June brings the start of our meat CSA. From June to December, we deliver our grass-fed, organically raised meat to many locations in southwestern Ontario. Mike and I are the only full time farm laborers for our entire operation, so it will be one, or both of us that you meet when you receive your CSA Meat Share, Sampler, Side or Custom Order.
We are the owner’s and only full time employees at Dragonfly Garden Farm, so if it is broke, we fix it, if it’s dirty, sick, hungry, thirsty, outdated, weedy, or ready to harvest we clean, heal, feed, water, update, pick and harvest it!
We have a few helpers in the spring and summer to keep up with wood and cleaning animal housing. Whenever we do a new big project, we sometimes have a few fellas in to help. We are thankful for all the help and support we receive!
For us, getting in the truck and making our way to the “city” means a big change. First, we need to stay clean. Most jobs on the farm require you to get dirty. Very little of the work we do here allows you to go out in public after you do it!
You usually have to shower, or at least make sure you have no poop on you before leaving the farm! And we always have to change our boots. So getting in the truck, staying clean, knowing where you are going, being prepared and able to multi-task is part of an “On The Road” day for us.
The best part of being on the road is meeting our new CSA Customers each year. We are fortunate to be able to continue to grow our business, so each year we have a few more new customers to share our goods and farm philosophy with!
The second best thing is spending time with my husband where we are not yelling over loud equipment or squealing pigs, or trying to finish the hay in separate tractors until 10pm at night before the rain falls!
The third best thing is getting a coffee, from a store, in a paper cup, that is a big deal! After that, looking out the window and seeing the different towns and cities where our customers live is interesting.
Being off the farm for a day, and into a new landscape makes me miss the view of our pasture fields, rolling hills, maple trees and our animals. It helps me to see that all the work needed to operate our farm isn’t work at all! It’s a way to express our passion for local, healthy and sustainable food. A day away is fun and adventuresome, but coming back to the farm feels like home for my soul.
It’s where I live!
