Highway and Byway Shopping in Alberta

Foodie Tootles 2007

Each year, I sift through maps, lists and websites, drive dusty backroads and ride rock-hard highways, looking for good growers to visit. Each year, the magic vine that connects good eaters to good growers adds another tendril or two, via phone calls and enthusiastic emails, telling me about this or that little farm, about this beef or bison rancher or honey harvester. The thrill of finding great growers, especially sustainably-inclined food producers, is almost as great as walking the fields and crouching over berry patches in the high prairie sunlight.

The list is getting longer. This year, the good news is that it is simply too long to include every grower I would like to include. The bad news is that the list is just too long to include every good Albertan grower. Here is a start—some of the farmers, ranchers and growers close to
Calgary, and further afield– who welcome your visit. Take a cooler, and take cash: many of these farms are not equipped for credit or debit cards.

Please, please remember that these are family businesses. Call ahead, for directions and to ensure produce and humans are available. We all have lives, and a mindful respect for privacy is a thoughtful attribute for visitors. Like most urban families, farm families struggle daily with finding a sustainable balance for their home life while maintaining a commitment to real food, small scale agriculture, a thriving sense of community and the earth.

Other sources of information:
• Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association lists farms and market gardens, complete with driving directions. www.albertafarmfresh.com, phone 1-800-261-2642.

• Travel Alberta and Ag Tourism’s
www.chomparoundalberta.com guides travelers who dine on their stomachs.

• Dine Alberta’s website, www.dinealberta.ca, provides a listing of Alberta growers and restaurants using Alberta-raised ingredients as part of their menus,, and who participate in the annual September Dine Alberta program.

• The Fruit Growers Society of Alberta maintains an up-to-date website of its members. www.albertafruit.com

• Sylvan Lake farmgate guide includes 31 farm-related locations and events.
http://www.sylvanllakefarmgateguide.com/www.sylvanllakefarmgateguide.com
 
Bee Prepared Honey Farms
Calgary, 279-9283
Located east of Calgary on Glenmore Trail SE

Peter Beermann has been tending bees for over 40 years, and has 250 hives, each occupied by 65,000 hard-working bees. Beermann is concerned about the “endangered species” classification that hangs over bees and their keepers. Bees, hugely important for crop pollination, are at risk from crop spraying that doesn’t differentiate between “good” and “bad” insects.
The farmgate shop sells clover-alfalfa honey and all things to do with bees and their output—honey-sweetened jams, bees’ wax candles, honey soaps, pollen. 

Also available at: Northlands Grassroots Farmers market and Strathmore farmers market.

Bumbleberry Orchards and Field Stone Fruit Wines
Strathmore, (403) 934-2749
www.fieldstonefruitwines.com
Located south of Strathmore on H817
July and August, open Tues.-Sun. 10 AM – 6 PM

It began as a berry patch and orchard in 1998, and evolved into Alberta’s first cottage fruit winery in 2005 with the inaugural vintage of Prairie Cherry Fruit Wine. Raspberry or bumbleberry table wine, and dessert wines of strawberry, Saskatoon, wild black cherry, and raspberry are made from on-farm berries.
U-pick or custom-pick wild black cherries, strawberries, raspberries, saskatoons. Co-owner Marv Gill warns that picking begins late this year due to a wet, cold spring.

Also available at: the wine is also available at wine and liquor stores throughout
Alberta.

Buffalo Horn Ranch
Olds, (403) 556-2567
peter@buffalohornranch.ca
www.buffalohornranch.ca
Located west on Olds off Hwy 27 on Range Rd. 4.0

Northwest of  Calgary, in the foothills, Peter and Judy Haase tend the country’s largest pure plains bison herd. Their lives changed from teacher and photographer, to Slow Food members who attended Terra Madre 2006 in Turin, Italy. They enjoy hosting Slow Foodies, agriculture students and tootlers. They sell natural bison, antibiotic-free, without growth hormones, available wrapped and frozen by piece, as well as freezer packs, bison bacon or ham, sausage and jerky.

Also available at: year-round limited selection at Eagle Hill Co-op; during summer, at Cochrane Farmers Market, and in Calgary at Grassroots Northland and Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers markets. In off-market seasons, the Haases deliver by pre-order only to Calgary and Cochrane.

