Garden of Eating Virtual Tour

The Garden of Eating is our demonstration space and commitment to building an edible landscape that is abundant, profitable, beautiful, ecologically diverse, educational, and fun. At the same time, we realize this is not created from a magic wand. It is only through careful years of observation, planning, and adaptation of best practices that we can achieve this. See our Workshops and Workstays page for more information on property and orchard tours to learn more about the design behind and learn about the paradise of nuts, fruits, herbs, and mushrooms that can grow in our climate.

Some of our Unique Plants

Our demonstration forest garden has over 100 unique edible perennial species planted. While we have planted no apples (grafted and wild only), sweet cherries, apricots, nor peaches/nectarines, we do have the following:
  • perennials in abundance: heartnut, Asian pear, pawpaw, sea buckthorn, Saskatoon berry, currants and gooseberries, asparagus, lovage, raspberry, Turkish rocket, sweet cicely, Good King Henry, sea kale, sorrel, Egyptian walking onion, chives, garlic chives
  • nut trees: ultra-hardy pecan, ginkgo, shellbark hickory, shagbark hickory, Persian walnut, heartnut, Swiss stone pine, Korean pine, chestnut hybrid, hazelnut, yellowhorn
  • additional plants of marginal hardiness: fragrant spring (toon) tree, persimmon, goumi, Carolina allspice, schisandra, cinnamon yam, astragalus (huang-qi)

Our Story

Indigenous Homelands

First settlers document the Odawa and Tionontati (Petun) peoples. Despite large differences between the Anishnaabe and Iroquoian cultures, these peoples understood the need to co-exist on the same land base, which were codified in wampum (Dish with One Spoon Treaty). Still, the Tionontati were conquered in 1649 during the fur trade wars by the Haudenosaunee, and this area was eventually resettled by the Odawa.
These people extensively practised gardening, forest farming, foraging, and hunting suited to their culture and local ecosystem. These forest farming practices were so harmonious with the land that they were largely invisible to the settlers and that we are now just rediscovering them.
As we were fed by our ancestors and nourished from the land on which we depend on, it is now our responsibility to pay it forward by nurturing the caretakers of the future. Find out whose land and traditional territory your home resides on, and how the pioneers managed to steward this land.
pre-1649

Treaties with Settlers

Often fleeing difficult times in Europe and hardships in their new land, European peoples initiate a long chain of treaties with the Odawa. This region was ceded in the Lake Simcoe-Nottawasaga Treaty 18 in 1818. Every subsequent treaty has been broken, the Odawa were further displaced, and their present-day Saugeen and Nawash reserves are what remains of their traditional territory. Reconciliation awaits...
1800s-present

First Homestead

The Township was surveyed in 1833, property settled in 1859, but abandoned since house fire in ~1976. Up to 75 acres was grazed at one point with cattle, pigs, chickens, and more. Feral apples hint of bygone orchards. Garden perennials such as periwinkle and daffodils still persist near the old homestead.
1859

Purchased Property; Observation Year

Sea buckthorn perimeter planted (and a colossal failure), local beekeeper re-establishes hives for a few years.
A 1.5 acre field within the 40 acre hay acreage is keyline plowed and the first orchard rows are planted and mulched.
Spring 2014

Establishment Year

Mapping, planning, designing, seedlings planted for reforestation, remaining contour rows planted and mulched.
2015

House Build

Constructing full-time residence
2019-present

Future

Playing the slow and steady long game in a diversified farm means engaging more players to build community resilience.
Future project ideas include silvopasture, greenhouse, orchard expansion, value-added, and more.