From Field to Froyo: Lincoln's Sweetest Local Story

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:

• Niagara Region Economic Development
• The Watering Can
• Second Chance Decor
• Verhoef Electric

Transcript

Welcome And Meet The Guests

Stephanie Hicks 0:02

Welcome 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 Wilde 0:17

And 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 Hicks 0:31

More 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 Wilde 0:39

I 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 Hicks 0:47

Our 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 Wilde 1:14

Together, 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.

Julia 1:27

Hello, hello.

Jeff 1:28

Hello. Thanks for having us.

Sara Wilde 1:30

Thanks 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?

Julia 1:47

Depends who you ask.

Jeff 1:49

So 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 Wilde 1:59

That's a good rule, actually. I like that rule.

Julia 2:02

No strawberry jam allowed after that.

Family Farming Roots And Strawberry Rules

Stephanie Hicks 2:05

Jeff, 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?

Jeff 2:18

So 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 Hicks 2:52

That'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.

Jeff 3:08

So 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 Wilde 3:20

Most 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?

Jeff 3:33

A 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 Hicks 3:56

Oh my gosh. I was not expecting you to say that.

Jeff 4:01

We 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 Wilde 4:30

So that surprised you the most, I think, is how long it takes to harvest. Yeah.

Stephanie Hicks 4:36

Yeah. 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...

Julia 4:42

The 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.

Jeff 4:52

So 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 Wilde 5:01

Wow.

Jeff 5:02

So 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 Hicks 5:11

I'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?

Jeff 5:23

Well individual strawberries?

Stephanie Hicks 5:26

Yeah.

Jeff 5:27

No.

Stephanie Hicks 5:28

Okay, let's go quart. No, I math, you know, we are farmers. Math is maybe...

Sara Wilde 5:34

Math is not my strong suit. I understand where you're going with this.

Jeff 5:42

Every 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 Wilde 5:58

I love strawberries so much I have them tattooed on my arm. That's how much I love strawberries.

Stephanie Hicks 6:04

That's dedication.

Jeff 6:06

That is I almost thought you were going to show me your arm, but...

Sara Wilde 6:09

I was. I got a little weird sleeve happening here.

Short Season Berries Versus All Season

Stephanie Hicks 6:12

Many 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?

Jeff 6:31

So, 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 Wilde 6:46

Yeah.

Stephanie Hicks 6:46

So short.

Jeff 6:47

That 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 Wilde 8:38

Is there a taste difference between the two?

Jeff 8:41

Yeah, 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 Wilde 9:02

She's got this face, like she knows...

Julia 9:04

Because 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.

Jeff 9:19

So 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 Hicks 9:58

So 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 Wilde 10:35

I took horticulture class here and I don't know this .

Stephanie Hicks 10:38

I 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 Wilde 10:48

That makes sense though. I was born in the fall, so no wonder I'm so sweet!

Stephanie Hicks 10:54

Yes, yes.

Sara Wilde 10:55

I 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 Wilde 11:08

What makes this the right place for Tigchelaar Berry farms?

Jeff 11:11

I 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 Wilde 11:42

Oh wow.

Jeff 11:42

And 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 Wilde 12:27

I'm learning all the things today.

Stephanie Hicks 12:29

I 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?

Jeff 12:52

Yea, just for soybeans or corn or...

Stephanie Hicks 12:54

But that's really cool. And then transitioning to Lincoln, like I'm sure that was a lot of work though, too.

Jeff 13:00

Over 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 Hicks 13:13

That'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 Hicks 13:25

Is there one memorable, funny, or challenging moment that captures what life at Tigchelaar Farms is really like?

Jeff 13:31

Oh 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.

Julia 13:39

Oh boy.

Jeff 13:41

You 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 Wilde 14:28

Just a single flower?

Jeff 14:30

In a single flower.

Sara Wilde 14:30

Oh my.

Jeff 14:31

So 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 Wilde 15:38

Basically, you have bugs as pets. Is that what you're saying?

Jeff 15:42

We do, yeah.

