Ritter Farm
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Chuck Denney
If it grows in the ground and you can eat it, chances are you’ll find it here. Ritter Farms of Rutledge sells just about every kind of produce you can imagine. Some is shipped in, but most is grown right here on this 500-acre farm. Jack Ritter has been farming nearly four decades.
Jack Ritter
“We grow sweet corn. We grow about ten different kinds of green beans. We grow onions. We have an outstanding onion here. It’s a big, sweet onion that’s adapted to this climate here in east Tennessee.”
Chuck Denney
Add to that list plump strawberries - harvested in mid-spring. Jack Ritter says the berries and everything grown here benefits from rich Grainger County dirt. Fertile soil equates to good-tasting food.
Jack Ritter
“The nutrients are good - especially the breakdown of limestone rock in this area.”
Chuck Denney
Nothing says healthy eating like fresh fruits and vegetables. This operation prides itself on the fact that you can buy produce here the same day it was harvested.”
Dr. Bill Morris
“It’s picked today and it’s ready to be eaten today. So I mean that’s a big advantage to someone like Mr. Ritter to have produce and products that’s absolutely fresh out of the field.”
Chuck Denney
Dr. Bill Morris with UT Extension has worked with the Ritters for several years to make sure their products meet all food safety requirements.
Dr. Bill Morris
“They went about it the right way. They talked to us, talked to inspectors, put in good equipment, good facilities - something that’s going to be easily maintained.”
Chuck Denney
Grainger County is best known for its tomatoes, a speciality here on this farm. But Jack Ritter says he can no longer afford to farm only in the warm season months. Production and transportation costs prompted him to start growing tomatoes year ‘round in greenhouses. Greenhouse tomato production has increased tremendously in recent times, and Ritter says it’s just a smart way for him to do business.
Jack Ritter
“Those tomatoes have basically the same taste as the ones growing in the field. We grow them the same way, and we grow the same varieties basically too. They do have the Grainger County taste.”
Chuck Denney
It’s been a challenging spring weather-wise for the Ritter operation with unexpected cold temperatures and windy storms. But in coming weeks, there will be produce here for people to buy - grown in the fields and indoors.
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NOTE: Nearly 40% of all tomatoes sold in US retail stores were grown in greenhouses. That’s up significantly in the past decade.
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