At Desert Lake Gardens, we planted our first vegetable garden in the spring of 1983, to supply our own family. Then as now we chose organic, biologically based growing methods. We had no desire to expose ourselves and our growing children to the known and unknown dangers of chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

According to The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE).

"Pesticides are among the most widely used chemicals in the world, and also among the most dangerous to human health."

It was also important to us to protect the soil and water from unnecessary contamination.

Some of the foods we carry include:

• Fresh seasonal salad items and vegetables from Desert Lake Gardens own fields and greenhouses. We also grow shiitake mushrooms.
• Locally grown and processed foods from our surrounding community producers. These are truly local suppliers, usually located within 100 km of our farm. Asparagus, maple syrup, honey, strawberries and sourdough bread are among the many foods sourced locally.
• Ontario grown organic beef, pork and chicken.
• Wild caught, sustainably harvested fish, including Canadian Pacific salmon.
• Mill Street Café ' mise en place' and prepared foods.

From our café kitchen we can now offer a large selection of fresh and frozen entrees, soups and sauces. Fresh new offerings, will be prepared each week. Past selections have included Quesadillas, Shepherd's Pie (both vegetarian and local meat versions), Chili sin Carne and Kale and Potato Soup. Our small artisan scale allows us to supply very fresh products, quickly delivered through our own transport system. Look for an expanding variety of prepared products made from high quality local ingredients.

Desert Lake Gardens and Sustainability

Our mission is to produce and supply healthy, nourishing food in such a way as to minimize adverse environmental impact. Here are some of the important aspects:

• Foods are produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. These practices minimize environmental contamination and conserve topsoil. No genetically modified crops (GMO's) are grown.
• Local supply and processing reduces fossil fuel use and CO2 production. Also sustains the local economy.
• Efficient group delivery system helps reduce fuel use.
• Reusable/recyclable packaging used whenever possible. Our online ordering system is simple to use. Just fill out an application form and we'll take it from there. Telephone orders also welcome.