Our Inspiration
image: Apricot Lane Farm - "The Biggest Little Farm"
In·â€‹spi·â€‹ra·â€‹tion (noun) - something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create : a force or influence that inspires someone *
Merriam Webster
* A caveat: Inspiration versus how our particular set of ideas evolve and manifest may indeed look very different. However, there is never any harm in imagining what could be, and ultimately it is the journey and the way we interact with others along the way that is important. We will get to where we get to.
"The Biggest Little Farm" a documentary detailing John and Molly Chester's experiences as they set up their farm, Apricot Lane, was a big inspiration for us. It is a very engaging story, beautifully told and shot, and invites the viewer to experience their highs and lows. It's available on Netflix. watch trailer >
I remember I asked Alan if he designed the contours of this block to prevent water from running off. And he would say, "Yeah. And... "Cause it's beautiful." The beautiful complexity of our land is alive with infinite possibility. — John Chester, "The Biggest Little Farm"
"Kiss the Ground", narrated and featuring Woody Harrelson, "reveals that, by regenerating the world’s soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth’s climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle." visit webite > watch trailer >
Jean-Martin Fortier — small-scale, organic farmer and author of “The Market Gardener”
Jean-Martin Fortier is a Québécois farmer, author, educator and advocate for ecological, human-scale and economically-viable sustainable agriculture. He is the founder, with his wife, Maude-Hélène Desroches, of Les Jardins de la Grelinette, a certified organic market garden in Saint-Armand, Quebec. The farm has become internationally known for achieving profitability and productivity using biologically intensive cropping systems. The low-tech, high-yield methods of production employed on the micro-farm form the basis of Fortier's bestselling book, “The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming”.
visit reference >
Reviews for "The Market Gardener"
"This book is a fantastic addition to any aspiring market gardener's library… Jean-Martin has laid out all of the basics for how we can farm more profitability, productively, and passionately on a more human-sized scale." — Josh Volk, Slow Hand Farm, Portland, Oregon
"… picks up right where Eliot Coleman has left us, applying many of his core principles, but doing it in such a brilliant way as to provide beginning farmers a solid framework of the information they need to start up and become successful small-scale organic growers themselves." — Adam Lemieux, Product Manager of Tools & Supplies, Johnny's Selected Seeds
"In France, The Market Gardener has quickly become a book of reference for small-scale farming. Both visionary and practical, it is a work of rare intelligence." — Charles Herve-Gruyer, permaculture teacher and grower at la Fermedu BecHellouin, France
The Market Gardener - Amazon bestseller >
Les Jardins de la Grelinette >
Market Gardiner Institute >
Millefleurs, Prince Edward County
Lavender grows well in southern Ontario and Laveanne in Campbellcroft, and Millefleurs in Prince Edward County are two sources of inspiration for us.
Apart from its aesthetic and sensory appeals, additional potential benefits of lavender include reduction of pain and inflammation, help with mood, anxiety and depression, support for better sleep, pain relief, killing of harmful bacteria and viruses, and reduction of colic symptoms (ref: Cleveland Clinic)