Made In Barnstable: E&T Farms

Raising bees and harvesting honey started out as a hobby for husband and wife team Ed and Betty Osmun more than 18 years ago.

Since then, the Osmuns have come to manage hives all over Cape Cod - their bees pollinate local cranberry bogs and florals. As a passion evolved into a business venture, their bee product line did too. In addition to honey, they now create candles, lotions and lip balms.

The pair, married for 38 years, decided to open a working farm. After two and a half years of planning and permitting, E&T Farms was finally realized in 2002. The business has grown to include aquaculture and growing hydroponic vegetables (grown in water).

The aquaculture division of E&T raises fish, such as Koi and Tilapia. The Koi are sold to local retail outlets for ornamental water gardens and pond stocking, and the Tilapia for food fish markets. According to Ed Osmun, “the fish also play a key role in promoting faster growth of the crops, and more lush greens.”

E&T’s specialized aquaponics garden integrates a fish farm with a hydroponic garden in where greens are grown. The plants feed on the water from the fish tanks. The fish produce manure that acts as a fertilizer for the plants. Nitrifying bacteria convert the manure (mostly ammonia) into nitrate, which is non-toxic to the fish and great for plant food. The water recirculates into the fish tanks creating a perfect closed loop system.

This system, located in the greenhouse, also enables E&T to produce a salad mix, micro greens and edible flowers year round. They use a mixture of coconut husks and perlite for growing.

“Pesticides aren’t used because the system is tied to the fish, so we use beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and parasitic wasps” to rid the plants of pests, Osmun stated.

The insects have been a great help to E&T. They have helped the growers be able to meet growing demands.

Osmun attributes selling more locally to the “publicity that buying locally grown foods is getting, bacteria outbreaks that have happened at larger farms and because it is fresher because it hasn’t sat on a truck.”

Because of the increased demand for locally grown goods, E&T has started growing asparagus and potatoes. They are also putting more effort into their blueberry crop this year. In the past, the crop has seemed to only serve as bird food. But Osmun is hoping the netting they just installed over the bushes will help produce more berries. 

E&T Farms’ salad mix can be found at the West Barnstable Village Store and Cape Cod Natural Foods in Centerville. Their honey is featured on the menu at the Island Merchant in Hyannis. All E&T products can be purchased at the Mid-Cape Farmers Market every Wednesday in Hyannis.