Hey there friends of the farm! This is Alex here, reaching out to you from the barn office. We’ve had another taste of winter the a couple of weeks ago, and are now back to some unseasonably warm weather today. Despite all the up and down, one thing remains certain: the season of fresh fruits and veggies will be here before you know it!
While we wait, we thought it may be time for us to reintroduce ourselves. We don’t really do that often around here: we’re a pretty camera-shy bunch, and prefer to hang out behind the scenes most days. But we also know that we frequently refer to ourselves as a family farm, so we thought it was time for you to (electronically, at least!) meet the family.
Family is also top of mind for me right now as my brother Luke is getting married next week! We can’t wait to celebrate with him and his soon-to-be wife Amy, and officially welcome her to the family.
Pictured in the above photo from left to right are Nathan, myself (Alex), Maria, Rob, and Ella. This photo was taken summer of 2023, during a visit from Farm and Food Care. More on that visit later!
Pictured above is Grant, from summer 2021. He’s out on wagon helping with melon harvest!
Pictured above are Luke and Amy, from November 2022. This photo was taken at our Farm Market & Pick Your Own.
Last but not least? Our four-legged family members! The top photo includes our dogs Flagler, Blueberry, and Luna (from left to right), while the bottom features our barn cat Pumpkin.
Who Does What?
Now that you can put faces to names, I’ll fill you in a bit more on everyone’s roles here on the farm. I also asked everyone what their favourite farm fresh food is, so I’m including that too!
Rob is our head farmer, and the reason we’re all here today! He grew up on my grandparents’ tobacco farm, and branched out to growing melons in the early 80s. He is a visionary, the hardest worker you’ll ever meet, and incredibly passionate about growing food and connecting with people. If you’ve ever called the farm, Rob more than likely answered the phone. He oversees all things production, as well as the wholesale side of things.
Rob says he’s anticipating our newly planted peach crop to be fantastic, and therefore his favourite. Peaches will be ready for harvest in 2026!
Maria is an elementary-school teacher (she teaches outdoor education - how perfect is that!), and helps on the farm with a variety of administrative tasks and at the Saturday Stratford Farmers' Market. If you’re ever in the Stratford area, be sure to stop by and say hello to her!
Maria’s favourite farm fresh crop is muskmelon. A classic! She loves to enjoy it by the slice, or cubed up in a bowl.
Grant and Ella are full-time students, and help on the farm on weekends and all summer long with invoicing, filing, farmers' markets, feeding our Black Angus Beef and chickens, and more. Grant is currently in grade 11 and Ella is in grade 9!
Grant’s farm favourite comes from our Farm Kitchen - the soft pretzels! We sell these here on the farm, and they are available for delivery!
Ella’s farm favourite is a Farm Market delight - raspberry frozen yogurt! We serve this up seasonally and it makes for the perfect snack after an afternoon of berry or veggie picking.
Flagler keeps the family entertained with his playful energy and snuggly-sweet nature.
Flagler’s favourite farm treat is fresh raw asparagus!
Alex (it’s me, hi!) works on the farm full-time as a Registered Dietitian and Manager, and oversees farmers' markets, the On-Farm Market (and it’s connected Farm Kitchen & Farm Food Truck!), market box deliveries, marketing (social media/website/blog), recipe development, and staff hiring and training. She loves creating opportunities for experiencing agriculture, whether here on the farm in a Pick Your Own Patch, or via an email newsletter.
My favourite farm flavour is seedless watermelon. I love cubing it up and eating a big bowl as a snack or an addition to lunch. It’s refreshing & delicious, and never gets old!
Nathan is an English professor, and spends his winters writing, researching, and teaching. During the summer months, he oversees our beekeeping activities (we have over 100 hives!), ensuring the ladies are healthy for pollination and extracting honey for sale on the farm. Nathan also manages our food safety program and helps with market box delivery coordination.
m favourites came down to a tie between honey and sweet potato. Bonus if they are served together! Sweet potato casserole, anyone?
Blueberry is the Pick Your Own mascot, and loves meeting new people when they come visit the farm.
Blueberry loves to chomp on carrots and cucumber, and occasionally even eats her namesake — blueberries!
Luke is an e-commerce expert, working on building his company CREO Cards from the ground up. CREO creates custom illustrated, limited-edition, collectible creator merchandise. They work with a wide variety of incredibly talented Artists to create beautiful, hand-drawn representations of iconic moments. Luke frequently lends an ear and offers up advice for our online sales and marketing. He always has the best insights!
Luke’s farm favourite is blueberries. The perfect snack for eating on the go!
Amy works side by side with Luke at CREO, handling all things finance, accounts, and coordination. She is exceptionally organized, and an expert at Excel! She’s our go to for advice on spreadsheets, and also has experience with event planning. Luke and Amy live with their pup Luna in Windsor.
Amy’s favourite comes from the Farm Food Truck: our fresh cut fries! They are hot, deliciously crispy, and perfectly salted. We’ll reopen for the season in May!
Luna’s favourite farm snack is bell pepper. She loves ‘em!
Above left: a photo from our 2023 Long Table Dinner
Above centre: an event in fall 2022, where the whole family helped out!
Above right: Nathan giving a curious customer a peek inside some hives!