Amarosia Organic Garden
By Frances McGinnis
It’s been busy down at Amarosia Organic Garden these days.
Located in Grande-Digue, New Brunswick, overlooking Shediac Bay, this 4-acre enterprise is expanding - the cultivated land has nearly tripled in the past year and they plan to add a second greenhouse very soon.
Rowena Hopkins, a former chemistry teacher and part time IOIA accredited organic inspector, and her husband, Dave Méthot, who recently left his field of engineering to pursue farming, both work full time at Amarosia.
Having recently expanded and undergone their first organic inspection, the transition has been a great learning experience: They’ve been employing on farm trials, planting peppers on black plastic mulch and bare ground for comparison. Sowing lettuce at night also proved interesting when Rowena discovered she had planted one area twice and left another section bare. Although unintentional, it resulted in a beautiful mix of vibrant reds and greens!
While it is a trial and error process, Rowena is finding help from unlikely sources. The young tomato plants have been getting support from the weeds while they wait for their stakes to arrive. These same weeds have been adding protection from a variety of predatory bugs (such as flea beetles) and animals.
This transition period isn’t exclusive to their land. Rowena and Dave are also in the middle of renovations on their Acadian farmhouse. Although hectic, the renovations did have their advantages - the empty rooms and front sun porches proved valuable as germination incubators and nurseries in the cool early months of this growing season.
Rowena is clearly dedicated to educating the public on local foods. This Spring Rowena taught two courses on organic gardening at the community college and she’s recently given a workshop on organic food at the Moncton Public Library.
“Most people are unaware of specific harvesting seasons, accustomed to the constant availability found with imported foods,” commented Rowena. “People still come to the market in July looking for asparagus which is very frustrating both for the vendors and buyers! We list each week’s produce on our website to help customers track the availability of specific items and we are trying to create a produce availability chart”.
An advantage to the small size of the Dieppe farmer’s market, where Amarosia sells each Saturday, is the time spent interacting with customers.
“In Fredericton, you may only have 30 seconds to spend with each customer; in Dieppe you can take the time to explain what is available, and possible recipes,” explains Rowena. “This extra time encourages customers to try new foods and establishes great relationships.”
Rowena also advocates the need for marketing when it comes to success in the organic industry, even something as simple as a business card or flyer. “It can be difficult to manage sales with so much time devoted to production, but it makes all the difference when you’re trying to access an interested public.”
Amarosia Organic Garden offers a diverse selection of produce for a wide range of appetites. Their booth can be found Saturdays at the Dieppe Farmer’s Market and Sundays at the Shediac Market. They also sell through Sequoia Natural Foods in Moncton and supply salads to the St George Soupe and Sandwich. If you’re interested in learning more, visit their website: www.amarosia.com.
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