth is shedding its last bits of white.

The soil is waking up everywhere.

Although it wasn't sunny...it was a BEAUTIFUL day for a drive.

I met a man named Robert Deroche.

He had advertised his services in The Frontenac News.

But what caught my eye was the email address 

soilguardians356@gmail.com

(reprinted with Robert's permission)

I had to meet this guy!

I was fortunate enough to get a tour!

He had sprouts all over in his green room.

Wheatgrass, buckwheat, kale...

I was in heaven!

We chatted for hours, like old friends.

I was enthralled listening to his thoughts on "the circle".

Feed the soil, which feeds the food, which in turn feeds us!

Robert shared with me that he had tried unsuccessfully to grow carrots.

It wasn't until he waded into the world of vermicomposting that things turned around.

"I tried three times (to grow carrots) and then every year I do rotating, 

the carrots came back to this garden and last year 400 pounds of carrots 

and beets so this is really amazing stuff to me."

Worm castings

Wikipedia says:  

1. Vermicompost is the product or process of composting using various worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast (poo).

 By using worms to break down organic material, 

the compost is formed much quicker than traditional composting.

Think of it like you are hiring some labourers to compost for you!

Compost tea contraption

Not only can you use the castings (poo) in your garden around your plants,

 but you can also make compost tea!

Used in a ratio of at least 5:1 water to castings, this brew can be used directly on the plants.

(except stuff like peppers...who don't like getting wet on their leaves anyway)

Way better than hosing your garden with herbicides or steroids!

Speaking about those commercial things you could spray on your garden, he says,

"You set up a situation where you're dependent upon those inputs to maintain your garden."

Robert has a pretty high tech contraption for making compost tea.

He has his reasons.

It's all about the oxygen, baby!

Robert's sifting contraption

We continued the tour in the basement of his home.

I was shown the sifter he uses to separates out the woodier parts of the soil.

Secret worm food

He also has a secret formula to feed the worms.

Don't worry...worm composters don't really require these special amendments.

He just spoils his worms with some of the best stuff going.

I won't ruin his trade secret...you'll have to talk to Robert about that.

Worms hotel

Housed in long crates...his worms are hard at work!

Robert uses red wigglers and African wrigglers.

There is a tiny sliver of silver - that's a worm toddler!

Not sure if you can see it but there is a tiny silver sliver on his finger

(above the dirt clump)

Its a worm larvae!

When you gently move the soil around, you can actually see

many of the forms worms can take.

Worm castings

Not only was Robert welcoming, but a gratious host.

I was able to part with a bucket of castings...complete with worms!

Super juice!

He also served up some of his pressed juice made with vegetables he grew last year.
It was kale, carrot, ginger, apple and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
It was delicious nonetheless!

He pulled out a Brix meter.

After he explained how it worked...I am now convinced it is the future of food production.

Wikipedia says:

Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx) is the sugar content of an aqueous solution. One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution and represents the strength of the solution as percentage by mass

(We tested the juice he made)

Its amazing to think that not all veggies are the same.

The tomato you bought in the store has very low nutritional content,

compared to one grown in the castings of worms and fed worm compost tea.

The difference is astronomical!

Here is a chart:

Considering much of what we get at the grocery store has traveled very far to get to us,

doesn't it hurt that they would then sell us food listed less than poor on the Brix chart?

I believe that in the future, we won't have foods sporting ORGANIC labels any more.

We'll be checking to see what Brix rating it has!!!

*****************

All in all, Robert is an enthusiastic lover of gardens, worms and the path to overall health.

It was a treat to meet him and share in the information he has gathered.

Get in touch with this guy if you are at all interested in learning more about

-Worm composting (Vermicomposting)

-Juicing

-organic gardening on a whole new level

-Brix meters

Use the above posted email address for more information...

Robert's Recommends:

Charles Eisenstein "Sacred Economics"

http://sacred-economics.com/

Dr Elaine Ingham  "SFI"

http://www.soilfoodweb.com/

PS.  I couldn't resist...I started a worm farm with the worms I was gifted!

Pickin Punkins...and other Fall things...

Every year we buy pumpkins locally...that is, when we aren't growing them of course!

I try to avoid the big box stores...there is something weird about paying 99 cents for a big pumpkin...

It's mostly to support the local growers, but its also weird to see something so giant be so cheap.

So we drove a short way to Silverbrook's Garden Center at 3071 Rutledge Rd  in Sydenham.

http://www.silverbrookgardencentre.com/

It was the Friday before Hurricane Sandy hit.

They were calling for storms, high winds and of course rain.

For some reason, Friday didn't listen and it was GORGEOUS!

The sun was shining...the air was warm...like spring.

Owen was all over the pumpkins.

Picking out a proper pumpkin is like a scientific process.

And heavy!

