The Hughes family has been involved in fruit farming for over 100 years.  Farmer John’s parents, Leslie and Jane Hughes, purchased this farm in 1960 when their farm in Mississauga (Dixie & Dundas) was sold for development.  They purchased the farm from the Hartley family.  The Hartley’s were fruit farmers as well and they had been here since the turn of the century.  There are many seniors in Milton with fond memories of picking fruit as a youngster on the “old Hartley farm.” 

When the Hughes family purchased the farm they grew about 50 acres of sour cherries.  They were grown, picked, and shipped to the canneries, to be sold as frozen pitted cherries.  Here on the farm, cherries were pitted downstairs in the barn until Farmer John’s Father passed away in 1968.  After their father’s passing, Farmer John and his brother found it difficult to make a living growing and selling sour cherries.  In 1971, the marketing board set the price at $0.07/lb while it cost $0.10/lb to grow and pick them. 

When John and Laura got married and moved to the farm there looked to be no future growing and selling wholesale sour cherries.  John, a graduate of Horticulture at the University of Guelph, began working in the flower industry with the Ministry of Agriculture.

In 1974 and 1975, Sarah and Amy were born and Laura left her career in social work to be with the babies.  As a summer project, Laura thought she would try to sell some of the cherries, pick-your-own.  People came and picked, but mostly they wanted to see inside the barn.  Since then we have been listening to what our customers want and we’ve gradually added.  They wanted refreshments and washrooms, so we got them.  The baking and preserves were next, then strawberries and raspberries.  All that remains of the cherry orchard are the few trees in the south-east corner of the parking lot.

We are still listening to our customers and are always prepared to adapt to their needs.  John is responsible for the farm operation of our business and Laura looks after the barn market, tours and special events.  Amy and brother Tom both work full time on the farm, sister Sarah still helps part-time on busy weekends.

Most of the knowledge about baking and preserving we have today was taught to Laura by Jane Hughes (John’s mom).  Many of the recipes we use were also hers.  Laura says everybody should have a mother-in-law like she did. Jane Hughes passed away in 1989.

The farm is open daily 9-5 from mid-April until Christmas.