NB Organic Farmers

Good Spring Farm



Over the years, Karen Davidge has often been the oddball at agricultural meetings; not only was she organic, she was also the only woman! Karen is the main farmer of Good Spring Farm, which she owns with her husband, Brock.  Karen and Brock started with a 30 x 50 foot garden in 1980 and they’ve since expanded to 20 acres of land in production.  They also have a managed woodlot of 25 acres, all sustainably and selectively cut, from which they built their barn.

Very mixed and diversified, Good Spring Farm has a lot of variety to offer its customers.  A 2,000 square foot commercial greenhouse (with another on the way) is used to grow different types of lettuce and spinach in the spring, and mixed vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers during the rest of the season. Field crops include small fruit, strawberries, apples, pears, and raspberries.  Pastured certified organic poultry is another a feature, which is raised on the farm's certified organic pasture, using range huts, and protected by Karen and Brock's dog Zak, a special breed of wire- haired pointing griffin.

Three types of chickens are also raised on Good Spring Farm, some of which fall under Rare Breeds Canada, which all  feed primarily on Good Spring Farm’s certified organic pasture.  Black Australorps are one breed, along with New Hampshires, a dual-purpose bird used for both meat and egg production. Good Spring Farm also has a meat bird that they have worked with long enough for the bird to be considered the farm’s own breed.

The real specialty item at Good Spring are their colourful and delicious varieties of potatoes. Each year, the farm offers between twelve and fifteen types of potatoes, a number of which are heirloom varieties with Good Spring as the only farm in Canada growing them. Good Spring’s potato varieties include fingerling potatoes, as well as yellow, blue, red, pink and other colours.  Their potatoes are CFIA certified seed potatoes too and Karen and Brock work closely with the Canadian heritage potato gene bank, trying to make more disease-free seed varieties available to gardeners.

Good Spring Farm currently sells the bulk of their products at the Fredericton Farmer’s Market, as well as doing some wholesale production and farm gate sales.  With Good Spring Farm, Karen and Brock Davidge have certainly found what they’re good at. The most unique part of this farm is the owners.

Good Spring Farm - Sell Sheet

Description
Availability
Heritage & Fingerling Potatoes Over a dozen varieties!
Depending on demand, available until June
All Blue Dark blue skin and flesh.  Great for boiling, baking and frying.
Late season harvest
All Red Red skin with reddish pink flesh. Good boiler, baker, makes a colourful potato salad.
Early harvest
Banana (fingerling) Banana-shaped; small; smooth, light yellow skin; shallow eyes; uniform pale yellow flesh.  Semi-mealy texture; very good for boiling, baking and frying; excellent salad potato*.
 
Belleisle Also known as the "butter soaker" the Belleisle potato is a round white, very dry potato, great for baking. Can be boiled but if overcooked it falls apart - so keep your eyes on the pot!
Late season harvest
Caribe Purple skinned potato with very white flesh.  Great for boiling, roasting, soups, c howders, frying, and makes a moist baked potato.
Early harvest
Carola With characteristics comparable to the famous Yukon Gold, this Carola is known for its superior flavour!  Beige skin with deep yellow flesh, its cooking properties are similar to Yukon Gold, however it is slightly waxier, and does not make a good mashed potato.
Late, mid-season harvest
Kennebec Elliptical to oblong, medium thick; smooth creamy buff skin; shallow eyes; white flesh*.  Excellent boiler, baker, BBQ, and masher.
Mid-season harvest
Norland Medium oblong, slightly flattened, medium thick; smooth red skin; shallow eyes; white flesh. Very good for boiling, roasting, soups and chowders, french frying and makes a moist baker*.
Early harvest
Onaway Potato Round white smooth skin, slightly flaked at maturity with white flesh*. Great for boiling and roasting; good for soups and chowders, an excellent frying potato and a moist baker.
Early harvest
Pink Fir Apple (fingerling)  
 
Rhine Red Red skin white flesh, boiler, baker, BBQ, Mash
Mid-season harvest
Rose Gold Pink skinned potato with bright yellow flesh with cooking properties similar to Yukon Gold (boil bake, mash, BBQ).
 Mid-season
Yukon Gold Beige skinned potato with yellow flesh and pink eyes. Medium-dry texture makes it very good for boiling, baking, mashing and french frying and great on the BBQ; unsuitable for chipping; retains its yellow flesh color when cooked*.
Early harvest
Vegetable Crops Quantities dependent on demand - Good Spring Farm is willing to work with special orders, especially when given a season's notice.
 
Basil  
June-Frost
Beans Yellow, purple, green beans and some specialty beans
July until the end of season
Beets  
June-Frost
Brassicas on demand We are flexible and willing to customize our growing to suit your needs.
 
Carrots  
July until the end of season
Chives  
Full Season
Cucumbers  
July until the end of season
Fruits -  can be some available washed, stemmed and frozen - all frozen on site by Karen.  
In season
Zuchinni (golden & green)  
July until the end of season
Greenhouse lettuce An excellent and varied selection of leaf lettuces. 
1st of May-Frost
Herbs - thyme, oregano, savory and more Good Spring Farm is happy to grow custom herbs.
Full Season
Leeks  
Fall
Lettuce outdoor Head lettuce, a few different varieties.
Full season availability, weather depending
Melons Good Spring Farm has alimited supply of juicy melons - ripe for our cold climate!  Ask about their varieties this year!
Seasonal and limited supply
Mint  
Full Season
Peppers Hot banana peppers, hungarian hot wax, bell peppers (red, green orange, yellow)
Late August through September
Raspberries Good Spring Farm has a limited supply of raspberries in season and some available frozen.
Seasonal and limited supply
Rhubarb Sugary red rhubarb.
Mid-May until the end of June (weather depending) unlimited quantities
Salad mix Ready to serve salad - asian greens and dill seasoning make this salad mix unique and delicious with at least three colourful varieties of lettuce!
end of May - Freeze up (could be available)
Snow peas Early and delicious.
Seasonal
Spinach available Outdoor spinach.
June-July; late August - Fall frost
Squash  
End of August - Frost
Strawberries Early, mid-season and late varieties.
Late June through July
Sugar snap peas Early and delicious.
Short early season
Tomatoes All of Good Spring Farm's tomatoes are unique heritage varieties from saving all of their own seeds.  They have greenhouse and field tomatoes available.
August through October
Chicken Although not 100% organic, these birds feed primarily on Good Spring Garden's certified pasture and grains that are grown on the farm.   Good Spring Farm has bred and raised a breed of meat birds for over 25 years now that could be considered their own breed!
 
*Information and descriptions found on the CFIA website, www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/potpom/var/indexe.shtml
 

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