| | Lola canola honey | Prairie gardens | Poplar bluff | Driview farms | Broek pork acres | Cakadu heritage lamb | Greens egg and ham | Pine Terra farm | The berry basket | Fairwinds farm | Pemmican hill buffalo | Peas on earth | Highwood crossing farm | Sunshine organic farm | Field stone fruit wines | Blooming fields country tea house and garden centre | Hotchkiss herbs & product | Highwood valley ranch
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Lola Canola Honey
Patty Milligan, Bon Accord AB
Lola Canola aka Patty Milligan is a small-scale beekeeper in the Bon Accord area. She fell in love with bees while working for a large commercial beekeeper during summers off from university. “At the time, I wanted a challenge. I wanted to do something different; I wasn’t interested in spending my summer in a mall or a fast-food restaurant,” she says. In 1999, she bought 80 hives when that same beekeeper retired. For years he’d had bees on her parents’ and grandparents’ farms and she bought those two “bee yards.” Lola Canola Honey was born.
Since 2001 Lola Canola has employed Integrated Pest Management to minimize chemical use in the hive. She likes selling a product that is minimally processed. Her customers will vouch that the flavours of honey straight from the farm are fantastic. Her hives are placed strategically on local family farms. She is working to produce a wider variety of single-flower honeys; currently her main honeys are a summer honey, which is mild and tasty (alfalfa, clover, canola), and a bouncier spring honey (dandelion). She has also created some innovative value-added products: honey infused with local, fresh herbs and honey fused with local, fresh fruit. She’s excited about helping people from all walks of life—chefs included—expand their honey palate.
Lola Canola direct markets all of her own honey primarily through farmers’ markets in the Edmonton area—currently at the Downtown Farmers’ Market and at the St. Albert Farmers’ Market. She LOVES selling direct especially because it gives her the chance to talk to people about bees and honey! She has participated in many local food and agricultural events including Alberta Food Showcase, Indulgence, Country Soul Stroll, Taste of Summer, and Dine Alberta. She is a wonderful host for tastings, tours, or talks about honey and bees. She has a passion for educating people about bees and honey and how they fit into the food system; how bees are an integral part of each unique little slice of the earth and the honey they make reflects that.
Lola Canola is committed to farmers’ markets and local food and to keeping a toe “in the soil.” She grew up on a conventional beef/grain farm; her parents just retired last year. She lives on the farm that her mom grew up on, down the road from the farm her dad grew up on, which is where she also grew up. Her two-year-old son Rory is a big honey fan!
Telephone: 1-877-921-3657
www.lolacanola.com
Prairie Gardens and Greenhouses
Owner: Tam Anderson, Bon Accord 780-921-2272
Being a pumpkin farmer in Edmonton is not easy. June frosts and August hail storms make for interesting seasons. But, ever since she was five, Tam Andersen, horticulturalist and farmer, loved growing pumpkins, “The love of the land is what keeps it real. And sharing it makes it fun.” she explains.
Prairie Gardens’ lands were homesteaded in 1898, one of many farms along the Athabasca Landing Trail, just north of Bon Accord, about ½ hour north of Edmonton (56311 Lily Lake Road). The rich black topsoil is over 2 feet deep. An un-named creek courses through in the spring, delivering ample waters to the farm ponds.
In 1956, horticulturalist, John Chedzoy, started planting trees here. Heritage rows of crab apple, and windbreaks of elms, spruce, and lilacs -creating cozy patchworks of small fields - perfect for growing artisanal fields of pumpkin and strawberries.
In 1985, Tam planted her first acre of strawberries to realize a dream to be able to ‘live off the land’. For the past twenty years, she has grown at least four acres of the varieties ‘Kent’ and ‘Honeyoe’. The strawberries are so juicy and sweet – former Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr proclaimed (as juice dribbled down his chin, “Ah-ah! The elusive ‘one-day’ strawberry! Never had he tasted so wonderful and precious a berry.” So good, they were gone in a day -almost all 40,000 pounds of them! Actually, it’s about a three week season, from July 10th to August 5th.
