Pure Quackery

While the foie gras debate rages on, Jens-Hugo and Virginia Jacobsen are raising exquisite-tasting ducks using humane methods at their Polderside Farms.

By Chris Gonzalez

ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF YARROW, on a winding stretch of country road along Vedder Mountain, a barn and tiny farmhouse are enshrouded by towering oak and kwanzan cherry trees. Here, Jens-Hugo and Virginia Jacobsen are producing some of the best ducks in the province. Proof can be found on the plates at some of Vancouver’s most celebrated restaurants, including West, Aurora Bistro, Raincity Grill, Parkside on Haro, and Villa del Lupo (full disclosure: I work there).

The Jacobsens have been married for 35 years and farming for 30 of them. They used to make their living on Vancouver Island as greenhouse farmers, supplying fruits and vegetables to B.C. Hot House. They always raised ducks as well, much to the delight of friends and dinner guests, who praised their exquisite flavour. Eventually they decided to relocate to the Fraser Valley and make poultry farming their primary business. “We have perfected a recipe for raising our ducks,” says Jens. “How they are grown is just as important as what you feed them. We’ve been able to cultivate a specific flavour that has people coming back again and again.”

That flavour does not come easily. The “hands on” farming the Jacobsens practice is costly, labour intensive and requires a fierce dedication. It’s hardly lucrative, but it pays dividends in the way that matters to them most—living off the land and farming with integrity. And they’re committed to raising their ducks in a humane and conscientious way. They raise only 3,000 ducks per cycle in a space in which conventional farmers could legally fit over 12,500 birds. To combat the threat of avian flu, the Polderside ducks never leave the confines of the barn, where a single wild bird could infect the entire flock; the birds are thus classified as “free run” (rather than “free range,” where the birds are kept outdoors). The ducks enjoy the benefits of sunlight, fresh air and pristine well water, and have almost twice as much room to roam as is required by “free range” standards. “Ducks are very intelligent,” Jens explains, “and will respond positively to a good environment.” He inspects his flock twice daily, a chore that, combined with the task of hand feeding, has him starting his day at 3 a.m.

The ducks eat a mixture of unprocessed vegetable grain and legumes, augmented with sunflower seeds. Through years of trial and error, the Jacobsens learned that adding sunflower seeds to the feed strengthens the immune system of the duck without antibiotics—and the oils in the seeds make for silky, beautifully textured, ethically produced, foie-gras-caliber livers.
The ducks must be raised over nine weeks, compared to the standard six—the result is a slow-grown, non-biologically enhanced, non-hybridized bird, unsullied by chemicals, pesticides or foreign animal proteins. These ducks offer impressive flavour, flawless texture and a meat-to-fat ratio that is coveted by chefs.

Jeff Van Geest, chef/owner of Aurora Bistro, was the first restaurateur to feature the Polderside Farms ducks: “The first thing we noticed is that the ducks had a clean, natural flavour, and a quality that was so much better than anything else we’d used.”

Virginia makes her weekly pilgrimage to the city each Thursday in her battered Dodge Caravan (the Jacobsens have no employees) to deliver ducks to their devoted clientele. “The way that Jens and Virginia farm is a reminder of why we got involved in this business in the first place,” explains David Hawksworth, executive chef at West. “Their growing methods are congruent with our cooking philosophy. We both want to provide the best possible product for our customers. We may not do things the conventional way, but we share the conviction that ours is the very best way.”

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