The Community Garden of Hope

Unbeknownst to me, at the same time that I was diving in head-first into this realm of sustainable agriculture, a person named Troy Maleyko started looking for a farmer.

Troy Maleyko and Angela Demarse standing around while Ken Ryles drives the tractor

Troy belongs to the congregation at St Andrew's Church in Lakeshore. He attended a meeting of the Essex County Community Garden Collective, and that's where Lyndon and I first met him. Troy and his wife Neviana run a restaurant in Windsor called Carrots N' Dates (http://carrotsndates.com/) which is this excellent health-food restaurant right next door to Walkerville Brewery (your night is pretty much planned for you).

As restaurateurs and health food advocates, farm-fresh local food is what they're all about.
As an unsolicited piece of advice, their pad thai is ridiculously tasty.

Upon meeting, the three of us were brimming with excitement about what could come from our collaboration over the coming season. Being in a room full of successful community garden leaders, it seemed like this would be a great place to put on our boots and learn what it's like to farm first hand.

Ken Ryles, gettin' riled up on his tractor.

For years, the hardworking people from the St. Andrews Church have been donating their time, and subsequently the tonnes of food they've grown on their acre of land. It's powerful to just imagine how many families they've probably impacted by now.

Lyndon and I set about meeting some of these more experienced people who had been donating their time to this land. Among them was Ken Ryles, who has been plowing the land almost ceaselessly since we told him we were initiating the farm project this year. We came to learn that Ken is a tractor enthusiast, who has spent time buying and selling collector's tractors, as well as competing in local tractor pulls! He has even left one at the farm for us to use at the church property. If you're reading this, Ken, you're an incredible person and we're lucky to have you around.

That satisfaction that comes from tearing up the ground.