Julia 15:42

Working pets.

Jeff 15:46

Working pets, and uh they're friendly and we love them.

Sara Wilde 15:50

Shout out to those bugs.

Jeff 15:53

So we can and we can thank the greenhouse industry because they've pioneered all of these things.

Julia 15:58

But didn't they bring it a little bit?

Jeff 16:01

Well, 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 Wilde 16:25

Most of the time. Smart. Hey, been doing it since what, 96 now? Well, down here anyway.

Julia’s Red Barn Role Behind Scenes

Sara Wilde 16:32

Okay. Guess what, Julia? It's on to you now.

Julia 16:35

Time to shine.

Sara Wilde 16:36

Before 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?

Julia 16:46

Yeah, 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 Wilde 18:00

And you're doing marketing, content creation. I've seen some reels.

Julia 18:07

Yes, 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 Wilde 18:17

So good.

Julia 18:18

Like 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 Wilde 18:25

It was so good.

Julia 18:26

And 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 Wilde 18:39

Yeah. You guys have that positive good vibes over there too. Everyone should say yes.

The Red Barn Experience And Top Treats

Stephanie Hicks 18:45

It 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?

Julia 18:56

Yeah. 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 Wilde 19:49

I'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 Hicks 20:00

No.

Sara Wilde 20:01

Literally taking their berries and putting it in their fancy machine and making fresh right in front of your face.

Stephanie Hicks 20:07

That's a thing yogurt. That's a thing for sure.

Julia 20:09

People will wait 20 minutes to get their frozen yogurt.

Sara Wilde 20:12

Worth it.

Julia 20:13

Yeah.

Sara Wilde 20:13

Worth it.

Julia 20:14

We warn them, we tell them it's gonna be a wait, but they wait. Yeah, they're dedicated to their frozen yogurt.

Jeff 20:20

Lemon blueberry.

Julia 20:22

Oh, I think lemon strawberry.

Sara Wilde 20:25

Lemon strawberry last time. Yeah.

Jeff 20:26

I'm a strawberry grower, but I'll take the lemon again.

Stephanie Hicks 20:29

Now, do you make like quartz to go to?

Julia 20:32

No, 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 Wilde 20:39

Like you should that beautiful cones. Like, man...

Stephanie Hicks 20:42

We need to go we're going.

Sara Wilde 20:43

How closely does what is happening in the field shape what appears in the bakery market seasonality,

When Weather Decides The Bakery Menu

Sara Wilde 20:49

I'm assuming? When a particular fruit reaches its peak, do you immediately start thinking about what you can bake, preserve, or create with it?

Julia 20:55

Yeah, 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 Wilde 21:19

What? Why?

Julia 21:20

Yeah, 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 Wilde 21:53

Yeah. Make that magic happen.

Stephanie Hicks 21:55

So, 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?

Julia 22:07

Yeah, 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 Wilde 22:33

Every 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?

Julia 22:46

There'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 Wilde 23:19

Was it Steph?

Julia 23:19

Come 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.

Jeff 23:49

Did you pay her Jules?

Julia 23:50

I paid her in a t-shirt and froyo.

Jeff 23:52

Oh, nice.

Stephanie Hicks 23:53

That's all I need. T-shirt and froyo. Overtime scone.

Julia 24:01

Yeah, we can...

Stephanie Hicks 24:02

I'll negotiate my terms.

Julia 24:04

Depending on how hard or how good your work is, we can get a scone in there too.

Working Together And Cutting Food Waste

Stephanie Hicks 24:10

Uh 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?

Jeff 24:25

Oh, Julia's in charge.

Julia 24:27

Oh, please.

Jeff 24:28

No, 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...

Julia 24:39

It took me 10 years.

Jeff 24:41

But 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?

Julia 24:51

And the answer is always no.

Jeff 24:53

The 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 Hicks 25:25

And oh, you're spilling the tea early, but that's okay.

Jeff 25:28

Oh dear.

Sara Wilde 25:30

That's okay. No, no, yeah, you can.

