our story
The humble beginnings of Terramor Farm coincided heavily with the blossoming of our relationship. When we began dating in 2013 we shared a passion for visiting Luke’s family farm in White Lake, helping with the daily tasks, enjoying the scenery and the great lunches prepared from the farm’s bounty. As the harvests were coming in we wanted to have an opportunity to share the experience and benefits of farm fresh vegetables with our close friends back in Ottawa. A very casual system of group texts and weekly box deliveries was established for our initial 5 members. The birth of our first CSA (veggie box) program was extremely well received, word of mouth spread, and in that first summer we saw a growth to 20 members. After another successful season and more growth we quickly realized that providing delicious and nutritious vegetables to our friends could be more than just a pastime, it could be a livelihood!
Our 1st year in business (2015) we took the dive, leased a piece of the family land and began our farming venture. We formalized our registration program, offering ‘shares’ in the harvest, which was an intimidating commitment, but well worth the hard work and planning. Our CSA members have loved it and grown in numbers every year! In the fall of 2016 after operating for two seasons on leased land we purchased our beautiful little property located in Burnstown, 50 minutes west of Ottawa.
Fast forward to now. We have several seasons behind us and have loved transforming this little piece of land to provide the highest quality vegetables to local restaurants, health food stores, markets and our growing CSA program. We take pride in caring for the health of our soil which provides us with the most premium products. We are so thankful for all of the support along the way and can’t wait to continue to serve our community of Ottawa and the Valley for years to come!
why non-certified organic?
We practice organic growing techniques through and through, so you may ask why we have not ventured to be ‘certified’. We use absolutely no synthetic sprays or fertilizers. We utilize natural, certified organic amendments for our soil and insect netting which acts as a physical barrier between crop and pests. For us farming organically is the simple, logical option, and shouldn’t require a third party to ‘certify’ to our clients (who we deal with on a daily or weekly basis) that our practices and intentions are sincere. We practice no-till, no-tractor agriculture and work with mostly hand-tools. This allows us to put an emphasis on building our soil health so that our 30+ varieties of organic vegetables are tastier, last longer and contain greater nutrients. We are extremely proud of the way that we have chosen to grow our vegetables and would be more than happy to show you around the farm.
Terramor Farm Tour
Please inquire for a scheduled farm visit
what is CSA?
CSA means ‘Community Supported Agriculture’, the approach to local farming is an attempt to ensure the small farmer has access to fair markets, and the consumer to quality product.
Robyn Van En summed it up as:
Food Producers + Food Consumers + Annual Commitment to one Another = CSA
Community supported agriculture provides a mutually beneficial arrangement between farmer and community.
There are vast differences between the varying models of CSA’s, as they change from farm to farm and from community to community. However, all share the philosophy based in the idea that every member within a community stands to benefit from the scenario where consumer and grower are in direct contact.
The approach which we are adopting is that which each member purchases a ‘share’ of our seasonal production. In exchange for financial support in the spring from the ‘shareholders,’ we commit to provide healthy, locally grown food throughout our growing season. The goal of our CSA is to reconnect our customers with the land, allowing them to know where and how the food they eat is grown, and furthermore, know who grew it!