BlueMountain Bio-Dynamic Farms
Carstairs, (403) 337-3321
vesterkh@yahoo.ca
Located southwest of Carstairs on Hwy 580

Christian Vester believes that biodynamic practices make the most sense. “Consider how the planet turns energy into other feasible forms of energy,” he suggests. Biodynamics is believed to be the world’s oldest non-chemical agricultural movement, and adherents view and treat the farm as a self-sustaining organism. Founder-philosopher Rudolph Steiner advocated companion planting and crop rotation, sowing and harvesting according to the lunar calendar, and the use of minute applications of homoeopathic-style infusions of mineral, plant or manure extracts to heal and revitalize the soil. This farm is certified organic: buy herbs and produce (greens), root crops, eggs, grains and house-milled flour, triticale, rye, oat, wheat.

Also available at: the Calgary green market, currently located in Tompkins Park across from Mount Royal Village on 17 Ave SW, but to eventually return to Connaught Park, on Sundays, 10AM- 4PM.

Cakadu Heritage Lamb
Innisfail, (403) 728-2398
cakadu@telusplanet.net
Located west of Innisfail on Range Road 25 and Township Rd. 364

Denis and Linda Jabs tend 800 Barbados Black-bellied sheep and lamb on their chemical-free land. The breed is a “hair” sheep, free of lanolin, and milder in taste than most lamb. Denis likes that they still have their wild instincts, and are not docile domesticated followers. Farmgate meat sales are frozen and wrapped, but if you want to start a flock, you can purchase breeding stock on the hoof. Call for an appointment, and expect to wait for 2 weeks for custom cutting. Restaurant diners can sample the lamb at La Chaumiere and Isabella’s by Infuse.

Chinook Honey Company
Okotoks, (403) 995-0830
www.chinookhoney.com,
Open Sun-Mon., noon-5 PM, Wed-Sat 10 AM-5 Pm, closed Tues
Located southwest of Okotoks at the corner of Hwy 7 and 16 St. W

Cherie and Art Andrews care for bees, make mead, and sell bee-related goods in their busy farm store. Their lobbying resulted in the recent successful amendment to Alberta legislation governing the new business of cottage fruit wineries to include mead. Tanks full of mead are hopefully going to bottle for sale by December 2007. Spend time watching the observation hive, studying the complex language of bees, then shop. The store carries a wide range of honey, apitherapy, candles and amazing honey ice cream made in HighRiver with Kayben Farm black currants.

Honey also available at: Divine, Okotoks, and Nectar Desserts, Calgary

Edgar Farms, part of Innisfail Growers
Innisfail, (403) 350-0659
Located west of South Innisfail overpass on Cottonwood Rd.

Elna Edgar and her family raise green asparagus, peas and beans, and sell their beef too. Asparagus may be done by June’s end– call and ask. Edgar Farms has a self-serve honour system counter for pre-picked produce from the Innisfail Growers, notably Beck Farms’ Nantes carrots and The Jungle’s greens and berries.

Also available at: Calgary Farmers Market

The Jungle, part of Innisfail Growers
Innisfail, (403) 227-4231
Located northwest of Innisfail on Old Pole Rd.

Blaine and Leona Staples tend a farm named by Leona’s great-grandfather over a century ago. The gorgeous u-pick strawberry patch, augmented by rows of raspberries and greens, is the prime draw.  Dig-your-own spuds and buy spinach, hydroponic lettuces,  mixed vegetables and tasty pickles and jams. On-farm festivals include a Strawberry Festival and the Scarecrow Festival. A recent addition is honeyberries, a sturdy fruiting Siberian honeysuckle shrub. An onsite farm store sells other goods from Innisfail Growers, including Upper Green Farm’s tomatoes.

Also available at: Calgary Farmers Market.

Kayben Farms
Okotoks, (403) 938-2857
www.kayben.com
sales@kayben.com
Open Mon-Fri 11 AM-6 PM, Sat 10 AM-5 PM, closed Sun.
Located in north Okotoks on 32 St. E.

Judy and Claude Kolk’s black currant orchard now numbers over 25,000 shrubs. The orchard includes new strawberries, with raspberries to come in 2008, u-pick or custom-picked. Other good reasons: a handsome new garden centre, tree and shrub nursery, and landscaping. House-developed black currant products from dressing to dessert topping are highlighted by an assertive, thirst-cutting “punch base”. Lounge in the picnic area, near a fishing pond. Walking trails are coming, and food service – maybe– next year.

