By Kara Tremblay
Fall 2025
At Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, the land is more than just a place—it’s our teacher, our medicine, and our future. Everything we do at Leading Cloud Gardens grows from that understanding. This community-led initiative, named in memory of my late kokum and traditional knowledge keeper Elizabeth Babin, is helping to restore our relationship with the land, rebuild our food systems, and reawaken traditional teachings that were always meant to guide us.
In June 2024, something powerful happened—we entered into a four-year partnership with the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario (EFAO) and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) through the Living Lab – Ontario initiative. Supported by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, this project brings together farmers, Indigenous communities, and researchers to test ecological farming practices that are practical, sustainable, and grounded in place-based knowledge. For us, it means working with the land in a way that respects our traditions, heals the soil, and nourishes future generations.
Since joining the Living Lab – Ontario network, we’ve rolled up our sleeves and gotten to work. We’ve built new greenhouse garden beds and prepared outdoor growing areas for seasonal planting. Our composting strategy is well underway, designed to rebuild soil health naturally while reducing waste. Just as importantly, we’ve brought youth into the heart of the garden—teaching hands-on skills in planting, harvesting, seed saving, and food preservation, while passing on knowledge from our Elders and ancestors.
One of the most meaningful moments for me was welcoming traditional seed varieties into our garden, like Algonquin pumpkin and speckled beans, gifted to us by generous seed keepers committed to cultural preservation. These seeds aren’t just food—they carry stories, identity, ceremony, and resilience. When we planted them, we weren’t just gardening. We were reclaiming something sacred.
Looking ahead, our work continues to grow. This partnership will support long-term soil health research, the expansion of native and heritage plantings, and the development of a food forest filled with fruit trees, medicinal plants, berries, and perennials. Our goal is to make healthy, local food more accessible while creating space for healing, learning, and leadership. We want our children and grandchildren to grow up knowing how to care for the land and be fed by it—not only physically, but spiritually and culturally.
Leading Cloud Gardens is about more than just vegetables. It’s about reclaiming food sovereignty, restoring cultural identity, and creating a sustainable future that our community can be proud of. It’s about celebrating what we’ve always known—that when we take care of the land, the land takes care of us.
I’m filled with gratitude for everyone who’s supported this journey—our partners at EFAO and OSCIA, our leadership, our youth, our Elders, and every hand that’s helped plant, water, harvest, or simply shared encouragement along the way. This work is hard, but it’s good work. And we’re just getting started. If you’d like to learn more or find out how you can be involved, please reach out. There’s always room at the table— and in the garden—for you. Kitchi miigwech to everyone walking beside us as we grow this together.
Kara Tremblay is the Food Coordinator for Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, Leading Cloud Gardens, a community-rooted initiative dedicated to Indigenous food sovereignty through land-based learning, traditional food systems, and local food production. Her work centers on restoring cultural relationships to the land by growing traditional medicines, vegetables, and wild foods while mentoring youth and creating spaces for knowledge sharing and self-determination.