On Pasture: back to basics food and farming

Your investment in local and clean foods can extend to what you drink too. Southbrook Vineyards is the largest Organic & Biodynamic Winery in Canada. They invest in keeping the soils of their vineyards healthy with diversifying their crops, and coming up with natural fertilizers like sheep grazing on their land. We sat  down with owner Andrew Redelmeier of Southbrook Vineyards to talk more about how he invests in growing grapes more sustainably, while keeping taste top of mind. Take a listen.

With a background in Animal Science, and a childhood rooted in farming, Carrie Woolley has always loved the farm. Her own farm began growing everything from cherries to apples before she realized something else was missing - Sheep! Introducing sheep to her orchards has made the pastures richer and more tidy. The sheep graze the overgrowth of weeds and grasses (saving them $30,000 annually in grass cutting costs) and their manure nourishes the soil. Best of all, she also sells the lamb products to NIKU Farms. Take a listen!

Today more than ever, we are beginning to understand just how much food can affect our overall health. From our physical health to our mental and emotional well-being, what and how we eat touches so many aspects of our life. To learn more about the connection between food and wellness, we spoke to Andy Muto: chef, local food advocate, and wellness chef for former NHLer Gary Roberts’ high performance training program.

We sat down with Dr. Dempster, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, to talk about the pressing health factors in modern society and what decisions can be made to achieve the best outcome for our bodies and our mental state.

Owners of Blackview Farm began raising their cattle on pasture, hoping to save some money and sell their meat directly to consumers. Without realizing it, this decision would be a turning point in the taste and quality of the meat they were producing. We recently sat down with Bill to talk about their journey into raising animals on pasture.

We're talking about biodynamic agriculture, the Slow Food Movement, and food equity & education with Paul DeCampo, former director of the Toronto Slow Food chapter, director at Southbrook Winery, and current business developer and educator at George Brown College for International Spirits.

When Jill Weaver first started making bone broth out of her kitchen she never imagined it would then turn into her business: Stock Exchange. Today Jill runs a business that helps local animal farms up-cycle the use of their leftover bones, and families consume nutrient dense broth at home.        

There is an ongoing debate about grass-fed over grain-fed meat. Some claim grass-fed to be a fad, while others note that there are nutritional benefits with grass-fed beef that are not found in grain fed beef. But with so much speculation we decided to turn to science for more definitive truths. We reached out to University of Toronto professor, Dr. Richard Bazinet to understand what nutritional differences he uncovered in his lab between grass-fed and grain-fed steaks.