Fresh City Farms delivers.  They deliver fresh produce to your door, they deliver urban farming skills and information to entrepreneurs and forward-thinking types, and they redeliver the rhythm of farming to your day-to-day, today.  This weekend, our party of two went to a Sunday afternoon urban gardening start-up workshop—a delightful three hour course designed to set hopeful farmers off on the right path.  The path, however, is where the twist comes in.  Rather than a dusty trail, a picket fence, overalls, straw hat and donkeys braying in the neighbouring pasture, we’re more likely looking at a concrete sidewalk, a chain link fence, tights pants (still questionable), a backwards Blue Jays cap and a rogue albino squirrel.

Fresh City Farms aims to “create and perfect new ways to connect food makers and eaters,” and believes that change is possible (seriously) based on this intimate connection between people, land and food.  Even people, land and food in cities.  Actually, especially those!

Based on the knowledge that our current approach to food production is not working, that in fact it is working against us and making us sick or overweight; working against our farmers, who cannot earn a decent living; not to mention the hopelessness our children will inherit (great…), Fresh City Farms re-introduces farming into city dwellers’ lives.  So while a donkey braying next door may be a little far-fetched, a row of tomato plants and bean sprouts isn’t.

Settled on milk crates among the leafy green of an entire building of budding produce (and two of the friendliest ragdoll cats on the planet), we were given a good foundation in what it takes to be an Urban Farmer (sometimes, it takes worms.  If you can’t get over this, find someone who loves worms, because good gardens need them.  And they exist.  People who like worms, that is).  We chatted about lasagna gardening (a layering system of compost, humus, etc that mimics the construction of a lasagna – nobody pretended they weren’t thinking about layers of cheesy noodles, though).

Check out a list of what the good people at Fresh City Farms can cultivate from the soil just a stone’s throw from Downsview Subway Station, check out who Fresh City Farms partners with to bring you the tastiest and best the city has to offer, like Alternative Grounds coffee, Evelyn’s crackers, and Kozlik’s Canadian mustard.  And as Kait Fowlie, goddess of all that is green and grand, brought to your attention last summer, Fresh City does a great box of veggies – right now for 50% off!

Get your boots muddy, make friends with a cat, get some dirt under your fingernails, plant seeds in egg cartons, start a cornfield in the alleyway.  Gauge your level of commitment to this whole “sustainability” concept, and let Fresh City Farms have your back.

~ Annie Webber