Monthly Archives: August 2012

La Ferme du Zephyr

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En route to the farm, as I drive along the sun-speckled tree-lined road dense with late summer foliage, passing the calligraphed street signs, I feel as if I am going through a portal to another world. I had never been to this part of the island. It’s like a hidden jewel.

Owner Stephen Homer and business partner Alex of La Ferme du Zephyr

Stephen Homer, owner of La Ferme du Zephyr, agrees. “Most people don’t know about it, except for the bicyclists.” Amazing what is just under our noses. The road leads behind the Morgan Arboretum, which makes sense, really, since the land Stephen is farming is rented from the Morgan family. It is his fifth plot of land to farm, and according to him, his last. He has found a good fit here.

Stephen’s first farm was near Chambly on land owned by his aunt. At the time, he was a professional photographer, but after twenty years was becoming jaded with the industry. Since growing up next to a dairy farm, working the land had been a childhood dream. He talked to some restaurants and found they would be very interested in getting local baby vegetables, things like arugula, which, at the time, was quite exotic. Thus began his business. Soon, not only the restaurants were asking for his produce, but the customers as well. That was back in 1996. Now he has dropped the restaurants and concentrated on selling only to private customers – through CSA baskets.

When I first arrived at the farm, I was greeted by Jane “the herb lady”. Jane had started at Zephyr as a customer, became a volunteer, then in her semi-retirement asked to take

La Ferme du Zephyr’s herb garden

responsibility for the herb portion of the farm. Through Stephen’s guidance and her nurturing care, the herb garden has flourished. She handed me a leaf of sorrel to taste; deliciously citrusy and tangy. Next to that sat bunches of basil and chocolate mint. The heady aromas continued to scent our discussion as Stephen and I sat nearby to talk and he, to eat a well-earned lunch. Stephen likes herbs and vegetables that are lesser known, a way to get customers to open their horizons and taste buds. Later, on my walk through the herb garden, I spotted French thyme, lavender, rosemary, chives, lemongrass, and several others I didn’t recognize.

Flower garden at La Ferme du Zephyr

Carol (also known as the “flower lady” for her magnificent flower garden that sits adjacent to the herbs) heads up a project that offers original organically grown seedlings (ever heard of a Poona Kheera cucumber?), a vast array of herbs and several varieties of heirloom tomatoes, all for planting in your own garden. Each Spring, gardeners can purchase the seedlings on-line through the Co-op Maison Verte website, choosing from just under 100 varieties.

Howard Reitman and Stephen Homer

The surprises don’t end there. This year, Zephyr has given over an acre of land to Howard Reitman, Director and Mentor of Santropol Roulant’s peri-urban Farm Project. The vegetables from the farm (in conjunction with their two urban farm sites) are used in their three community outreach programs: Meals on Wheels, Fresh Baskets, and Neighborhood Markets. The organization also brings busloads of school children out to visit the farms and learn where their food comes from.[i] The students tour the Santropol Roulant’s field, the Zephyr farm, as well as the farm over at McGill College, just over the rise.

Sam and the Santropol Roulant peri-urban farm site

It’s enough to make your head spin. It’s strange: there is a peaceful quality to the farm, and yet you feel there is life here, movement, a low hum. The sound of bees and crickets; of tractors in the distance. The breeze through the trees. There are no cars, nor traffic, no radios blaring, or loud voices. Perhaps it’s just the organic sounds of nature that create that sense of peaceful activity. A welcoming change from the frenzied energy of urban life.

La Zephyr is an organic farm (as are the majority in the CSA movement), and I guess you could say that Stephen grows his farm organically as well. Volunteers come and go, certain interests, like the herb garden, take root and sprout, and even partnerships develop. Another change for the farm this year is Alex. He also began as a volunteer, and was so taken with the farm that he’s become the “front man”.  The way he describes it, “Stephen is the cook, and I’m the waiter.” You will find him at market locations (NDG and Pointe-Claire) on the appointed days. He is also responsible for the farm’s Facebook page. Stephen is teaching him about farming and Alex is helping with the social media and marketing.

