Open Farm Days sees many new visitors

Melissa Strle
Times Reporter

 

Alberta’s fourth annual Open Farm Days was held Aug. 20-21, with over 90 farms, ranches and ag-tourism operators opening their gates to the public to share culinary experiences, stories and demonstrations.
Some local farms that joined this event included Field Stone Fruit Wines, Country Lane Farms, Poplar Bluff Organics and Rosebud Valley Honey.

 

Field Stone Fruit Wines
Owner Elaine Gill of Field Stone Fruit Wines said this was her company’s second year participating in this event and new visitor numbers were up significantly over last year.
“What I’ve noticed about this year’s crowd is a lot of people – [their] first time to the east side of Calgary, a lot of first-timers to the winery, a lot of first-timers to the Strathmore area – more so than last year,” said Gill. “That surprised me.”
Alberta Open Farm Days aids in promoting the agriculture and tourism industries in Strathmore and Alberta.
“People have been very interested in what the Strathmore area has to offer, where else they can go, what else they can see, what else they can do,” said Gill.
Field Stone Fruit Wines offered free wine tasting, wine-making equipment demos, berry sundae making and u-pick strawberries. The company grows and produces strawberries, raspberries, chokecherries and saskatoon berries directly on the farm.
The company sells 10 wines: five dinner wines and five dessert wines. The wines are sold to farmers’ markets around the province and to about 100 retail stores in Alberta. During the summer, the strawberry rhubarb wine is very popular.

 

Country Lane Farms
Owner Jerry Kamphuis of Country Lane Farms was also on hand over the weekend to provide a video presentation and personal tour of his facility.
The farm provided a bouncy house and children were also able to experience farm life by visiting with kittens on the property.
Country Lane Farms has been operating at its current location since 1999 and sells chicken, beef, salmon and seafood, all free from antibiotics, hormones and animal byproducts.
“Our main goal is to get a bird that is totally drug-free to you, and everything that we do is around quality of meat and taste,” said Kamphuis.
Country Lane Farm sells directly in Calgary, Canmore and Red Deer, and this fall it will be offering a smaller bird for sale compared to the average seven-pound bird it typically sells.

 

Poplar Bluff Organics
Poplar Bluff Organics of Carseland opened up its farm to sales, demonstrations and vegetable tastings. The organic farm produces potatoes, carrots, beets, Swiss chard, kale and other vegetables. It sells these vegetables to Back To Good in Strathmore, and to about 70 high-end restaurants in Calgary.
Owner Cam Beard took visitors on a tractor and trailer ride to explain how the farm works and describe its history. He then stopped for a tasting of different carrot varieties and viewing of different beet varieties picked straight out of the ground.
Beard works hand-in-hand with his neighbour Rosemary Wotske who he describes as a foodie. Together they have formed a partnership to share in producing all the different vegetables available.

 

Rosebud Valley Honey
The Reinhardt family own and operate Rosebud Valley Honey. Jordan Cutbill demonstrated beehives and the process of extracting honey. Honey was available for tasting straight out of the honeycomb and also available for sale.