Cochrane Family Farm

The Place: Stewiacke, Nova Scotia

The Treasure: Cochrane Family Farm

We’ve known Frank and Lisa Cochrane for a very long time, but lost touch with them a bunch of years ago. Then one day at the Stewiacke Farmers’ Market I saw someone sitting behind a table that had to be one of their kids.

So we waited around and sure enough it was them. They’d entered the arena of farming. The market was almost closed and they invited us up to see the farm and catch up for a while, which we took them up on.

A few hours pass…

The Cochrane’s raise their animals and crops the right way.. Without using any herbicides or pesticides or fertilizers unless it’s natural.

The pork is excellent. Thick cuts, amazing taste and texture. Their bacon will spoil you for anything else. And then there’s smoked ham steak. Yes. Smoked. Even cut up and pan fried it’s good, but throw that on the BBQ and look out.

Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

They also raise chickens (meat birds and layers) and turkeys. Both of which are juicy after being cooked. We’ve all been subjected to dry, hard to swallow turkey – didn’t happen with the couple we’ve had so far (and suspect the one thawing now will be fantastic too). Eggs are usually there for the buying too – bacon and eggs. Mmmhmm.

Cochrane Family Farm runs a CSA for vegetables which we plan to participate in this year (we’d already been signed up for Taproot’s at the time). Having had their vegetables throughout the summer we’re looking forward to being a part of their CSA.

If you’re a farmer yourself looking for supplies such as feed and/or seed they also do that:

Supporting your local farmer, the ones who do things the right way, is so very important. They are  among the most important people in our lives – whether we realize it or not. Visiting a well run, right minded farm and farmer will help reestablish the disconnect too many of us have from our food and where it comes from.

Frank, Lisa and their entire family work hard at what they do every day. Drop buy and visit them, look at how they raise and care for their animals. Buy a sampling of produce, go home, enjoy.

And plan to come back next week for more.

Here is the current weather and a map to help you plan your trip:

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