Vol. 18 no.1 Spring 2010

Dear Friend of Miracle Farms, a new spring season is upon us. Here is some news from the farm, and an order form. Please reply within 10 days (April 29) so we can order chicks.

Following is some news, membership information, an order form, animal information and directions to the farm.

NEWS:

We have had a busy pruning season and are into a vigorous planting season. More fruit trees (apple, pear, plum and cherry), more berry bushes, more raspberries (fall bearing), flowers, herbs, veggies. For those who have not seen our 2 new orchards we are following permaculture principles. These are definitely not your regular monoculture orchards. No fruit tree is next to its own kind, no apple next to another apple or pear next to a pear... This is done to make it harder for insects and disease that cause damage. Each row is planted by harvest date. For example in the first week of September you will be able to walk down a lane and find 9 kinds of apples, 3 kinds of pears, 2 kind of plums as well as flowers, vegetables, herbs, raspberries, strawberries,... everything ripe that week, all in the same row. We call it the grocery store concept. Just like in a grocery store where you are used to walking down an isle and picking one of these and 2 of those. You will now be able to do the same but in farm and garden produce. This fall there will just be teaser amounts of the new fruit, since the trees are still small. Each year they will be bearing more and more. We still have the old orchard for apples as well as vegetables from the land of Frank, located on the farm. We will raise animals on order ONLY.

We operate as a members only farm. That was our original design nearly 20 years ago. We are returning to our roots. We want to keep a small more personal approach. Guests accompanying members are welcome. There is always something to do and taste. We have embarked on a wonderful journey of enjoyment and discovery.

We would be delighted to have you and your family join our "Family" of members, who will be enjoying some of the best food they ever ate and a relaxing family recreation, all in a beautiful country setting. Our beyond organic approach uses no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Our mission is to provide you with farm-fresh, health giving, highly nutritious and contamination-free foods that taste as they were created to taste.

For our pre-apple harvest season, we will be open one Saturday per month (June 26, July 24, August 21). During harvest season, we will be open: Sept. 19, Sept. 25-26, Oct.2. Our hours are always 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. We do not live there, so we're open on a limited basis.

We have the following food items for sale on our farm this year:

Fruit: apples, plums, a taste of pear, fall raspberries, water melons, black and red currants.
Vegetables: asparagus, potatoes, squash, pumpkin, sweet corn, carrots, rhubarb, garlic.
Fowl (all pasture raised): chicken, turkey, duck, goose, guinea fowl, pheasant, quail.
Other meat: pasture raised rabbit, orchard raised lamb.
Your personal farmers,
Stefan & Doreen Sobkowiak, Frank Teuton (Frank's Garden)
Les Fermes MIRACLE Farms, 1713 Leclair, Verdun, Quebec H4H 2M9, Tel:514-830-9640.
Email: miraclefarms@videotron.ca
p.s. please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends who may be interested or post it at your work place.