ERIE JAMES LTD. (SUNSATION ARES INC).
Owners Mark and Jim Slater (also owners of Sunsation Acres Inc.) are proud of their long and vibrant history of helping local farmers market their products, and have become a 3 generation strong, family operated business. The Slater Family are proud grower of local, Ontario greenhouse tomatoes from Leamington, Ontario.
Leamington Fun Facts:
- Leamington was, for many years, the home of the Heinz ketchup factory, however, now the tomatoes from this area are made into delicious French’s Ketchup.
- Leamington is the Tomato Capital of Canada as it’s produces half of the tomatoes in Canada.
- The Leamington area has the mild climate and fertile soil which combine makes it a perfect place for growing hundreds of fields of tomatoes as well.
- Each August, the town celebrates the Tomato Harvest by holding a Tomato Festival each August where there are Car shows, beauty pageants, parades, and a fair – something for everybody!
Every item they grow at packs a nutritious and delicious punch, making healthful eating choices for children easy and fun for the whole family. From our Cool CukesTM mini seedless cucumbers to our bite-size, sweet grape tomatoes, our greenhouse products are naturally grown, easy to prepare, perfect for snacking, and extremely popular in school lunches and children’s snack programs.
Consistent quality is one of the reasons for their longstanding success. They achieve exceptional quality through their climate-controlled, state-of-the-art greenhouses that provide an excellent growing environment. They grow hydroponic vegetables in a virtually organic environment with the application of biological pest controls. Essentially, they use “good bugs” to eat the “bad bugs” or eliminate pests.They hand pick their produce off the vine once matured to attain the best flavour.
To learn more about Erie James and the Slater Family visit their website.
Click here to watch a video to learn about how greenhouse tomatoes are grown at the Mastronardi Produce (the largest tomato grower in North America) also located in Leamington, Ontario.
Tomato Fun Facts:
- Even though we have frosty winters, we can grow tomatoes in Ontario for 10 months of the year, thanks to greenhouses. Once spring hits we can start growing delicious Ontario field tomatoes. Maybe you even grow some yourself?
- A fine star-shaped marking on the bottom of a greenhouse tomato will tell you that the tomato has already begun its final ripening process and is a good one to select.
- Nutrition: Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamin C and a source of Vitamin A, folacin and potassium.
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