It’s not every day you meet the “Rhubarb King.”

Sanderson Gardens’ owner Jan Sanderson (in his infamous overalls) invited 605 onto his 40 acres of farmland in Aurora just east of Brookings.

“When I first moved here, I was five miles out of town,” said Jan. “Now I’m three and a half, so Brookings is going to be in my backyard here pretty quick. I consider myself a Brookings resident.”

For decades, people have been coming to the familyowned business for crops like strawberries, pumpkins and gourds, raspberries, aronia berries, asparagus, horseradish, and—you guessed it—rhubarb.

Jan had us load up into a tractor-pulled wagon alongside his sons, Noah and Jake, his daughter in law, Alex, and some of his grandchildren. The brothers were sporting the company’s newest embroidered sweatshirt merch that his wife had recently designed.

As we began moseying through the fields, Jan hopped over the side and whipped up a large piece of rhubarb.

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MODEL BEHAVIOR

Jake used to model in New York and now is the Sanderson Gardens in house merch model.

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“It’s the biggest rhubarb you’ll ever see,” he said. “I mean, bigger than Alaska’s rhubarb.”

Jan started farming in 1977 and was in his 48th year when he gave us the tour.

“When I started, it was totally different,” he said. “I tried to grow everything, and I brought produce to farmers’ markets—I had seven Walmarts, all the Hy-Vees, Randalls, Sunshine Foods, and I was delivering all over the place.”

About 15 years ago, the entrepreneur was getting worn out, so he stopped what he was doing and re-imagined his business. The commercial garden became a “u-pick” model where patrons come right to the fields to pick the products themselves (pre-picked items are also available).

“Now I never leave the farm. Everybody comes here,” said Jan. “When we first started strawberries, it was just old farm wives filling their freezers, and now it’s a lot of families and young kids, and so it’s changed. Everything’s changed.”

“I went to the University of Iowa on a wrestling scholarship, and I thought that was the hardest thing a person could ever do…until I tried to grow strawberries in South Dakota. That’s harder than wrestling in Iowa.”

JAN SANDERSON

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‘TIS THE SEASON

See what’s “growing on” at Sanderson Gardens. For the latest updates, check out their Facebook page.

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In season, Sanderson Gardens is open seven days a week, sunup to sundown. Guests are encouraged to bring their own containers (they suggest ice cream pails) and cash or checks for purchases.

Different crops are available at different times: horseradish March through May, rhubarb and asparagus May through June, strawberries June through July, raspberries and aronia berries August through September, and pumpkins and gourds September through October.

Along with getting fresh produce, Noah says guests like the experience almost more than the value.

“People like coming out because they want the activity,” he said. “We have a lot of families that come back year after year, and sometimes they combine it with a reunion. It’s something everyone loves to do.”

Just as he finished his thought, Jan instructed the driver to head toward the “pick-your-own” operation.

“We’ll go down and stop by my little brother, Dell,” he said. “He does this for me during strawberries; he’s a good manager.”

“When you pick for an hour or two, you get sweaty, and it gets hot. I think people feel really accomplished.”

NOAH SANDERSON

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APPLEBEE’S GRAVEYARD

Noah and his friends would gather at Applebee’s growing up and always had a soft spot for his favorite hangout. When news broke the Brookings location was closing, he swooped in to dibs the classic signs, which now live in Sanderson Gardens.

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As we pulled up people were dispersed, harvesting strawberries all over; some with several containers full already. A young family pulled up in a golf cart, hopping out to join the crowd.

“I feel really blessed, because where else can people come in and grab your product, give you money, and then thank you in person?” said Jan. “I think it’s a unique situation, and that’s why I’m still doing it. I’ll just fall dead one day doing this.”

Noah recalls all of the children, including sisters Josie, Abby, and Lily, helping with the farm in their youth.

“It’s crazy to think growing up you were pretty much either working or at sports. It made it much easier showing up earlier and being the last one to leave practice when you knew you were coming back to weeding,” he laughed.

As agriculture is living in the unknown day-to-day, Jan says he tries to be easy on himself (and the weather).

“I used to get really depressed when I would lose a crop,” he said. “With global warming, we just have to be ready for whatever comes. I mean, I’m not the boss here; I just try to adapt. I learned that real early.”

One year a priest from Brookings came out to bless the garden, throwing holy water into the field.

“That night we had seven inches of rain, destroying my crop,” said Jan. “That was the end of my religious career.”

His farming career, though, is here to stay.

Jan says 80% of his customers come within 20 miles of Sanderson Gardens, like Brookings, Volga, and Aurora. Many have either worked at or have visited the gardens.

“I’ve had parents come with their children because they were here when they were kids,” said Jan. “I’ve been here for 48 years, so that’s long enough to cover three generations of it. I’m very lucky.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SANDERSONGARDENS.COM+