The Lincoln Local
The Lincoln Local is the official podcast of the Town of Lincoln, Ontario, sharing the stories, decisions, and people shaping our growing community in Niagara Region.
Released twice a month, each episode breaks down local government decisions, explores what’s happening at Town Hall, and highlights Lincoln’s businesses . We talk growth, culture, economic development, and the everyday issues that matter to residents—clearly, accessibly, and without the jargon.
Whether you live in Lincoln, work in Niagara, or are curious about how local communities grow and evolve, The Lincoln Local offers an inside look at the conversations shaping our town.
It’s the talk of the town.
Hosted by Sara Wilde and Stephanie Hicks.
Made possible with support from Niagara Region Economic Development, with set design by Second Chance Decor, The Watering Can, and Verhoof Electric.
The Lincoln Local
From Field to Froyo: Lincoln's Sweetest Local Story
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Fresh strawberries are only the beginning.
In this episode of The Lincoln Local, hosts Sara Wilde and Stephanie Hicks sit down with Jeff Tigchelaar of Tigchelaar Berry Farms and Julia Boekestyn of The Red Barn Farm Market & Bakery to explore the journey from field to farm market—and eventually to pies, pastries and frozen yogurt.
Jeff shares how generations of farming experience, innovative growing methods and Lincoln's unique microclimate produce some of Ontario's sweetest strawberries. Julia gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at running one of Lincoln's favourite farm markets, creating seasonal baked goods and turning local harvests into unforgettable experiences.
From strawberry fields and beneficial insects to fresh pies, froyo and community connections, this conversation celebrates the people, passion and partnerships that make Lincoln's agricultural community thrive.
Whether you're planning a summer road trip, looking for fresh local produce or simply love hearing the stories behind the food on your table, this episode is packed with local flavour.
Learn More
🍓 Tigchelaar Berry Farms
https://tigchelaarberries.com
🥧 Red Barn Farm Market & Bakery
https://www.theredbarnfarmmarket.com/
📸 Follow them on Instagram
- @tigchelaarberryfarm
- @theredbarnfarmmarket
Have a topic you want us to cover?
Know a local business or organization we should feature?
Visit SpeakUp Lincoln at
SpeakUpLincoln.ca/Podcast
Thanks & Credits
With support from:
Welcome And Meet The Guests
Stephanie HicksWelcome to the Lincoln Local, a brand new podcast from the Town of Lincoln. I'm Stephanie Hicks, the Town's Economic Development Officer and co-host. I focus on growth, opportunity, and community, helping people stay connected to what's happening and what's next.
Sara WildeAnd I'm Sara Wilde, the Town's Creative Design and Digital Media Advisor, behind the camera, behind the design, and now behind the mic as your podcast co-host. Today we are talking about one of the sweetest parts of living in Lincoln, fresh, locally grown fruit.
Stephanie HicksMore specifically, we are following that fruit from the field to the farm market. And fortunately for us, all the way to the bakery counter.
Sara WildeI have to say it, but that's a lot of F words. This may be the most dangerous episode we have ever recorded while hungry.
Stephanie HicksOur guests are Jeff Tigchelaar from Tigchelaar Berry Farms and Julia Bukestein from the Red Barn Farm Market and Bakery. The Tigchelaar family farming roots stretch back generations with the current farm story dating to 1940. Today, Tigchelaar Berry Farms grows strawberries and raspberries here in Lincoln, while the Red Barn brings the farm experience directly to customers through local produce, preserves, scratch-made baking, and plenty of seasonal treats.
Sara WildeTogether, Jeff and Julia represent two very connected parts of Lincoln's local food story: growing what we eat and creating a place where people can experience it. Jeff and Julia, welcome to the Lincoln Local.
JuliaHello, hello.
JeffHello. Thanks for having us.
Sara WildeThanks for coming. Before we get too serious, we need an official ruling from the experts. When you are picking strawberries, and I know there's been strawberry picking happening. I took some photos last week near there. How many are you allowed to eat before they make it into the basket?
JuliaDepends who you ask.
JeffSo I would say we have one rule. If you're picking your own strawberries, you can eat as many as you want. You can't throw them at your neighbor.
Sara WildeThat's a good rule, actually. I like that rule.
JuliaNo strawberry jam allowed after that.
Family Farming Roots And Strawberry Rules
Stephanie HicksJeff, let's begin before the berries and before the farm in Lincoln. Farming has been part of the Tigchelaar family for several generations. Where did that family story begin and how did it eventually bring you to Vineland and Jordan?
JeffSo we started farming in Upper Stony Creek, Binbrook specifically. We still own land up in Binbrook that currently is rented out to another cash cropper. But we started with pick your own strawberries, tomatoes, apples, peppers, cucumbers, romano beans. And all through the summer, we had people from Hamilton come and pick their own. And then we had an apple season at the end that finished us off. And that was how I grew up.
Stephanie HicksThat's great. I would have loved to have grown up that way, truthfully. I feel like there's nothing like fresh produce. At one point in time in my life, we had a blip where we lived in Nestleton, and we did have a big garden. And I still remember the difference in like that freshly grown produce.
JeffSo I cut my teeth growing lots of different types of crops. And I grew up with my five kids growing those crops up until about 15 years ago.
What Harvest Season Really Looks Like
Sara WildeMost customers see a beautiful basket of strawberries at the market or grocery store, but they do not necessarily see everything that happens before those berries reach them. Can you take us behind the scenes of a typical growing and harvest day?
