FAQ
Who are The Hillside Farmers?
We are Justin & Melissa Regehr. We both grew up on family farms near Linden, AB. Justin has always worked in agriculture. We were married in 2013, we have 3 young children. We are so thankful to be living in the country and are grateful for the opportunity to raise our children on our farm.
Why did you start The Hillside Farmers?
Two avenues collided - Justin was looking for opportunity, and he had a dream to produce fresh food right on our acreage and sell directly to consumers. We started from scratch with growing microgreens in our basement. We quickly outgrew what space we had and moved into a portion of our shop. After two years we outgrew that space as well and are currently working on expanding into our first greenhouse.
Do you do all the work yourselves?
Thankfully, no! We are very blessed with dedicated and invaluable employees. Jack Reimer and Yolanda Friesen both work part-time and we couldn’t do this without them. Justin has his feet on the ground in all parts of the operation, and Melissa does the paperwork and handles the orders.
Why should I purchase your lettuce over what I can find at the grocery store?
Our lettuce is as fresh as you can get lettuce! If you order directly from us, you will receive it the same day or within a day from when we cut it off the root. If you pick it up at one of the locations where we sell it, it will be less than a week fresh. It lasts long in the fridge - if it isn’t eaten by then, which it usually is, we have had it last 3-4 weeks in our fridge. Typically, supermarket lettuce is a couple weeks old by the time it hits the shelf in the store. We are enthused about providing long-lasting, fresh-tasting lettuce, straight from our farm to you.
Why should I purchase your lettuce when I can get it cheaper at the grocery store?
Our lettuce is $5.50 for a 6-8 oz head (average). We realize this is a little more than the mass-produced lettuce that is grown far away and shipped in to the supermarkets. The value we are offering at the $5.50 price point is a head of lettuce that is harvested within a day of when we drop it off at your door, tastes delicious, is so fresh it is still nutrient-dense, and will last at least 2 weeks in your fridge. (If you haven’t eaten it by then!)
What are microgreens and why should I care to eat them?
Microgreens are the tender young shoots of a vegetable, harvested at the stage when they have just developed their first true leaves. They are delicious and healthy. If you crave variety, try adding them to your diet as another way to eat nutritious food.
How do I purchase your products?
If you are located in the Three Hills, Acme, or Linden area, we would love to deliver to your door on Thursday afternoons. Place an order through our website or send us a message. We also drop off a selection of products every week at Route 304 Cattle Co. (east of Linden), AG Foods (Linden), The Farm Basket (Three Hills), The Farm Table (Carstairs), and The Uptowne Market (Olds). You are also welcome to pick up your order at our farm, located in the country between Three Hills and Linden.
Can I set up a subscription?
Absolutely! We love setting up subscriptions. Let us know what you want from our list of products, then pick weekly or bi-weekly delivery. Any week you want to add to, subtract from, or skip your order, you simply contact us by Wednesday evening. We will send you an invoice once a month following the last delivery, and you can pay by credit card or e-transfer.
Can I rather purchase whenever I want?
Absolutely. We understand life is unpredictable and you might not want a weekly supply of greens. Message us anytime to order, or visit our website to purchase. We typically restock the website every Monday or Tuesday in preparation for the following Thursday. Weekly subscription customers always receive priority on our inventory, but we always stock whatever we have available for everyone else.
Are your products only available Thursday afternoons? Why?
We have scheduled our microgreen and lettuce crops to be ready for harvest on Thursday mornings. This is to ensure that you are receiving the freshest product possible when we deliver on Thursday afternoons. If you need something on a different day, you can try one of the locations where we sell our produce, or contact us - we often have a little extra in our greenhouse fridge for you to pick up. Keep in mind, Thursday is the only day we drive the delivery route.
Why do you deliver your products? Can I pick them up at your farm? I am not always home Thursday afternoons.
We understand this! We are passionate about delivering fresh, local food right to your door, so we have set up our business this way. Lots of our customers aren’t at home when we drop off the food. You can leave delivery instructions for us when you check out through our website, or message us if you have a specific dropp-off place. You can also leave a cooler by your front door. Orders over $25 are delivered for free and orders under $25 will have a $3 delivery fee. If you prefer to pick up your order at our farm, that is an option as well. Farm pick-up orders are available Thursday afternoon and Friday. We will require upfront payment, as we will have harvested and prepared these orders especially for you. We also love working with Route 304 Cattle Co. and some of our products are available there for your convenience.
Can I visit your greenhouse?
If you are interested, we would love to show you around! We don't mind our customers seeing where we grow their produce. Contact us and we can set up a time.
Do we need to wash your produce?
Our produce is all grown indoors, under a roof, without the use of any pesticides or fungicides. The microgreens and herbs are grown in soil, the lettuce is grown hydroponically, and all are grown with all organic practices. The bracket our food falls under in the red tape of the food industry is “raw agricultural product”. We are proud to tell you that we use care in handling it, wear gloves during harvest, wash our hands upon entering the greenhouse, and we do not wear footwear in the greenhouse that has been worn on the farm. All that to say, it is not sold as a ‘ready-to-eat’ product, but we are comfortable eating it ourselves without washing it first. If you do want to wash our produce, we recommend using a salad spinner to dry it after.
What other products do you offer?
We currently work with Weeping Birch Mill, a local farm that sells freshly ground whole wheat flour. You can purchase this flour through our website. It is ground by order and we will deliver it to you within a day of being milled. We also sell and deliver farm fresh eggs for IR Stock Farm, a local farm with free-range hens. We can personally vouch for the quality of both of these farms and what they produce.