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Our 2024 Crop Is Available—and the Tea Is Here in Limited Quantities!

Our 2024 harvest of certified organic Nova Scotian saffron is available. Saffron has been used throughout the Middle East for centuries to add depth, colour, and flavour to dishes and is used widely in cooking around the world. Saffron can be added to any phase of cooking, but it works best when allowed to “bloom.” Just let it steep a bit in cold water before using.

Our own black, green, herbal, and smoked teas, all grown here on this farm from seed, are available for local sales only as quantities are limited. Use the Contact Us feature (above) to check on what teas are available.

Want to save on shipping? You can buy our saffron and tea in Nova Scotia at The Kiwi Pantry (Chester), Jo-Anne’s (Mahone Bay), Charlotte Lane Cafe (Shelburne), The Red Onion Market (Annapolis Royal), Barrington Museum Complex (Barrington), DTC Natural (Barrington Passage), Yarmouth Natural Foods (Yarmouth), and Beech Street Kitchen (Lockeport).

Cooking for crowds? Chefs from Vancouver Island to the Yukon Territory to Newfoundland and Labrador are using our saffron. Inquire about our wholesale pricing.

Let us show you around a bit….

Besides growing saffron and tea, we are the largest commercial vegetable producer in Shelburne County. You can find our produce at No Frills (Barrington Passage), Spencer’s Garden Center (Shelburne), and Lydgate Lock, Stock & Barrel (Lydgate/Lockeport). On Sundays from 12 PM to 3 PM, you’ll find us at Shelburne Guild Hall Market (Shelburne) with tables loaded with tea, saffron, and whatever vegetables and herbs are ready. If you’re in the area, though, and see the “open” sign, stop in, say hello, and buy right off the farm.

As if that weren’t enough, we supply organic vegetable and herb seedlings to Spencer’s Garden Center (Shelburne), Ouestville Perennials (W. Pubnico), No-Frills (Barrington Passage), and Wilson’s Home Hardware (Barrington Passage) in the spring to support our community’s desire to garden. No rest for the weary.

 
 

Local farm growing saffron, herbs, vegetables and tea organically in Nova Scotia since 2021

 
 
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An organic farm that wants to leave the earth healthier than when they found it. Clean and simple organic farming, that’s us!

Farming is a dirty job, but at Coastal Grove Farm we like things clean and simple. Like our energy. And our air. There are no complicated chemical fertilizers in our soil or pesticides on our plants that you’d have to scrub away.

In a sort of environmental Tai Chi (not to be confused with Chai Tea), we do our best to work with the earth instead of forcing it to suit our needs. Mother Nature really knows what’s best, and all we need to do is give her the right building blocks and not get in her way. When our farm is done, we want to leave that bit of earth healthier than it was before. This principle influences every one of our actions and governs our industry-leading sustainable farming practices.

Coastal Grove Farm is carbon negative and Obviously Organic.

 

Internationally Local

 
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Matthew Roy + Cynthia Bazinet = The Farmers

We’ve often said that we’re “Americans by accident.” Canada’s organic certifications are some of the most stringent worldwide, and we knew we wanted to hold ourselves to the highest standard. To show the world that we mean business organically, we uprooted and found our heartland in rural Nova Scotia. We’re finally home.

Unbelievably Locally Grown

What was impossible 10 years ago is made possible today because of our changing environment. Now we can provide locally grown organic herbs and spices, like saffron, in southwestern Nova Scotia, and we’re planning on tea in the future. Organic teas that you have always had to import from around the world are growing right now here in Canada, but our first tea harvest will not be ready until 2025. Good things come to those who wait.

 

Our Carbon Footprint: Striving for Net-Negative

Most people know what it means to have a carbon footprint. Everyone has one. So does every business, and most businesses have much larger carbon footprints than any one individual. 

So what does it mean when we say that Coastal Grove Farm strives for a net negative carbon footprint? It means that if you add up all our energy expenditure —  from heating our farmhouse and greenhouses, having the lights on, driving our vehicles and backhoes and tillers, and every other activity that creates carbon dioxide emissions — we are aiming for less than zero greenhouse gas emissions.

This is just one of the many priorities that Coastal Grove Farm maintains to keep our little piece of earth happy and healthy.

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Fuel Tracking
Fuel Tracking

We track every drop of fuel used on our farm. That way, we stay on top of our carbon emissions and aim to absorb more than we contribute.