We loaded up one of the push carts that Silverbrook offers its customers.

Here's Owen already dreaming about the things we shall carve into them.

Not to mention the pies we'll make and the seeds we'll roast!

Silverbrooks also had some pretty cool looking squashes and gourds.

(Great for natural decorating for your centerpiece!)

The funniest part of the trip was when Owen spied a huge box of apples.

They had a few kinds to choose from but Owen dove right in to the Empire apples.

(medium sweet apples)

The lady was just about to say that Owen could try one...but he was already munching away...

We grabbed 8 pumpkins in total as well as a basket of apples.

Silverbrook is a wonderful spot...we love to go there on occassion to buy seedlings that we don't start from seed, antiques, candles and other produce as it comes into season.

It really has an old fashioned feel to the place.  Like you've stepped back in time.

No one is wearing costumes, but you'll be pleased with the personable service and friendly folks you'll meet.

The pumpkins we bought went right into our front yard for decorating, but now that Halloween is over, I'll be bringing them in for a future post on how to cook and prepare pumpkin mash for the freezer for baking.

Not to mention a post on roasting seeds!

The apples are already gone...they were good!!!

Where did you get your pumpkins?

LOCAL BIZ: A trip to Burt's Greenhouses in Odessa

The time has finally come....for us to take our annual trip to Burt's Greenhouses.  Just north of the 401 at Odessa, or aroun 15 minutes one way from our house in Verona.  It turned into a whole family excursion.

Every year we trek on over to Brian Burt's place and raid the veggie plants section.  There are still a few veggies I buy as plants, as I don't have the proper set up for greenhousing myself.  Its just a little easier to buy them already on their way...and trust me, there is still a lot to go wrong even if you don't start your veggies as seeds.  Typically we buy tomatoes, eggplants and some other veggies we haven't tried before.

Its like a grocery store!  You walk down each aisle and wonder "What do I want to eat 2-3 months from now?"  The kids really get into it, even if they can't envision the end result some months off. 

These guys really know their stuff...and they do it in the greenest way possible.  Their greenhouses are heated with a biomass (I won't go into it...if you're curious, Google BIOMASS) or click on the Environmental tab on Burt's website to find out in depth how they do it.

http://burtsgh.com/

We wheel around the greenhouses looking at wonderous colours and shapes.  I learned the name of the garden I always dream of...an alpine garden!  A rocky sandy garden with nothing but ground cover plants...lots of succulents (another word I learned there!)

Owen learned that the hedge around this sand box smelled yummy...it was like lavender and lemons wafting in the spring/summer breeze!

I love the display of gardening next to the greenhouses...showing you what you could do with everything you just saw in pots and rows inside the greenhouses.  It was beautiful and smelled great!  (You could tell when you passed a lemon or bee balm)  What a beautiful display!  Something every one of us enjoyed milling around.

In the end, we came home with what may not look like much.  A small collection of leafy things.  If you look closer (and use your imagination) you can see a 3 meter long row of white onions, a huge patch of sweet potato vines, a couple of new pepper varieties (Trinidad peppers, Purple peppers x 4, Peppers Fooled Ya), 4 Glamour red tomato plants, 4 Lemon boy yellow tomato plants, 4 eggplant plants just dripping with pink and purple flowers, sweet millions cherry tomatoes heavy with fruit, an ostrich fern that will hopefully supply us with fiddleheads next spring and a paddypan squash plant that I can't wait to get growing!!!  So much on such a wee palette and only $30 or so.  Very easy on the wallet.

If you  haven't planted anything yet, or you just aren't sure where to start...a quick zip out to Burt's will help you out.  You'll know you bought your plants from a reputable and local supplier who is intent on shrinking their carbon footprint.  





Earth Day 2011

I'd like to tell the tale of our Earth day this year...as a family.  I promise it won't be preachy...or make you feel like you should have done more.  Everything has to have a beginning.  We certainly don't plant forests every year, but after this year...why don't we do it?  It was a great gathering!  What our family experienced was not a usual event, but I certainly hope it becomes one.  It was one of those things that make you feel great on all levels and it happened to be really fun to boot!

Our family drove 3 hours away (there's irony...we burned a lotta gas to get there...but a movement has to start somewhere) to our friends Doug and Traces.  I've known Traces since public school.  


The farmhouse at 6:30am...ready for the day to begin

 They live in Omemee, Ontario.  That's where they operate their business Green Side Up Environmental Services. 

Doug was a guest on this blog recently in the attached link.  Doug recently got a grant from the government to reforest his farm land.  I find it all pretty amazing since not a short while back in Canadian history, our lives depended on clearing such land as fast as humanly possible...by hand.  Times change and here we are putting the trees back in...by hand.  On the eve of Earth Day 2011, we're all excited to get doing the work.   I'm sitting by the fire with good friends in the fresh country night air. 