Ten years ago, Tam started experimenting with pumpkins. Now, she grows over seven acres of pumpkins. Over forty five varieties, in every color, and shape. Best varieties for recipes are the small, dense fleshed ones. Orange Smoothie, Pik-a-Pie. The ornamental varieties like Baby Bear and Jack B Quick are excellent for presentations. Jarrahdale, a heritage blue pumpkin, has a rich nutty flavor that is a must for savory and soup recipes.
Funky gourds like Dinosaur and Galaxy of Stars dazzle and amaze.
Pumpkin transplants are tenderly set out in the fields in early June, hopefully after the last spring frost. Harvesting begins in mid September, where the tons of gourds are carefully carried indoors, into heated greenhouses, to cure the rinds. Pumpkins are available from September to Halloween.
Visitors to the farm are always surprised by the variety of farm offerings. Tam also grows gourmet fingerling Banana potatoes. Tossed in garlic and fresh dill, then slow roasted, these gold fleshed beauties are a real taste experience. Prairie Gardens also grows fresh peas in the pod, and sweet corn – to solve the hankering to pick your own during the cornfield maze season. These have also become Prairie Gardens U-Pick trademarks.To find out more about Prairie Gardens and Greenhouses, visit www.PrairieGardens.org, info@prairiegardens.org, or call Tam at 780-921-2272
Poplar Bluff Farm
Owners: Rosemary Wotske and Robert Boshman, Strathmore 403-934-5400
Poplar Bluff Farm has been producing organic vegetables for over 20 years. It has become a partnership between Rosemary Wotske and Robert Boschman. They met when Rosemary wanted to biuld a new potato storage because the old one was too small and Robert was an engineer longing to go back to farm life. They both got what they wanted and more.
Poplar Bluff's soil and climate are ideal for potatoes and Rosemary and Robert have specialized in growing types that are not commonplace. There are (this year) 3 types of fingerlings, all heritage varieties, a dark yellow from Germany and a variety of others chosen by chefs wanting cooking qualities not found elsewhere. What is grown is driven by customer-chefs who are looking for best quality products that can be available consistently.
Trevor Aleman from Coalhurst is growing and supplying organic onions for Poplar Bluff. His location is particularly well suited for onions and he grows a strong, flavorful yellow onion for storage as well as cippoline, red torpedos and spanish onions in season. He is experimenting with adding leeks to that list.
This year Poplar Bluff Farm installed refrigeration to enhance the season length that the potatoes can be available.
Most of Poplar Bluff Farm's customers are in the Calgary, Canmore, Okotoks and Banff and Lake Louise area. We anticipate adding Red Deer and Edmonton to that list in 2007/08. Some of our customers include Rouge, The Belvedere, Il Sogno, Teatro, River Cafe, Q Haute Cuisine, Divino, Cilantro, The Ranche, Buffalo Mountain Lodge, Emerald Lake Lodge, Baker Creek Chalets, Newport Grill, Cafe Divine, The Trough, The Quarry, St. Germain, Calgary Petroleum Club, The Ranchmen's Club, Calgary Golf and Country Club, Bonterra, The Banff Delta, The Executive Royal, The Bears Den, The Redwater Grills, Siding Cafe, The Coup, Copperpot Creations, The Tribune, Muse, Red Tree Catering and others.
Driview Farms
Gerrit and Janet Van Hierden, Fort MacLeod 403-553-2178
“The Best of Alberta Lamb”
Gerrit and Janet Van Hierden have raised lambs for the past 30 years on their Southern Alberta farm and have an extensive cross-breeding program to improve meat quality and bone structure and for year round supply.
No hormones or preservatives are used on their farm in order to keep the meat wholesome and healthy. Their lambs are fed a combination of whole grain, roughage and a ration purchased from a HACCP certified feed mill. The HACCP program provides a reliable and consistent supply of safe, nutritionally balanced feed for the health of the lambs resulting in benefits for the health conscious consumer.
The lamb is processed in an inspected facility and cut and wrapped to the highest quality standards to meet the discerning consumer’s taste.