JeffA typical growing and harvest day. I would say that once we're in season, our harvesters are out at 6 a.m. So I don't know what time you get up at. They're up at 5 a.m. And they're out harvesting, and their day, depending on how long we're harvesting, is between 10 and 11 hours long.
Stephanie HicksOh my gosh. I was not expecting you to say that.
JeffWe continue to harvest. I mean, once the strawberries start, they do not stop for anyone. It's kind of like milking a cow, but it's in the fields. And they just keep coming. So that day starts at 6 a.m. And the goal for us is when we're harvesting, at the end of the day, our cooler is empty, and those berries are somewhere on a shelf to be sold and enjoyed by someone else.
Sara WildeSo that surprised you the most, I think, is how long it takes to harvest. Yeah.
Stephanie HicksYeah. No, for sure. I thought 6 a.m. I was like, okay, 6 a.m. to maybe like noon. That was my I was like...
JuliaThe amount of strawberries they grow, though, is just you wouldn't believe how many fields there are. They're just taking over Jordan and Vineland slowly but surely.
JeffSo there's there's a lot of there's a lot of harvest that goes on. Each individual harvester could pick, you know, 200 to 400 quarts a day.
Sara WildeWow.
JeffSo if you think of yourself going out to pick those six quarts of strawberries and you're so proud of yourself, just think of the harvesters.
Stephanie HicksI'm going to. Oh my gosh, I am. So okay, this brings me to my next question. Have you ever done like the math on the estimate of how many strawberries a season you grow?
JeffWell individual strawberries?
Stephanie HicksYeah.
JeffNo.
Stephanie HicksOkay, let's go quart. No, I math, you know, we are farmers. Math is maybe...
Sara WildeMath is not my strong suit. I understand where you're going with this.
JeffEvery year is different, but we continue to try to meet the demand of the strawberries and continue to grow as we can and do our best and keep feeding the public good local strawberries.
Sara WildeI love strawberries so much I have them tattooed on my arm. That's how much I love strawberries.
Stephanie HicksThat's dedication.
JeffThat is I almost thought you were going to show me your arm, but...
Sara WildeI was. I got a little weird sleeve happening here.
Short Season Berries Versus All Season
Stephanie HicksMany of us still associate local strawberries with a very short window in June. Your farm grows traditional June-bearing strawberries for pick your own, as well as longer season varieties that can produce from late spring into the fall. How do those different crops work and how has that changed the business?
JeffSo, like you said, we started when I was a kid, we had a three-week strawberry season. It would start June the 10th, it would be done Canada Day essentially. So short.
Sara WildeYeah.
Stephanie HicksSo short.
JeffThat was just traditional strawberry varieties that were short day varieties. And why they call them short day is because in order for that strawberry plant to set its crop, it needs short, cool days in the fall. So think of a September day. As they get cooler, that strawberry plant is setting its crop for the following June. So we planted that crop in April. In September, it starts to set its crop. The following June, we get these big, beautiful, we call them Tigchelaar strawberries. The best. So that's the traditional June strawberry. In the I'm gonna say the 80s and early 90s, they developed something called a day neutral strawberry. So it's neutral to the daylight hours. So dependent on how long the day is, it doesn't matter. That little strawberry plant continues to flower. So that's why they call them day neutral strawberries. And they're ever bearing, some people would call them ever bearing, and they just continue to push out flowers. So you lose a flower, you pick it, and another one comes right behind it. And it's not dependent on daylight. So it was a game changer for us to now be able to grow strawberries from mid-May until past Thanksgiving. So that has created just this open market where now we can say to the local grocery stores, we have berries available in this window. So that was pretty appealing to us when we found them, let's say, or when we started growing them.
Sara WildeIs there a taste difference between the two?
JeffYeah, so most of the varieties that are developed are California varieties. So they're gonna be developed not only for flavour, but also for firmness and shippability. I would say, Julia, if you could choose between a day neutral strawberry or a June traditional-looking strawberry,
Sara WildeShe's got this face, like she knows...
JuliaBecause I know anyone over the age of 80 is like June strawberries are the best strawberries in the world. And I'm like, but have you had a fall Tigchelaar berry strawberry that is an everbearing, the Albion in the fall are my favourite strawberries.
JeffSo what happens in the fall, and this is kind of neat, is if you think of uh, let's think of an apple. So an apple in the fall, the colder the evenings, the more colour you get on an apple. And the cold evenings push the sugars into the apple and also help with the colour. So when we get cold evenings in the strawberries, a September strawberry is like eating candies. There's nothing like it. There is nothing, and they're crunchy, they just have the best flavor in the entire world. And I might be biased.
Stephanie HicksSo I am a smart person. I'm gonna preface this whole conversation by saying I am smart. I did not realize, no, because I did not realize this is why I love doing this podcast, and this is going to make the cut. I'm sure there's people listening going, oh... I know you're like, aside from like mother nature, right? Sun, water. Like to me, I'm like, that's how we grow things. I had no idea that the cool temperature pushes sugars and apples, like that kind of stuff. Like, I didn't know that the look on my face or my mind actually being blown in, like...
Sara WildeI took horticulture class here and I don't know this .
Stephanie HicksI don't know. Like no air pushes. Never would I have thought that that played a process in this, aside from me going, oh, if it's cloudy or sunny or the rain.
Sara WildeThat makes sense though. I was born in the fall, so no wonder I'm so sweet!
Stephanie HicksYes, yes.
