TRANSFORMATION BY INSPIRATION I’ve gained inspiration from Small Farm Canada Lite to lighten-up. Including changing the name of this feature from “Editorial” to “250 & Under.” It is a catchy title, don’t you think? The best part, the title is the word count. No lengthy dissertations like an editorial. Time to lighten up and focus elsewhere. For instance, I recently saw a video recommending planting two pepper seedlings together, in one hole in the garden or in a pot as peppers have shallow roots. Two pepper plants growing together with intertwined roots systems can stabilize each other. Interesting information to explore further and perhaps test out. Another thing that I learned from a colleague, is that when twin calves are born, and one is female and one male – the little heifer most likely cannot be bred. A Freemartin is a female heifer that is born a twin to a bull calf. The heifer calf is born with reproductive tract deformities and in most cases (95 per cent) is infertile. Expect a story about twins in a future issue of SFC magazine. Did you know that B.C. is small-farm centric? Yes over 60 per cent of farms are small in scale. They have driven innovation and solutions to scale in many sectors. Meat processing is one we explore in this issue of SFC Lite and we are not done there either, the conversation will continue. In the March-April magazine we discussed vertical farming and gardening with tech, trellis and teepee. We continue this space conscious discussion digitally with keyhole gardens and espaliering on page 8. SFC Lite aims to be heavy with information upfront and finish on a light note with throwback stories of food by Helen Lammers-Helps and of good humour by Dan Needles. Enjoy! 250 & UNDER Cover photo Victoria Robinson, Robvale Speckle Park Milton, ON EDITOR Julie Harlow | 1-866-260-7985 ext 272 Julie.Harlow@SmallFarmCanada.ca ADVERTISING SALES 1-866-260-7985 Sales@SmallFarmCanada.ca DESIGN | Andrea Williams CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS Ashleigh Benedict | 1-866-260-7985 x252 Subscriptions@SmallFarmCanada.ca MARKETING & OPERATIONS Denise Faguy | Denise.Faguy@Farms.com PUBLISHER | Farms.com Canada Inc. PRINT: The print magazine for Small Farm Canada is published six times each year by Farms.com Canada Inc. Subscription rate for one year: $24.95 (+tax). Single copy price is $5.95. SUBSCRIBE NOW! DIGITAL: Small Farm Canada Lite is published 6 times each year, tandeming the Small Farm Canada magazine print issues. Contact Info@ SmallFarmCanada.ca for your free subscription. Your privacy is important to us. Occasionally we may send you information from reputable companies whose products or services we believe may be of interest to you. If you would prefer to have your name removed from the list, contact us at Info@ SmallFarmCanada.ca. Contents copyrighted by Farms.com Canada Inc. and may be reprinted only with permission. Copyright © 2025 Farms.com Canada Inc. All rights reserved. ISSN 1710 4955 Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, its products or services, nor do Small Farm Canada, or Farms.com Canada Inc. endorse any advertiser claims. The publisher shall have no liability for the omission of any scheduled advertising. 90 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 www.SmallFarmCanada.ca PROUD TO BE CANADIAN OWNED! We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. Get social with Small Farm Canada IN THIS ISSUE April 2025 | Vol. 1 Issue 2 4 NEWS & NOTES Ice cream cone failure, Flavour Trails on the way, NCIAF partners with Tea Creek. 6 GARDEN HOOP HOUSE ARTICLE BY DAN KERR A Dan DIY that never gets old. 13 GRAND OLD CHOCOLATE CAKE ARTICLE BY HELEN LAMMERS-HELPS Helen’s recipe for rest-time, doesn’t use eggs or dairy. 15 THAT IS HORRIBLE IDEA, WHAT TIME? STORY BY DAN NEEDLES Dan reflects on ideas that seemed bright at the time. 8 THE WONDER OF ESPALIER 10 A LITE LOOK AT B.C. IN THE NEXT ISSUE: MAY/JUNE 2025 - SOIL ISSUE Booking deadline: Friday, April 11, 2025 Ad material due: Thursday, April 17, 2025 Soil health is a hot-sheet issue at SFC. Our focus on soil health will include pasturing/rotational grazing systems, silvopasture and other soil health promoting measures of having livestock on the land. Ayers, Carrow, Carter and Jones report on research, management and trends towards living a productive sustainable lifestyle that builds foodways and communities.
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