During the summer markets Gerrit and Janet can be found with their delicious lamb product at the Millarville Farmers' Market. Year round they make weekly trips to Calgary for restaurant and customer orders.
Broek Pork Acres
Owners: Allan and Joanne Vanden Broek, Coalhurst 403-381-4753
Broek Pork Acres – “working on having a steady market ready supply” with 50 brood sows, a desire to raise pigs naturally, outdoors takes a lot of planning to get piglets grown to market ready size. It takes 6 months to reach the 115 kg market stage, time to do the meat cutting, and time to get their product to restaurants in Calgary and Lethbridge, as well as selling at the Lethbridge Farmers market. Recently available at Broek Pork Acres is Berkshire pork, a heritage breed of black pig, prized for its richness and depth of flavour.
Allan and Joanne Vanden Broek are serving a clientele who desire the flavor developed by using natural management practices, free of growth stimulating and unnecessary antibiotics and stress.
“We pay attention to each animal and treat all them as well as we can, right until they go to the consumer”.
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Cakadu Heritage Lamb
Owners: Denis and Linda Jabs, Innisfail 403-728-2398
Our Mission: To provide you with a quality lamb product produced with care, the way Mother Nature intended
Lean, mild tasting lamb raised in a natural environment provides for an enjoyable and memorable eating experience time after time.
Every aspect of rearing the sheep is geared towards minimizing stress. During the summer months, the sheep graze on pastures that have not been chemically treated and in the winter are fed an all-vegetarian diet of barley and hay. The Jabs purchase all of their barley, hay and straw locally from people they know and trust, so they know how the feed was produced. They use no artificial hormones with their lambs and only use drugs to treat disease conditions in individual animals. Linda and Denis respect and adhere to all the proper protocols to ensure a pure meat product for their customers.
Protecting the environment is something that they take very seriously on their farm and they have incorporated environmental sustainability into their management practices. The sheep are protected by non-lethal means of predator control in the form of two livestock guardian dogs.
A local processor provincially inspects the meat and they are in control of the product from their farm to your plate. Food safety is another of their core values, with meeting the needs of our customers always in mind.
With assistance from Alberta Agriculture and Food’s Agri-preneur Scholarship, in the fall of 2006, the Jabs were able to attend Terra Madre 2006 in Turin, Italy. It is referred to as the “United Nations of Food” and brings together producers from around the globe that believe in locally grown food produced in an environmentally sustainable manner.
To find out more about their lamb and their farming operation, please contact them at:
Denis and Linda Jabs
Box 2, Site 15, R. R. #1, Innisfail, Alberta T4G 1T6
Phone: 403-728-2398 Fax: 403-728-3080
E-mail: cakadu@telusplanet.net
Greens, Eggs and Ham
Owners: Andreas and Mary Ellen Grueneberg, Leduc 780-986-8680
The Grueneberg's operate a 10 acre mixed family farm in Leduc County. Andreas has worked in many areas of the agriculture industry and Mary Ellen has worked within the medical field. They purchased their farm nine years ago and for the past five years have been producing odd, unusual and heritage vegetables (all the usual vegetables only heritage varieties and interesting fun colors) and free range poultry (Cornish game hens, guinea fowl, turkey and ducks) including non-allergenic products like sausages and duck eggs. They home school their teenage girls, Ariana and Megan. As part of their home schooling they have their own businesses:
- Ariana’s Farm Fresh Fowl, Free Range Guinea Fowl, Cornish Game Hens and Turkeys
- Megan’s Egg Shack, Free Range chicken eggs
Particularly exciting for themis that they are going year round with their Mixed Heritage Greens and Mixed Heritage Spinach.