Also available at: Calgary’s Sobey’s, Community Natural Foods, The Cookbook Company, Chinook Honey in Okotoks and Terra Cotta Dudes in Black Diamond

Paradise Hill Farm
Nanton, (403) 646-3276
info@paradisehillfarm.ca
www.paradisehillfarm.ca
Located east of Nanton on Twp Road 162 (28 St.)
Open Mon-Thurs 8 AM-4:30 PM, Fri 8 AM-noon, weekends and evenings by chance

Along Mosquito Creek’s picturesque oxbow curves, buy pesticide-free vine-ripened tomatoes and spicy dried tomato chips. Tony and Karen Legault have spent nine years working at getting farmers’ market-quality tomatoes into Alberta supermarkets. “A local product is from a neighbour, why is it not in the grocery store, and why should we eat imported, a week old?”

Also at: High River farmers market and Calgary Co-op.

Premium Organic Farms
Calgary, (403) 203-1095/235-6000
Located southeast of Calgary on 114 St. SE

Paul Schneider and Sheila Buckley’s certified organic farm is located southeast of Calgary, selling beef, free-range chickens, spuds, strawberries, raspberries, and mixed vegetables.

Purple Ridge Farm
Airdrie, 948-7735
website coming

Jean and Marvin Peterson grow Saskatoons and raspberries without herbicides or pesticides, u-pick/custom-pick. Ask for Sangre potatoes, or four types of carrots, turnips, chard and peas. Phone ahead for driving directions.

Also available at: Airdrie farmers market

Saskatoon Farm
Okotoks, 938-6245
www.saskatoonfarm.com
Open 9 AM-5 PM 7 days a week
Located southeast of Okotoks on 338 Ave.

On the site of an ancient buffalo jump at the junction of the Sheep and HighwoodRivers, Paul and Karen Hamer have a well-established a nursery with greenhouses, buffalo herd on the range, cafe and general store. Buy a tree, an orchard, berries, jams, syrups and jams, pies, lunch of berry-spiked bison burgers, or lunch makings. It’s a breath-taking 600-acre site.

Serviceberry Farms
Strathmore, (403) 934-2412
www.serviceberryfarms.com
Located northeast of Calgary on Hwy 24.

This family-run business enjoyed its first serious strawberry harvest in 1988, and uses environmentally friendly conservation practices such as IPM (integrated pest management) and shelterbelts. Look for strawberries, u-pick and custom-picked, and vegetables. 

Staniforth Summerberry Farm
SylvanLake, (403) 746-3681
staniforth_margo@hotmail.com
Located southwest of Sylvan Lake off Hwy 781 on Range Road 24.

Margo and Gordon Staniforth tend a thorny patch of raspberries in rainbow colours– red, yellow, and black– which have that yummy blackberry texture and flavour on hardy raspberry canes. She also grows black and red currants, all u-pick, and 6000 new strawberry plants, for custom picking. A longtime jam maker, she aims to establish a commercial kitchen to upsize her jam-making capabilities. Staniforth is also project manager of the Sylvan Lake Farmgate Guide.

Also available at: Sylvan Lake farmers market

Sun Valley Farm
Drumheller, (403) 823-9191
rmciver@telusplanet.net
Located east of Drumheller on Hwy 10.
Open 7 days a week

Rhona McIver grows raspberries, Saskatoons and strawberries (if the deer don’t eat them!) The deer prefer berries to u-pick or custom-pick vegetables, greenhouse tomatoes, bedding-out plants hardy perennial flowers, or spring annuals. 

Also available at: Drumheller farmers market  

TLC Farm Katahdins 
Sundre, 638-3173
hooch@davincibb.net

Carl Hooch and Tracy Hooch-Antink keep a sheep guardian canine, so phone first for directions. Their naturally raised lamb will be available at a new farmgate store due to be built this autumn. Order whole animals or individual cuts, and pay in advance for summer availability.

Also available at: Sundre and Bearspaw farmers markets 

Berry Patch
Ponoka, (403)783-6636
Located south of Ponoka on Hwy 2A.

Marilyn and Linden McCarty grow Saskatoons, chokecherries, black currants, raspberries, strawberries. spuds, u-pick/custom-pick. Kids are welcome with supervision. 

