Alberta Open Farm Days and Alberta on the Plate events

Experience local, pure, Alberta honey this August as part of Alberta Open Farm Days and Alberta on the Plate events

By Alberta Beekeepers Commission

August in Alberta is the best time of year to experience amazing local fresh produce that has been expertly grown and harvested by talented local farmers. With long summer days and dedicated beekeepers and farmers committed to producing high quality locally grown and produced products (including honey!), August is a great time to hit the road and discover the flavors of Alberta!

We have a number of our beekeepers and honey producers participating in this year’s events so make sure to check out the event websites below to include a sweet Alberta honey stop on your itinerary!

Alberta Open Farm Days

FARM EXPERIENCE OPEN HOUSE | AUGUST 14 & 15, 2021

Join Alberta Open Farm Days in August when more than 100 farms, ranches, and ag-tourism operators open their gates and invite visitors to share in local stories, see on-farm demonstrations and purchase locally grown and produced products.

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF OPEN FARM DAYS Open Farm Days is a great opportunity to get out of the city, or town and visit your neighbouring communities, eat delicious food and meet your farmers! Due to Covid-19, farm experiences might look different this year. Please follow all directives from AHS and the guidelines set out by the host farms.

SCHEDULING YOUR FARM VISITS • Please make sure you’ve scheduled your visit with your farms. This helps our farms know who is coming and so they can plan accordingly. • Choose farms to visit and plan your route through the Open Farm Days website: https://albertaopenfarmdays.ca/host-farms/

OPEN FARM DAYS TIPS AND TRICKS • Bring cash!! While Open Farm Days is a free event, there may be paid activities. You might see some farm-fresh products you’d like to buy, or some farms may have lunch you’ll be able to purchase. Debit/credit card transactions may not be available. • Bring a cooler! This will be handy for all the fresh products you’ve purchased • Pay attention to the signs and rules at each farm. These are working farms and safety is number 1! • Be prepared for the weather (and mosquitoes) and appropriate shoe wear is a must. • Charge your phone/camera because you’re going to want to take a lot of pictures • No pets. At all. Please leave Rover at home. Pets are not allowed on farms. • Use the #ABFarmDays hashtag and tag us in all your photos Learn more and start planning your Alberta Open Farm Days adventure by visiting https://albertaopenfarmdays.ca/

Alberta on the Plate

DINE AROUND FESTIVAL | AUGUST 6 -15, 2021

Alberta on the Plate is a province-wide celebration of the incredible bounty grown and produced across our beautiful province.

Anchored by a ten-day dine around festival highlighting local restaurants and products, Alberta on the Plate connects consumers to agriculture through our local restaurant industry and by continuing the conversation started by initiatives like Alberta Open Farm Days.

Each year during Local Food Week in August, Alberta on the Plate (AOTP) hosts a province-wide Dine Around where participating restaurants offer multi-course, fixed price menus highlighting local producers, growers, distillers and brewers. These restaurants range from casual to fine dining and everything in between. Each menu has recommended local pairings to be sure you get the perfect match for your meal.

Alberta on the Plate is pleased to have an exceptional array of participating restaurants from all across Alberta taking part in the 2021 province-wide Dine Around. These restaurants vary from cozy cafés to fine dining establishments, from urban centres like Calgary to rural communities like St. Paul.

Images courtesy of Good Morning Honey, Open Farm Days, 2019, and Gull Lake Honey Company Inc.