Taste the quality of locally grown, farm fresh vegetables and fruits

Discover Nature’s Bounty at Mike’s Garden Harvest Farm Store!

Discriminating consumers willing to invest their grocery dollars on higher end goods are always looking for “fresh” goods for their grocery table.  The problem is that many retailers use the word “fresh” without any clear and verified standard of what that means.  Large grocery chains, for example, claim to sell fresh goods that in truth have spent a great deal of time in transit from the areas in which they were harvested. This could mean a long trip from California, Mexico, or Brazil depending on the product and the season, with more time spent in storage prior to making their way to local grocery shelves.

‘Farm fresh’, on the other hand, is a measure of quality being championed every day at Mike’s Garden Harvest, a local retailer committed to providing consumers with the absolute freshest locally grown and sourced vegetables, fruits, and other artisanal products.

“We’re more of a farm fresh stand than a big retail outlet,” said Mike Milsom, owner of Mike’s Garden Harvest. “I draw from many local farms to fill out our shelves. The vision for our retail outlet is to offer a collection of unique harder to find local products.”

People craving farm-to-table freshness and quality that only locally sourced organic produce can offer need look no further than Mike’s Garden Harvest, a specialty retailer that believes in the importance of supporting the local community and the skilled local farmers who understand the significance of sustainable agriculture practices.  Mike’s Garden Harvest also grows an abundance of goods at its urban farm located at 436 River Road,  relying on naturally enriched soil beds rather than chemicals and artificial fertilizers.  This provides a yield that offers a niche selection of farm fresh goods along with products from other area farmers and food producers – companies like Nat’s Bakery, County Bounty Juices, mushrooms cultivated locally or harvested in the wild.

“I’m an avid believer that everything sold at our location be extremely fresh,” said Milsom.  “If I bring something in that’s on our store shelf for one or two days and it doesn’t sell, it either gets donated to the local food bank we partner with or I send it to compost.”

Through the location’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, Milsom has built a network that connects  farmers and consumers in a mutually beneficial relationship centred on the distribution of farm fresh goods. Given the realities of local growing seasons, product availability varies depending on the time of year. For example, throughout late June and early July, Mike’s is the go-to location for farm-fresh strawberries, radishes, cut greens, spring onions, and early summer greens.  With August approaching, Milsom has arrangements with growers in Niagara to provide top quality hand-picked peaches.

“We have a relationship with a grower in Niagara Falls that makes a run to Ottawa specifically for us,” said Milsom. “The flats of peaches have been harvested the day before and delivered immediately to us. We comb over those peaches to ensure there are six perfect peaches in every pack. I really try to keep the quality at the highest end because our customer based wants quality organic veggies delivered to their door.”

August and early September right through Thanksgiving is the most bountiful harvest time, which means it’s also the best time to enjoy the widest possible selection of products at Mike’s Garden Harvest.

Mike’s is  nestled on the banks of the beautiful Rideau River, in-line with the Ottawa International Airport, just north of Leitrim Road. Customers can visit the store Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 2 to 6PM, Saturdays from 9AM to 4PM and Sundays from Noon to 4PM.

For more information visit https://www.mikesgardenharvest.com/.

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