Ringing in Spring with Sunny Caribbean Flavours

Hey LifeDirt community, I want you to meet the Ferron family!

Al and Karen Ferron were both born in Jamaica and Al has had a long-standing relationship with farmers on the island. When their family lived in Ontario, they started importing food from Jamaica as they missed the naturally grown fresh produce that they had known from childhood. Eventually they moved to near Woodstock, New Brunswick to raise grass-fed livestock and provide healthy meat from animals raised with care, while introducing culturally-specific cuts to the NB market. The Ferrons have also started bringing in fresh produce from the West Indies to New Brunswick. They are working toward food sovereignty by providing culturally-appropriate foods for communities that don’t yet have that access in our province.

We are happy to be able to join in on their order this time around! In our next round of boxes we’ll be bringing you a couple of fresh tropical produce items as we get through the last of winter up here in the north! Over the next several days, we’ll be sharing a bit on social media about the different items you might find in your boxes next week and will be providing some recipes and tips on how to make the most of these fruits.

But there’s also a more personal connection with the West Indies! My grandparents immigrated to Canada from Jamaica in the 40s, my dad lived there as a kid and I still have family living on the islands. So we’re not getting this produce completely blindly as it’s somewhat familiar to me!

You might recognize the Ferron name from our hamburger and stew meat suppliers- and you’re right! Ferron Family Farms is where we’ve been getting our beef products since the fall. If you’re in the area of Long Settlement at the end of June, stop by their open farm day on June 29th for a celebration of food and culture! Learn more about their farm by checking out their website.

Get ready for a culinary trip south for those of us staying home this winter! I hope you’ll enjoy this small tropical twist on our next produce boxes. And for those wondering, there’ll still be plenty of local produce.

Gratefully,

Miriam

(Photo comes from FerronFarms.ca)