With his wife Saundra, John has delighted in training their sons, Matt and Paul, in all aspects of the farm’s operation. “But it’s been a great life and has become a true family affair.” “It was hard work, clearing that land,” John remembers today. Over the years, he reclaimed half of that land, clearing it, adding a pond and beginning the crop cultivation that today makes Rideau Pines one of the area’s top producers. That’s a long way from the farm’s modest beginnings back in 1980, when John Vandenberg, an agronomist of long experience, bought an abandoned 50-acre dairy farm. The farm hosts weddings and picnics and this year, it will serve as the venue for one of Ottawa’s best summer music festivals. Immigrants from Eastern Europe rely on Rideau Pines for produce to recreate the culinary delights from back home. Families visit the farm so that children can pick their own fruit and regain a sense of where all that sweet stuff on their plates comes from. The finest restaurateurs in the city rely on Rideau Pines for their berries, herbs and vegetables. Small it may be, but its effect on the Ottawa food scene is immense. Rideau Pines Farm is a small 25-acre operation that produces berries, vegetables and herbs on a little farming paradise 20 minutes from Ottawa down the Fourth Line Road.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |