Morrison’s Pumpkin Farm leaves a legacy for generations to come
by Emily Worts
photography by Doug Burlock
It’s the perfect Thanksgiving backdrop: wooden wagons and trailers laden with dozens of varieties of squash in all the fall colours, fields dotted with white and orange pumpkins ranging in size from ‘baby-boos’ to monsters of epic proportions, and tranquil arrangements of golden straw bales, ornamental purple corn and strange but beautiful gourds.
Morrison’s Pumpkin Farm is an integral stop on the fall harvest farm- gate tour. Located on Hwy. 124 just south of Collingwood, it is one of several properties that dot the highway heading south into Duntroon, selling everything our area has to offer in autumn. Southbound cars are often lined up to make the left-hand turn onto the farm property, making Morrison’s one of the busiest stops, and with good reason.
Jo-Anne and Murray Morrison had always dreamed about farming. In 1985, the couple found and purchased this ideal spot with the Pretty River running through the back of the property, and began their farming family and lifestyle. At the time, the 175 acres had been divided into almost 100 lots and was slotted for development, but it was the Morrisons’ vision to return the land to its full potential as a mixed farm of strawberries and cash crops including wheat, corn and soy beans. Their pick-your-own berry patch quickly became a local institution and ran for 25 successful years, but 11 years ago the Morrisons decided it was time to put their berry baskets away.
“Our backs were getting sore, the kids were away and the strawberries weren’t doing that well,” says Jo-Anne. “It was time to try something else.”
The Morrisons’ three children, Ashley, Blake and Scott, have long since left the family home but it was their labour, along with that of other village kids, the Morrisons depended on to get the berries picked in time.
“Today you see a lot of off-shore labour. We used local labour and that was one of the challenges,” Murray jokes about the antics of his kids and their friends in the berry patch. “We have a lot of good stories.”
“They were an integral part of our workforce,” says Jo-Anne. “All farm kids have to help on the farm, so they grew up with that work ethic. Our kids definitely carried that work ethic into adulthood. They stay with something until it’s finished and they’re not afraid of hard work.”
Despite the family’s efforts, like any crop, berries need to be rotated and although the farm has plenty of acreage, much of it is on the other side of the Pretty River.
“All the kids were going away for university, the fields were getting tired from strawberries and the only land we could move them to was at the back of the property, across the Pretty River,” says Murray. Adds Jo-Anne, “We looked into building a bridge, but the cost was astronomical.”
Over a decade later, people still call asking when the berries will be ready, but for the most part the farm’s new identity has taken a strong hold. The farm has switched in focus and name to Morrison’s Pumpkin Farm and locals and visitors alike know exactly what you’re talking about when you mention the farm on Hwy. 124; it has become a favourite fall stop for Thanksgiving dinners and Halloween décor alike.
“We kind of got into pumpkins by accident,” recalls Jo-Anne. “The kids did a bit of production to make a little extra cash. Each of them had a section to plant pumpkins.” The three Morrison kids were so successful growing squash and pumpkins that their parents slowly devoted more and more acreage to the fall harvest to supplement their summer berry patch.
“The business had grown enough when we went out of berries that we could concentrate on fall produce and decorations,” explains Murray. “People can eat healthy and decorate their homes; the two go together.”
The Morrisons now grow up to 23 varieties of squash in their fields. They make sure to plant staples like butternut, acorn and buttercup squash, but they also prioritize growing “weird and wonderful” varieties like honeynut, sweet lightening and celebration.
“What we like to do is find varieties not in the grocery store,” says Jo-Anne. “We are always trying to get people to try new varieties that they don’t have the opportunity to try if they’re just shopping at the store.”
The Morrisons label every variety of squash on display with little cards describing the texture, flavour and cooking suggestions for each.
One of Jo-Anne’s favourites is called Mashed Potato. It is a squash that, when cooked and whipped with all the traditional ingredients of mashed potatoes, tastes just like its namesake.
The couple both worked off-farm for much of their lives, but now in retirement have reaffirmed their love of farming and their passion for the land. Recently the family had an agricultural easement placed on the land in conjunction with the Ontario Farmland Trust. This means 173.6 acres of the 220 they have acquired over the years are protected from development forever. “And if for some reason it can’t be farmed,” says Murray, “it has to remain green space.”
One would think this would be a hard decision to make. With major residential development slowly encroaching on their land, the Morrisons’ acreage could someday provide a healthy inheritance for their children and grandchildren. But when asked if it was a difficult choice, their answer is quick and straightforward.
“If you’re passionate about something, it makes the decision easier. And we’re passionate,” says Murray. “We are passionate about agriculture and farming. Some of the best land is being taken up for urban development, and we don’t think that’s the best approach. Good farmland should remain farmland.”
The couple says their kids have been supportive, but ultimately it was Jo-Anne and Murray’s decision to make. Their hope is to keep the farm in the family. With their daughter Ashley DiFruscia just starting a lavender farm on the next sideroad over, and their son Blake showing an interest in returning to his roots, their dream might just become a reality.
With both Murray and Jo-Anne now retired, their main focus is the farm. Their season is an intense one from May to November, and in the off months the Morrisons ski, curl and have recently begun volunteering overseas helping local farmers with their vegetable growing.
“It was a very positive experience,” says Murray of his two weeks in Vietnam. “It will be an ongoing thing if the opportunity comes up.”
Back home in the fields, Ashley has begun planting chrysanthemums on her parents’ property and has added several varieties to the farm gate’s fall décor collection. Her five-year-old daughter Payton, the next generation of Morrisons, is already calling herself a farmer and her three-year-old son Jonas is always following his grandparents around the farm, mimicking their movements and participating in whatever way he can.
It’s always amazing to see the colourful bounty lining Hwy. 124, and sometimes hard to believe it can all be grown in one spot, but the Morrisons pride themselves on growing everything you see for sale. The majority is grown and harvested in the back, out of sight to the visitors and shoppers who stop by daily to buy food and décor, and to snap pictures amongst the pumpkins and gourds the farm has become known for.
The Morrisons have created a legacy for the land they farm, for their children and grandchildren, for the hundreds of people who visit during each fall season, and for generations to come. ❧
