Tuesday 28 July 2015

Ode to David Fife- Part 1

By Gary Fife

The following is a poem written by Gary Fife, the Great-Great Grandson of David Fife. This is part one of three. 


Introduction

This is the story of David Fife
And how he developed the staff of life
Searching for a solution
To agricultural pollution
Wheat crops ravaged by frost and rust
Finding a better grain was a must
He searched in Canada and Scotland too
He obtained some seeds from a friend he knew
A new strain of wheat from a ship docked in Glasgow
Save some for the spring, plant the rest now
The fall planting did not survive
The spring planting did indeed thrive
In 1842, David Fife developed Red Fife Wheat
For 50 years, Red Fife reigned supreme and could not be beat

The wheat known as Red Fife
Has a renewed shelf life
In 2003, Slow Food Canada nominated Red Fife for the Ark of Taste
Renowned for its nutty and robust flavor, it should not go to waste
Organic farmers consider it the best heritage wheat
Discriminating consumers consider it a nutritious treat
Artisan bakers use a slow wild yeast fermentation
To develop a richer and fuller wheat taste sensation
Chefs discovered its hearty flavor
And diners have bread they can savor
Red Fife has been rediscovered; it is a revival
Red Fife’s place in history is more than archival

Red Fife is a story of myth and legend and mystery
Who is David Fife and where is his place in history
And what about Jane, his wife
Who played a key role in developing Red Fife
There is much to tell and the tale should be told
Children should know it before they grow old
Without David Fife, who knows what might have been
The story begins with David at age fifteen.


Section I – From Scotland to Canada

Riding a white horse, his father, John, rode through each town
Announcing the news with a bugle, Napoleon was down
In Scotland, there was not that much to do
After the Battle of Waterloo
In 1820, David and John and the rest of the clan
Left Kincardaine, Scotland for a new land [1]
It was a dull day in May when they set sail
On a ship called Hope, how could they fail
In mid September, they came to the village of Port Hope
Arriving via ferry drawn by horses on shore with a rope

In the township of Otonabee
David settled there with his family
Lot 23, Concession 4
200 acres, a log cabin and more
Indian River runs through the north end
To a place where it takes a bend
On its way to the village of Lang
Where meetings were held with rest of the gang
David met Jane Beckett one day
Marriage plans were quickly underway
In 1825, they were wed
A bright future lay ahead

As the daughter of a seed merchant
Jane knew a thing or two and had a penchant
For seeking a better way
She was sure to have her say
David and Jane kept a watchful eye
For new grains they could try
There had to be something that would beat
The tired and troublesome Siberian Wheat

Planting wheat in the soil
Involves much blood, sweat and toil
Reaping the wheat harvest
Weather permitting is hardest
Using a scythe to cut a swath to make a sheath
Stooking sheaves to prevent moisture underneath
Modern technology brought the threshing machine
With the combine, operations became lean and mean


Section II – Red Fife Wheat developed in 1842

Early in the 19th century
Settlers faced a climate of hostile fury
Plant diseases such as rust, mould and rot
And in case it should be forgot
There were pests and floods and storms
And rapid temperature changes beyond norms
Farmers dreamed of rejoicing and bringing in the sheaves
Growing wheat for export is an idea no one believes

In 1812, the Selkirk settlers came [2]
From Lord Selkirk they got their name
In Canada, he received a land grant
Providing these Scottish fishermen a place to plant
The first crop of wheat of record on Canadian soil
With no proper tools, they used a hoe to toil
Seeds planted too late did not survive
In 1818, wheat crops were eaten alive
It was a severe and devastating attack
The grasshopper plague turned the sky black

Wheat harvesting conditions would become less severe
In his search for seed, David Fife did persevere
His friend, Will Struthers, in Glasgow
Should be able to help somehow
Will sent samples of wheat to Port Hope
After winter storage they were taken from the envelope
The wheat was sown
Nothing was grown

David sent word to his friend, Will
To be on the lookout still
Down by the docks, Will took a trip
He spotted some grain from a Polish ship
From the Ukraine, direct from Danzig
The freighter was a mighty rig
He scooped up a sample and put it in the mail
Not realizing the puzzle it would entail

Not knowing whether to plant in spring or fall
David decided not to plant it all
He sowed half in the fall and it did not survive
He sowed half in the spring and five stalks did thrive
When David was not in the field with the horse and plows
He tended to chores with the pigs and chickens and cows
While David was working under the hot summer sky
Jane worked in the house always keeping a watchful eye

The five stalks of grain were growing well
Jane looked through the window and let out a yell
Two oxen had broken loose
She chased them and made them vamoose
They had munched on the new strains of wheat
Jane caught them in time to limit their treat
Of the five stalks, Jane saved three
More care was needed, it was plain to see

Jane took special charge of the experimental plot
Reaping three stalks of grain did not yield a lot
The wheat was hung on the kitchen rafters with care
In hopes that a bountiful yield would soon be there
Every year yielded more of this rust free variety
And soon the Fifes provided wheat to all of Otonabee
By 1848, they had 260 bushels to provide [3]
They were very gracious, it could not be denied
No patents, no desire for personal gain
Everyone should try this new strain


