TORONTO — Ruth Klahsen is at it again. The Stratford, Ont.-based cheesemaker, who created a community supported agriculture (CSA) program to build her dairy five years ago, is working on her next project — a Monforte farm.
“It’s the last piece of the puzzle,” she said last night as media gathered at a dinner hosted by Monforte supporters — chef Michael Caballo and Tobey Nemeth — at Edulis in Toronto. Guests heard about the new project that will complement the Monforte Dairy and osteria. “We want to create that community where people come together to talk about food,” said Klahsen.
The $1-million farm on Highway 7/8, just outside Stratford, Ont., will close Oct. 1 and will eventually be transformed from a GMO-engineered 40-acre corn field to a new home for eight to 10 farmers chosen by Klahsen in partnership with FarmStart, a Guelph, Ont.-based initiative created to provide support to farmers. The green pocket will be used to develop anything from hops to water buffalo at a time when the cost of land has created ongoing challenges for a new generation of farmers.
To help finance the project Klahsen is once again selling cheese futures through a new CSA program. Three cheese subscription plans of $200, $500 or $1,000 (purchased via monfortedairy.com), will give buyers access to Monforte products for a five-year period.
“We hope the farm will be where our community comes for sustenance, for learning and for revitalization,” reads a declaration on the Monforte site. “Ultimately, we hope the Monforte Home Farm model is one others will replicate, especially around preserving land for farming.”
Keep Reading
Stratford Culinary Festival to Return in September
Farm to Fork: Reinventing the Cheese Wheel