Julia 25:34

I 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 Wilde 25:54

Good 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?

Julia 26:04

I 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 Wilde 26:20

Can still make magic.

Jeff 26:22

Yeah, I would say I I'm the biggest critic of what we harvest.

Sara Wilde 26:26

Right.

Jeff 26:27

So, 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 Hicks 26:46

But 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 Wilde 26:55

Ugly.

Stephanie Hicks 26:56

I'm trying to think of a nicer word than like...

Julia 26:59

A number two is what we'd call it.

Stephanie Hicks 27:01

A 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.

Jeff 27:18

And 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.

Julia 27:40

Lovely. Use that sound bit.

Jeff 27:43

Let's let's how about how about to uh...

Sara Wilde 27:46

That's making it to the pull quote.

Jeff 27:49

Maybe not skin the cat. How about hull the strawberry?

Sara Wilde 27:54

I love it.

Stephanie Hicks 27:55

Uh what is something that each of you has learned from the other side of the business? I'll start with you, Julia.

Julia 28:02

Oh, 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 Hicks 29:02

Okay, and Jeff?

Jeff 29:04

I 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 Wilde 29:33

So you don't want a fro yo is what...?

Stephanie Hicks 29:35

No, I know. From what I want to make it, from what he wants to eat it, to taste. He likes to taste the ...

Jeff 29:41

I 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 Hicks 29:50

That'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?

Jeff 30:08

Tigchelaar Berry Farms. I um man.

Julia 30:11

Growing strawberries.

Jeff 30:12

We'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 Hicks 31:04

But 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.

Jeff 31:13

Yeah, 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 Wilde 31:53

Froyo.

Jeff 31:54

Froyo and get the things they like there, but now they'll be right together and we'll hopefully be able to uh...

Julia 32:02

Smooth that process.

Stephanie Hicks 32:03

Yeah, you're chasing the experience for sure, because you know...

Sara Wilde 32:07

One-stop shop.

Stephanie Hicks 32:08

Yeah, exactly. Like somebody that does pick your own may not necessarily make it to the Red Barn

Julia 32:13

For sure.

Stephanie Hicks 32:14

Having them coincide, I think that's brilliant. Can't wait. And Julia?

Julia 32:19

Yeah, 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 Hicks 32:49

What is one thing residents can do meaningfully uh to support local farmers, food businesses, and beyond simply saying shop local?

Julia 32:58

I 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 Hicks 33:21

It's so true. Yeah. Now you're speaking Sara's love. Yeah, like yeah...

Sara Wilde 33:24

That's right.

Stephanie Hicks 33:25

Aside from strawberries...

Julia 33:27

It's so funny how it happens. Yeah. Yeah.

Sara Wilde 33:29

Yeah.

Jeff 33:30

Yeah. 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 Hicks 33:57

I'll do it. Sign me up.

Sara Wilde 34:00

Very confrontational. We'll do it.

Stephanie Hicks 34:03

In the best way.

Sara Wilde 34:04

Yeah, in a good way. Very loving.

Where To Go After The Barn

Sara Wilde 34:07

Okay, 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?

Julia 34:15

I'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 Wilde 34:27

That's amazing.

Stephanie Hicks 34:28

That is that is quite an accomplishment. How long did it take you?

Julia 34:31

28 days. We uh closed the Red Barn and then the next day I was hiking.

Stephanie Hicks 34:36

Oh, like in you did it consistently.

Julia 34:39

I did it through. Yeah.

Jeff 34:41

How many kilometres is that, Jules?

Julia 34:42

It's 900 kilometres or something. Yeah.

Sara Wilde 34:44

Oh my...I die after three and a half.

Jeff 34:47

She was on an electric bike too...

Stephanie Hicks 34:48

I I say that because my my sister is trying to accomplish that, but she's doing it in like chunks...

Julia 34:55

That's a nicer way to do it.

Stephanie Hicks 34:56

And when she can get out and do a hike, but you did you were just like...

Julia 34:59

It 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 Hicks 35:09

Fantastic. Good for you. Congratulations.

