Farm Season Retrospective for 2025

The Farm Team is Grateful for a Successful 2025 Season

With harvesting and cleanup largely done, the Farm Team finally has a chance to look back on the 2025 farming season, and reflect on all we have done and learned together. It was a year of many milestones. Amma Canada Farms purchased new major equipment (tractor and sprayer), and entered into two new partnerships: one with Sundance Commons, and another with Bees Are Life. Sundance Commons employee, Kwame, has become a familiar face at the farm and a valuable team member. From catching a swarm of bees in the spring, to spraying, pruning, mulching, or harvesting in the orchard, to working in the veggie garden, to bottling honey or apple juice, Kwame worked everywhere, eager to learn everything. The Sundance Commons-Amma Canada partnership was so positive that everyone is keen to expand it further next year. Thank you, Kwame, and the Sundance Commons team!

Amma Canada also entered into a partnership this year with beekeeper Cathy and Bees are Life. Cathy has mentored Amma Canada's beekeeper, Pauline, for years, so having Cathy's expertise on site was a real asset this season. At the start of the season, Amma Canada and Bees Are Life each had four beehives on the property. Bees Are Life finished the season with eight hives on the property! Amma Canada will receive 10% of the honey from these hives, so there will be plenty of honey available for purchase in December. Next year, Pauline is seeking one or two volunteers to shadow her as a beekeeping apprentice. Training will be provided at no cost. If you are interested in becoming a beekeeping apprentice, please contact Pauline or email ammatoronto@ammagroups.org.

Amma Canada was founded in 2003, inspired by Amma's example, with the dual mission of caring for Mother Nature and for the community. At Amma Canada's Farm, volunteers pursue both those goals by growing fruits and vegetables and beekeeping using organic methods, and sharing the produce with those in need. This year was no exception. Overall, the harvest in the orchard and veggie garden was smaller in 2025, due to a variety of factors: a very hot and dry summer, and pest problems in the orchard, due in part to receiving the new sprayer only in July.

Nonetheless, Amma Canada donated 4065 lbs of produce to food banks and charities across the GTA: 3551 lbs of apples, 361 lbs of pears, 132 lbs of tomatoes, 13 lbs of kale, and 18 lbs of Malabar spinach. Amma Canada also sold more produce this season. The revenue generated by produce sales, together with the funds raised by the successful concert last May, will help cover the cost of the new tractor and sprayer, pruning equipment, seedlings, compost, and more.

The Farm Team is so thankful for your support this season. Whether you helped by planting seedlings in May, weeding or watering the veggie or flower gardens, picking apples in September, or by purchasing vegetables, fruit, juice or honey, your contribution made a difference. Let us not forget the ones who cooked and fed the farm workers, the ones who donated food for our lunches, the ones who handled produce sales, and the ones who handled sales promotion, produce donations, and bookkeeping. We literally couldn't do this without each and every one of you. Wishing you a peaceful holiday season, and a New Year 2026 filled with love and joy. See you in the Spring!

Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu