Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions

What locations does River Bell Deliver to?

We offer delivery to convenient depot locations for only a one dollar and fifty cent fee. Our depot locations are:

1. Blenheim

2. Chatham - The Dutch Market

3. Corunna

4. Courtright

5. Petrolia

6. Port Lambton

7. Ridgetown

8. Sarnia

9. Thamesville

10. Wallaceburg

11. Wyoming

9. Pick-up at our Dresden farm for free!

Can you deliver right to my door?

Yes! For only $4, we will deliver right to your door**!

A more thrifty option is Farm Pickup in Dresden (free) or choosing the closest of our many pickup locations scattered all about Chatham-Kent (fee is $1.50)

**Note: This offer currently extends to residents of Chatham or Wallaceburg only

What payment options do you accept?

At River Bell, we allow our customers a variety of payment options. You can pay by:

1.Buying Farm Credit* (and get the Preferred Customer Benefit**)

2. Visa

3. E-transfers - sent to “email@riverbell.ca”

4. Cheque - made out to Joseph Grootenboer

* Buy $300 farm credit with e-transfer, debit at the farm, or cheque.

** Preferred customers receive an extra $10 of store credit for every $300 spent, as well as 1 day advance purchasing privilege from our on farm inventory!

What types of fruits and vegetables do you grow?

We grow a wide variety of produce - over 30 different types of fruits and vegetables! Naturally, the availability is quite dependent on the season; however, our greenhouses allow us to extend the season of popular options, such as lettuce greens, and green onions.

Call or see our online store for a full list of what's available at any given time!

**For those who are curious, and want to see an exhaustive list of all our products, the list can be found in question 12.

What day is the box delivered?

We deliver our boxes every Thursday afternoon from April to Christmas, and every other Thursday afternoon between January and March.

- Farm pickup is usually available by 11am, and we keep the lights on for pickup until 9pm.

- We have depot deliveries completed between noon and 2pm and are available until store closing.

- Home deliveries happen between noon and 4pm

What do I do with the bin?

You can choose to do any of the following options:

1. Take you food home in your personal bag and leave the box at the depot.

2. Take the bin home with you and return it when you pick up the next box (please try not to forget!).

3. For home delivery, simply leave the empty box in the location we delivered it to you and we will exchange it with your full box on the next delivery date.

*Please make sure your box is wiped clean and dry when returning it.

Is your produce certified organic?

Yes! All of our fruits, vegetables, and herbs are 100% Certified Organic.

Are your animal products certified organic?

No. Our animal products are not currently certified organic, and here is why:

We choose to support our Chatham-Kent community by sourcing our young stock of steers and laying hens from local farmers, and having local butchers and cutting facilities process our meat. Unfortunately, the cutting facilities and sourcing farmers do not have organic certification; therefore these products do not qualify as certified organic.

Our Farming Practices

Our beef animals are pastured rotationally in the warmer months, and, in the winter, they are fed hay and roots (turnips, beets and carrots). We do not use any grains for our bovines.

Our chickens and turkeys are all fed a certified organic ration of milled grains with minerals balanced for their nutritional requirements. They are pastured during the warmer months, and are spaciously sheltered in a bright hoop-house coop during the winter.

What if I forget a pickup on Thursday, or cannot make it until a day or two later?

That's ok! It is possible to pick your box up a day or two late; however, all boxes will be removed by Saturday.

*Please note that the longer your box waits for you, the less fresh it will be. Also, we ask that you be courteous to our depots and retrieve your boxes promptly, as spoiling vegetables and lingering boxes do little to enhance the depots' atmosphere.

**If you are picking up your box from the Dresden farm, we are able to keep the boxes in our cooler, so they have a better chance at maintaining freshness.

What if I'm not happy with something in my Organic Box?

Please do not hesitate to send us an email! (email@riverbell.ca)

Feedback from members about the quality of the produce assists us in providing a better box to each of our valued customers.

Please keep in mind, however, that organic fruit and vegetables, by their very nature, are generally not uniform in shape and colour. Our priorities are taste, nutrition, and freshness before uniformity and appearance. Fresh produce also requires refrigeration to keep from spoiling quickly.

May I see an exhaustive list of the fruits and vegetables River Bell produces?

Sure! (Please keep in mind that many of these are availiable seasonally)

ORGANIC VEGETABLES

- Asparagus

- Beans (Fresh, Green)

- Beets

- Broccoli

- Cabbage

- Carrots

- Celery

- Cucumber

- Eggplant

- Ginger

- Leeks

- Lettuce

- Parsnips

- Pea Tendrils

- Peppers

- Pumpkins

- Radish

- Rutabaga

- Shallots

- Spinach

- Squash, Butternut + Various

- Sweet Corn

- Sweet Onions

- Swiss Chard

- Tomatoes

- Turnips

- Zucchini

ORGANIC FRESH HERBS

Basil

Chives

Cilantro

Dill

Garlic Greens

Green Onions

Oregano

Parsley

Rosemary

Thyme

ORGANIC FRUITS

Apples

Grapes

Peaches

Pears

Watermelon

PASTURED ANIMAL PRODUCTS

- Eggs

- Chickens (broiler)

- Grass-fed Beef (various cuts)

- Turkeys

Other organic products that we do not grow, but source as locally as

possible:

- Blueberries

- Brussels Sprouts

- Cauliflower

- Cooking Onions

- Garlic

- Sweet Potatoes

- Potatoes

*We also buy from Pfennings on things we grow when we are out of season.*

*All the retail fruits and vegetables are certified organic.

I am a resturant owner or chef, do you have wholesale options?

Yes!

Please Contact us via email (email@riverbell.ca), or by phone (226-881-1053).

Did you say something about incentives to pay ahead?

UNDER CONSTRUCTION - We will soon be offering the system described below, but are waiting anxiously for some software upgrades. Stay tuned!

Yes! By paying upfront with cheque (to "Joseph Grootenboer") or e-transfer (to email@riverbell.ca), you can get additional store credit! For every $300 you pay ahead we will give you an extra $10 of store credit on your account.

Otherwise you can pay by e-transfer or credit card (through your account online) anytime, terms on orders are Net 30 days (i.e due on delivery day). Thanks!