You can find their products at high end restaurants,The City Center Market on 104 St. Edmonton and Ocean Odyssey Inland 10027-167 Street in Edmonton. greenseggsham@xplornet.com
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Pine Terra Farm – Certified Organic Grass Finished Angus Beef
Owners: David & Louise Phillips and Nadine Waddell - Onoway, Alberta
Since 1937, four generations of the Phillips family have lived and worked on the farm located in central Alberta. Pine Terra has continued the family tradition of sustaining the farm free of chemicals, and is one of the few farms in Alberta never farmed with toxins of any kind. They purchased their base herd of purebred Angus cattle in 1971. All of their certified organic cattle are descendants from that original herd. Pine Terra meets the strict standards required for international organic status throughout all of its operations. These rigid regulations verify that their land, cattle, and feed have had no chemicals, GMO seeds, growth hormones, antibiotics, etc. through annual third party inspections.
In addition to being certified organic, their cattle are grass finished. Eating free-range, and naturally on high quality forage, the cattle produce meat that is lower in fat, calories, and e-coli. Plus, their meat is rich in Omega-3, CLA, Beta-carotene, and Vitamin E, which are so valuable to human nutrition.
David and Louise Phillips, along with their daughter Nadine, started direct marketing their dry-aged beef in the fall of 2001. Through continued support of direct sales, retail outlets, and restaurants Pine Terra has been able to supply beef that is not only pure and nutritious; it is also tender, lean, and naturally flavored with superior quality and taste.
To source our products:
- Direct: St. Albert summer farmers market, 780-967-3012, 866-ORG-BEEF, or e-mail: pineterrafarm@interbaun.com
- Retail Outlets: Community Natural Foods – Calgary, & Homegrown Foods – Stony Plain
- Restaurants: Edmonton & area: Sorrentinos, Café De Ville, Homefire Bar & Grill, High Level Diner, Muticultural Heritage Centre, Eco Cafe Calgary: River Café, & other establishments on an occasional basis in both areas.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has and is currently choosing our products in their restaurants, stores, and homes.
The Berry Basket
Owner: Arnie Meyer
The Meyers have 13 acres of land in production of saskatoons and a federally inspected processing plant. They enjoy summer when 'our home and native fruit', the saskatoons, are ready for harvest. It is their pride to harvest at the coolest part of the day and then quickly clean and freeze them for optimum colour and flavour. The harvest ranges from 30 to 40,000 pounds and only lasts a week, so needless to say the work is hard and fast. The Meyers sell frozen saskatoons with no sugar or any other form of added ingredients. Their saskatoon topping, which is sold in 2 litre containers, is superb for desserts, cheesecakes or even as an accompaniment to game or poultry. You can experience the succulent taste of their saskatoon products at local Grande Prairie restaurants, Rick's Place, Sorrentinos and The Melsness Mercantile Cafe in Valhalla Centre.
Fairwinds Farm
Owners: Ben and Anita Oudshoom
Fairwinds Farm originates as a goat milk and yogurt processing facility. Ben and Anita Oudshoorn have grown their business and relocated to become one of the most demanded cheese producers south of Calgary!
Renowned in Calgary’s best restaurants for their Chevre and Flavored cheeses, Fairwinds Farm also produces some of the best yogurts flavored with various fruits and saskatoons.
They work with small food brokers as well as distributing directly to stores and restaurants. Fresh and flavorful is the differentiated product you should watch for. To source goatmilk, yogurt, goat cheese, chevre or feta – email them at fairwindsfarm@telus.net or contact them at Fairwinds Farm Goat Cheese, 403-553-0127, Fort Macleod.
Pemmican Hill Buffalo
Owners: Tom and Evelyn Cliff
Bison or buffalo?? Well for Evelyn and Tom Cliff it’s the same. The meat is lean, nutritious and great tasting.
Tom and Evelyn got into raising buffalo unintentionally. They had a dairy farm and 4 busy children that basically took up most of their time. In the late 90's a friend asked to lease a portion of their land for his bison to graze on. Everyday they passed by these great animals and in the spring were fascinated by their strong little calves. They learned how different they were in comparison to the dairy cows. These hardy animals require very little pampering in the winter. It’s almost like they enjoy those darned cold Alberta winters. In January of 2001, Cliff and Evelyn decided to diversify into buffalo and bought their first pregnant cows. Since then the herd has expanded and so has the fencing and handling system! The Cliff's have five quarters of land and like to let the animals range freely. They use no hormones or feed additives preferring hay, and a mix of silage purchased from local farmers or grown themselves. In 2003 the dairy was sold and their focus became bison.
