Seasonal produce at its best at Harvest Barn
When Lori and Kirk Spillman decided to open a produce market, they didn’t expect it would happen as soon as it did. “We had been thinking about it for some time and last spring we just decided, oh, let’s just do it,” said Lori Spillman. “We finally got the guts to pull the trigger on it and it has been a marathon ever since.”
Harvest Barn specializes in produce grown on-site and from various local farms. The market is located at 420 Dutch Valley Road NE at Sugarcreek. The Spillmans already owned the land and had used it to grow wheat and soybeans in years past. Currently seven acres are used for produce production, five of that for sweet corn. “This year we are just getting our feet wet and we have already realized five acres of sweet corn is not enough,” said Naomi Raber, Harvest Barn employee.
Harvest Barn opened July 20, the same day that the first crop of sweet corn was ready to be picked. “The timing couldn’t have been better. People laughed at us when we were planting our sweet corn and said we were planting too much. We didn’t know how well we would be received by the community and oh, my goodness. We have received so much support,” said Lori Spillman.
The produce market is housed in a 24-by-48 foot barn constructed locally by Weaver Barns. “It’s a barn, alright. That’s what we wanted. We have always had a love of old barns and we tried to create that feel. Eventually the wood siding will be stained,” said Lori Spillman.
A galvanized steel roof complete with a cupola stands out as visitors approach the business. Surrounded by the very fields that the produce available for sale is grown in, autumn is in the air with the sight of tomatoes ripening on the vines and pumpkins dotting the fields orange.
The use of black plastic mulch keeps weeds to a minimum and a drip irrigation system allows the Spillmans to water and fertilize as needed. “Just like any garden, we faced challenges with the cucumber beetles and had to work hard to keep ahead of the corn borers,” said Lori Spillman.
Spillman’s sons, Todd and Scott, were instrumental in getting the fields planted, along with John Raber, who is also the primary farmer who tends to daily operations.
“People want to know where their food comes from and they are willing to travel here to get it. We had an older Italian lady from the Cleveland area visit us recently. She wanted three bushels of Roma tomatoes. We hadn’t picked enough yet so we sent the boys out to the field to get more for her. While she waited her son-in-law told me how she reminisced when she saw the field of tomatoes because that’s how they grew them in Italy,” said Lori Spillman.
“She had come all the way from Cleveland after her friends from Medina had visited us and told her about us,” said Lori Spillman.
In addition to their own produce, Harvest Barn also carries produce and other items from local producers. “People are starting to understand the seasonality of food. After strawberry season had passed we found a local farmer who was growing a late variety. We couldn’t sell them. Maybe customers thought they weren’t local. We have since offered a fall strawberry variety and we sold out of them right away,” said Lori Spillman.
The future looks bright for Harvest Barn. “The produce isn’t going to be around much longer so we hope to offer gift baskets and seasonal items like Christmas trees and wreaths. We would also like to get bulk foods in like flour and other baking goods,” said Lori Spillman. They would also like to purchase a mill for grinding flour on-site.
“The barn is not heated so we will close down in the winter and reopen next spring. During the winter we will have the opportunity to regroup and see how things went this year and what changes we need to make. This business is something to grow into as we become established as a seasonal market.”
“We have already had requests from customers for certain items. We planted our own strawberries that will be ready next spring and we will be offering a white corn variety called Silver Queen next summer,” said Spillman.
“We have been fortunate to have many tourists visit us, some from as far away as Australia and Russia, but what we were really surprised with was the local support,” said Lori Spillman.
Harvest Barn specializes in produce grown on-site and from various local farms. The market is located at 420 Dutch Valley Road NE at Sugarcreek. The Spillmans already owned the land and had used it to grow wheat and soybeans in years past. Currently seven acres are used for produce production, five of that for sweet corn. “This year we are just getting our feet wet and we have already realized five acres of sweet corn is not enough,” said Naomi Raber, Harvest Barn employee.
Harvest Barn opened July 20, the same day that the first crop of sweet corn was ready to be picked. “The timing couldn’t have been better. People laughed at us when we were planting our sweet corn and said we were planting too much. We didn’t know how well we would be received by the community and oh, my goodness. We have received so much support,” said Lori Spillman.
The produce market is housed in a 24-by-48 foot barn constructed locally by Weaver Barns. “It’s a barn, alright. That’s what we wanted. We have always had a love of old barns and we tried to create that feel. Eventually the wood siding will be stained,” said Lori Spillman.
A galvanized steel roof complete with a cupola stands out as visitors approach the business. Surrounded by the very fields that the produce available for sale is grown in, autumn is in the air with the sight of tomatoes ripening on the vines and pumpkins dotting the fields orange.
The use of black plastic mulch keeps weeds to a minimum and a drip irrigation system allows the Spillmans to water and fertilize as needed. “Just like any garden, we faced challenges with the cucumber beetles and had to work hard to keep ahead of the corn borers,” said Lori Spillman.
Spillman’s sons, Todd and Scott, were instrumental in getting the fields planted, along with John Raber, who is also the primary farmer who tends to daily operations.
“People want to know where their food comes from and they are willing to travel here to get it. We had an older Italian lady from the Cleveland area visit us recently. She wanted three bushels of Roma tomatoes. We hadn’t picked enough yet so we sent the boys out to the field to get more for her. While she waited her son-in-law told me how she reminisced when she saw the field of tomatoes because that’s how they grew them in Italy,” said Lori Spillman.
“She had come all the way from Cleveland after her friends from Medina had visited us and told her about us,” said Lori Spillman.
In addition to their own produce, Harvest Barn also carries produce and other items from local producers. “People are starting to understand the seasonality of food. After strawberry season had passed we found a local farmer who was growing a late variety. We couldn’t sell them. Maybe customers thought they weren’t local. We have since offered a fall strawberry variety and we sold out of them right away,” said Lori Spillman.
The future looks bright for Harvest Barn. “The produce isn’t going to be around much longer so we hope to offer gift baskets and seasonal items like Christmas trees and wreaths. We would also like to get bulk foods in like flour and other baking goods,” said Lori Spillman. They would also like to purchase a mill for grinding flour on-site.
“The barn is not heated so we will close down in the winter and reopen next spring. During the winter we will have the opportunity to regroup and see how things went this year and what changes we need to make. This business is something to grow into as we become established as a seasonal market.”
“We have already had requests from customers for certain items. We planted our own strawberries that will be ready next spring and we will be offering a white corn variety called Silver Queen next summer,” said Spillman.
“We have been fortunate to have many tourists visit us, some from as far away as Australia and Russia, but what we were really surprised with was the local support,” said Lori Spillman.
Published: September 14, 2011