Sara WildeI had to guys. That's actually really cool. There are many places where someone could operate a farm, but Lincoln has a very particular landscape, climate, and agriculture community.
Why Lincoln’s Land Grows Tender Fruit
Sara WildeWhat makes this the right place for Tigchelaar Berry farms?
JeffI don't know. Let's back up a little bit. So here we are in Binbrook. We're looking down at beautiful Niagara, and we're thinking we have this new type of strawberry that we can grow, but we need a microclimate, a moderate climate. So in Niagara, specifically in this area, you get between 180 and 200 frost-free days a year. So where I was up in Binbrook, 140 to 160.
Sara WildeOh wow.
JeffAnd then on top of that, you've got this deep, beautiful sand. It's just so fertile. So between those two, the microclimate and the fertility of the ground and being able to shape beds, shape the soil so we can raise a bed and just do what we wanted to do based on what we saw basically in other parts of North America and the way they grew strawberries. The microclimate that we get because of the Great Lakes gives us frost-free days. That's why we have all the tender fruit that's down here. None of that can grow above on the escarpment. It's just too cold. So we also take advantage of that.
Sara WildeI'm learning all the things today.
Stephanie HicksI know. And especially like your family really had to, you still have that property in Binbrook, like you said. But you had to have like the forward thinking to go, okay, let's, you know, we want to focus specifically on berries, so where can we do that? But still then renting out your farm in Binbrook. Did you call it for cash crop? Is that what the term is?
JeffYea, just for soybeans or corn or...
Stephanie HicksBut that's really cool. And then transitioning to Lincoln, like I'm sure that was a lot of work though, too.
JeffOver the years, yeah. We grew our first day neutral strawberry, I think, in 1997 or 1998 down here, and uh kind of grew as we went on, and but it's been it's been fun.
Stephanie HicksThat's incredible. Farming rarely goes exactly according to plan. Weather changes, equipments break, crops surprise you, and every season seems like it comes with its own story.
Thrips, Beneficial Insects And Hard Lessons
Stephanie HicksIs there one memorable, funny, or challenging moment that captures what life at Tigchelaar Farms is really like?
JeffOh man, that's a good question. There's lots of memories. We are like, we feel like every day we're at an amusement park.
JuliaOh boy.
JeffYou weren't expecting that, but the amusement park has this roller coaster and we call it the strawberry roller coaster. And it just every day gives you something you either don't expect, and it can be good and it can be bad. I would say the biggest challenge that we ever had was with insects. Just so there's a little uh insect called the western flower thrip. And maybe 15 years ago, this little insect became our biggest challenge. And this insect gets into the flower, and a lot of the flowers that within the greenhouse also battle this insect gets within the flower, and you can get up to a hundred of these little western flower in a strawberry flower. And we...
Sara WildeJust a single flower?
JeffIn a single flower.
Sara WildeOh my.
JeffSo they're very small, and it was destroying our crop. We were we just could not figure out how to control it. Inevitably, what we ended up doing was doing what the greenhouse growers were doing, and they're using a lot of beneficial insects to control, so you create the environment for the beneficial insect to out-eat or destroy the western flower thrip. So that was probably the most challenging thing we did, but also it taught us that as growers, we need to kind of think outside the box as to how to control insects and pests. So we now use almost like way less in the line of chemical or insecticides. And we now use a biological way of just controlling that environment and making it yeah, the beneficials outweigh the ones that would be a negative impact to the strawberry.
Sara WildeBasically, you have bugs as pets. Is that what you're saying?
JeffWe do, yeah.
JuliaWorking pets.
JeffWorking pets, and uh they're friendly and we love them.
Sara WildeShout out to those bugs.
JeffSo we can and we can thank the greenhouse industry because they've pioneered all of these things.
JuliaBut didn't they bring it a little bit?
JeffWell, I mean, the greenhouse industry not only probably created the superthrip, but they also created a solution to the problem. So from day to day, you always have challenges and issues, but we've been created in such a way that allows us to think through our problems and resolve them most of the time.
Sara WildeMost of the time. Smart. Hey, been doing it since what, 96 now? Well, down here anyway.
Julia’s Red Barn Role Behind Scenes
Sara WildeOkay. Guess what, Julia? It's on to you now.
JuliaTime to shine.
Sara WildeBefore we talk about the market itself, tell us about you. What brought you into the Red Barn and what does your role look like during a typical or perhaps not so typical day?
JuliaYeah, my day is different every day. I'm on my own roller coaster, not quite the strawberry one, just the Red Barn one. And um, I kind of fell into the Red Barn work. It was, I never really knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. I still say I don't know what I want to do when I grow up, but I'm very thankful to be at the Red Barn. Um, I was working for my brother in a similar atmosphere, and then he got called to my family's business, which is the greenhouse industry. And then Tigchelaars were looking for help at the Red Barn, and I took the role alongside uh Sarah Tigchelaar, who went for baking and pastry, and she was the genius behind many of our recipes at the Red Barn. And then Danielle Tigchelaar also joined along the way, who went for culinary, so she also added a lot of nice recipes for us. And then they both became full-time moms, and now I'm the leader of this ship, and we just hope we don't sink. And it's really fun. It's a great job. It's very all over the place. Like you're baking in the morning, I'm picking up fresh produce throughout the day, I'm talking to customers, I get a hideout in my garden a little bit sometimes too. Like I get a good variety of different jobs that which makes my day fast and fun.
