Open Farm Days this weekend

Open Farm Days are here again in Sturgeon County, now with twice as many farms as before.

The second annual Alberta Open Farm Days event runs this Aug. 23 and 24 at farms across the province. The event offers free open houses to promote agri-tourism and to encourage urbanites to learn more about the source of their food.

Last year's event involved 41 farms and about 3,000 farm visits, says Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation spokesperson Brenda Hanson.

"The feedback from both the farms and the visitors was really, really positive," she says, so they decided to do it again.

Guests will get to check out 63 farms and 17 culinary events this year across the province, Hanson says. This year's mix includes more traditional farms such as grain farms as well as atypical ones like bison and honey. Activities include u-pick gardens, petting zoos, corn mazes and cheese tasting.

"We also have an urban farm participating," she noted, in the form of Edmonton's Reclaim Urban Farm on Whyte Avenue.

Back again

Back for another round is Tam Andersen's Prairie Gardens and Adventure Farm north of Bon Accord.

"As a farmer that grows food, it's really important for us that (residents) understand that (this) is where food comes from, not necessarily off a grocery store shelf," Andersen says. Without that understanding, we risk losing our valuable farmland to urban expansion.

"We need to live side by side."

Ticket holders will get to eat gourmet food under the open sky Sunday at the farm as part of the sold-out Field to Fork Dinner.

"This year with all the heat we'll have sweet corn," Andersen says, as well as various pumpkin dishes. All ingredients will be sourced from within 10 kilometres of the farm and prepared by local chef Blair Lebsack.

If you don't have a ticket, you can still snack on bumbleberry shortcake and other dishes at the farm Saturday, Andersen says. Families will also get to explore a corn maze, pet sheep, alpacas and peacocks, leap off bales of hay and dig potatoes.

"The experience of seeing those kids' eyes light up when they unearth fully mature potatoes underneath those green plants is something that is just priceless," Andersen says.

Also returning is Sonya Steiner's Horse Sense Training and Petting Zoo just north of St. Albert.

Steiner says she got about 600 visitors last year with just 10 days of prep time, and predicts she'll get twice as many this time.

"It always depends on the weather."

Guests at her farm will get to pet and in some cases ride ponies, horses, hedgehogs, parrots, goats, donkeys and exotic chickens at the farm, Steiner says.

They'll also get to see the farm's new zebu cattle, a type of miniature cow originally from South Asia.

"The zebu's the smallest breed in the world of cattle," Steiner says, standing less than a metre tall fully grown.

"There are only 1,000 in North America and we've got six."

New this year

New to the tour this year is Midmore Farms, an organic grain operation just north of Morinville.

Co-owner Jo-Anne Middleton says they decided to join the tour this year after hearing that it needed grain farmers.

Guests should come to her farm for an educational experience, she says.

"It's a working grain farm," says Middleton, so expect to see real farm equipment and mature barley crops, as well as cows, pigs, and bunnies.

"They can see what grain looks like before it's made into cereals."

Also new to the tour is Colin Campbell's Cajun Angus farm just outside of Bon Accord.

Campbell says his farm raises purebred angus (solid red or black) cows for commercial breeding stock. As a director with the Alberta Beef Producers, he joined the tour to show people how the beef industry works.

The Morinville Centennial Community Gardens Society is also hosting a sold-out Farm to Table Dinner Saturday as part of Open Farm Days.