Grown In Alberta\u2013 Surprising Foods

About a year ago, I heard whispers about families harvesting and cooking up crawfish from Alberta lakes.

by CARMEN CHENG

This news was surprising and intriguing as crawfish, or “mudbugs”, are generally associated with Southern states such as Texas or Louisiana, not Alberta.

As a landlocked province, Alberta is not known for bountiful seafood or produce, so it might come as a surprise that seafood and melons, among other products can grow here. With advancements in agricultural technology and systems such as aquaponics or vertical farms, it is becoming even easier for producers to grow fresh and sustainable product that wouldn’t typically be found in this part of the world.

This list of foods that are already grown in Alberta just might change your perception of our province.

Cantaloupe and Watermelon - Mans Organics

Last Fall, Bar Von Der Fels had a dish on their menu with Fogo Island Crab and Alberta grown cantaloupe! The dish was delicious as the sweetness of the cantaloupe brought out the sweetness of the crab. Bar Von Der Fel’s chef, Doug King sources the melon from Mans Organics, in Southern Alberta owned by the Mans Family – Henk, Rita, Andrew, and Denise.

The existence of Alberta-grown melons seems novel with our weather conditions and climate, however Andrew Mans says, “Southern Alberta has good light levels and enough heat that it does work for us. They can be challenging to grow and timing is very important.” In addition to cantaloupe, Mans Organics also grows watermelon.

To overcome some of the challenges, Mans’ melons are started in the greenhouse before being transplanted in the field. Even after they are transplanted, melons are given extra care for the first few weeks to ensure they are given proper protection and heat. The harvest time of these melons can vary between three to six weeks, which can present challenges for the sales process.

Mans’ melons have been sold at various retailers across the province including: Community Natural Foods, Blush Lane, SPUD.ca, Busy Beas Market Garden, Freson Bros, and Earth’s General Store just to name a few.

Alberta's freshest food Photograph & beverage courtesy magazine Andrew - May 2019 Mans

Barramundi (Asian Sea Bass) - Deepwater Farms

Barramundi, or Asian Sea Bass is native to waters near Southeast Asia and Australia, approximately 10,000 km away from landlocked Alberta, yet Paul Schumlich and Kevin Daniels, founders of Deepwater Farms, have figured out how to raise this fish and supply greens from their aquaponics farm in Calgary year-round.

Barramundi are raised in warm, oxygen-rich water. Fish waste in the water is filtered out and broken down by micro-organisms, which turn the waste into a nutrient source for plants grown in hydroponics.

Deepwater Farms takes pride in offering a clean, pure, well-raised product through the quality of fish feed and municipal water used in their process. With a single closed-loop process, Deepwater Farms can also recirculate their water, thereby reducing the amount of water they are using, while growing fish, kale, arugula, and other culinary greens.

Not only are there significant sustainability benefits to this system, Calgarians can also access locally grown, fresh fish year round, even fish that is typically grown thousands of kilometers away. Being a local producer, the product can be brought to market on the same day that they are harvested, which means if you’re eating Deepwater Barramundi in a restaurant, it could have been harvested just hours beforehand.

Deepwater Farms Barramundi can be found at Billingsgate Market, North Sea Market, and City Fish. As most of Deepwater Farms’ customers are currently restaurants and chefs, look out for their product on restaurant menus like Raw Bar in Hotel Arts and Model Milk.

Deepwater Farms Barramundi

Pink Oyster Mushroom – Gruger Family Fungi

Photos of beautiful Alberta-grown Pink Oyster Mushrooms have been popping up all over Instagram over the past year, with their bright pastel tones. Although native to tropical climates, Nisku-based Gruger Family Fungi successfully grow pink, blue, and gold oyster mushrooms in their indoor vertical farm, amongst other varieties of mushrooms for culinary and medicinal use.

Owners Rachel and Carleton Gruger spent years researching different farming systems, and were attracted to the nutritious and medicinal quality of mushrooms and the sustainability that could be gained with this type of farming.

Farmer’s Markets are a great place to learn about local produce"

Oyster mushrooms grow well indoors at a moderately warm temperature, and feed off hemp fibre and grain that is recycled from Rig Hand Distillery.

Gruger Farms also carries Lions Mane mushrooms with a fuzzy exterior that resembles its namesake. Lions Mane mushrooms can be used for culinary and medicinal purposes. They are grown at Gruger Family Fungi, but can also surprisingly be foraged from Alberta forests.

Gruger mushrooms can be found on restaurant menus including Chartier in Beaumont and Rge Rd in Edmonton.

We can also buy these beauties at markets. In Edmonton, they can be found at the City Market downtown and Earth’s General Store. In Sherwood Park, Gruger mushrooms are available at the Salisbury Farmer’s Market.

It might come as a surprise that seafood and melons…can grow here"

Tomatillo – Cherry Pit, Calgary Farmer’s Market

Farmer’s Markets are a great place to learn about local produce. Calgary Farmer’s Market requires vendors who sell vegetables and fruit to label the origin of the product. During a shopping trip in the summer, I came across Alberta grown tomatillo from The Cherry Pit.

Tomatillos originated in Mexico and are often used in salsas or soups. They resemble a green tomato but covered by a papery husk, and taste more tart than green tomatoes. They grow well when they have full sun exposure, so with some TLC sunny Alberta can prove to be a good climate to produce tomatillo. Cherry Pit receives Alberta grown tomatillos from Brian Lehodey.

Back to the mythical Albertan crawfish. For those who are adventurous enough to catch their own buckets of crawfish, do your research ahead of time.

Although harvesting crawfish in Alberta is legal, ensure that you are aware of the correct protocol and tips shared through the “Alberta Guide to Sportfishing Regulations” (albertaregulations.ca/fishingregs) by the Alberta government before hosting a big locally grown crawfish boil.

Bar Von Der Fels dish featuring Mans organic cantaloupe and Fogo Island Crab

Carmen Cheng comes from a long line of food lovers and notorious over-orderers. She loves traveling, learning about different cuisines, and sharing her food adventures on social media.