Free Roots Farm

06/25/2024

Hey everyone,

It's been a while since our last post, and we've got some big news to share. After seven incredible years in Cape Breton as Free Roots Farm, we've decided to pack up and move on. This decision wasn't easy, but after spending the winter backpacking through Asia and experiencing the vibrant energy of urban centers, we realized how much we missed the excitement of city life. So, after much discussion, we're heading to Calgary.

Our time in Cape Breton has been truly amazing. We've learned so much about food, farming, and ourselves, thanks to the wonderful people we've met, the land we've worked on, and the community that embraced us. Building and growing our market garden here has been one of the best decisions we've ever made, and we will forever cherish the memories and friendships we've formed along the way.

So, what's next? We're selling the farm and making the move this fall. We're not sure what Calgary has in store for us, but we're excited to find out. Maybe an urban garden project? Who knows! If you'd like to follow our journey from rural farmers to urban city slickers, let us know—we might share more about our transition. In the meantime, we're looking forward to one last Cape Breton summer. 💚💚💚

Stay tuned!

06/01/2024

We've added Tomato and Zucchini seedlings to the farmstand 🍅🍅🍅🍆🍆🥦🥦

Yellow Zucchini - $2
Green Zucchini - $2
Rubee Dawn Slicer Tomato $3
San Marzano Roma Tomato $3
Sweet Million Cherry Tomato $3
Broccolini $5 for 6
Cauliflower $5 for 6
Brussel Sprouts $5 for 6
Eggplant $5 for 6

Located at 3134 Shore Rd, Margaree Harbour
Pay cash at the farmstand or etransfer [email protected]

05/24/2024

Come stop by the farmstand for your early season seedlings. We've got:

Broccolini
Cauliflower
Kale
Brussel Sprouts
Eggplant

Selling packs if 6 for $5. You can pay cash via the cash box at the end of the road, or etransfer [email protected]

Also, keep your eyes peeled for tomatoes, peppers, and squash soon to come!

3134 Shore Rd, Margaree Harbour

Send a message to learn more

08/16/2023

A few days late, but thank you for another great market and thank you to all the lovely people who stopped by to pick up some produce.

We'll be back this weekend with even more tomatoes and lots of other veggies, too 💚

08/11/2023

CSA 7 is out the door, and we decided to do a 'lil pop-up post, just like the old days, to show you all what we've got growing.

The small size box went out with carrots, salad mix, cucumber, blush tomatoes, beans, garlic, and both pattypan and crookneck squash.

The regular size contains all of the above, except we swapped out the yellow beans for green and added some beets and italian basil.

08/11/2023

This old ramshackle barn isn't much to look at these days. It's been home to sheep, cows, horses, and multitudes of rodents and their offspring throughout its life. It's provided shelter to these animals, their food, and their bedding, as well as all of the agricultural equipment an old farming homestead dating back to the 1800's might have needed. It's been struck by lightning, burned to the ground, and built back up again. It's had its strength challeneged by numerous hurricanes, and hundreds if not thousands of Les Suete winds, pummeling every exposed centimeter with salty ocean spray gales - reaching 200kms at times - week after week, month after month, throughout Cape Bretons stormy seasons. Somehow, though, through all of that, it stands.

Today, it doesn't do much more than house ominous-looking farm antiques and dusty old junk, likely hoarded in true farmer fashion for those "just in case" moments that never come. Sometimes we talk about fixing it up, and that day will likely arrive, but so far, it's not felt like a priority. In fact, we dont really think about our old barn much at all, save for the odd workshop/studio/storage fantasy here and there.

Howevor, we do have gratitude for it just as it is, particularly around this time every year when it provides a tiny, semi-decluttered corner of dry space where we can cure our garlic, and eventually, onion, to save for the winter. And this year, when everything is wet all of the time, having the old barn to dry out this incredibly odd seasons damp, muddy garlic is more important than ever.

So, for now, we'll let the ragged old barn sit, despite knowing it is settling into the earth a little more each day, but being ok with that because we all kind of do, and who cares anyway?

07/23/2023

Thank you for another great Sunday market, and thank you to all of you wonderful market-goers for choosing to purchase your produce from all of us small-scale growers. We appreciate you all so much!

07/23/2023

We haven't been as diligent in sharing our CSA boxes this season compared to past years. In fact, we've been downright absent from social media for the most part, but we're still here, guys! We've been getting dirty and making things grow behind the scenes, but we just haven't been great at taking photos this season 🤷

I did get this shot of week 4's regular sized CSA, containing parsley, salad mix, head lettuce, spring carrots, fresh garlic, hakurei, shelling peas, sugar snap peas, and green onion. The small received this, minus hakurei, shelling peas, and carrots, and the addition of Swiss Chard.

07/02/2023

Some market content for your feed. It's our 2nd market of the season and the gardens are off to a slow start, but what we lack in produce we make up for in microgreens. And despite the unseasonably cold spring and some wild winds, the gardens are starting to look like they're about to get pretty abundant real soon 🤙🌱

06/22/2023

Our farmstand is open with a variety of tomato and pepper plants, all organically fertilized and ready for planting! You can find us at 3134 Shore Rd, Margaree Harbour
Drop by any time day or night, plants are self serve at the farmstead at the end of the driveway. Pay cash in the cash box, or etransfer: [email protected]

Large plants ($6):

Sweet Million Cherry Tomato
Bell Pepper
Carmen Pepper (a sweet variety very similar to Bell, but they turn red faster and are great for our shorter growing season)

Medium plants ($3):

Rubee Dawn Slicer Tomato

Small plants ($2):

Jalapeno Pepper
Cayenne Pepper