Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
We offer delivery to convenient depot locations for only a one dollar and fifty cent fee. Our depot locations are:
1. Blenheim
2. Chatham - 48 Stanley (central) 265 Oxley (north) and 57 Saugeen (south)
3. Port Lambton
4. Ridgetown
5. Thamesville
6. Wallaceburg
OR
7. Pick-up at our Dresden farm for free!
Yes! For only $5, 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 $1.75)
**Note: This offer currently extends to residents of Chatham or Wallaceburg only
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 River Bell Market Garden.
* 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!
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.
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
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.
Yes! All of our fruits, vegetables, and herbs are 100% Certified Organic.
No. Our meat and eggs 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.
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.
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.
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
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Parsnips
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Pumpkins
- Radish
- Rutabaga
- Shallots
- Spinach
- Squash, Butternut + Various
- Sweet Corn
- Sweet Onions
- Red and Yellow Onions
- Swiss Chard
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
- Zucchini
ORGANIC FRESH HERBS
Basil
Chives
Cilantro
Dill
Garlic Greens
Green Onions
Oregano
Parsley
Rosemary
Thyme
Ginger
Turmeric
ORGANIC FRUITS
Apples
Peaches
Pears
PASTURED ANIMAL PRODUCTS
- Eggs
- Chickens (broiler)
- Grass-fed Beef (various cuts)
Other organic products that we do not grow, but source as locally as
possible:
- Blueberries
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Watermelon
- Garlic
- Sweet Potatoes
*We also buy from Pfennings on tropical imports and things we grow when we are out of season. (all organic)* These include bananas, oranges, grapefruit, apples, mangos, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, kiwi, cucumbers, and peppers and more.
*All the retail fruits and vegetables are certified organic.
Yes!
Please Contact us via email (email@riverbell.ca), or by phone (226-881-1053).
Still Have Some Questions?
Feel Free to Contact Us!
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Come Visit Us!
We no longer operate a farm stand, but if you would like to see the farm and ask questions in person,
we'd love to schedule an appointment with you! Give us a call!
559 Sydenham Street
Dresden ON
N0P 1M0
Phone: 226-881-1053