A couple of years ago the Cliffs decided to direct market their bison meat and have found more and more people are starting to take an interest in where the food they eat comes from, how it is raised and who they are buying from. This year especially, it seems that the local and regional food has become important as people become more educated in food growth and production. Eating is becoming fashionable and social again! It has always been part of people connecting socially with one another and it seems for awhile that we, particularly in North America lost that attitude as technology, and “progress” took hold over the last 30 years or so. The Cliffs sell their bison locally to the Eco Café at the Village at Pigeon Lake (they make a GREAT! bison dip sandwich). You can also find their bison on the menu of these Edmonton restaurants: Tesoro Italian Café and Bistro, Selkirk Hotel at Fort Edmonton and Fresh Start Bakery in Riverbend Square. Every week Evelyn goes to the city with a cooler or two full of meat for city customers and to the restaurants. You can find their product at the City Farmers' Market and at the St. Albert market. Contact information is: R.R.1, Thorsby 780-389-4322 (Edmonton Phone: 910-2539) Email: pemmicanhill@airsurfer.ca.
Peas On Earth
Owners: Eric and Ruby Chen
“Mother Nature inspires Eric and Ruby Chen to be appreciative, to have peace, and to trust … With all their hearts and souls, they learn to make use of what Nature provides them with and grow the best local organic vegetables!”
It all started in the summer of 1982 when Eric was still a teenager. He started working for a market gardener, and from that point on, he knew he had found his one true passion. Eric got his whole family involved in the Chen’s Market Garden operation in the 1980’s, until he found his one true love, Ruby, and married her.
Together, they officially founded Peas On Earth in 1997 and have continued to tend to their land and their business with love. Along with their staff, they spend long hours each day to care for the organic garden. You can be assured that each bite of produce has been nurtured with the greatest care. They hope you enjoy what Nature has provided them with.
Peas On Earth can be found at the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market year round, the Callingwood Farmers' Market from June to September, and the St. Albert Outdoor Farmers' Market from July to September. Please check our website for farm store hours. www.peasonearth.ca
Highwood Crossing Farm
Owners/Operators: Tony and Penny Marshall
Highwood Crossing Farm is a family owned, certified organic grain farm located next to the Highwood River south of Calgary. When owners, Tony Marshall and his wife, Penny, switched over to sustainable organic farming methods in 1989, they were returning to agricultural practices that were similar to those used on the same farm by Tony's great-grandfather nearly 100 years earlier. (The name "Highwood Crossing" refers to a shallow portion of the Highwood River on the farm where travellers used to cross before there were bridges or roads.)
Highwood Crossing Farm is a certified organic producer of 100% organic crops like wheat, rye, flax, canola, oats, barley, peas, hay and sweet clover. The Marshalls’ also have a certified organic processing facility on the farm where they processes, packages and add value to food products from the crops that they grow. These products include cold pressed flax and canola oil, organic granola, flax seed muffin and pancake mix, stone ground flours as well as whole grains and cereals. They are active supporters of regional cuisine, the slowfood movement and the 100 mile diet. Highwood Crossing products are local and certified organic... satisfying two very important needs.
Highwood Crossing Farm is very serious about certified organic production! All of their operations are totally regulated by internationally recognized organic standards. These strict rules promote long-term agricultural sustainability and are your guarantee that no chemicals, pesticides or genetically modified organisms have been used in their products. www.highwoodcrossing.com
Sunshine Organic Farm
Owner/Operators: Ed and Sherry Horvath
Sunshine Organic Farm is situated thirty miles west of Leduc in the beautiful countryside of St.Francis. Owners and operators, Ed and Sherry Horvath, along with thier daughter, Shannon Taylor, and grandchildren Austin, Clayton and Casey, have worked very hard to keep the family farm viable and growing. The past five years have seen many changes and additions to their livestock, product lines and sales outlets. Initially they had a certified organic cow/calf operation with all land and crops certified. Today they carry that organic certification on to pasture poultry, laying hens, turkeys, hogs and have now ventured into the Berkshire Hog arena of superlative tasting pork. Direct marketing has led them into the Downtown Farmers' Market, Organic Roots Store and Restaurant, Homegrown Foods in Stony Plain, Peas On Earth in St. Albert and a small amount of farm gate sales. Sunshine Organic Farm carries a full line of individually packaged chicken, beef, and pork products plus eggs.
