We never planned on becoming farmers. Our family never saw ourselves as the type, believing the grocery store gave us a product that tasted like the real thing. While working a high-tech job in 2007, my wife and I moved to a rural property hoping for what most city dwellers want: peace, quiet, and space to raise our family.

Our journey to today started back in 2007. A work colleague at my high-tech job introduced us to the farm-fresh eggs produced on his farm and once we compared their quality to that of our local grocery store, we were sold on them. They were so dense and flavourful, there was just no comparison. To us, it made the store-bought versions seem empty and lacking. When my colleague found out we had a rural property, he helped us get started raising our own hens and producing our own eggs.

It is often said among homesteaders that chickens are a “gateway” livestock: once you have them, they’ll lead to other aspects of farming. For us, that couldn’t be truer. Our early successes only spurred us on to learn more and try more. After eggs, our next venture was meat chickens, then apples, turkeys, sheep, pork, and finally honey. In almost everything we did, we could meet and then exceed the quality of what was available at the store. At first, we really didn’t know how we could (with no prior experience in agriculture) beat the quality of what was readily available. However, the truth of the matter is simply that by not cutting corners and upholding the standards of traditional farming, we can consistently and reliably produce a better product. Now, over a decade into our journey, we continue to improve our proficiency, product, and yield, so that we not only feed ourselves, but also our community—you!

So, why do we continue to farm?

Learning about food and modern food production has convinced us that the current system is flawed. Many large suppliers, who are responsible for what you find on store shelves, consistently cut corners on animal welfare and quality in the name of their bottom line. What results is a lackluster product, produced on mass scale to quickly meet demand. Not only is this a threat to the long-term health of the general public, but our dependency on suppliers such as these show growing cracks in our food supply. If the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that we can never take our various corporate systems for granted.

Our wartime-era grandparents knew how to raise and process chickens, it was part of their daily life under conditions that demanded food rationing. In those days, urban livestock (such as chickens and pigs) were the rule. Decentralized food production (like victory gardens) was essential to food security. However, these days the “backyard farmer” is a rarity. What used to be common knowledge a few generations ago has rapidly disappeared from our society. Now we’re dependent on an unstable, unsustainable food production system.

Our goal at Five Oaks Farm is to show you what real food is and to educate you about the process of how it’s made. We want to help reconnect people to where their food comes from and provide them with the “real-deal”. So, get involved! Come be a part of our journey to bring quality food back to the tables of families in Ottawa.