Nothing gets us more excited than hearing that the Highbush Blueberries are ready from Barrie Hill Farms. First order of business: ensure we ordered in an extra 3L container in time for a staff meeting.
However, at the staff meeting, there was a slight kerfuffle when we briefly thought we'd forgotten to order in that extra 3L. Such a travesty...
Not to worry, we straightened it out very quickly, and Brynn, our receiving manager, rustled up the elusive blues, placing them triumphantly on the conference table.
As you can see, 100km Foods really, really loves the Highbush Blueberries. And we also are very proud to work with Barrie Hill Farms!
Barrie Hill Farms is operated by Morris Gervais who, a very nice fellow and a huge advocate for strengthening local food and agriculture!
Barrie Hill Farms is in Springwater, Ontario and its previous owners were Morris’ parents, Adrien and Evelyn Gervais. They operated it as a tobacco farm from 1968 until 1979.
Eventually, Adrien and Evelyn wanted to move away from the tobacco business. In 1977, they began growing strawberries, followed by blueberries, raspberries and asparagus. These crops continue to make up their wholesale offerings today.
Nowadays, they have 40 acres of blueberry fields, making it one of the largest highbush blueberry farms in Ontario!
Barrie Hill Farms is Land Food People (or Local Food Plus) certified. Although the program has since been retired, “LFP” indicates these products are still certified.
Farms which met the certifications for LFP demonstrated that they engage in environmentally sustainable growing practices. It also means they work hard to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, engage in wildlife habitat preservation and aim to contribute towards a robust local food economy.
Barrie Hill Farms does not use any genetically modified crops and adheres to an integrated pest management control system, much like Boston Springs Farms and St. Davids.
This means they plant cover crops and use crop rotation, only spraying their crops with low-risk pesticides when absolutely necessary. They also prioritizes water conservation through drip irrigation systems.
Lastly, Barrie Hill Farms maintains an Environmental Farm Plan and maintains stringent operating procedures to guarantee food safety standards with GAP Canada.
Barrie Hill is also big on family fun and community activities! As Morris says, they offer, “country hospitality and fresh food.”
A well established pick your own facility (beginning in 1977), Barrie Hill Farms is a great way to connect young kids to farm life. In fact, some families who visit their farm remember picking highbush blueberries when they were kids themselves.
Barrie Hill also hosts community festivals, including a strawberry harvest festival and an annual blueberry pancake festival. Proceeds for these events go to charitable, non profit foundations and initiatives!
These highbush blueberries are truly unbeatable! Store them in a shallow, well ventilated container. These beauties have a shelf life of up to one week and should be washed before serving.
Also, enjoy this video featuring Morris and Barrie Hill Farms, shot and produced by 100km Foods last year as part of a “Meet Our Producers” video series! In it, Morris talks a bit more about the challenges facing farmers in local food:
Many thanks to Morris & the team at Barrie Hill for the information!
Checkout their producer profile and available products!