Section III – Red Fife Wheat spreads to the West

By 1851, its popularity had spread
Farmers were keen to get this wheat that was red
Through Ontario and into Illinois, Ohio and Wisconsin [4]
Red Fife was sown, grown and stockpiled in the wheat bin
This sturdy, high-yielding red wheat
Rust resistant, it could not be beat
With its superior quality of flour, it met the test
These qualities led to its adoption throughout the West
In the prairie soil, Red Fife seeds produced great yields
Across the United States and Canada were golden wheat fields


Section IV – Red Fife’s Origins

Where did Red Fife originate
It is a subject of great debate
Some believe it came from the Ukraine
Where it was a very hardy strain
This strain was known as the Halychanka variety [5]
With records dating back to the 12th century
It is unique and valuable due to its stability
Cultivated over centuries with great ability
By Ukrainian peasants
Using basic common sense
This variety was not grown on experimental fields
By a plant breeder or geneticist to increase yields
Halychanka also known as the Galician variety
Stems from Galicia, an historical region of Ukrainian society
Located between Poland and Ukraine
In old folk songs there was a refrain
Of ‘dear spring wheat’
It was known as a treat
Of happiness and prosperity
The truth will be known to posterity

Stay tuned for part 2 next Tuesday, August 4!



[1] The Peterborough Evening Examiner, January 30, 1909; The Peterborough Weekly Examiner, July 15, 1920
[2]   Buller, A.H.R., Essays on Wheat (New York, 1919) Chapter 1, section 1 – 5.
[3] Old Farmer’s Almanac, 2001:  The Day Jane Fife Saved Canada’s Wheat Crop.
[4] Old Farmer’s Almanac, 2001.
[5] From a single seed:  Tracing the Marquis wheat success story in Canada to its roots in the Ukraine, by Stephan Symko, a Web Publication of Research Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 1999. 



Gary Fife is the Great-Great Grandson of David Fife, founder of Red Fife Wheat, and a guest writer for the Museum. Gary grew up on the Fife Family Farm. With a background in corporate finance and entrepreneurial management, Gary shares David Fife's passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. He has spent the last few years researching David Fife and Red Fife Wheat. In the past 25 years, there has been a renewed interest in Red Fife Wheat by artisan bakers and organic farmers. Gary has been instrumental in contacting several of the key people involved in this Red Fife revival.    
 

Tuesday 21 July 2015

A Brief History of the Food Booth

By: Kathy Watson


One day as I was working in the food booth at Lang Pioneer Village reading the Village Vignettes Blog on our website, Elizabeth King my supervisor for the day, came in to see if I needed anything. We started talking about the blog and somehow she convinced me to write a story about the Food Booth.  So here goes nothing!

Many people, when they visit Lang Pioneer Village, do not realize that one of the first buildings they see when walking west from the parking lot is the Museum Refreshment Booth also known as the Food Booth. Some visitors even mistake it for the Admissions, which it was at one time, sharing space with the original main office. It was used as a temporary building then. Construction of a new main building in 1983 resulted in the transfer of staff, leaving the temporary one empty and eventually it became the Food Booth.

Since 2007, the year I started working at Lang Pioneer Village, I have seen the following upgrades and improvements to the Food Booth:

  • A new deck and accessibility ramps were built onto the east side of the building
  • A shed was built by some of our fantastic volunteers to accommodate our small barbecue
  • A second water tap assembly was installed for the 3 sinks
  • A canopy was erected over the deck to provide shelter from the elements
  • A small fridge was installed to hold condiments and dairy products
  • Beautiful geranium hanging baskets were added to make it look pretty
  • A portable air conditioner was installed to help keep us cool on some very hot summer days
  • New shelving under the front counter was installed to improve storage space
  • New flooring was installed in the front of the food booth
  • In 2013 a brand new large commercial barbecue was purchased to serve the many visitors we have during school programs and special events
  • Skids were laid down in the back room to hold our Pepsi products
  • Shelving units were put in to hold some inventory
  • The old stairs were removed and a new accessibility ramp with handrails was built for easier access into the food booth
  • A new water pump was installed in the spring of this year
  • Also this year there has been some redecorating done inside and outside. New counter curtains, new menu chalkboards, a large blackboard to list our drink and chip choices and containers with lids for our potato chips have all improved the Food Booth's appearance.

Some of our products and procedures have also changed over the years. Due to health and safety concerns, we discontinued selling french fries, but some of our products like barbecued meats, veggie burgers and nachos and cheese, are still visitor favourites. We also sell frozen treats, cold drinks, popcorn and chips.

This is my 8th season in the Food Booth and I have developed a deep passion for it. I have learned a lot in researching its history and I hope you will drop by and say hello to myself and the rest of the Food Booth staff when visiting Lang Pioneer Village!


Kathy Watson- Part-time seasonal employee at Lang Pioneer Village for 8 years.

Tuesday 14 July 2015

The Swing


This handkerchief was hand-crafted by Rhonda, at Lang Pioneer Village Museum, in July of 2015. It is reminiscent of the Robert Louis Stevenson poem “The Swing”:

The Swing
By Robert Louis Stevenson

How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside—

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown—
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!



Submitted by Audrey Caryi and Rhonda Akey