The nighttime shot had way more beer bottles in it....so I opted for the PG image

 The following morning was a rush of preparing the trees for planting. 


My husband (right) Ches being such a good sport.


Digging out the seedlings and getting them in pots on the trailer.  1500 seedlings to be exact.  They had a ways to go before they would get to their permanent home in the back 55. 

Signs were made and spare rubber boots, gloves and shovels were gathered for the unprepared.  I took turns taking different groups of people to the planting area.  We had several local politicians drop in for the event too.  Two different riders for the Green Party and a local Liberal representative joined in.  We were so fortunate that everyone didn't arrive all at once...as the earlier folks got tired, a new flock of helpers showed up to take up the slack!


Tall and small...all came to help in the field!

 After lunchtime, when most of us had thought we had planted enough...a new bunch showed up and it started all over again.  Everyone planted more trees than Doug could have hoped for and still the volunteers kept coming out of the woodwork!




future xmas trees

 It was an exhausting day of wonderful fulfillment.  Everyone had grins on their faces for what we had accomplished.


Noah and Ches personally planted 75 trees

 The smaller kids were lucky to get all the way back to the planting zone...and for the wee ones, there was still lots to take part in.  My boys were keen to check on the chicken coop.  Noah would come running out with a fresh egg every few hours.  Owen just loved chasing the rooster around the coop...silly boy.



What a handsome fella!

 For those kids who STILL had too much energy...there was a huge trampoline.  Kids of all ages gave it a whirl.



Owen gets some airtime.



Traces had boiled a few dozen eggs and early afternoon the kids got into painting them.  Another friend set up a face painting station!  Owen was an easter bunny...tee hee.  Of course the kitchen was a buzz of coffee and snacks all day long.  The kids spent almost the whole day unplugged and taking in the fresh air.  Burning off calories the old fashioned way. 

All in all, it was one fantastic day.  Mother Earth was kind to us weather-wise.  The kids all pitched in.  The adults really gave it their all.  Now next year....there better be a prize for he who plants the MOST seedlings!

What did you do for Earth Day?  Tell me all about it! 

The Sugar Shack

When we found out our neighbour's son had never been to a sugar shack...we HAD to go.  Not like we weren't going to go on March Break anyway...that just increased the imperative!  We MUST go!

I always enjoy a good stroll through the sugar bush.  Its something so uniquely Canadian.  Its something so seasonal.  I had read all about the settler's experience with the sugar bush in Suzanna Moody's book "Roughing it in the Bush".  It was in the 1830's when settlers were shown the wonders of the sweet water that flowed in the early spring from certain maples.  It was the Irish immigrant workforce that had the patience to try this task at home.  A grueling few cold nights spent stoking the fire and stirring, stirring, always stirring for fear it would smoke out the landowners home in sulphury clouds.  It was a labour of love, for each person to try a piece of maple sugar or real maple syrup...are rarely ever the same after.  This was before mass production and super markets full of ready to eat items.  Maple syrup was a treat only enjoyed once a year...and I try to impart that on my kids today.  Its the only time I indulge in maple sugar and the sugar shack syrup always tastes better after a cool hike in the woods.



A beautiful day in the woods...the kids always let their spring fever loose!

We hike to the sugar shack at the Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation area in Kingston through a winding trail...happy to be outdoors after what feels like a lifetime of freezing cold windy days.  The boys enjoy a nice reprieve from winter's friend, cabin fever. 


On cold sunny days, the sap runs fast!



Owen is introduced to the sweet water....big brother Noah makes sure the whole arm doesn't go in.....

A history lesson in nature with a tasty ending....what more could you ask for??? 

Can you imagine the time and effort this stuff used to take???

Now a days, the sugar shack is a bit more industrialized...





Hundreds of pancakes served up each minute...they had it down to a fine science...a well-oiled machine!



Served up with equal amounts of whipped local butter



And a look of satisfaction that no store-bought toy, video game device or mass produced food item could provide...mmmmm...

PS.  all four boys (ranging in age of 4 yrs to 13 yrs) were very quiet on the drive home...almost too much fresh air...

If you haven't had the chance...or never thought about taking a trip to the nearest sugar bush...what are you waiting for???

Enjoy some good old Canadian culture, some history and some fresh air...you really will not gain a single calorie from eating fresh pancakes after all the activities to be had.  The Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation area also offered horse drawn wagon rides to the sugar bush!  Nothing signals spring's return like a touch of maple madness.  Oh yeah, that and the robin's sweet song!  

If you need more reasons to indulge in some maple syrup, check out my previous post (original post on December 5, 2010) called "Maple Syrup and the Winter Blues".  It has a scrumptious recipe for protein-packed Quinoa Pancakes as well as a whole bunch of nutritional information about maple syrup as a natural sweetner!

Dig in!