First greenhouse operational at Coastal Grove Farms

Farm is located in Upper Port LaTour, Shelburne County

From citrus and tea plants to vegetables, herbs and coffee, the variety of crops growing in the geothermally temperature-controlled greenhouse at Coastal Grove Farms in Upper Port LaTour is impressive.

The greenhouse is just one aspect of Coastal Grove Farm, owned by Matthew Roy and Cynthia Bazinet. It is also the first commercial saffron farm in Nova Scotia.

The couple harvested their first saffron crop last fall.

“We had a good crop,” said Roy in an interview. “We attended a virtual conference of saffron growers in North America and found out we did better than most growers in North America for our first harvest. We had 100 percent production where the range was between one and 60 percent production. We were really pleased when we heard that.”

Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice with a retail price of up to $5,000 a pound. Saffron comes from the flower stamen. It is commonly used as a culinary flavouring and colouring agent in Asian and European cuisine, but also is reported to have medicinal properties. Unlike most crocus bulbs, saffron blooms in the fall. The stamin and petals of the plant are also marketable.

One of the reasons saffron is so expensive is the entire process, from harvesting each flower to separating the stigma from the flower, is done by hand.

With a logo designed and their website up and running, the couple began retailing the saffron online in January. Since opening the greenhouse, saffron is also available there for local customers.

With the saffron corms (Crocus sativus) soon to be dormant until this fall’s growing season, Roy said in the summertime they can plant over those beds with vegetables and herbs.

"We’ve already started planting into the beds knowing that in a month and half all the saffron leaves will be dead, and the corms will be dormant," he said. "That’s where most of the large plantings of herbs will be, on top of the saffron beds. They will come out in September when we harvest everything and that’s when the saffron starts coming out, so it works out well.”

The couple are also expanding their saffron plot to half an acre this year from one quarter acre. They also have plans to build several more greenhouses as they continue to develop the farm.

Meanwhile in the greenhouse, tomato and zucchini plants are already blossoming, a variety of lettuce, radish, sweet turnips, spinach, marjoram, and summer savory are being harvested and sold, and a bounty of other plants are growing.

“We have a small and steady group of customers at the moment buying vegetables,” said Bazinet, adding as more vegetables become available, they will be expanding their hours of operation.

“Pretty much anybody can drop into the greenhouse Tuesday to Friday in the morning. I’m usually up there by 9 if anyone wants to stop in,” said Roy. “I will harvest the vegetables while they are right there to give them as fresh as possible. They can select what they want, and I harvest it for them. It’s as fresh as you can get it.”

The greenhouse will also be open on Saturday mornings, but the produce will be preharvested because potentially more people would show up on a Saturday morning, said Roy.

The Coastal Grove greenhouse has been open on Saturday mornings for a few weeks now.

“It’s interesting. A lot of people are coming through saying they are not gardening this year, or I can’t garden this year because of arthritis, and I say I’ll be your gardener,” said Roy. “Let me grow your stuff and I’ll harvest it for you and make it as convenient as possible. It’s about feeding the people right around here.

"We don’t want to send it to Sobeys or the Yarmouth Farmers Market. We want to feed the people right here in this community," he said. "Another nice thing we can offer is we can be a resource for information."

Roy said the couple can adjust what they are growing to meet local demand. “People who are coming in, we are asking them — we want to grow what they’re going to eat so we’re able to adjust our plantings that way to accommodate people who say they are going to be stopping in on a regular basis.”

Beet greens are a popular request. “We’re surprised how many people around here are all about beet greens,” said Bazinet. “People want them.”

Coastal Grove has introduced a new turnip to the area. Sweet turnips are small like a radish.

“You can cook the greens. It doesn’t have to be peeled. You can cook it, eat it raw, or you can dip it into favorite dip. It has a mild turnip flavour,” said Roy.

Coastal Grove will also be retailing at the Barrington Farmer’s Market when it starts up. Further information about Coastal Grove Farm is available on their website and Facebook page.