About Us

At Bird & Bee we share a common interest in good food, good company, and good conversation. We farm part-time because it is a lifestyle that we love. We are part of a community of farmers who manage small plots of land at Just Food Farm in Ottawa, Ontario. The food that comes off of our 1/2 acre seed plot is mostly eaten, processed and preserved for winter use. The seeds we save are primarily sold to gardeners and farmers in our region. A portion of our seed harvest each year is donated to local  seed libraries to help keep a diverse set of species in production.​

Meet the team: Jordan and Jamie Bouchard

Jordan

Jordan can talk about seeds all day, and is your go-to-guy for all obscure but useful factoids. He's passionate about plants and food, and is an excellent chef. At the farm, Jordan does most of the seed crop management, from variety selection to post-harvest processing. He loves compost and is happiest when he's knee-deep in dirt.

Jamie

Jamie loves reading books, being creative and exploring the outdoors. She's handy at almost everything and hopes to own a goat someday. At the farm, Jamie is the organizer and problem-solver. She manages the business side of things, and spends time in the dirt, too. Her favourite farm-task is weeding sunflowers.

We were first introduced to the concept of locally-adapted farm-scale seed production at a Bring Food Home conference in 2014. Over the last century, the biodiversity available in vegetable and field crops has been rapidly reducing. We want to be part of the movement to reverse this worrisome trend. 

The Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security is leading an impressive movement to build resilient seed systems across Canada. When we're asked the question, "Why seeds?" our response is to quote their simple yet effective statement: ​

​"Without seed we do not have food.
​Nine out of every ten bites of food
taken around the world today
​begin with the planting of a seed."

​To learn more about the Bauta Family Initiative, please visit their website www.seedsecurity.ca