Jeff 35:13

So 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 Hicks 35:27

Yeah.

Jeff 35:28

And 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 Wilde 35:47

It is amazing.

Stephanie Hicks 35:48

We had Marg from Upper Canada on the podcast.

Sara Wilde 35:51

Shout out, Marg.

Stephanie Hicks 35:52

Shout out, Marg.

Sara Wilde 35:53

I love your cheese curds.

Stephanie Hicks 35:54

Right?

Julia 35:55

A lunch option.

Stephanie Hicks 35:56

Like a storage container, a kitchen starting.

Sara Wilde 35:59

Oh yeah, that's right.

Stephanie Hicks 36:00

And 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.

Julia 36:10

Pizza, poutine, froyo.

Sara Wilde 36:12

I love it.

Julia 36:13

You're on the right track.

Stephanie Hicks 36:14

Okay, perfect.

Sara Wilde 36:15

PPF.

Stephanie Hicks 36:16

PPF.

Julia 36:17

PPP pizza poutine pie.

Stephanie Hicks 36:22

Oh yeah. Yeah. The PPP.

Sara Wilde 36:25

PPP.

Stephanie Hicks 36:28

Yeah, you know me.

Jeff 36:30

They don't even hear us.

Julia 36:32

Okay, strawberries too, though.

Sara Wilde 36:34

Oh, sorry.

Jeff 36:35

Yeah.

Sara Wilde 36:35

Strawberries, PPP.

Julia 36:37

In the pie. In the pie.

Sara Wilde 36:38

Or in the froyo.

Stephanie Hicks 36:39

Okay.

Quick Fire Favourites And Debates

Stephanie Hicks 36:40

So it is time for our quick fire round.

Julia 36:42

Oh, I didn't know this was a thing.

Stephanie Hicks 36:43

Yeah. Yeah. We like to keep things secret from you.

Jeff 36:47

Okay.

Sara Wilde 36:48

It'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.

Julia 37:01

Huge. We're looking at you, huge.

Sara Wilde 37:04

Okay. So pick your own or ready-picked basket.

Julia 37:08

Ready picked.

Jeff 37:09

Ready picked.

Sara Wilde 37:10

Okay.

Julia 37:12

Convenience. Which strawberry dessert is your favourite? Strawberry froyo. Strawberry froyo.

Sara Wilde 37:19

It's that good. I'm telling you.

Stephanie Hicks 37:24

YOLO, it's froyo.

Sara Wilde 37:30

She's so punny. She's punny sometimes. Sunrise in the field or sunset on the farm.

Jeff 37:39

Sunset on the farm.

Julia 37:40

Uh sunset. I agree.

Jeff 37:42

That's because the day is over.

Julia 37:43

Yeah, exactly what I was thinking. I don't want to see the sunrise.

Sara Wilde 37:48

You're done with that strawberry emotional roller coaster.

Stephanie Hicks 37:52

All right. We're going to go to you, Julia, first. Are you a sweet or a savoury?

Julia 37:57

Savoury.

Jeff 37:58

Savoury.

Stephanie Hicks 37:59

Okay.

Julia 38:00

I'd be like a hundred times bigger than that.

Jeff 38:03

No, sorry. I'm going to switch it. I'm going sweet.

Julia 38:05

You're definitely a sweet tooth.

Jeff 38:07

Yeah, I'm going to go sweet. I I'm sorry. Sweet!

Sara Wilde 38:12

I love it.

Stephanie Hicks 38:12

So what is your favourite savoury snack?

Julia 38:15

Oh, 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 Wilde 38:26

So good.

Julia 38:26

Hash browns. Potatoes are just the most well-rounded anything.

Sara Wilde 38:30

That's true. It's true. What's your go-to sweet treat ?

Jeff 38:34

I 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...

Julia 38:42

We don't discriminate against sweet or savoury.

Sara Wilde 38:45

I like that answer. You guys don't discriminate. I like that. Ice cream, froyo, or sorbet, Jeff.