As the demand for organic food increases and interest in purchasing food grown close to home becomes more important to consumers, they are gearing up to meet the needs of their customers. Their newest acquisition to provide unique customer service is a concession trailer that is taken to the Downtown Farmers' Market. Here they offer Fair-trade Organic Coffee, hamburgers and chicken burgers from their farm served on freshly baked buns from the Breadland Organic Bakery in Edmonton. In the future they will be featuring a lunch special each week, as time and products permit. Customers are surprised and pleased to be offered quality fast-food on white, spelt or gluten-free buns. The Horvaths even carry veggie-burgers for those who wish to have that option. Pinocchio Ice Cream rounds out the menu for a quality line that proves fast food can be healthy and delicious. www.sunshineorganicfarm.com
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Field Stone Fruit Wines
In response to popular demand, Alberta’s first cottage winery, Field Stone Fruit Wines of Strathmore, Alberta launched its brand new Raspberry Table Wine on June 2nd, 2007. This wine, vinted exclusively from our finest “Chief” raspberries, is an off-dry dinner wine with a slightly tart edge, making it the perfect companion for many fine meals. We are happy to add this offering to our six original wines: a unique Bumbleberry Table Wine, an Alberta Cherry Table Wine and four dessert wines: Raspberry, Strawberry, Saskatoon Berry and Wild Black Cherry. All of these wines are vinted from 100% Alberta-grown fruit.
In 2005 Field Stone Fruit Wines was the first company to be granted a license under the Government of Alberta’s new cottage winery regulations, which allowed fruit growers to manufacture and sell fruit wines. Opening on July 1st, 2005, Field Stone soon became a popular destination for people from around the province and beyond. Now available in many fine stores and restaurants, Albertans are enjoying the fine tastes of Field Stone Fruit Wines around the province in such places as The Bison Mountain Bistro (Banff), the Calgary Petroleum Club, Zona's (Canmore), and the Rockyview Hotel (Cochrane).
Field Stone partner Marvin Gill can be contacted at 403-934-2749 or www.fieldstonefruitwines.com.
The Blooming Fields, Country Tea House and Garden Centre
Come and experience the fine European touch at the Blooming Fields. They offer a unique experience in the beautiful countryside with a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains. The owners of the Blooming Fields, Pim and Mary-Ann van Oeveren, have combined the best of two worlds; their European background and their love for the great outdoors in Canada. The pioneers moved from Holland to Canada, with their young family of four, with no concrete plans, but a many dreams! Pim and Mary-Ann both have a horticultural degree from Holland, and soon after arriving in Canada they both pursued careers in their field of expertise. Pim set up a landscaping business and Mary-Ann started teaching floral design at the University College of the Fraser Valley. Life was good, the landscaping business thrived, but when their children grew up and moved from BC to Alberta, they saw it a great opportunity to move there too. Mary-Ann applied to become an instructor floral design at Olds College and started working there in 2002. Pim stayed in BC for another 6 months to sell the gorgeous property with a 2 acre fully landscaped garden, and finish his landscaping contracts and followed suit at the beginning of 2003. In 2003, the couple bought a twenty-seven acre property north west of Didsbury and started a nursery. What started out as a plan for a semi-retirement, turned out to be more work than they had ever thought. Instead of making just a nursery, they got very exited about the fact that their place should be a destination place for people who wanted to buy plants. The layout of the nursery is very unique and different from many other nurseries. It is set up to become a park, with two large ponds, meandering pathways through the trees and a spot to pick berries and vegetables. This whole plan meant not only putting in plants, but also building a store and tea house. Of course trees need time to grow, but for those people who have been there over the last two years, it is amazing how well they've grown, and how much the set-up of the place starts already to become like a dream come true. Pim and Mary-Ann want customers to come out and enjoy their place, the beautiful, serene spot overlooking the Rocky Mountains. They are passionate about what they are doing and they love to share their knowledge with their customers.
