Visiting the farm has rarely been made so hospitable as at Adrien Emond’s gardens, located atop a small mountain, just ten minutes outside of the bustling town of Edmunston, in Saint Joseph de Madawaska. A mere three acres, Adrien Emond uses it to full capacity, with 4 small greenhouses on his 1.5 acres of farmed land.
Adrien sells mostly from his farm gate, where he has a welcoming set-up for his customers. A small cabin invites customers to slow down, have a seat and soak up the experience of Jardins Aux Quatre Vents (Garden of the Four Winds) with a great view of the surrounding forested hills. The cabin is wood-warmed in the colder seasons for those who might have to wait while Adrien harvests their food orders in front of them. Dangling beautifully all throughout the small cabin are herbs and flowers drying out in the sunlight. It really is quite a magical spot he’s cultivated.
Somewhat of an herb and fresh food activist, Adrien always tries to give each person who visits his farm some cooking suggestions, “I really like to encourage people to try new things.” “Whenever new people come to the farm I like to offer them healthy cooking advice, for example to teach them how to use herbs instead of salt, or by encouraging them to try new varieties of vegetables, or even simply adding flowers to their salad.”
Adrien grows a mixed variety of vegetables, edible flowers and herbs, concentrating on the special and uncommon varieties. Although he has grown and sold herbs for a number of years, Adrien is pleased to note that sales of fresh herbs have been increasing, and people have become more and more curious about the different types of vegetables he has to offer.
Previously a full time postal worker with a small backyard garden, Adrien retired from letter carrying to become a full-time farmer. He chose to become certified organic because he doesn’t agree that the huge factory farming industry can, should or will continue to supply a healthy food source. Small scale, organic agriculture is a big step away from the “industrial farming” trend, and Adriend Emond takes even further steps by actively trying to educate people about cultivating and consuming healthy food. “Organic is my way of thinking,” says Adrien, “and I like to try to help others understand why it’s so important.”
Adrien has given plenty of workshops about gardening organically to local communities, offering people organic gardening techniques, as well as a philosophy of life that might change the way they think about food.
|
|
|
Products
|
Description
|
Availability
|
| Basil |
7 different varieties; Adrien's favourite is the citrus-flavoured lime basil |
Genovese available in May, other varieties available in July
|
| Beans, Snap |
2 varieties: yellow Roc d'Or and green Jade beans |
End of July - August
|
| Beets |
Golden beets, Ace beets (small round) and a cylindrical variety |
September
|
| Cabbage |
Small summer cabbage |
End of July - September
|
| Carrots |
5 varieties of carrots including the standard Nelson, Purple Haze, Bolero, Sugar Snacks (very long carrots - in fact they are the same variety of carrot commonly used for baby carrots) |
First week of August until frost
|
| Cucumbers |
7 varieties: Sweet Slice, Carmen, Tasty Jade (a long Japanese cucumber), Lebanese (a pickling variety, no spine), Regular Pickling cucumber, White Pickling cucumber, Lemon cucumber (a round, yellow cucumber which has a light lemony flavour) |
Slicers: July; Pickling cucumbers available the first week of August
|
| Edible Flowers |
Nasturtiums, Calendula, Pansies, Borage |
|
| Garlic |
2 varieties: Music (purple garlic) and a small white braiding variety |
Available the first week of August
|
| Green Onions |
|
Available at the end of June until the end of Summer
|
| Herbs |
3 different varieties of thyme: German, Lemon and Provence; Anise; Hyssop; Greek Oregano; Summer Savoury; and Liquorice Plant |
|
| Leeks |
An early summer variety |
First week of August until Frost
|
| Lettuce |
4 varieties available: Black Seed Simpson, Bavarian (similar to a Boston head lettuce), Arugula, Mesclun Mix and a Spicy Salad Mix too. |
Available from the end of June until Frost (weather depending)
|
| Onions |
6 or 7 different cooking onions including the regular yellow onion the mars red onion, aisle greg, French shallot, button small flat onion (makes a great braided onion) |
End of Season
|
| Parsley |
Italian & Curly Parley as well as a variety called Forest Green |
Available in the Spring from the Greenhouse, then July until snow.
|
| Peppers |
An heirloom green pepper variety called Ace and a selection of hot peppers including Jalapeno, Chilli, Kang Pau - the hottest he's encountered in this growing climate! |
July until the end of September
|
| Potatoes |
6 varieties: (1) All Blue (2) Goldrush (3) Yukon Gold (4) Chieftain (5) Russian Banana (small fingerling potato), (6) Ramosa (small white potato) |
August until the end of September
|
| Radishes |
French breakfast, Red Sorro (Same as goldfinch) |
Available May-June, and then the Fall
|
| Rhubarb |
|
End of May until the end of June
|
| Swiss Chard |
3 colours: white, yellow and red |
First week of August until frost
|
| Tomatoes |
35 heirloom and heritage varieties to choose from including German Striped, Black Krim, Zebra, Opalka (orange), and Lemon Boy (yellow, lemon shaped) |
End of July until the first week of September (different varieties available at different times) Lemon boy is an earlier variety (July)
|
| Tomatoes, Cherry |
Adrien has several great varieties including: Golden Cherry (tastes like a candy), Matt's Wild Cherry (the smallest tomatoes you've ever seen - they make a great decoration on a plate as they grow like grapes!), Sweet 100 and Tumbler are a few of his favourites |
Tumbler variety available very early - often by the end of May. The other varieties are available beginning in July, with a constant supply of cherry tomatoes available in different varieties throughout the rest of the growing season.
|
| Winter Squash |
Butternut, Buttercup, and several varieties of Pumpkins including Rouge Vife d'Etempe and Potilleron (a flat red pumpkin) |
End of September until Frost
|
| Zucchini & Summer squash |
Traditional Green Zucchini, Yellow, Italian (large green with pale green stripe), Yellow Scallop, Spaghetti Squash |
Available for the first week of August until the end of season
|
