10
EESTI ELU reedel, 4. veebruaril 2022 — Friday, February 4, 2022
Nr. 5
Professional Spotlight: Elva Tammemägi of Rhizome Farms Vincent Teetsov In the description of her busi ness, Rhizome Farms, Elva Tammemägi defines a rhi zome as “a root system that some plants use to spread themselves. While the roots of most plants point generally downward, the rhizome is a horizontal root system that runs parallel to the surface of the ground. The plant sends shoots up from nodes in the rhizome, creating what look like many separate plants. These seemingly unrelated individuals are actually all connected, through a system that’s not immediately visible to the eye.” This is akin to the network of approximately 40 locals she supplies with vegetables on a weekly basis. Prior to founding the farm in 2011, Tammemägi was growing produce as a hobby. As she explained in a 2021 interview for Northern Birch Credit Union, the opportunity to make a business out of this skill came in the form of a family property that her grandfather purchased in St. Catharines in the 50s. Since then, she has grown a food community; but this led me to wonder, what are the philosophies and methods be hind the produce? What were your biggest motivations to start something new on your family’s proper ty? I wanted a change of scenery in my life and I just wanted to see if I could do it. You’ve mentioned how WWOOFing in BC and Nova Scotia (just before you started the farm) informed the initial growth of the farm. Did that work play a role in deciding that Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) baskets should become a key aspect of your business? I don’t think this work played a key role in choosing CSA as my business model. I
Review: Douglas… (Continued from page 9)
was the story of finding the missing church bell of the village of Emmaste. In 1943, when the Germans were occupying Estonia, there was the threat of the bell being stolen, its metal melted down for bullets. Six young men care fully dislodged the bell and buried it underground. 51 years later, failed attempts to retrieve the bell led many to believe it was lost or had been found and sold. But a man named Jetter Tull approached Wells, who had a metal detector. Together, after an exhausting search, they finally found the bell, which was a cause for celebration. It was a huge national news item and
was more a general labourer at the farm in BC, and in Nova Scotia it was more of a market garden which focused on home steading and small, local farmers markets. I guess if anything, I saw the small farmers markets to not be very profitable. That made me want to sell directly to consumers with a subscription service so that I knew my products were already sold as I grew them. Prior to [WWOOFing in Nova Scotia], I was working in a health food store and volun teering with Young Urban Farmers CSA (their name has changed to Cultivate Toronto). YUFCSA is an organization that turns people’s backyards in Toronto into mini farms. I sup pose that their CSA program had more of an influence on the way I wanted to run my farm than the two other locations that I volunteered. Since the start of the pan demic, there’s been increased interest and demand for local, organic produce. Do you think this signals a permanent realization that we need to adopt more sustainable food consumption models? Definitely. I feel we are so, so, so very disconnected from our food system. Suddenly when we cannot have some thing that we’re used to and finding out why, it’s a huge wake up call. The next few years are going to be very in teresting for food producers and consumers. What do you do as a farmer when the growing season ends in November? The winter is the time that farmers are tying up loose ends from the season (data entry, employee forms, finances etc). A tremendous amount of plan ning and administrative tasks go into farming which I think people don’t realize. Planning for next year also includes researching and ordering seed varieties, ordering construction
and infrastructure materials. Winter time is definitely slower moving than the inten sity of the summer so it is nice to catch up on coziness – read a book, take a course or go on a trip. Some farmers like myself also seek an off-farm job to make income. Seeding starts back up again in February, so I need to have most of my sup plies like growing medium, plug trays, lights and seeds by then, as well as a basic plan and seeding schedule as things really take off in March, and then things start up outside in April. How might a consumer in Ontario supply their food needs year-round while sup porting local farmers, instead of buying produce and such from far away? I think the best ways to sup port local farmers over the win ter are to try to eat produce that is in season – you can still get some locally grown products like storage potatoes, beets and carrots for example. Kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, spinach and turnips are the hardier winter vege tables that you can likely find locally. You can also try fer mented and preserved products that were made from local pro duce. Signing up for a CSA for the next season helps a farmer buy seeds and materials that they need in advance of the growing season. Some farms also offer winter CSAs. You can also sometimes find Ontario grown frozen fruit and vege tables at the grocery store, or you can buy in bulk during the growing season and ferment, preserve or freeze them your self. How does farming without pesticides, among other methods applied, prevent soil depletion and degradation, and sustain your land indefi nitely? These farming methods (such as cover cropping, crop ro tation, crop variety as well as
Wells was thanked by then Estonian President Lennart Meri for the discovery. The circumstances that float ed his way are spectacular, almost unbelievable. And in this book, you really root for Wells as his time there turns into an eventful and profound handful of years. Wells’ writing is a pleasure to read, for his affable voice and his humble and aware state of being. It’s an intriguing standpoint to ponder the history of post-independence Estonia from. Wells went onto a career in the US Department of State after the events of the book. But even though he left Hiiumaa many years ago, we’re shown how Hiiumaa has stayed with him. As he’s said subsequently, “It was arguably the best time
of my life, so wonderful it’s hard to believe.” I would say those who would enjoy reading In Search of the Elusive Peace Corps Moment most of all are those who have been to Estonia a few times and would like to read about the transition period that led to the e-Estonia we know today. Those who are about to travel to Estonia for the first time and want to read an in-depth, per sonal account of life in Estonia would get a lot out of it, too. Given the conceptual focus of the book, of seeing Estonia through his lens and his activi ties – and considering the tough criticisms levied at the Peace Corps as an organization – the book makes me curious to read more of what local Hiidlased have to say about their island at
Photo used with permission from Elva Tammemägi.
supporting pollinators and wild life) sustain the land by feeding the soil with natural green material, maintaining a healthy rhizosphere, preventing the build-up of pests, ensuring good fruiting of vegetable flowers and ultimately ensuring a good population of pollinators for future farming activities. Ideally you’d like to protect and nourish all parts of the ecosystem and work with nature, not against it. Healthy soil = healthy plants and good yields. By preventing soil depletion and degradation through these methods, the soil should remain healthy for future use. In addition to CSA baskets, you sell seedlings, so customers can grow their own beans, for instance. Why is equipping people to be more self-suffi cient important? Growing your own food is a right that everyone should be able to access. By equipping
people to be more self-suffi cient I am contributing to a more food-secure world, it is the ethical thing to do. There is still enough demand for pro ducts, even if people are home growing their own for their family. Also when people try growing at home, they realize how much work goes into it, so they often develop more of an appreciation for their local farmers! In what ways would you like to expand the operations of Rhizome Farms in the years to come? I am hoping to diversify my CSA program to provide more options for the busy consumer. I’d like to open a farm-to-table cafe on the property as well as offering a variety of guided nature tours, workshops and other activities. (This interview has been edited and condensed.)
that time. What is the elusive peace corps moment? Arguably, it is when one obtains a deeper understanding of or empathy for people outside of one’s own home. Douglas Wells has reflected this in the pages of his book, informing English speakers about Estonia in a heart-warming, entertaining way. This book can be found in print and digital formats through Chapters Indigo (www.chapters. indigo.ca/en-ca/books/ in-search-of-the-elu sive/9780738865430-item.html). You can also read in Estonian about his adventures in his book Jänki seiklused Hiiumaal (Adventures of a Yankee in Hiiumaa).
Douglas Wells in Kärdla, 2003. Photo: Mart Mõniste