Bles-Wold Dairy and Bles-Wold Yoghurt
Lacombe, (403) 782-3322
hbos@telusplanet.net
www.bles-wold.com
Located west of Hwy 12 overpass on Range Rd 27
open Friday only, 12:30-3 PM

Tinie Eilers and Hennie Bos operate Alberta’ first licensed farm yoghurt biz– luscious yoghurts in a wide choice of natural flavours, laced with probiotic bifidus and acidophilis.

Also available at: grocery and specialty/natural food stores across Alberta.

Bloomin’ Inn
Pincher Creek, (403) 627-5829
bloominn@telusplanet.net
www.bloomin-inn.com
Located 7 km east of Pincher Creek on Tower Rd.

Colleen and Francis Cyr’s many-armed biz in the Crow’s Nest is more than a farm store, with antiques, farm-grown flowers, vegetables, natural hormone-free beef, pork, chicken, turkey, lamb and eggs. Enjoy a picnic, or book a retreat or night’s sleep.

Broxburn Vegetables and Café
Lethbridge, (403)327-0909
www.broxburn-vegetables.com
info@broxburn-vegetables.com
Mon-Sat 9Am-4 PM
Located east of Lethbridge

Paul and Hilda deJonge’s farm includes a greenhouse and a bustling café/store. Expect strawberries, raspberries, black and red currants, Saskatoons, and vegetables, u-pick berries, and farm festivals. Fresh strawberry pie is worth the road trip. Calgary chefs have learned the value of Broxburn vegetables and berries, buying through distributor Rudy Knitel of Galimax Trading Inc.

DNAGardens
Elnora, (403) 773-2489
1-866-687-5268 (toll free)
www.dnagardens.com
Open Mon-Sun 9 AM- 5 PM
Located east of Bowden Hwy 590 to Range Road 230.

Dave and Arden Delidais’s farm and orchard does tissue culture, has a test orchard and nursery which sells indigenous berries, hardy cherries bred by U of S researchers, dryland fruit and honeyberries.

Driview Farms
FortMacleod, 403-553-2178
www.driviewfarms.ca
driveiw@telus.net
Located south of FortMacleod off Twp Rd 84 to Range Road 260.

Janet and Gerrit Van Hierden sell their lamb whole and custom cut, or as specialty cuts– crown roast and saddle—and sausage, including merguez and experimental English-style “bangers”. Visits and sales by appointment.
Restaurant diners can sample Driview lamb on half a dozen Calgary menus, including River Café and Rouge

Also available at: Millarville Farmers market seasonally, and delivered in Calgary with no minimum charge if you meet Gerrit on his weekly delivery route.

Fairwinds Farm
Ft Macleod, 553-0127
fax 553-0126
fairwindsfarm@telus.net
Open Mon-Sat
Located southeast of Claresholme on Range Road 264.

Ben and Anita Oudshoorn make goat’s milk yoghurt, chevre and feta. In April 2008 the farm and livestock will be certified organic.

Also available at: Planet Organic, Amaranth, Community Natural Foods, SPUD, Sunnyside Market, Sunterra West and Britannia, and on restaurant menus
 
Ladybug Organic Gardens/Bed and Breakfast
Red Deer, (403) 782-0301
Located south of Lacombe on Range Road 27.0.

Wes and Jeanette Jones raise certified organic Sakatoons, strawberries and raspberries, heirloom vegetables, pumpkins and garlic. U-pick/ pre-pick. Sweeten up with house-made preserves and pickles.  Bring a picnic or book the B&B.

Also available at: Calgary Bearspaw and Lacombe farmers’ markets.    

Room to Grow
Glenwood, (403) 626-3223 /892-3223 cell
nhdsimm9@telusplanet.net
www.nhdsimm-rm2grow.com
Open 7 days a week in high season but call ahead
Located south of Ft Macleod on Hwy. 810.

Heather and Norman Dodd sell cut/wrapped frozen Simmental beef, chickens, turkeys in season, eggs, veggies, u-pick strawberries and u-pick or custom-picked Saskatoons, cut flowers, jams and pickles. It’s windy: wear a hat.  

Also available at: Pincher Creek and Cardston farmers’ markets.

Twisted Willow Berry Farm
Red Deer, (403) 749-2026
Located east of Red Deer off Hwy. 595 on Twp Rd 382.

Marion and Ed Sanders grow raspberries, strawberries, rhubarb, black currants and vegetables, u-pick/custom-pick. Enjoy the picnic area and horseshoe pitches. Recent additions include hardy cherry trees, Saskatoons and chokecherries.