Foodstock readersdigest

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Valerie Howes

Its just past noon on Sunday October 16. The line-up of cars waiting to park at Diane and Bill Frenchs Farm in Honeywood, Ontario, is so long that people are abandoning their vehicules on Highway 124 and trekking the last few kilometres in rubber boots. As I roll down the car window to take a site map, a mean wind whips in through the gap. Its not what youd call a nice day for a picnic. And yet the people keep coming. The Frenches farm is among the last of four in the area that hasnt been bought in recent years by the US hedge fundbacked Highland Companies. Initially the Highland Companies said they were buying up land in Melancthon Township to run a large cooperative potato farm. But once they reached 7,000 acres, they filed for permission to excavate a limestone mega quarrytwice the width and 1.5 times the depth of Niagara Falls. Since then theyve been burning down farmhouses, windmills and barns on their newly acquired properties in preparation for this project on an unprecedented scale. If it goes ahead, the mega quarry will divert 600 million litres of fresh water a day from the areaa quantity that would otherwise meet the daily needs of over 1 million people.

Diane and Bill smile, pink-cheeked and glowing, at the people filing through their farm gates. Thanks for coming, they call out to strangers; friends get a hug. I ask the couple what will happen to them if the mega quarry goes ahead. Dianes mouth droops and she looks away. If they removed our groundwater, which they say theyre going to do, we wouldnt be able to grow crops, says Bill. And with the blasting six days a week says Diane, shaking her head. Were selling crops like strawberries, rhubarb, peasthings that grow above the ground, explains Bill. Blasting and dust would really affect the crops. Both fall silent for a moment before Diane spells it out: We would not be able to farm here any more. This region, one and a half hours drive north of Toronto, provides most of the potatoes consumed in that city and its surrounding suburbs and towns. The mineral-rich soils also nourish great crops of apples, root vegetables and greens as well as the lush grass on which beef cattle graze. Nearly 100 chefs have turned up at the Frenches farm today to show their solidarity and showcase the local bounty that

stands to be lost. As I wait in line for Toronto chef Paul Boehmers pork burgers with fruity chutney and smoked cheese, large cold raindrops start coming down hard and fast. One little boy has to be pulled out of a fresh mud pool by his overall straps. Theres a great burp-like squelch as his welly boots come unstuck. Everyone laughs. A few moments later a group of twenty-something girls break into song. I can see clearly now the rain has gone, they tinkle optimistically, hopping from foot to foot and rubbing their damp-gloved hands. By the time were clutching our pork sliders, the sun has broken through the clouds. The smell of smoking hickory drifts through the woods, as does the strong, clear voice of Sarah Harmer, who like Ron Sexsmith, Jim Cuddy and many other well-loved Canadian musicians lends support from the main stage today. Children laugh and dart among the skinny trees. I stand in line for spiced veggie stew, juicy pulled pork and thick cream of potato soup ladled from a giant pumpkin with NO MEGAQUARRY carved into its skin. Here, stuffing your face is a legitimate act of protest. Chef Michael Stadtlander is the man behind the pumpkin and the event. Normally hell cook for just twelve diners at a time at his swanky country restaurant, Eigensinn Farmfor

close to $300 a head. Today he feeds thousandsjust for showing up. But every visitor will have slipped a ten- or a twenty- or a fifty-dollar bill into an envelope at the gate, to help pay legal fees and cover environmental inspections in the fight to stop the mega quarry. Although to keep things in perspective: it took ten million dollarsand thirteen years of fightingfor the town of Caledon, Ontario, to kill the James Dick Quarry proposal in their neck of the woods just last year. Still, this is a good start. No, a great startfor the coffers and morale. As we were setting up yesterday, we werent even convinced wed see ten people show up, says Bill, laughing, as people start to head home. The final head count on this cold, wet October afternoon? Around 30 thousand. Do you think youre going to win this battle? I ask on my way out. We are, says Bill. We are, says Diane. She cant stop grinning. I know it in my heart.

I get to the car just as the hail starts pelting. On the warm drive home, I look out at all the fields and private gardens where No Megaquarry signs have been planted. And then at the rainbow.