Giffen family makes tough decision to close market
An integral part of the Glen Huron community for more than 85 years, the doors at Giffen’s Farm Market will not re-open.
The decision was announced on Facebook on Sept. 26: “To all our dear supporters, past and present – It is with a very heavy heart that the family has decided to close Giffen’s Country Market. It was a very difficult decision, knowing the joy our little marketbrought to the community, especially the amazing butter tarts and pies.”
The market has been closed since the tragic death of Michael Giffen, when a building collapsed last February.
The accident was the latest tragedy to befall the family. Grandfather Frank died in a farm accident in 1976. Then another accident claimed the life of his son Bob Giffen in 2021.
“After we lost my father, Michael and his wife pretty much took over the business. With him gone, we made the difficult decision not to reopen,” said Lori Pitcher, Michael’s sister. “At this point, we don’t know whether the property will be sold. It’s really up in the air and we haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”
Frank and Eileen Giffen, Pitcher’s grandparents, purchased the 85-acre property in Glen Huron in 1939. The microclimate was ideal for growing several apple varieties. They sold their apples at the door, and started delivering to local stores.
In the 1950s, they added cold storage and an expanded packing facility, and then expanded again in 1981. By that point, they had storage for up to 36,000 bushels of fruit, mostly from the family orchards.
Pitcher, who now lives in the Kitchener area has fond memories of growing up in Glen Huron, in a house just a few steps down from the store.
“I started working there when I was 12 or 13, mostly doing cash, and sometimes helping Gramms with the baking,” she recalls. “You had to be
spot on with the quality control for Gramms to let you help.”
Legend has it that Gramm Giffen’s butter tart recipe had been passed down through the family for nearly 200 years.
The first critical step in the process, a member of the Giffen family once told The Echo, is the pastry. Too thick and it’s no good. Too thin and it falls apart. When it comes to the filling, it’s a perfect balance of runny and thick, oozy but not too runny, and with a silky,never granular texture. Each batch included 32 eggs and four pounds of butter.
In 2019, the Giffen’s butter tarts, made from Gramm’s secret recipe, won first place at the Royal Winter Fair, confirming what local connoisseurs had long known. They really were the best tarts around.
“My aunts Pat and Fran have copies of Gramm’s recipe, as does my sister-in-law Kim. So far, there are no bakers in the next generation. What will eventually become of the recipe is a question for the family, for sure,” said Pitcher.
Contributed photo: Gramm Giffen working in the kitchen at Giffen’s Country Market in Glen Huron.