Jeff 38:53

Froyo.

Julia 38:54

Froyo.

Sara Wilde 38:55

I had to add froyo in there.

Julia 38:56

I will discriminate against sorbet.

Stephanie Hicks 39:01

Okay. This one I feel like I know the answer, but maybe not. Strawberries or apples? Jeff.

Jeff 39:08

Yeah, I I think I would take an apple.

Stephanie Hicks 39:10

Okay.

Julia 39:11

Strawberries.

Jeff 39:12

A good apple.

Julia 39:13

Good apples go a long way.

Stephanie Hicks 39:14

Let's define good apple.

Sara Wilde 39:16

Yeah. Is it a gala? Is it a Fuji? Is it a granny smith?

Jeff 39:20

Do you know what a good so...

Stephanie Hicks 39:22

Honey crisp.

Jeff 39:23

I 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 Hicks 39:36

Okay.

Jeff 39:36

And it was so good.

Sara Wilde 39:38

So what was that apple called though?

Jeff 39:39

So it was a gala or a honey crisp. All of those apples. Jules used to sell them.

Julia 39:43

I 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 Hicks 40:00

I 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 Wilde 40:11

I agree with this. This is why I am a weirdo and cannot eat cooked apple. The texture.

Julia 40:29

Flavor every time.

Jeff 40:32

Depends 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 Hicks 40:45

Okay. What do you prefer? A farm work in the summer or planning season in like the fall winter?

Jeff 40:55

I 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 Hicks 41:07

Okay.

Julia 41:07

I'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.

Jeff 41:24

Fail the plan. Plan to fail.

Stephanie Hicks 41:28

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

Sara Wilde 41:31

Jeff, what is one crop you would love to grow if time, land, and weather were no issue?

Jeff 41:39

Oh 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 Hicks 41:54

Okay. And Julia, what Red Barn item would you choose instead of a traditional birthday cake?

Julia 42:03

Cinnamon 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 Hicks 42:12

Are they frosted?

Julia 42:13

Oh, you can get whatever you like. We have cream cheese icing or a milk glaze.

Sara Wilde 42:17

Who would last longer after switching jobs for a day? Jeff in the bakery or Julia in the berry field?

Julia 42:24

Neither.

Jeff 42:25

Jules, what do you think?

Julia 42:26

I actually think me in the berry field. Sorry.

Jeff 42:31

I think she's right.

Julia 42:34

On 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.

Jeff 42:45

Leave.

Julia 42:46

You're scaring the customer.

Jeff 42:48

I don't think I scared her. I think she was actually happy.

Julia 42:51

We'll never know unless she listens to the Lincoln Local. Maybe she'll reach out.

Jeff 42:55

So when I...

Stephanie Hicks 42:56

Call in if you're listening.

Jeff 42:57

When 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 Wilde 43:10

Of course.

Jeff 43:11

And I want to hear it. I want to know it. Yeah. So that was uh...

Stephanie Hicks 43:15

That's what we love about doing this.

Sara Wilde 43:17

It's so true.

Stephanie Hicks 43:18

It'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 Hicks 43:32

one. 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?

Julia 43:39

I 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 Hicks 44:10

So it really is home.

Julia 44:11

Yeah, home for sure.

Jeff 44:13

Yeah, 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 Hicks 45:52

I think that was a perfect closing.

Sara Wilde 45:55

I 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?

Julia 46:05

Yeah, 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.

Jeff 46:20

And 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.

Julia 46:34

The Pick Your Own has an Instagram as well at Tigchelaarberry Farm.

Stephanie Hicks 46:40

Thank 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 Wilde 46:50

And 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 Hicks 47:00

Businesses 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 Wilde 47:15

Jeff and Julia, thank you for being a part of our Lincoln Local.

Julia 47:19

Thanks for having us.

Jeff 47:20

Thanks for having us.

Stephanie Hicks 47:21

T 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 Wilde 47:31

New episodes drop twice a month and will be shared through the town's social media channels.

Stephanie Hicks 47:35

And 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.