our farm
Haven is nested on Trillium Organic Farm, a small, family-run operation in the heart of Ontario’s warm southwest. For the last fifteen years, we have been raising certified organic vegetables and chickens, selling our produce through numerous GTA markets, including: Trinity Bellwoods, Toronto Botanical Gardens, Riverdale and Brampton Organic Farmer’s markets.
Haven takes the already well-established organic tradition on our land to the next level, as we shift focus to regenerative practice. We have added many new residents to the farm in an effort to create a closed loop of fertility inputs and perennial harvest, along with cover cropping and rotational grazing of our animals, that helps rebuild topsoil. As with many farms in southwestern Ontario, before our tenure, ours grew tobacco: a notoriously greedy crop that leaves soil severely depleted. By minimizing tillage and introducing "new" old methods like hugelkultur to our growing environment. we are working to restore the soil in our little corner of the world.
The forest, in haven forest+farm, makes more sense once you see the farm. We maintain the original forest on 40-50% of our land, taking advantage of the trees general cooling effect on the land and their ability to hold water in our sandy soil. The forest also comprises a part of our production area, as we harvest wild goodness and grow mushrooms within.
With the arrival of our daughter Skye to live on the farm, we will add to our offerings by expanding what we are growing on the land. This includes the planting of a new fruit orchard (forty-six heirloom varieties of apples, pears, plums, peaches, apricots and cherries), our new woodland pond and resident ducks and a fledgling herd of Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. Skye also brings her experience as a trained chef, to add fresh prepared foods and expanded preserved goods under her haven label, to our existing options. We are excited to see the new trees blooming in spring and can’t wait to taste the exciting fare to come!
Christine & Martin Jurjans, Trillium Organic Farm
our chickens
Chickens have been a part of our farm since its inception almost fifteen years ago. We raise our chickens on pasture, where they spend dawn to dusk out roaming in the sun. Our layer flock includes Rhode Island Reds, Welsummers, Ameraucanas, Australorps and Isa Browns. In addition to what they forage from our land, they eat sprouted and fermented, certified organic whole grains. Both their diet and days on pasture produce eggs high in micro nutrients, with deep yellow yolks. Their quality is exceptional and you will taste the difference.
We also raise Cornish Rock chickens, pastured and fed just as our layers are, on an all organic diet of sprouted grains and wild forage. Their life out in the sun all day makes all the difference in the chicken you taste. A varied diet and an environment that affords the best possible quality of life for the birds, are critical in raising quality chicken for your table. Healthier, happier birds make for firmer, more flavourful meat that is higher in nutrition, with no gmo's, antibiotics or hormones added to your diet.
We are also artisanal producers of Canada's only heritage breed of chicken, the Chantecler. Unlike most chicken raised in Ontario, usually processed around 8-10 weeks, heritage breeds grow much more slowly, allowing the birds to mature to adulthood, before processing at 20-24 weeks. This time gives us the opportunity to give these birds a quality of life we are very proud of. It also allows for a fine tuning of their diet: lots of wild foraged greens and insects, supplemented with sprouted organic grains and finished with milk from our own herd of dairy goats. This classic French finishing technique imparts a fine marbling of fat, giving extra succulence to this incredibly flavourful meat. We will begin selling our heritage Chantecler chicken starting in the spring of 2022.
our ducks
A beautiful and crazy collection of quackers, that constantly amuse us as we go about our days and delight visitors to the farm. We raise Indian Runners, Cayugas and Saxony ducks in our woodland pond. Not only do the ducks give us amazing, rich eggs but they are also our resident pest control in the fruit orchard.
our goats
We maintain a small herd of Nigerian Dwarf goats for the amazing milk they provide us and the hilarious shenanigans they add to life on the farm. They spend their days grazing wild roses, grape, sumac, carrot, plantain, autumn olive and elderberry to their hearts' content. Our herd sire and does are all from exceptional, champion dairy lines and we will occasionally have kids for sale. All kids will be sold disbudded and fully vaccinated, to vetted buyers only. Please contact us if you would like to be added to our wait-list for future kiddings.
