It’s cold and the land is sleeping, but the days are already longer and the promise of Spring is just weeks away. We’re already dreaming of warmer days, cold beer outdoors, the breeze drifting through the roll up door in the taproom and the feeling that things make sense again. (Alright, we can’t make promises about that last part, but the rest of it is for sure on the way.)
Last Summer we launched our beer garden; a literal community garden growing organic vegetables for our local food bank, the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard. Supported by our friends Kalen and Matt at Farmscore who brought their know-how and hard work to bear on the design and management of our container garden, we grew a veritable bounty of healthy food for neighbours in need.
While we’ll be back again gardening for the food cupboard, part of our vision for this Summer is to reimagine the brewery as a local food hub for our community. We’re thrilled to share a pair of great ways for you, our fans, to access healthy, delicious food from local producers at the brewery this Summer.
Vintage Soil Farm CSA
Led by Isabelle Rodé and supported by her draft horses Kenny and Abby, Vintage Soil is a small-scale, organic farm just outside of Kemptville with a mission to cultivate soil, food, and community sustainably. Soil and plant health are at the core of their growing practices and support for Isabelle's farm comes with the added benefit of contributing to increased diversity and representation in the agricultural community. Isabelle spent many years honing her skills under the guidance of strong female farmers and business owners. Last year marked Vintage Soil's inaugural growing season and Isabelle is excited to be joining the Gloucester community.
Beer, bread & vegetables?! It’s the ultimate trifecta!
Vintage Soil makes their produce available through a CSA, or community shared agriculture model; a program designed to benefit both the farmer and the community. Subscribers sign up at the beginning of the year, providing the farm with the capital it needs to purchase the seeds and inputs for the upcoming year. Once you’ve committed to the CSA you can rest assured that come spring and summer you’ll be eating the freshest veggies available.
Vintage Soil's CSA pick-up will be Wednesdays from 5 pm-7 pm and will run for 18 weeks (mid/late June to late October). Each week your box will be filled with the bounty of the fields. There are three share size options available tailored to fit any size household as well as a delivered fall share option.
*Although payment for the CSA is typically a lump sum payment if this is a barrier for you to accessing local, organic produce we are happy to set up a payment plan that works for you and the farm.*
If you have any questions about our CSA program please feel free to reach out to isabelle@vintagesoilfarm.com
Farmhouse Food Local Harvest Boxes
Farmhouse Food is a cooperative of small ecological farms across Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec offering a CSA pick up at the brewery weekly on Thursdays from June through December. Their vegetable, fruit and egg producers are all certified organic. Their meats and cheeses are produced using humane and regenerative agricultural practices and by signing up for a box you support many farms at once, helping to build a resilient local food network.
Harvest Boxes showcase the best local food that the Ottawa-Gatineau region has to offer. Enjoy a diversity of fresh vegetables, fruit, cheese, eggs, meat, grains and more, all produced within 150 km of Parliament Hill. Customize your order with add-ons that suit your diet.
Boxes are priced at $89/week, and are delivered weekly from June through December. Pick up your box at Dominion City on Thursdays.
Early Bird pricing is on now for a limited time - sign up for the full season and your first box is free!
For details and to sign up, visit alimentsfarmhousefood.com.
