This is our third season of growing and I wanted to fill you in on what has been happening over this time. We’ve been hard at work getting Cavaleiro Farm up and running from what was a 25 year dormancy. We have been setting up the infrastructure and tools that members need, so that they can run their food projects.
We are at the point now where members can join the farm, plan and implement their projects, and exchange their skills and time for support from the community to help achieve their goals.
We have also integrated animals, including ducks, chickens, sheep and pigs, so that their natural daily activities can be of benefit to us humans with some work. To keep our animals safe, from the babies to the elders, lots of fencing has been have been put up, as well as gates and pens.
These animals have prepared fields and vegetable plots for us, plus kept bugs and pests down. They have also left behind special gifts, their urine and manure, which we have used to make some of the best compost for both our farm and our members’ own backyards.
For Cavaleiro farm, this is all a part of completing cycles and working with nature. We’ve grown food, harvested it, and got it to the chefs who’ve cooked up a range of delicious foods. Some of that food was eaten at home, some ordered out of restaurants, while some of the really special stuff was enjoyed on the farm.
We’ve learned a lot over this time, from integrating with our new community in Schomberg to making partners with businesses that support our farming activities. It has also been endless demolition and building throughout the farm. Piles of wood for burning, wood for reuse, metal to bring to recycling, and dumpsters to dive for free goodies. The farm, certainly a diamond in the rough three years ago, is starting to look like something pretty special.
What’s coming up in the next few months?
Winter is coming and we are already getting ready for it on the farm. We are trying to get some people together for workdays, so we can tackle the tough projects—mainly moving, building and some harvesting. It’s a great time of year to work on the farm, as the daytime temperatures are cooling down, making for a more pleasant work experience. As a thank you for members who help out on these crucial workdays, we will be having both a pig roast day and a lamb roast day.