While I was visiting the Zephyr’s Pointe-Claire drop off point, Yasmeen, a customer from

Ferme du Zephyr market stand in Pointe-Claire in front of the Co-op des Bons Voisins

Beaconsfield, was purchasing vegetables with her Fidelity Card, an option for La Ferme du Zephyr members who don’t like the constraints of a weekly basket. She often travels in the summer, so the Fidelity Card was a perfect solution. That is why she switched to Zephyr.

Other customers were adding to their weekly baskets, and a few others were just passers-by discovering the market for the first time. One of the benefits of the Pointe-Claire location is the foot traffic, bringing in potential customers every week.

Are you ready to try a CSA-basket? If you’re still undecided, here are some points to think about:

  • The basket price varies, usually 20$-30$/week (paid in advance of the season). You can start with a small one, or bi-weekly, and benefit from a portion of your vegetables being organic and fresh. Then supplement at your regular grocery.
  • Eating in season and from your local farmer means you get vegetables when they’re ripe and at their height of taste and nutritious value. As soon as fruits and vegetables are harvested, they start decreasing their vitamin and mineral content. And flavor as well.
  • Eating a varied diet ensures that you get enough of all the necessary vitamins and minerals. When we stick to the same foods every day, we may be missing out on some of the necessary nutrients. By subscribing to a CSA basket, it nudges us into the direction of variety, by trying out the vegetables the farm has to offer. And most farms offer an exchange basket, so you can switch out one or two items that are really not to your taste.
  • Becoming a member of a farm gives you a chance to be part of a community and to

    lunch break at the farm

    experience the farm first hand. Most farms accept volunteers or interns, helping with harvests and planting. An excellent way for an apartment dweller to exercise his/her green thumb! At Zephyr, one volunteer gives 85 hours of her time to the farm (about 4 hours a week during the growing season), in exchange for a weekly basket.

To find a CSA basket locality near you, go to Équiterre’s website. Their interactive map allows you to choose a farm by drop-off point, and other criteria such as “fruits, vegetables, or meat” (the page is in French only). The 2012 season is half over, but some farms have market stands where you can buy as you go, or a Fidelity Card, where you pay in advance, then receive a discount on the produce until the end of the season.

Most farms end their season around October, but some offer winter baskets of root vegetables and certain greenhouse varieties. Zephyr has no winter basket, but is keeping their market stands open until before Christmas, supplying them with their greenhouse-grown fare.

For more information, go to La Ferme du Zephyr’s website, or their facebook page or visit them at:

Coop La Maison Verte, 5785 Sherbrooke ouest, Montreal (see map)
(NDG district)
• Thursdays: 3 – 7 pm.

Coop des Bons Voisins, 247a Lakeshore Road, Pointe Claire (see map)
(in front of the post office)
• Tuesdays from 3 – 7 pm.


[i] The Dirt on It, a blog about the four farms sharing the same land: La Ferme du Zephyr, Santropol Roulant, Les Jardins Carya and MacDonald Student-run Ecological Gardens (MSEG)

Montreal Tam Tams

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The Montreal Tam-tams have been around for over thirty years. Starting as a gathering of students looking for a place to drum, it has grown into one of the world’s most renowned drumming circles. I had recently learned that drumming is the rhythm that connects us to the Earth. It stimulates our root energy centre, grounding our spiritual selves to our physical bodies and the Earth itself. Suddenly, my definition of “local products for mind, body and soul” just got a whole lot bigger.

I approach the drum circle from above the stone wall, where I’m able to gather in the scene below. I watch the people play: Men and women, young and old, a diverse mix of ethnicities and cultures. I start feeling the rhythm, but I still hesitate.