Sara WildeAnd you're doing marketing, content creation. I've seen some reels.
JuliaYes, also social media manager believer it or not. It's really nice. The girls, most of the girls working for me are young and they love all that kind of stuff. So I was dunking one of my girls' heads in a mop bucket the other day.
Sara WildeSo good.
JuliaLike I barely finished the question to be like, Jenna, will you do this? She was like, Yeah, I'll do it. Okay, we're doing it.
Sara WildeIt was so good.
JuliaAnd if you shop at the Red Barn, like I don't hold back, I'll ask any customer to go in a reel with me. And we'll just, yeah, most people say yes, and we just have a good time. It's just for fun. It's just to give you a laugh and you know, put a smile on your face for the day.
Sara WildeYeah. You guys have that positive good vibes over there too. Everyone should say yes.
The Red Barn Experience And Top Treats
Stephanie HicksIt sounds like a magical place. But for a listener who has driven past but has never stopped, walk us through the Red Barn experience. What will they see, smell, and probably leave carrying?
JuliaYeah. So the first thing you'll see is the standout front fully stocked with Tigchelaar strawberries, of course, and then all the other local produce. So right now we just have asparagus, rhubarb, potatoes are in, and sweet peas, just start of our season. So it's not like fully stocked to the broom yet, but we in a month's time it'll be quite full and no room for anything. And then you'll be smelling pies, strawberry rhubarb pies are a staple at the red barn, and they are our number one seller for a reason. Um, but I would say everyone is leaving with a mixed berry scone. If you haven't had a mixed berry scone, you didn't do the Red Barn right, and you have to come back and have have a mixed berry scone. I would also say during our pick your own season, lots of people are going to pick their own strawberries and then they're not leaving without a frozen yogurt.
Sara WildeI'm gonna bring that up because I'm like I didn't when I went to video you, I left with a frozen yogurt. Which was delicious. What? You didn't you didn't know they had frozen yogurt?
Stephanie HicksNo.
Sara WildeLiterally taking their berries and putting it in their fancy machine and making fresh right in front of your face.
Stephanie HicksThat's a thing yogurt. That's a thing for sure.
JuliaPeople will wait 20 minutes to get their frozen yogurt.
Sara WildeWorth it.
JuliaYeah.
Sara WildeWorth it.
JuliaWe warn them, we tell them it's gonna be a wait, but they wait. Yeah, they're dedicated to their frozen yogurt.
JeffLemon blueberry.
JuliaOh, I think lemon strawberry.
Sara WildeLemon strawberry last time. Yeah.
JeffI'm a strawberry grower, but I'll take the lemon again.
Stephanie HicksNow, do you make like quartz to go to?
JuliaNo, so it's all made per order, and it's just in a cup or a cone. And you eat it on the spot.
Sara WildeLike you should that beautiful cones. Like, man...
Stephanie HicksWe need to go we're going.
Sara WildeHow closely does what is happening in the field shape what appears in the bakery market seasonality,
When Weather Decides The Bakery Menu
Sara WildeI'm assuming? When a particular fruit reaches its peak, do you immediately start thinking about what you can bake, preserve, or create with it?
JuliaYeah, for sure. So I'm always thinking about what's next now. For me, right now, keeping it the same is easy. All the girls know it's strawberry season. We're making strawberry tarts and strawberry rhubarb tarts and strawberry rhubarb pie and strawberry muffins. And what's next will be cherries. Because the weather can change everything. Cherry Lane is where we get our buckets of cherries. They're not going to have them this year.
Sara WildeWhat? Why?
JuliaYeah, they had a poor spring and their crop is down and they're not making their buckets. I luckily have two saved in my freezer still. So we'll have cherry pie for like a week, a week and a half. But that's it. Like, you can't get them fresh this year. So sometimes that happens. A few years ago, we didn't have an apricot crop at all. So no apricot jam, no apricots on the stand, things like that. And so I can't dictate what's being baked with the fruit. I just take what I can get and turn it into some kind of sweet treat when I have the opportunity.
Sara WildeYeah. Make that magic happen.
Stephanie HicksSo, what do you love most about operating the Red Barn in the town of Lincoln? Is it the Regular customers, the visitors discovering the area, the neighbouring businesses, a combination of all three. What's your favourite?
JuliaYeah, my favourite is definitely the customer base. Like we get a lot of people who are very dedicated to the red barn. And then when someone is from out of town, I feel like Lincoln's a very special place. We have the Bruce Trail so close. We have strawberry picking down the road. We'll have cherry pick your own soon. There's all these different agri-tourism things you can do in the area, and it gives people something to do and they can appreciate the fruit that they're getting as well.
Sara WildeEvery customer facing business collects stories. What is one customer interaction, baking mishap, unexpectedly popular product, or especially hectic day that still makes the team laugh?
JuliaThere's one every day, I think. Customers make for an interesting day. Like you never know what you're gonna get. Some people are extremely happy to see us, and sometimes people are having a hard day. But you know, we try and help them have a better day if they are having a bad day. But I would say a few years ago when we were quieter, it was just more Danielle Tigchelaar and myself. We had a customer who loved the Red Barn so much she wanted to spend the day working at the Red Barn. So then she came in in the morning, she baked with us, she came to pick up strawberries with me.
Sara WildeWas it Steph?
