Jenny and Brian Rijke stand in front of the iconic red barn which houses their storefront with a variety of vegetables that are available to purchase. Thompson Goddard Photo
MORRISBURG – Driving along County Road 2 between Morrisburg and Iroquois, there are many sights for the eyes to behold, with Rijke’s Produce Farm, an oasis of colour amid the fields and houses. It is perhaps the iconic red barn and to its side, the rows upon rows of beautiful flowers that add to the beauty of the landscape.
In 2020, 100 acres of land was purchased by the couple and over the past three years the transformation from a cash crop field into Rijke’s Produce Farm was carried out by owners Brian and Jenny Rijke. Brian mentioned the location was chosen because it had both good soil and proximity to customer traffic. He continued that the development of the property, including necessary infrastructure was done from the ground up.
Twenty acres of their farm has become a location for growing the many varieties of vegetable, fruit and flower plants provided to their customers and clients. Brian explained the season ranges from early July until the end of October, with seasonal products such as beans, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, pumpkins, gourds, squash, ground cherries, watermelons, strawberries, and the list goes on.
In addition to the storefront located in the red barn, customers are able to subscribe to a produce box which contains a selection of fresh produce each week for 16 weeks. “We like to deal directly with customers and seeing them build a more meaningful connection with their food and learning about the seasonality of plants in this area,” said Jenny.
What often catches a person’s eye are the rows of beautiful flowers such as gladiolas, snapdragons and of course sunflowers growing in the field. Jenny mentioned there are no u-pick flowers onsite, but customers can purchase arrangements or bouquets of pre-picked flowers. She continued fresh floral arrangements are available until the first frost of the season, with dried flowers utilized as well.
On one side of the red barn is the corn field and the pumpkin/squash patch. Brian said gourds, several varieties of squash are grown there as well as a large variety of pumpkins. He mentioned there are several different colours of pumpkins available such as yellow, blue, and pink as well as the warty pumpkin and they come in all sizes. A fun fall activity is picking your own pumpkin and this year an added attraction running from mid-September until Halloween is a corn maze for people to explore.
Jenny mentioned that people who are considering running this type of agribusiness need to investigate the time and work commitment to the business. She continued it is important to “really love farming” and the work involved in this lifestyle, as well as having a deep interest and commitment in the care and nurturing of plants.
More information on Rijke’s Produce Farm can be found on their Facebook page and their website located at www.rijkesproducefarm.com.
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Carolyn Thompson Goddard, grew up in Chesterville and attended North Dundas District High School. After completing her BA in Political Science at Carleton University she has worked as a medical secretary and library technician. In 2020 she graduated from Algonquin College with a diploma in Journalism and has been a reporter and column writer for The Chesterville Record for over 10 years.