For many reasons, MaryDan Farm has chosen organic farming.

First of all, organic products are better for your health, they have a higher nutritional value and do not contain GMOs.

They are tastier due to a higher concentration of minerals and vitamins.

Of course, the environmental aspect appeals to us, because organic agriculture is a less energy consuming culture, it produces arable land and protects biodiversity.

This type of agriculture does not contaminate waterways or groundwater because no chemicals are used.

At MaryDan Farm, we are very proud of our commitment to sustainable and eco-responsible agriculture, for the good of the planet and future generations!

At Marydan Farm, we have chosen to produce Music organic garlic because this cultivar from the Porcelaine group adapts well to the harsh Quebec climate, and its shelf life is excellent, even up to 1 year in good conditions.

Music garlic produces large, juicy cloves with a strong taste that are easy to peel.

Its allicin level is very high for those who want to enjoy the many health benefits of garlic.

At MaryDan Farm, in respect of nature and the environment, we do not use any pesticides.

That is why, before planting the seeds, we treat them with hot water to eliminate the nematodes. This step is essential to ensure that we have a healthy seed. We only use our own organic seeds so as not to import any disease. We also rotate our crops every 4 to 5 years to avoid soil contamination, which favors a good harvest and healthy fields that are conducive to sustainable and eco-responsible agriculture.

At harvest time, we do a post-harvest treatment at high temperature using our powerful drying system. This intervention allows to eliminate a maximum of pathogens, which favors the conservation and the quality of MaryDan Farm products.

Garlic, a protective ingredient against certain chronic diseases

Several prospective and epidemiological studies have shown that a high consumption of vegetables and fruit reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and other chronic diseases. More specifically, studies have shown that the consumption of vegetables from the alliaceae family (garlic, onion, shallot, chives, spring onion, leek) would have a protective effect against stomach and intestinal cancers.

Garlic and cancer

Garlic could slow down the development of certain cancers, both by its protective action against damage caused by carcinogens and by its ability to prevent cancerous cells from growing. Sulfur compounds in garlic could play an important role. Thus, garlic, at a rate of two cloves per day (i.e. approximately 6 g of garlic), is part of a list of foods containing molecules with anticarcinogenic potential to be favored in an optimal diet aimed at preventing cancer.

The results of a meta-analysis of 18 epidemiological studies published between 1966 and 1999 show a 30% decrease in the risk of colorectal cancer and about 50% decrease in the risk of stomach cancer with high garlic consumption. Across all studies, such consumption was approximately equivalent to 18 g of raw and cooked garlic per week (or about six cloves). Since the amounts ingested varied greatly from one study to another, it is difficult to determine more precisely the minimum amount of garlic to consume in order to benefit from its effects on colorectal and stomach cancers. In addition, it is important to remember that no single food can be effective in protecting against cancer. A varied and constant consumption of several foods with preventive potential as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle are essential.

Other studies have observed an inverse relationship between garlic consumption and the incidence of laryngeal, prostate and breast cancers. However, no general conclusion can be drawn at this time, given the small number of studies on the subject. To date, there is insufficient data to link this to other cancers such as esophageal and lung cancers.

A real ally for cardiovascular health

The American Heart Association (AHA) publishes dietary recommendations to help prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as eating a high intake of fruits and vegetables, and choosing whole-grain grain products and low-fat dairy products. Based on numerous research findings, the AHA proposes a list of specific foods with some cardioprotective effect. Garlic is one of these foods (along with nuts, soy, legumes and tea) and its consumption is therefore added to the AHA’s basic recommendations for cardiovascular disease prevention.

The majority of studies evaluating the effect of garlic on cardiovascular disease risk factors (such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose) have been conducted with garlic supplements or extracts in order to isolate the active ingredients. Overall, this research shows a tendency to slightly lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Few studies have evaluated the real impact of fresh garlic consumption (raw or cooked) on these risk factors and they date back a few years. In two of these studies, daily consumption of 3 g and 10 g of fresh garlic for 16 and 8 weeks, respectively, contributed to a decrease in total cholesterol. Further studies are needed to assess the effect of the

consumption of fresh garlic on the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. According to the results of studies using garlic extracts, a daily consumption equivalent to 2 g to 5 g of raw garlic or 10 g to 15 g of cooked garlic would be necessary in order to benefit from certain risk factors of cardiovascular diseases such as total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) or high triglycerides in the blood.

Anti-microbial and anti-infectious properties?

Garlic is traditionally used for its antimicrobial properties and for the treatment of certain infections. The majority of studies on the subject have been carried out using garlic extracts, at doses that are often difficult to achieve with the usual consumption of fresh garlic. In a population-based study in one region of China, high garlic consumption (more than 5 kg per year per person, equivalent to about four to five garlic cloves per day) was weakly associated with a decrease in Helicobacter pylori infections. This observation was challenged by a clinical study in which people consumed ten cloves of fresh garlic per day, with no significant effect against H. pylori infection. Some studies suggest that garlic may help prevent the common cold. In fact, in one study, two groups were compared: one consumed a garlic supplement and the other a placebo for 12 weeks during the cold season (November to February). The results show that those in the garlic supplement group had fewer cold episodes than those who took a placebo. In addition, when they had a cold, individuals who were in the garlic supplement group experienced a faster reduction in symptoms than those who took a placebo. For the moment, there is still insufficient data to affirm that the consumption of fresh garlic would have an anti-infectious effect on the body.