JuliaCome anytime, we'll get you your own shirt. And then uh yeah, I had her working in the garden. I made her do everything. I was like, this is what we do. Like, if you want the behind the scenes, come on down, we'll give you the behind the scenes. And she was in the other day and she's like, I want to do that again. Like, I want to come for a day and work with you. I'm like, well, if you still have your t-shirt, like come anytime. Like we're ready for you.
JeffDid you pay her Jules?
JuliaI paid her in a t-shirt and froyo.
JeffOh, nice.
Stephanie HicksThat's all I need. T-shirt and froyo. Overtime scone.
JuliaYeah, we can...
Stephanie HicksI'll negotiate my terms.
JuliaDepending on how hard or how good your work is, we can get a scone in there too.
Working Together And Cutting Food Waste
Stephanie HicksUh because Tigchelaar Berry Farms and the Red Barn are so closely connected, I'm curious about how the two sides work together. So, Jeff, does the market team tell you what it wants from the field, or does the field tell Julia what is going to be on the menu?
JeffOh, Julia's in charge.
JuliaOh, please.
JeffNo, it is an interesting question, but the one thing Julia said is I never tell a farmer what to do. And she's wise. Like she has a lot of wisdom and she's learned. And I think...
JuliaIt took me 10 years.
JeffBut uh, we have a lot of fun. We interact together enough, right? I walk into the red barn and I the first thing I ask is I say, are there any mistakes today?
JuliaAnd the answer is always no.
JeffThe answer is always no, so then I just grab some. No, it's fun. It is, I mean, uh a driving part of that market is the strawberry sales. And we're we just want to continue to grow that. We love the idea of retail. We grew up, I grew up in retail. And uh we're looking to expand that area of the business. We we're putting the pick your own around the Red Barn next year, so that will really hopefully drive business for Julia.
Stephanie HicksAnd oh, you're spilling the tea early, but that's okay.
JeffOh dear.
Sara WildeThat's okay. No, no, yeah, you can.
JuliaI could never tell a farmer what to do. Yeah. You know, they are dealing with weather, which is already the biggest thing, I feel like. And if I was to tell any of the farmers I pick up stuff from, they'd be like, okay, get a grip. But if we have it, we'll give it to you. And I just take that and work with it. Yeah.
Sara WildeGood answer. And so this kind of goes with it. Who is more particular about the fruit? The farmer growing it or the baker turning it into something?
JuliaI have the opportunity to take the not as nice fruit and turn it into something tasty. So for them, when they have bad fruit, it's not their favourite thing, I would say. But for me, I can freeze it, put it in a froyo, I can put it in a pie, I can make different things with it. So...
Sara WildeCan still make magic.
JeffYeah, I would say I I'm the biggest critic of what we harvest.
Sara WildeRight.
JeffSo, and as an example, on a Sunday, I do not want a single strawberry in my fridge to look at. So I I will constantly be critiquing it. So we we just want the best to leave the farm at all times, and that's the goal.
Stephanie HicksBut that's a good way of looking at it, right? Because I would say that you're pretty low in the waste factor. So the strawberries that are maybe...
Sara WildeUgly.
Stephanie HicksI'm trying to think of a nicer word than like...
JuliaA number two is what we'd call it.
Stephanie HicksA number two will will taste great elsewhere. So in jam, froyo, scone. So having your your prettiest prizes forward and then the rest to the bakery. That's a that's a good way to uh save on waste.
JeffAnd there's lots of lots of different businesses that are looking to add specifically Tigchelaar strawberries to their wine or to their gin or to their beer or to their donuts. So just there's lots of different ways to skin the cat.
JuliaLovely. Use that sound bit.
JeffLet's let's how about how about to uh...
Sara WildeThat's making it to the pull quote.
JeffMaybe not skin the cat. How about hull the strawberry?
Sara WildeI love it.
Stephanie HicksUh what is something that each of you has learned from the other side of the business? I'll start with you, Julia.
JuliaOh, with me, yeah, sure. Um I think I've learned a lot from Tigchelaars. I was a little bit thrown into a business I knew nothing about. I worked for my brother for one year, and that helped a little, but my role has changed dramatically over the years. COVID really gave us a big break where people were shopping local more. They couldn't go to different places, but they could come to the Red Barn. And so my role as a baker and a picker-upper of produce changed to a manager. And so I feel like I learn how to have these relationships with my girls, and I look for advice through the Tigchelaars because they have a thousand workers that they take care of so nicely, and I have six that I want to take care of nicely. And I think just knowing what's going on on the farm too, I'm learning. Even I didn't know some of that strawberry information earlier, but I'm learning all the time.
Stephanie HicksOkay, and Jeff?
JeffI would say we've always been a family business, and we've always worn a thousand hats. And uh I know how to do each aspect of the business. I know nothing about the Red Barn, and I don't want to know anything about the Red Barn. But I know that Julia is really good at what she does. So let Julia be good where she's good and let me be good where I'm good. So that's what I've learned.
Sara WildeSo you don't want a fro yo is what...?
Stephanie HicksNo, I know. From what I want to make it, from what he wants to eat it, to taste. He likes to taste the ...
JeffI wanna, I just want to go there and enjoy it. But I I'm like, let's let Julia do what she's good at. And yeah.
What’s Next For Pick Your Own
Stephanie HicksThat's great. So it is time for Talk of the Town Tea. Uh it's one of our favourite parts of the podcast where you get to spill the tea on what is happening, what's coming next, what our listeners should have on their radar. So, Jeff, we'll start for you. What's happening with Tigchelaar Berry Farms?
JeffTigchelaar Berry Farms. I um man.