Down in the circle, a man in a baseball cap, striped shirt and khaki shorts, walks up to a few timid drummers and beats on their drum, encouraging them, inviting them to play bigger, play freer. I walk up to the wall, and wave him over. I say, “I’m new! Can you help me?”

Arthur playing my djembe

Arthur, my new Armenian friend, originally from Turkey, tells me to take a seat on the wall. He beats on my drum and says “go!” It appears simple, and yet… He tells me, “Just begin. Start small, and when you feel yourself in the rhythm, make it grow.” Arthur finds me a place front and center on one of the benches. I sit and listen. Arthur notices my frustrated expression. He says, “Most here are amateurs just like you. You think everyone is professional, but they’re not. Don’t think everyone is better than you. Just play.” I’m realizing everyone must’ve passed by this moment of doubt when they start, and Arthur is no different. He started the same way. He came to listen, then just sat in and started to drum.

My drum seems to have a mind of its own and is already vibrating to the music. I can feel it pulsing, as if calling me to simply help it along. I start slow, a nice heavy ‘thump’ in the middle. I tap again. I watch the woman next to me, stop thinking about my own hands, and start to play. The less I think of it, the easier it gets.

The first time it happens gives me such a rush of emotion beyond belief. I cannot hear my own drum; it is blending so seamlessly with the others around me. I am no longer thought, but simply pure feeling. A sense of joy overwhelms me and even my diaphragm starts to shake both from the steady rhythms and the excess of emotion that is trying to rise up to the surface within my body. I remain connected to the others; I am part of a whole that is bigger and beyond all of us; not just the drummers, but the dancers and on-lookers as well.

Suddenly I notice my hands again and I miss a beat. The spell is broken. I listen, I watch, I let go, and there it is again. It is like catching a wave, when you get that perfect timing. It is like when you “ohm” with a group and can no longer hear your voice, but just a giant swell of sound from many voices. It is like meditation when you stop the mind chatter and become one with everything. It’s like a soft “ka-chink” and perception shifts and everything connects, as if for a moment the entire universe is in sync, and you’re right in the middle.

The time goes by quickly, but I realize I’ve been playing off and on for over two hours. I’m thinking it’s not bad for my first circle.

From across the way I have noticed several women playing. I was surprised, in fact, by the number of women in the drumming circle. There seems to be an increasing amount from the times I used to come here to dance.

Nicole, pink sundress, grey hair in a chignon has come here only once before. She’s has taught herself drumming by playing at home with her Santana CD’s. I never would’ve guessed. She seems confident and keeps a steady rhythm. Playing with a group is different she says, and the music is African rather than the Latin beats she’s used to. But she says it’s like playing in an orchestra without having to learn the music first. She likes how easy it is to join in.

Mary Ann (left) and Nicole (right) jamming to the beats

Next to her is Mary Ann. She’s been coming for twelve years. A friend had told her about it. She had come to dance, but found herself attracted to the drumming instead.  She was coming religiously for about ten years, took a bit of a break, but found herself missing the energy here.

In her words, “I missed the heart beat; it was a part of me I left behind. When you play or hear the djembe, you are in unison with all that is around you, the drum, the people, and nature. You glance at the person around you and speak a silent language; there is no need to talk.”

Drumming circles give us a sense of community, they allow us to participate in music and rhythm, they make us feel alive and connected. They also help us heal. In the article, The Healing Powers of a Drum Circle, by Kavan Peterson, Editor of ChangingAging.org “Recent research finds that drumming accelerates physical healing, boosts the immune system and produces feelings of well-being and release of emotional trauma.”

In New Jersey’s Morristown Memorial Hospital’s Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, African drumming master Maxwell Kofi Donkor leads a drumming circle for cancer patients as part of a holistic program of recovery. Check out the video “Healing through Drumming”

More and more, drumming is breaking through the preconceived idea of being only for a small counterculture group.

