The Ruckle Farm

I had a book sent to me from Victoria this week (dear friends Tom and Jen, bless your hearts) called From Farm to Feast.
Although I have yet to sink my teeth into it, flipping through it I came across the story of Ruckle Farm on Saltspring Island. This farm will always have great significance to me being the one farm that I had that singular meal from. Here are a few quotes from the book: "In 1973 the taxes were so high on this desirable real-estate that the Ruckles could no longer afford to keep their land by farming...the Ruckle land was sold to the provincial government at a reduced cost, with the provision that part of the land remain as a working farm with the Ruckles as stewards for their lifetime." I see parallels, only we are no longer the stewards of our land in our lifetime.

Henry Ruckle "created a mixed farm with many different types of animals, an orchard with great variety of fruit several types of grain, for home and animal feed, field peas for pigs and seed sales, nut trees, hay fields and grazing fields. Here was one Irishman that would never be caught with a single crop that could succumb to blight."

It's interesting to note that over 95% of all varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains and animals that you might have found on the Ruckle farm or his neighbours are extinct or close to it. Monocultures are naturally weak. I just wish I had the chance to taste those apples and pears. I had a pear the other day that literally blew my mind. I had to wipe the walls down. The flavour was exceptional - spicy, peppery tones with grapefruit highlights. I could just imagine what grew on the Ruckle Farm. Or how about the lamb that ate the pears on the ground or that Henry gave as a treat.

Now we have lamb, pigs and cows fed on an accelerated diet of corn and antibiotics. Where are the sunshine and smiles?
You would be foolish to think that this does not translate into flavour.