JuliaGrowing strawberries.
JeffWe're growing strawberries. We just continue to love what we do. And I look around Niagara and I see all of the peaches and the cherries and all this tender fruit. I had an older farmer come to me and say, you know, my dad used to be the strawberry guy in Jordan. And he had five acres of strawberries. And he looked, he says, I just don't know. He says, I see all the people out there, he says, and I'm just thankful I'm growing peaches. So that's that's wonderful to do. It's it takes every part of your mind and strength. And uh each day you have to just rest knowing that this too shall pass.
Stephanie HicksBut you did mention earlier that next year you're moving the Pick Your Own next to Red Barn. So walk us through what that is looking like.
JeffYeah, we we've uh been able to get a little bit more land next door to the red barn. And uh we always wanted to move that Pick Your Own so that it could just uh work a little more in tune with uh the Red Barn. So next year the pick your own will be there, and we're hoping to uh add some fun new things to the Red Barn, and then also have that pick your own there and uh incorporate them together. So right now they're very different. Yeah, the pick your own is almost a kilometre down the road. A lot of people come from the pick your own and they then go and have their scone and...
Sara WildeFroyo.
JeffFroyo and get the things they like there, but now they'll be right together and we'll hopefully be able to uh...
JuliaSmooth that process.
Stephanie HicksYeah, you're chasing the experience for sure, because you know...
Sara WildeOne-stop shop.
Stephanie HicksYeah, exactly. Like somebody that does pick your own may not necessarily make it to the Red Barn
JuliaFor sure.
Stephanie HicksHaving them coincide, I think that's brilliant. Can't wait. And Julia?
JuliaYeah, I mean, we're just at the start of our season at the Red Barn. We have cherries coming out and then peaches, and peach season is a whole ordeal. It's the best, it's one of the best. And then yeah, sweet corn. I have a voicemail I see here, someone asking about sweet corn already. So there's just different things to look forward to that way in the sense that we live in this area and we are so lucky to have all this fruit at our fingertips, and we get to offer it to everyone at the Red Barn. So it's fun.
Practical Ways To Support Local Farms
Stephanie HicksWhat is one thing residents can do meaningfully uh to support local farmers, food businesses, and beyond simply saying shop local?
JuliaI think social media for my side of things for sure, like a simple like, a simple comment, things like that go a really long way because then it shows up on someone else's algorithm and then they go, Oh, what's the Red Barn? And then, oh, I see they have this. I want to go to the Red Barn now and check it out. You don't necessarily have to spend your money to support a local business. You just need to click a little button sometimes. It's so true.
Stephanie HicksIt's so true. Yeah. Now you're speaking Sara's love. Yeah, like yeah...
Sara WildeThat's right.
Stephanie HicksAside from strawberries...
JuliaIt's so funny how it happens. Yeah. Yeah.
Sara WildeYeah.
JeffYeah. And I would say that uh we also have a lot of wholesale customers. And if you don't see Ontario strawberries in a Costco, in a Zehrs, in a Food land, in a Great Canadian Superstore, ask the produce manager and say, How come there's no Ontario strawberries? We have the best Ontario strawberry growers in this province, and you don't have them, shame on you.
Stephanie HicksI'll do it. Sign me up.
Sara WildeVery confrontational. We'll do it.
Stephanie HicksIn the best way.
Sara WildeYeah, in a good way. Very loving.
Where To Go After The Barn
Sara WildeOkay, and give us one more local recommendation. After someone visits the farm or the Red Barn, where else in Lincoln should they stop while they're out exploring?
JuliaI'm a hiker all the way. I say um Boo's Diner, the hike by Boo's Diner is the best hike in all Ontario. And I've hiked the whole Bruce Trail, so I can say that.
Sara WildeThat's amazing.
Stephanie HicksThat is that is quite an accomplishment. How long did it take you?
Julia28 days. We uh closed the Red Barn and then the next day I was hiking.
Stephanie HicksOh, like in you did it consistently.
JuliaI did it through. Yeah.
JeffHow many kilometres is that, Jules?
JuliaIt's 900 kilometres or something. Yeah.
Sara WildeOh my...I die after three and a half.
JeffShe was on an electric bike too...
Stephanie HicksI I say that because my my sister is trying to accomplish that, but she's doing it in like chunks...
JuliaThat's a nicer way to do it.
Stephanie HicksAnd when she can get out and do a hike, but you did you were just like...
JuliaIt was COVID. I wasn't allowed to do anything. I wasn't allowed to leave the country. I wasn't allowed to sit in a restaurant. So I was like, hey, let's hike the whole Bruce Trail. So I did.
Stephanie HicksFantastic. Good for you. Congratulations.
JeffSo and for me, I would say, like, I don't go to the Upper Canada Cheese Factory as often as I should. But we just got some cheese from there and it was to die for like next to strawberries.
Stephanie HicksYeah.
JeffAnd then yeah, Honsberger Estate Winery, like all these different places that just on Jordan Road itself. Yeah, on Jordan Road itself are amazing just to sit there. Like sometimes my wife and I all sit and have a wood-fired pizza at Honsberger Estate. Yeah. And you sit there in this beautiful lush area, and it's amazing.
Sara WildeIt is amazing.
Stephanie HicksWe had Marg from Upper Canada on the podcast.
Sara WildeShout out, Marg.
Stephanie HicksShout out, Marg.
Sara WildeI love your cheese curds.
Stephanie HicksRight?
JuliaA lunch option.
