We're Larry and Jim Forestell. We are the fourth generation on our farm near Stirling, Ontario Canada. since 1990, we have specialized in growing and shipping high quality horse hay. We are constantly striving to improve our land, seed selections and our equipment in order to produce a higher quality, more consistent bale of hay.
Lion and Raquilda van Zoeren and their three children have lived, since 2003, on the old Hungerford Road near Thomasburg on a 135 acre farm. Lion and Raquilda are from Holland and they met at the Ottawa Tulip Festival. Lion was playing music and Raquilda was selling Dutch products. They run their farm using horse power as well as tractor power. They have six heavy horses; two Clydesdale mares, a Shire, two Belgians and one Belgian/Clydesdale cross. Three years ago they started romantic sleigh rides through the woods and around the fields.
The sleigh ride is approximately 50 minutes long and can fit 10 - 12 people, and comes complete with sleigh bells jingling and hot chocolate. Give the van Zoeren's a call at 613-478-2604. (It doesn't have to be Christmas memories, they can do wagon rides all year long).
Palmateer Farms is a large cash cropping operation based on the Crockston Road west of Tweed. The first crop of the year is maple syrup. Stephen Palmateer has 5,000 taps in the sugar bush and the sap is piped to the sugar house. They have a new reverse osmosis system, which removes some of the water and raises the sugar concentration. This reduces the time taken to boil the sap to make the syrup. They do this is a large stainless steel evaporator. They have a new bottling system and bottle maple syrup to sell locally. The syrup they sell wholesale is in put into kegs.
The Haggerty family has lived in West Huntingdon for 140 years. Jim Haggerty and his wife Diane live in the stone house Jim grew up in which his ancestors built.
At Moira Ridge Farms, home of Heather and Cliff Maclean, and Nanuq, their Alaskan Malamute, you can see a heritage farm which has been in operation for over 150 years and experience a true Old Growth Forest and an alvar complete with fossils.Heather, an accomplished artist specializing in local scenes and wildlife in oils, acrylics, and water colours, and Cliff, past chair of the Hastings Stewardship Council, Vice President of the Quinte Chapter of the Ontario Woodlot Association, and a founding member of The Upper Canada Woods Cooperative, invite you to explore their farm and Heather's studio to discover the natural diversity of this unique part of the Moira River valley.
Here is a photographic account of an May 19, 2013 tour of Moira Ridge Farm by one of Terry Sprague's hiking groups.
Jeff and Jen Ferguson and their two small sons, Owen and Eric live at Springbrook Farm on Squire Road south of Springbrook in Stirling-Rawdon. The farm was owned by Jeff's grandparents Ron and Ethel Rahm for 30 years. They have a small herd of pigs and sell pork cuts, bacon and lean sausages some of which are gluten-free at the local farmers' markets. They also sell beef, free range chicken, and hay.