They think that living in rural Alberta is a great privilege. To wake up in the morning to see the sun rise in the east . It makes a person wanting to get up and embrace the day. The amount of bright sunlight in Alberta makes up for the cold temperatures in winter. People often wonder why on earth two dedicated gardeners have left first Holland and then beautiful BC, the place where it takes hardly any effort to grow a plant, to a place where every tree, bush and perennial has to be pampered in order to survive.
The beautiful gardens and scenery in BC do not come without a price tag. That price tag comes in the form of endless rains from mid October to well into June or July. Spring starts in March. But when it rains all the time, who wants to enjoy the great outdoors and get soaking wet? Which, truthfully, leaves BC with an average of 3 1/2 months of sunny summer weather. Now, look at Alberta. Spring is unpredictable and can be next to nothing, so we move sometimes right from winter into summer, which for the gardeners among us starts during the long weekend of May. Our first frost is to be expected in September, which leaves us with the same length of summer than they have in BC, PLUS... all the sunshine we have during the rest of the year when they have dark, gloomy days on the coast. NO, the owners of The Blooming Fields are happy to be where they are, and as far as gardening is concerned,they have found my way around in Alberta. www.thebloomingfields.com
Hotchkiss Herbs & Product
It all started back in 1986 when Paul Hotchkiss, a fan of BLT sandwiches, couldn’t find a decent tomato in Calgary. After a search resulting in finding perfect looking, yet absolutely tasteless tomatoes, Paul set out to grow his own. From a makeshift greenhouse in his backyard he began his journey into the world of produce and eventually, along with his wife Tracy made his way to a piece of land south east of Calgary. Their business focus is on providing its clients with excellent quality, organically grown and certified vegetables to a market of fine restaurants and grocery stores, and an expanded home customer base. Paul expanded his produce line to more than 15 items greenhouse grown, and has lead the charge into the taste sensations of various microgreens!
For a unique taste sensation – try any Hotchkiss branded salad in the Calgary area. www.hotchkissproduce.com
Highwood Valley Ranch
Ralph & Jacqueline Nelson, High River.
Calving is just underway here at Highwood Valley Ranch and timing this for April enables us to truly enjoy the process. It is very satisfying to witness healthy new born calves cavorting on a warm spring day and just like the cows, we look forward to the days ahead when we can forego our daily feeding program.
For those of you who are meeting us for the first time, we would like to share some of our background. As a third and fourth generation operation, we have deep roots and ties to the land along the south banks of the Highwood River west of High River. We understand the connection between a healthy environment and food production. We realize that when our environment is compromised we also compromise our long term ability to stay in the business. Thus, we are committed to stewardship of the land and water. In the fall of 2007 we placed a conservation easement on a portion of our riparian lands which will protect them from future development.
Our stewardship plan encompasses both our beef production as well as our forage production. The management of our cow calf herd is done with minimal outside inputs as we attempt to bring our beef to plate with as much forage as possible rather than grain. Our beef do not receive hormones or antibiotics. On our forage lands we use compost rather than chemical fertilizer and we are moving towards organic certification of these lands.
They have chosen to differentiate their grass managed beef to assure customers of natural quality and they sell in sized package groupings suited to their customers needs, at the Millarville Market. You can indulge on our six ounce burgers featured at the Wildhorse Bistro in Black Diamond. The Maui cut of ribs allows new uses for a previously hard to sell product.
If you would like to know more about our production protocols or if you wish to purchase HVR beef please contact us at 403-652-7477 or rjnelson@xplornet.com. We welcome visits from our customers which provide an opportunity to share our connection to the land. |
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