TIM ROOK, LEN ROOK AND PHIL ROOK.
F
or more than 80 years, Peak of the Market has connected Canadian families with the farmers who feed them. The model is simple but powerful: growers focus on what they do best, cultivating high- quality vegetables, while Peak of the Market provides the marketing, distribution and reach that ensures these crops make their way from farm fields to grocery stores, restaurants and family tables. It’s a relationship that has allowed many small independent farms to thrive while ensuring Canadians have access to produce that is local, fresh and proudly homegrown. Among the growers who make up the Peak family is Dufferin Market Gardens, a farm whose story beautifully weaves together tradition, family and innovation.
The story began in 1989 when Edith Rook — a stay-at-home mom of seven — started selling vegetables at the Carman farmers' market. While Edith tended the market stand, her husband Len and their children worked the half-acre plot after school and work, nurturing both the land and the dream of something bigger. Over the years, the farm gradually expanded, adding acres and greenhouses, and in 1995 the Rooks began supplying kale to Peak of the Market. That first crop opened the door to new opportunities, and soon their fields were filled with cabbage, cucumbers, peppers, jalapeños, kohlrabi and zucchini. What started as a modest venture has grown into a 132-acre farm now led by the next generation, sons Phil and Tim. After time away gaining
experience in mechanics, computer science and construction, they returned home to carry the family legacy forward — bringing new skills, innovation and a focus on sustainability. Their ability to design and adapt specialized equipment helps make farming more efficient while caring for the environment that sustains them. Walking their fields in midsummer, you’ll find cucumbers glistening with morning dew, zucchini stretching beneath broad leaves and peppers shifting colour under the prairie sun. It’s a living picture of what local farming represents: resilience, dedication and a deep respect for the land — values that reflect the very heart of Peak of the Market’s mission to bring fresh, quality vegetables to tables across Canada.
SAVOUR MANITOBA | FALL 25 9
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