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magazine / mj07
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May/June 2007 issue |
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Maritime horse-pitality
Jim and Judy Bertling left their high-stress life to rule the roost on
an eco-friendly homestead in P.E.I., where visitors are put to work
Story and photography by Margo Pfeiff
Two goats, three sheep and a llama
cross the red dirt path between a
"Welcome" sign spelled out in
horseshoes and Judy and Jim
Bertling's farmhouse. Judy, clad in red overalls,
approaches my car as I pull up to the
guest cottage that will be my home for the
next few days. "Jasmine needs milking,"
she says with a gentle British accent. "Want
to join us?" Less than two hours after stepping
off a jet in Charlottetown, I am in a
barn with a Jersey cow's teat in each hand
rhythmically splashing milk into a bucket.
This is my introduction to eco-farming.
Judy, 45, and her husband Jim, 52, live
in Glenwood, on the tranquil western lobe
of Prince Edward Island, amid a menagerie
of critters that have the run of the place.
That includes a West African pygmy goat
named Thumbelina and a quirky guard
donkey named Moses, a sentinel against
coyotes and other predators. Under the
trees, chickens and turkeys roam with two
muddy pigs, and in the barn, I find horses,
cows and more llamas. Organic
vegetables thrive beneath the
watchful eye of a scarecrow that
stares out over Northumberland
Strait. And a wood stove heats
the small home and fills its cozy,
cluttered interior with the
aroma of baking bread.
For the rest of this story, visit your local newsstand or go to our store to buy this issue.
Related stories:
• Explorer Online: Power to the people
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