“Drum circles are happening in many places. This demonstrates the importance of establishing a rhythmaculture in our Western world. People attend these events not to become better percussionists, but to reduce stress, build community, and have fun. It is a recreational activity that engages the mind, body, and spirit. Arthur Hull, father of the modern day drum circle, developed his unique approach to facilitating drum circles in the 1980s through an observation of the need that extended beyond percussion skill development. According to Arthur, “when we drum together, it changes our relationships and helps us cope with whatever challenges life hands us.”[1]

Come check it out for yourself. You may be surprised at what you will find.

The Montreal Tam-tams are officially from the beginning of May to the end of September (it may go on longer if the weather is nice), in the Mont-Royal park near the Sir George-Étienne Cartier monument (look for the lions and the angel).

You can take the Metro to Mont-Royal station or the #11 bus. If you come by car, there is some parking on Park Avenue, otherwise on the side streets across from the park.

For more information on drumming circles, and the tam tams, go to Links.

[1] Drum Circles: An Ancient Methodology for a Modern World, by Remo Belli. http://www.healthy.net/scr/article.aspx?Id=2183

 

Madame Taco

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I arrived at le marché de Sainte-Anne just before lunch time and one of the first stalls I came to was “Madame Taco.” Which was a good thing because I was hungry, and even better, I had been craving corn tortillas for weeks. This may seem like an odd thing, but I grew up in California, and went to school in San Diego, where there are lots of little corner “shacks” that served Mexican fast food until the wee hours to happy and hungry university students. Mexican food is like a comfort food to me.

The menu I see is simple and delicious: vegetarian or pulled pork taco, or a potato empanada with a chipotle mayonnaise. There were three choices of salsa: a sweet mango salsa, a hot tomato salsa, or a medium with yellow and red tomatoes. While waiting to place your order, you could sample from one of the three colorful pots.

Patti Murphy, a.k.a. “Madame Taco”, grabs a ladle full of black beans and slathers them on a corn tortilla that has been cooked up by her kindly assistant, the young Ishmael (a regular customer who made his way up to assistant about a month ago). She places cheese, guacamole, beautiful big slices of marinated red onion, and your choice of salsa on top. Must be eaten with a fork, or at least until you can get the topping small enough to wrap the tortilla around it.

As I was standing there savoring my Mexican treat, I kid you not, a family of three from Mexico pop up to get their taste. I am curious to their take on this. The woman tells me, “you can tell just by looking if it’s done right and if it’s going to be good. This is going to be good.” And as so many happy customers can attest, it is indeed. The black beans have a subtle, slightly sweet taste. And they are tender and savory. Patti tells me it’s a hint of cinnamon. The salsas are fresh. The empanada, which I brought home to share, is filled with herbs and potatoes and raisins. I find the raisins are a great compliment to the spicy chipotle mayonnaise she serves it with.

So how does an Anglo originally from Ontario (in our neck of the woods for about a dozen years now) end up cooking Mexican food – really good Mexican food – at Ste. Anne’s market? A self-proclaimed foodie, she worked in the restaurant business for several years, then combined her love of travel and co-founded “The Little Mexican Cooking School” on the Yucatan Peninsula, in a small town called Puerto Morelos, for travelers looking to spice up their trip (sorry for the pun, couldn’t resist). She no longer works there, but lucky for us, has come here and started sharing her expertise and passion with us in the West Island.

I may have just found out about her, but her reputation goes far. Another couple came up and said that the woman’s brother-in-law in North Carolina had heard of her, somehow coming across an article from one of the West Island newspapers. She had to try it and report back to said brother-in-law. Both she and her husband had huge smiles after tasting the pulled pork taco. I guess that would be a yes.

To get a sampling yourself of Patti’s savory south-of-the-border treats, you need to come to Ste. Anne’s. She’s there every Saturday, during the market hours, 9am-2pm. If you would like to get onto her email list, you can email her at: [email protected]

Like Patti says, “It’s all adventures in food.”