Stephanie HicksLike a storage container, a kitchen starting.
Sara WildeOh yeah, that's right.
Stephanie HicksAnd there's poutine on the menu. And I am like thinking, but like I am now planning a poutine lunch, froyo dessert kind of route.
JuliaPizza, poutine, froyo.
Sara WildeI love it.
JuliaYou're on the right track.
Stephanie HicksOkay, perfect.
Sara WildePPF.
Stephanie HicksPPF.
JuliaPPP pizza poutine pie.
Stephanie HicksOh yeah. Yeah. The PPP.
Sara WildePPP.
Stephanie HicksYeah, you know me.
JeffThey don't even hear us.
JuliaOkay, strawberries too, though.
Sara WildeOh, sorry.
JeffYeah.
Sara WildeStrawberries, PPP.
JuliaIn the pie. In the pie.
Sara WildeOr in the froyo.
Stephanie HicksOkay.
Quick Fire Favourites And Debates
Stephanie HicksSo it is time for our quick fire round.
JuliaOh, I didn't know this was a thing.
Stephanie HicksYeah. Yeah. We like to keep things secret from you.
JeffOkay.
Sara WildeIt's time for a quick fire round. This is a thing. It's a lightning round. We're going to give you a choice, and you have to answer with whatever comes to your mind first. Okay. We'll give you options. No overthinking and no five-minute agricultural explanation.
JuliaHuge. We're looking at you, huge.
Sara WildeOkay. So pick your own or ready-picked basket.
JuliaReady picked.
JeffReady picked.
Sara WildeOkay.
JuliaConvenience. Which strawberry dessert is your favourite? Strawberry froyo. Strawberry froyo.
Sara WildeIt's that good. I'm telling you.
Stephanie HicksYOLO, it's froyo.
Sara WildeShe's so punny. She's punny sometimes. Sunrise in the field or sunset on the farm.
JeffSunset on the farm.
JuliaUh sunset. I agree.
JeffThat's because the day is over.
JuliaYeah, exactly what I was thinking. I don't want to see the sunrise.
Sara WildeYou're done with that strawberry emotional roller coaster.
Stephanie HicksAll right. We're going to go to you, Julia, first. Are you a sweet or a savoury?
JuliaSavoury.
JeffSavoury.
Stephanie HicksOkay.
JuliaI'd be like a hundred times bigger than that.
JeffNo, sorry. I'm going to switch it. I'm going sweet.
JuliaYou're definitely a sweet tooth.
JeffYeah, I'm going to go sweet. I I'm sorry. Sweet!
Sara WildeI love it.
Stephanie HicksSo what is your favourite savoury snack?
JuliaOh, anything potato. Like we don't make anything through out the Red Barn with potatoes, or you know, it'd be dangerous. But chips, french fries, poutine, you name them.
Sara WildeSo good.
JuliaHash browns. Potatoes are just the most well-rounded anything.
Sara WildeThat's true. It's true. What's your go-to sweet treat ?
JeffI don't know. I but I could if you put a bag of Doritos in front of me, I'll just consume it. Right. So but but it's...
JuliaWe don't discriminate against sweet or savoury.
Sara WildeI like that answer. You guys don't discriminate. I like that. Ice cream, froyo, or sorbet, Jeff.
JeffFroyo.
JuliaFroyo.
Sara WildeI had to add froyo in there.
JuliaI will discriminate against sorbet.
Stephanie HicksOkay. This one I feel like I know the answer, but maybe not. Strawberries or apples? Jeff.
JeffYeah, I I think I would take an apple.
Stephanie HicksOkay.
JuliaStrawberries.
JeffA good apple.
JuliaGood apples go a long way.
Stephanie HicksLet's define good apple.
Sara WildeYeah. Is it a gala? Is it a Fuji? Is it a granny smith?
JeffDo you know what a good so...
Stephanie HicksHoney crisp.
JeffI have to keep these answers short, but when when we were farming apples up in Binbrook, we grew on heavy clay soil. And a heavy clay soil gives a flavour that is different than sand.
Stephanie HicksOkay.
JeffAnd it was so good.
Sara WildeSo what was that apple called though?
JeffSo it was a gala or a honey crisp. All of those apples. Jules used to sell them.
JuliaI used to not really love apples, and then I worked at the Red Barn and was getting fresh royal galas from the Tigchelaars, and there's nothing that can be a good royal gala, in my opinion. I do I'm not a honey crisp girl, which is a shame on me. I know. I get shamed, but a good royal gala is the best apple you can eat.
Stephanie HicksI like it. I like a crisp apple. So not necessarily honey crisp, but if the if the royal gala has a good crunch, like I need my jaw to be sore by the end of eating.
Sara WildeI agree with this. This is why I am a weirdo and cannot eat cooked apple. The texture.
JuliaFlavor every time.
JeffDepends who's buying it. But if I had to eat one, I want the best flavour. But if I'm if I'm marketing them, there's a lot of variables.
Stephanie HicksOkay. What do you prefer? A farm work in the summer or planning season in like the fall winter?
JeffI think it's hard to say either or, but I I like the planning. It's a lot easier to plan than to execute. So the planning is uh I enjoy that. Um I'm gonna say planning.
Stephanie HicksOkay.
JuliaI'm the opposite. I want to be in the thick of it. I find planning hard and stressful because you don't know what's coming your way. I'd rather just be like, okay, it's raining today, okay, we can change something there. Whereas thinking about what's gonna happen in August and December is hard.
