A mouth watering look at Kansas grown produce.
For some Midwest farmers agriculture is not about amber waves of grain, but rather the fruitful plains.
Nestled near the Kansas River just east of Topeka is a fruit farm with roots deeper than the apple trees they grow. The sole survivor of an area that once bustled with fruit and vegetable production, Rees Fruit Farm has more than 100 years of experience under their belt and is still going strong.
“As long as there have been Kansas farms, there have been Kansas orchards,” says Rex Rees who owns and operates the farm with his wife, Shannon. “It has its challenges but you just have to find a way to adapt.”
Their farm consists of roughly 5,000 fruit trees including 19 varieties of apples and 14 varieties of peaches. Cherries, grapes, tomatoes, asparagus, pumpkins, blackberries and a plethora of other fresh produce and goods can be found in the Rees Fruit Farm market.
The establishment is also home to award winning apple cider and the original Sweet Apple Cider Slush, a trademark of Rees Fruit Farm that continues to be a top seller.
How did the farm keep going through the years when other didn’t? Rex says it was a combination of things—including luck. “We’ve always had a retail market” he says. “We have a good location; close to the city but on a side that is less developed. The land isn’t so valuable that we can still afford to farm it.” Another key ingredient to success: satisfied customers. “We’re always trying new things to keep up with trends, and keep people coming back.”
Growing fruits and vegetables in the Midwest is not always easy. Like every farm, they must deal with what they’re dealt and in some years that means turbulent growing conditions. High temperatures, low temperatures, humidity, insects, disease; it’s not the most ideal place to grow—but it works. “The thing about locally grown produce is that it doesn’t look like what you get at the grocery store, but the taste is so much better,” Rex says. “Our tomatoes may not be identical and flawless, but they taste delicious and that’s what matters most.”
Consumers craving locally grown produce are seeking out fresh fruit stands and farmers markets like never before to have a taste. In 1987 (the first year markets were surveyed) Kansas was home to 26 farmers markets. Today that number has almost tripled to the current census of 80 markets statewide.
