Blessing Acres holds customer appreciation day
Several years ago, Blessing Acres, located at 6728 TR 362, Millersburg, built a new greenhouse and expanded its line of offerings with more annuals, perennials, houseplants, and in the fall lots of mums.
What started out as a tiny road stand packed full of organic produce is now a large-scale production that knows how to draw a crowd. On Saturday, Sept. 18, Blessing Acres celebrated its customers under cornflower blue skies.
For the once-a-year customer appreciation day, whole hog sausage sandwiches piled high with their own peppers and onions, fat slices of pumpkin and Dutch apple pie, plus glasses of apple cider were served to customers who meandered around the expanded shopping areas. A shady space was filled with picnic tables that were loaded with guests eating happily.
“It’s been very, very busy today. I’m going to be very tired tonight,” said the cashier with a laugh.
The Blessing Acres motto is “We grow what we sell.” Blessing Acres started out as a small shed that housed bins of in-season produce grown in their own gardens. Large green peppers, tomatoes, and the biggest candy onions you’ll ever see lined the bins where you dropped your money in a whale-of-a-pail ice cream container by the honor system.
Several years ago, Blessing Acres built a new greenhouse and expanded its line of offerings with more annuals, perennials, houseplants, and in the fall lots of mums and every kind of pumpkin imaginable. The produce selection has expanded to include offerings like deep green poblano peppers, eggplants, and a snippet of fresh basil or cilantro cut fresh. You might even get sent out to the garden yourself for the snipping.
Blessing Acres isn’t afraid to try new things and took a chance by removing that beloved original shed and replacing it with a large, open air multi-purpose building. Big doors open on all ends and the air moves freely amongst the tables full of produce.
While the growing season is winding down in Ohio, Blessing Acres will continue to harvest their fields of produce until they’re empty. Stacks upon stacks of pumpkins in shades of orange, green, white, and yellow are artfully displayed, while gourds, Indian corn, await perusal. Their big, healthy mums burst with color, lined up in deep rows.
The parking lot of Blessing Acres was full, as an overflow of customers were directed to park along driveways beside the stand. Armfuls of produce and pumpkins were selected by customers where they stood in a line to check out.
The September sun was warm and the crowds heavy, but smiles were joyful as customer appreciation day at Blessing Acres wound into the late hours of the afternoon. Area locals know that the best kept secret in the area is no longer a secret.
Blessing Acres is located at 6728 TR 362, Millersburg.