JeffFail the plan. Plan to fail.
Stephanie HicksFail to plan, plan to fail.
Sara WildeJeff, what is one crop you would love to grow if time, land, and weather were no issue?
JeffOh dear. So we just started growing raspberries. And I think raspberries would be really appealing. And other types of berries, raspberries, blackberries, those uh other berries would be where we would like to grow.
Stephanie HicksOkay. And Julia, what Red Barn item would you choose instead of a traditional birthday cake?
JuliaCinnamon rolls. We've had people come get cinnamon rolls to put candles on for their birthday, and I think they're on to something.
Stephanie HicksAre they frosted?
JuliaOh, you can get whatever you like. We have cream cheese icing or a milk glaze.
Sara WildeWho would last longer after switching jobs for a day? Jeff in the bakery or Julia in the berry field?
JuliaNeither.
JeffJules, what do you think?
JuliaI actually think me in the berry field. Sorry.
JeffI think she's right.
JuliaOn our opening day, we have our first customer come in, and Uncle Jeff's like, you gotta get a picture with this lady. She's our first customer of the year. And I said, Uncle Jeff, you can't do that again.
JeffLeave.
JuliaYou're scaring the customer.
JeffI don't think I scared her. I think she was actually happy.
JuliaWe'll never know unless she listens to the Lincoln Local. Maybe she'll reach out.
JeffSo when I...
Stephanie HicksCall in if you're listening.
JeffWhen I was in when I farmed in Binbrook, we I interacted a ton with the customers. And I loved that part of just they love everyone loves to tell their story.
Sara WildeOf course.
JeffAnd I want to hear it. I want to know it. Yeah. So that was uh...
Stephanie HicksThat's what we love about doing this.
Sara WildeIt's so true.
Stephanie HicksIt's because we hear these stories, and every time after, I promise you, every time after we do one of these where we interview a local business from Lincoln or two, or no matter what, we are we're always like, that was the greatest. This is the last
What Lincoln Means And Wrap Up
Stephanie Hicksone. And I'm really sad about that because that means we're wrapping up. But what is the first word that comes to mind when you hear Lincoln?
JuliaI would say, like, my childhood, like Lincoln, I played Lincoln soccer. The girls make fun of me because I say it in the OBA video that I'm like, I grew up playing Lincoln Storm Soccer, and but I I grew up here. Like, I guess you didn't grow up here the way I grew up here. So this is like familiar. Yeah. It's it's my neighbourhood. I know these people and I know them well now because I get to see a lot of them every day, and they're in my life, I'm in their life, whether we like it or not. And I think it's special.
Stephanie HicksSo it really is home.
JuliaYeah, home for sure.
JeffYeah, and and I would, I mean, we're 15 years into our experience in Lincoln. Yeah, I was reading this morning. This might get a little farther than you want me to go, but I was reading this. I was reading this morning from Psalm 127. Psalm 127 says this unless the Lord builds a house, its labourers labor in vain. Unless the Lord, yeah, just builds it. And and that's what I see. I have five kids, all of them married. I see, I just see the blessing of walking faithfully day by day. And um, I I actually wrote it down the psalm because I and I'm I'm gonna read just the end of it. It says, um you talked about what time do you get up in the morning? It says, in vain you rise up early and go late to rest. So do you like sunrises or sunsets? So it says all of these things, in vain you rise up early, in vain you go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil. So how often do I sit and worry about my strawberries and think, oh, how is that gonna happen? And then He says at the end, for He gives His beloved sleep. So all I gotta do is trust in Him and everything else the day takes care of itself. So that's kind of unless the Lord builds this house, we're building something here, but ultimately it's not for us. So that's the end.
Stephanie HicksI think that was a perfect closing.
Sara WildeI think so too. Before we wrap up, where can listeners find both businesses, follow along with seasonal updates, and confirm what is available before making their visit?
JuliaYeah, so the Red Barn has a website. We don't use it as much as we should, but it's there. Um and then we have social media, just Facebook and Instagram, and it's just simply at the Red Barn Farm Market on Instagram.
JeffAnd then if you want to find out a little bit more about our story, put a name to a voice, a face to a voice. Um, Tigchelaarberries.com. And there's uh our whole story is there, and it's uh yeah, lots to learn.
JuliaThe Pick Your Own has an Instagram as well at Tigchelaarberry Farm.
Stephanie HicksThank you. Uh Jeff and Julia, thank you for joining us and giving listeners a better understanding of how much work, knowledge, and care goes into the food grown right here in Lincoln.
Sara WildeAnd thank you for providing that from field to table can also mean from field to pie, frozen or froyo, and several things we did not intend to buy, but absolutely needed.
Stephanie HicksBusinesses such as Tigchelaar Berry Farms and the Red Barn do more than grow and sell food. They create jobs, preserve agricultural traditions, support neighbouring producers, and give residents and visitors another reason to experience Lincoln.
Sara WildeJeff and Julia, thank you for being a part of our Lincoln Local.
JuliaThanks for having us.
JeffThanks for having us.
Stephanie HicksT hat's all for today's episode of the Lincoln Local. Thank you to our sponsors Niagara Region Economic Development, the Watering Can, Second Chance Decor, and Verhoef Electric.
Sara WildeNew episodes drop twice a month and will be shared through the town's social media channels.
Stephanie HicksAnd if there's a topic or local business you'd like us to feature, visit speakuplincoln.ca backslash podcast. Don't miss the next talk of the town.
