Food fresh from the farm is on sale at Bruce-Huron Auction

   There’s a unique experience for lovers of fresh, local food at the Bruce-Huron Produce Auction, at 733 Kairshea Avenue, north-east of Lucknow.

   The auction is owned and operated by members of the local farming community, many of them Old Order Mennonites. The goal is to increase family farm revenue by encouraging local farmers to diversify into higher-value crops like seasonal fruit and produce. By working together to offer their produce in one place, the growers can attract retailers, restauranteurs and wholesalers to come to the growers, especially important for the local Mennonite population. 

   Auctions are held Wednesdays at 3 p.m. from May through October. In early season produce for sale includes things like hanging baskets and plants for transplanting into your garden, rhubarb, strawberries, asparagus and lettuce.

   In mid-season in July and August the selection is amazing with fruits from strawberries and raspberries to watermelon and cantaloupe, vegetables including luscious tomatoes just picked, sweet corn, green and yellow beans, potatoes and even cut flowers.

   In September and October, you’ll find apples, squash, pumpkins, gourds, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon and onions.

   While the fruits and vegetables are often assembled into lots large enough for commercial buyers, there are often smaller lots for consumers. You’ll need a buyer’s number to bid.

   To find Bruce-Huron Produce Auction travel north on Bruce County Rd. 1 from the centre of Lucknow. Go three concession roads north and turn east (right) on Kairshea Avenue. You’ll see lots of Mennonite farms along the road. Please don’t take photos of the Mennonites either on their farms or at the auction.