BARRY’S BAY – If you head up Old Barry’s Bay Road and know which turn to take, you’ll soon find yourself driving up a gravel road on a hillside, on top of which rests the Kosnaskie Heritage Farm.
The farm has been around and in the family since 1901. Currently at the venerable age of 114, there is nonetheless a fresh beauty and energy to the farm, owned and maintained by Michael Kosnaskie and his wife, Josephine Bolechala. It’s not a commercial farm, and Kosnaskie doesn’t make a habit of bringing the fruits of his labours to any farmers’ markets, either. Nonetheless, the farm is home to what can only be described as an orchard, the apple trees stretching across the acreage in neat rows. A few other crops are grown, but in lesser quantities, and Kosnaskie always keeps an eye out for wild strawberries, encouraging their growth and sometimes transplanting them. There are even patches of cherry trees, and more than a few blueberry bushes.
Though the farm has a 114 year history, the story starts nearly 130 years ago.
Get your May 27, 2015 edition of The Valley Gazette to read the full story.