The Rural Voice, 2019-09, Page 6The Editor,
We can identify with the article by
Keith Roulston in the August issue of
The Rural Voice on his vivid
memories “way back when” in the
pickle patch.
When dad bought his farm in
McKillop Township in the 1960s, he
was a new immigrant from Holland,
with no money in his pockets. He
also took the opportunity to grow
pickles for Bicks. Keith talked about
the OPPMB, and dad also had pigs in
those lean years – about 50 sows. We
sold the weaners in Brussels at the
stockyards. I remember the herd
getting “bullnose” and then we
couldn’t sell them.
Dad dabbled with cucumbers for a
number of years and the first year he
said if we made over $2,000, the
balance would go to buying bicycles
for the three boys. Well, we worked
hard, indeed. Every day. Rain or
shine. As the new school year
approached the picking took place
after school, then chores. Well, when
the first killing frost hit in mid-
September we were so relieved that
we did not care if bikes were in the
cards or not.
One day we came home from
school and there were three gold-
coloured Supercycles sitting there for
us which dad had picked up at
Canadian Tire store.
The pig situation had not improved
significantly so the next year the
cucumber acreage was bumped up to
five acres. We never picked on
Sunday so on Saturday the whole
patch had to be picked. I remember
Opa and Oma were over from
Holland and we picked 75 big feed
bags of cucumbers. We were done on
time to get them to the grading
station in Dublin. Leaving them until
Monday would have meant
significant weight loss. The trip to
Dublin was kinda neat for us boys as
we would run over to Mrs. Coville’s
house and she would give us a pop.
She was the strictest teacher we ever
had but she loved her students and
we loved her.
Anyway determination paid off
and farming in Canada was, and is, a
real blessing for our family.
Good article Keith! ◊
– Will Reinink, Wingham, ON
Memories of the
pickle patch
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