In my eternal quest to feed my family fresher and better food, my search for fresh corn stops at Sweet Ridge Farms, Toronto, Canada, located at the extreme north-east corner of Toronto, 8327 Steeles East and Beare Road, just east of the Pickering Town Line. 12 corn for $5. Open every day except Sunday.

While on the weekends the farm does dispatch a small fleet of pickup trucks to Birchmount/Sheppard, Sheppard/Morningside, and I am sure there are other locations, The best selection of corn is available only at the farm.

It is but by accident that I found the farm a couple of years ago. Surprising to me, because while the farm is actually quite large, their roadside sign is exceedingly small. How small? 3′ x 2′ small, which is too small to notice as you happily travel 60 kph along Steeles Avenue East. Obviously marketing is not their strong point. Not that I initially saw their sign, I did see their hut and the cars from their customers. The farmer pointed out the sign when I asked them if they sold corn and if he worked on a farm! I am sure he thought I was daft, but the obvious was not so apparent. No matter, because they do make up for it in honesty and the sweetness of their corn.

This Sweet Ridge Farm corn is sweet. Unlike big box grocer corn it is fresh and flavourful.

I do not meet any farmers near my suburban Toronto home, so it is a treat to meet the people that grow what you feed your kids and yourself. The owner and his wife are Mennonite and very down to earth. The Toronto Star article says their names are Dale and Lois Reesor. I guess I should ask them. I’ve talked to them both individually about putting a larger sign up to advertise their corn, but they simply laugh. They need not grow any more than necessary, they say.

Only one sign I have advised them. One very large sign, on the corner of Beare Road and Steeles Avenue East, where they sell their corn. Right beside their little hut. Large enough to attract attention and to compete with the cacaphony that is their northern neighbour, Wittimore Farm. You see, as one travels on Steeles Avenue, your attention is directed to the multi-building, large parking lot, farming playground and traffic police, so as you rubber neck to the north, you can easily miss the Sweet Ridge Farm hut to the south.

For those that already know, and that’s a lot of people, the stream of cars that stop at this small corner is constant, all looking for sweet corn. Do not expect a paved parking lot, oh no. The corner hut has a smallish drive of crushed gravel, surrounded by grass and the odd deep mud puddle, deep due to the constant pounding by regular customers.

At the door of the hut is a simple table of corn. Usually in front there is the farm pickup truck with a trailer of freshly picked corn. Today I picked corn right off the stalk. How much fresher do you want? Did you bring your mud boots to accompany the farmer to the field? I surely jest. Corn fresh off the stalk is fresh enough for me, and surely beats prepackaged corn from your local big box grocer. I can tell from the taste and so can my kids.

The hut is closed on Sundays, with no other hours marked on their “hours of operation” sign for the rest of the days of the week. This means, to me, that they are there when they can, which is usually every time I’ve been up to buy corn, barring Sundays. They sell 12 corn for $5, or 6 corn for $3. Why would you buy only 6 corn is beyond me. There’s no fancy credit card or debit transactions here, as there’s also no electricity. You pay cash.

P.S. In a random conversation with the Dale I mentioned that I was looking to buy pie, but the pies at Wittimore did not look fresh. He recommended Mary’s Good Eats pies, which was close by. It is south of Steeles East on the Pickering Town Line, and just north of Old Finch Avenue. My family loves her pies.

Here is a Toronto Star article on Sweet Ridge Farms I found today. It’s interesting reading.

Sweet Ridge Farms sells sweet corn. My kids love it.

Disadvantages include signs only in Chinese, an intimidating variety of new fruits and vegetables, and often a sad lack of cleaning. No matter, you’re shopping there, not eating off the floor. Traffic in and out of your Chinese grocer can be harrowing at best and dangerous at worst. Many Chinese in my area can’t negotiate the parking lot safely, so stay alert and expect odd movements, such as driving on the left side of the road. Oops, I forgot we’re not in HK.

Very often I see non-Asian shoppers at our local stores, so if you have not tried your local Chinese green grocery, I encourage you to pop in. you might actually like it, eat better, and save money as well. If you don’t know where to go in your local area, make friends with your Asian neighbours and ask them where they shop. The locals know, and if the locals are dissatisfied, they’ll vote with their feet and take their business elsewhere.