Ottawa Valley Farm to Fork is a mixed family farm with about 300 acres of heritage farm lands, located in the Township of Bonnechere Valley.
The owners, Kathleen and her husband, Marshall, met in the Northwest Territories while working. They knew they wanted to return home together to live closer to their families but the idea of city life was just not pleasing to them. Since she was originally from Montreal and he from Toronto, moving somewhere in between seemed just right, for them. On the drive home from Inuvik they visited libraries across the country where they could access the internet as this was back before everyone had their own wifi. They ended up finding a century-old farm, bought from the crown in 1860. The original log house and cedar barns are in use, being renovated and repurposed so they last another 150+ years. With Kathleen’s background in nutritional science and Marshall’s masters in forestry, they had a good place to start.
Farming began with a tree nursery and some vegetables for themselves and only grew from there. Now, they raise grass-fed beef, pasteurized goats, and free range chickens. They follow organic growing methods and regenerative agriculture. This season, they will be launching farm tours with nature walks and visits with the animals. They would love to teach people how to milk goats and promote their area. They offer catering of their products offsite and will be working with Ontario By Bike to host a bike stop with parking and on-farm experiences like a picnic in the pasture. In their repurposed barn hall in the old hayloft, they plan to host events. Accommodation is also available, where guests can stay in an old farmstead where the best food in the area can be found.
At the farm, in their public health inspected kitchen, they are able to make prepared foods from ingredients grown on the farm. They sell to restaurants, stores, cafes and boutiques. Some of these foods include perogies, bone broth burgers and more! The couple loves to share with people and so they use all the resources possible to do so by participating in farmers markets, online farmers markets and doing direct sales.