An interesting content of antioxidants

Antioxidants are compounds that protect the body’s cells from free radical damage. The latter are highly reactive molecules that would be involved in the development of cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and other diseases related to aging. Garlic contains various antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids and tocopherols, in addition to sulphur compounds that would also contribute to its antioxidant activity. Consumption of fresh garlic (raw or cooked) increased plasma antioxidant activity in rats, but daily consumption of 3 g to 6 g of raw garlic for seven to eight days in humans did not confirm this observation. However, it is known that garlic has a higher antioxidant capacity than a wide selection of vegetables at equivalent weight. On the other hand, when the frequency and size of the portion usually consumed are taken into account

However, the impact of garlic consumption on total antioxidant capacity remains limited compared to other vegetables consumed in larger quantities.

A word from the nutritionist

The enzyme found in garlic that allows the formation of allicin and other sulfur compounds is deactivated by heat. Depending on how and for how long the garlic is cooked, different sulfur compounds will be formed and the amount of antioxidants may decrease. The properties of raw garlic are thus superior to those of cooked garlic. A tip: add the garlic 20 minutes or less before the end of cooking to preserve the quality of its active compounds as much as possible.

Garlic has been used for hundreds of years to treat various health problems. A large number of studies have been carried out to learn more about the active ingredients of garlic and their physiological effects. In some studies, garlic is used in different forms: fresh, dehydrated, as well as in the form of extract, oil or tincture. It should be noted that fresh garlic (raw or cooked) as used in various food preparations provide health benefits.

Garlic has antimicrobial, antiseptic, antibacterial, antibiotic, antifungal and antiviral properties. This makes it a food that is capable of driving out and eliminating a large number of pathogenic bacteria when they manage to get into our bodies.

The WHO recognizes its benefits in cases of respiratory infections (e.g.: bronchitis), arthritis, excess blood cholesterol, digestive disorders and intestinal worms.

Garlic is rich in taste and low in calories. It will enhance the flavors of all your dishes!

At Marydan Farm, we are proud to offer you organic garlic from our sustainable agriculture!

At MaryDan Farm, in the winter of 2021, we built a refrigerated warehouse with four independent cells. We can control the temperature and humidity of each of them. These same cells will be used for garlic drying and post-harvest heat treatment. This warehouse has a capacity of 105 paloxes, or about 50 tons of fresh vegetables.

This building will be used to preserve the freshness of the organic vegetables grown at MaryDan Farm and will allow us to supply our Quebec customers over a longer period of time.

There are two types of squash: creeping squash and bushy squash. Squash have large yellowish flowers that attract bees. Each plant has both male and female flowers. Depending on the season in which they are harvested, squash are called summer or winter squash.

Summer squash( especiallyCucurbita pepo ) are picked before they reach maturity, when they are still small and tender. The most common varieties are green and yellow squash. Winter squash (especially C. maxima, but also C. pepo, C. moshita or C. mixta) are picked when they are fully mature (3 or 4 months after planting) and when the bark is hard. The most common varieties are acorn and butternut squash. Winter squash are higher in carbohydrates and more nutritious. Squash grows rapidly, producing abundant foliage and a well-developed but rather shallow root system. Summer squash is usually sown directly into the ground, like winter squash, if the growing season is long enough. Winter squash can be stored at a temperature of about 10°C, in a dry and well ventilated environment. Squash species cross-pollinate easily. Many cultivars vary greatly in shape, color, size and texture.

Squash has a low commercial value in Canada, although it has gained popularity over the past 30 years. There are now more than 6,500 ha of squash grown each year, worth more than $40 million. More than 90 p. per cent of squash sales are from fresh squash; the rest are from processed products. Squash is also increasingly popular as a tourist attraction in the agricultural tourism industry. Quebec and Ontario are the two most important squash producers in Canada.

-source The Canadian Encyclopedia

Closer to home, in 2018, MaryDan Farm incorporated squash into their organic crop. After much testing, trial and error, we can say that we have now mastered this crop and will produce more in the future.

In 2021, we have introduced new varieties, 10 varieties out of 10,000 plants that we put in the greenhouse on May 1 and replanted in the field at the beginning of June.

Honey was one of the first riches for the men, immediately assimilable food. Its nutritional value is indisputable, and it remains one of the last natural foods.

The culinary and medicinal uses are also cited in a multitude of works from antiquity to the present day. Unfortunately, amateur or professional cooks use too little of this remarkable food. It is important that its culinary use continues to be transmitted, because honey is nowadays perfectly integrated with the nutritional requirements of health.

Honey, the first food

Honey is a “first” food, like mother’s milk. The ancients believed that this food, directly assimilable, came from the sky. Anthropologists have taught us that in the early days of mankind, people fed on honey as well as on gathered or harvested plants, hunted animals and other products from the aquatic environment. The honey that was found in the hollow trunks of old trees was certainly one of the first natural riches for man. The hunter-gatherers were also foragers who, in order to feed themselves, had to be able to extract the fruits contained in hard shells, but also the insects or bulbs buried in the ground, or the honey in the hives nestled in the tops of trees.