Article appeared in the Oct 6, 2011 issue of the Interlake Spectator…
Theophil Jordan has been farming organically since first coming to Eriksdale more than 20 years ago. He and his wife Susanne, who immigrated from Germany, started out as certified organic seed growers, specializing in Alfalfa, Canola, Flax and Radish seeds. In recent years, they pulled away from being mainly a seed supply operation to being a producer of organic food products, responding to changing weather patterns, and filling a niche in the organic food market.
They dropped their “certified organic” status in 2008, citing the $3,000 per year cost for the designation, and hassles with red tape required to export to Europe. New export rules necessitated literally hundreds of documents be provided in order to sell to the European Union. However, they continue to grow organically.
“It was getting worse each year,” said Suzanne, who explained that their goods fetch the same price in the Manitoba market.
The Jordans still grow their own Canola and Flax seed on their 160 acres farm, but they now focus on producing organic cold pressed oils on-site. About 4,000 Litres of Canola oil alone is processed there each year. They also raise bees and harvest about 200 lbs of honey annually, while finding innovative ways of avoiding the use of harmful chemicals on their 14 hives.
Jordan Farms was declared “The Good Food Manitoba2011 Producer of the Year” by Ciao!, a culinary magazine based in Winnipeg, and were nominated for the “Golden Carrot” award in 2008, for producing, “quality, carefully, and earnestly produced food products.”
Their products include cold pressed flax and canola oils, golden flax seeds (higher in Omega-3 than regular flax), prepared mustards, vinegars, herbs, and unpasturized honey.
The products can be purchased locally, at Havakeen Lunch in Eriksdale, or in Winnipeg at Organic Planet, Eat It, Vita Health, and Mondragon.
A few years ago, the Jordans bought their own cold pressing equipment, which had to be imported from Germany. The machine is superior to those available in North America in that no heating is required in the extraction process, whereas, other models require 70 percent warm press, which negatively effects the oil quality, as any heat damages the oils’ properties. The oil press machine can run around the clock, and produces four litres of fresh oil per hour.
Crops are planted in the spring, harvested in the fall, then stored until the oil is needed.
“I’ll press it as I sell it. It’s always fresh-pressed—That’s important,” said Theo, who ensures that the oil gets to market within two weeks after pressing.
Canola and Flax oils have excellent health benefits, and will keep for about a year after pressing. Canola oil has among the lowest amount of saturated fat. It also contains ample of monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acid, and has a high smoke point and appealing flavour, making it an excellent choice to cook with.
The Jordan’s have recently launched their latest product—Canola Seed meal, which has several uses. It makes a high protein feed (32-33 per cent protein) which may be fed to pigs, chickens and other farm animals at a ratio of up to 25 per cent. The seed meal may also be used as an organic garden fertilizer, an idea which Theo gleaned from a book called, “The Weedless Gardener”. The Jordans process about 10 tons of it each year and sell bags of it in a range of sizes.
“Nothing gets wasted,” said Suzanne. It is a philosophy she is proud to live by.
In the future, the Jordans would like to produce Omega-3 eggs on site, using their own organic flax seed meal to feed their poultry. They also hope to supply the seed meal to greenhouse operations in the future.