Green Energy
Green Energy

Our greenhouse is cooled and heated using geothermal energy - the most sustainable energy source around and contributes zero emissions.

Recycle and Compost
Recycle and Compost

Nothing is wasted at Coastal Grove, and everything is returned to the earth. Even our packaging is fully recyclable or compostable.

Natural Conditions
Natural Conditions

We work with, not against, our landscape features and terrain, so our crops can grow in natural conditions. We only use organically derived fertilizers and pest control

Local Beekeepers
Local Beekeepers

We’re partnering with local beekeepers to keep hives on the property. This will help pollinate everything in the area, not just our crops!

 

Because Science!

Our relationship with Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture is taking shape! A study is being conducted in our fields on saffron growth over the course of four years.

As the study develops, we all learn a little bit more about optimal growing here in southwestern Nova Scotia. Let’s watch it grow together.

 
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Sustainability

Building Our Farm

 
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Stewardship

The land we all live on is borrowed. When we are no longer here, what will our legacy be? Our governing principle is to leave this bit of earth we call Coastal Grove Farm a verdant oasis that can support life for generations to come.

Microscopic Detail

Organic farming is so much more than avoiding pesticides. It’s analyzing the microbe communities in the soil, testing the pH, and making sure the different building blocks each crop needs are readily available. We love our microscopes and use them every chance we get!

Tomorrow’s Textbooks

We take pride in doing our very best to represent and advance the field of sustainable agriculture. The methods we currently practice make some top-notch organic products, but we know there’s much more to learn. Whether these theories are employed by others already or waiting to be discovered, we’d love for you to school your teachers.

 
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Our Crops

 
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Saffron
Saffron

Crocus sativus, or autumn crocus, is a species of flowering plant in the iris family Iridaceae. It is best known for producing the spice saffron, which is derived from its stigma inside the blossom.

Tea Leaves
Tea Leaves

A species of evergreen shrubs or small trees in the flowering plant family Theaceae whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce tea. Commonly known as “tea plant," "tea shrub," and "tea tree."

Parsley
Parsley

Parsley is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region but has naturalized elsewhere in Europe. It is widely cultivated as an herb and as a vegetable.

Sage
Sage

A perennial evergreen subshrub with woody stems, grayish leaves, and blue-to-purplish flowers. Sage is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae and is native to the Mediterranean region but naturalized throughout the world.

Rosemary
Rosemary

Rosemary is a woody perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers. It is native to the Mediterranean region.

Thyme
Thyme

Thymus vulgaris is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae and is native to southern Europe, the western Mediterranean, and southern Italy.

Basil
Basil

Basil, also called sweet basil, is a culinary herb of the family Lamiaceae. Basil is native to tropical regions from central Africa to Southeast Asia. It is a tender plant used in cuisines worldwide.

Dill
Dill

Dill is an annual herb in the celery family Apiaceae. It is the only species in the genus Anethum. Dill is grown widely in Eurasia where its leaves and seeds are used as a herb or spice for flavouring food.

“I buy herbs all the time at the store. I was on the lookout for an organic herb farm near me when I found Coastal Grove. If you’re looking for a place to buy herbs that are organic - these are your folks. SO glad to have found them through CSA. Nova Scotia has gained tremendous value in having a local nursery that takes organic farming so seriously.”

“Having a herb nursery near me has been an exciting development. I wasn’t sure where to buy herbs - or where to even start, really. The team at Coastal Grove was friendly and keen to share their work. I left with a tin of organic saffron, which was incredible. They have a lot of herbs for sale and I’m on a quest to try every last one.”

 

Our first harvest of tea is expected in 2025.

Patience, grasshopper.

 
 

Shipping Across Canada

As much as we’d love to have all of our supporters close by in stunning rural Nova Scotia to share our scenic bounty, it’s totally not possible. So in order for everyone to enjoy the most flavourful dried herbs and the most fragrant high-grade saffron, we have set up an online shop for your convenience.

Shop local, buy organic, and support sustainable initiatives all in one place wherever you have an internet connection. (We’re not telling you to shop from your porch swing, but if you have one…why not?)

 
 
A map of our farm — Saffron, Herbs, Tea
 

We’re People People

Do you have a question about our products? Have some nifty farming tips to share? Or do you just want some advice on what the heck to do with that 40-ton boulder in your tilling path? In any case, we’re delighted to chat with you. Fill out the form or pick up the phone and give us a ring. We love a good discussion.