Fruition Orchards and Family Farm

Happy Holidays from all of us!

2011-12-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

We wish you a "berry" Christmas and a happy new year!

Carmen, Keith, Frances, Lily and Parker

White Birch Dinner Club at Fruition Orchards!

2011-09-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Check us out in Penny's blog: http://www.wanderlustandwords.blogspot.com/

We had a great evening with White Birch Catering. We hosted their monthly dinner club at the farm. If you want to experience food in a way you can't in a restaurant, you should become dinner club members! Amazing food in a unique atmosphere, great people, and a learning experience about food all in one evening!

our philosophy on raising animals...

2011-08-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

We have had alot of interest in our animals lately, and we get a lot of questions about what exactly we do with our animals. Our family farm raises goats, sheep, and heritage poultry (so far, chickens mainly, as well as a smattering of ducks and a few turkeys). We strive to mimic how animals would behave if they were out in nature on their own.

We raise sheep and goats to use as lawn mowers and fertilizers in our orchards. They graze between the trees and eat the weeds and keep the trees from suckering. The chickens and ducks wander around after them, eating bugs and dragging straw around the orchard, consequently mulching around many of the trees. This is time and labour intensive for us, we move a temporary fence around the orchard to prevent the animals from eating the trees, and we haul water to them. We treat our animals kindly and compassionately. All our animals have 24 hour access to indoor and outdoor spaces, fresh water and food. All of our animals are used to being around people... They are handled kindly by our family and we ensure that everyone who comes to our farm does the same.

We also slaughter our animals for meat. We slaughter chickens ourselves and take our small livestock to a provincially inspected abbatoir. We have taught our children that these animals are not just pets, but are also being raised for meat. And they should be treated compassionately.

If you are interested in what we are doing, we would be happy to have you out to our farm and show you around. We also do school tours and have opportunities for people to help out.

Now featuring in our chicken house - fresh farm eggs!!

2011-07-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

Five days ago our chickens started laying eggs! We were pretty excited and the novelty still hasn't worn off for the girls - they go and collect the eggs every morning and have one each for breakfast. They are the best tasting eggs we have ever eaten. (according to us!)

We think our chickens look pretty, happy, they have inside and outside areas to roam around, plenty of food and water, and lots of company. So, we are naming our eggs "Happy Chicken" - now available Wednesdays and Sundays at our Farmers' Market booth!

In the Fruition Kitchen...

2011-06-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

I started a new blog, all about jam! (and anything else that you can put in a jar)

www.inthefruitionkitchen.blogspot.com

The barn reno

2011-05-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

After much consideration, we decided to renovate the old barn on our farm. The roof looked like it was going to fall down, so we decided to take the roof off and see if the rest of it could be fixed structurally.

We replaced the hayloft floor and straightened out the walls, and then replaced the front and back and added some doors...

And, for the roof, we are installing a greenhouse. We'll see how it holds up in the wind!

looking for a summer student!

2011-05-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

We are looking for a full time summer student to start June 1. Must be returning to school in the fall, have a driver's license, and some experience with small farm equipment (garden tractor, pull type equipment and ATV). Contact us for more details!

We are also pleased to welcome Tim and Calvin as our summer help this year... They will be working with our 4H program and helping us in the orchards, as well as doing a bit of landscaping and clean up after the flooding.

goats and sheep and puppies (oh my!)

2011-02-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

The critters have started arriving at Fruition Orchards - we have six adult pygmy goats and two kids, six sheep, and a great pyrenees puppy named Buster (to keep the sheep safe from the coyotes). We are still looking forward to the chicken entourage, starting to come at the end of March, and a three year old miniature donkey named Tuesday this spring!

the chickens are coming, the chickens are coming!

2011-01-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

Since we've moved to the farm and the weather got cold, we've been fantasizing about adding an animal entourage to our farm. I think we are too scared to dream too big about our orchards this year, considering we don't know what to expect when the ground thaws and we see how many trees we have actually lost.
So, we ordered our first critters - chickens! Lots of chickens! Lots of different kinds of chickens!
So, if we don't have fruit, hopefully we'll have eggs!
We're working in partnership with a 4H group through YDC, we'll house the chickens and they will assist in taking care of them. They will be making their first debut at the Saskatoon Farmers Market on April 20... stay tuned to find out how this all goes...

...about our orchard honey

2011-01-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Honey takes on different flavours and aromas depending on what type of blossoms bees collect their nectar from. Honey is commercially distributed by collecting from various apiaries and mixing all of the honey together.

Our beehives are located in the midst of our own fruit orchard. Our bees exclusively pollinate our fruit trees, which creates a honey with a unique flavour and aroma by concentrating their nectar collection on the fruit blossoms.

We've infused pure fruit juice to our orchard honey. This creates an extraordinary and flavourful honey that can be used in many unique ways.

Here are some ideas for using fruit infused orchard honey...

as a sweetener for hot tea or iced tea

as a glaze for baked chicken or ham

try it in a martini - drizzle on top of chilled vodka or gin

use in baking instead of sugar

as a sweetener for hot oatmeal, granola, or your favourite cereal
on ice cream

great mixed into plain yoghurt

in fruit salad for some extra zing

and of course, perfect on toast or with a peanut butter sandwich!

Our flavours include sour cherry, strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, and mango. We also have a spiced honey flavour.

We are at the farmers market every Wednesday and Saturday!

...in Planet S magazine

2010-12-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

Craig Silliphant, in his article "Home Field Advantage" (Dec 2-15, 2010 issue) said that our peach salsa was "...one of the surprise hits of the party - to the point where friends who were there were still mentioning it to me a few days later". Apparently, it's a match made in heaven with quark cheese from Souleio foods. Thanks for the plug Craig! We still have some at the farmers market.

http://http//www.planetsmag.com/story.php?id=272

...in the Western Producer

2010-12-12T13:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to a Western Producer article about our summer...
http://http://www.producer.com/Weather/Article.aspx?aid=30535

Here's hoping for next year!

Open House

2010-11-03T11:00:00.000-07:00

We are having an Open House on Sunday November 28
1 pm to 4 pm
Come and see the renovations to the Aberdeen United Church
Do some local shopping
Have a Christmas Treat with us and make a donation to Dance Aberdeen

Hope to see you there!

whew! end of the season

2010-10-13T13:46:00.001-07:00

The season is finally over - bring on the snow!!
We had a complete wash out of our fruit this year, as did many fruit growers across Saskatchewan, thanks to the wet and cold weather this summer. We did manage to crop share some fruit and were able to make a few things for the Farmers Market! Here are the products available:

Juices - strawberry, apple, saskatoon berry, sour cherry, sweet cherry

Jams and jellies - golden plum jam, lingonberry and sweet cherry jam, cranberry/pear jam, cranberry mango jelly, seabuckthorn jelly, jalapeno jelly, wild blueberry lime jam, strawberry balsamic jam, ginger pear mango jam, blackberry, zuchinni marmalade, blueberry marmalade, carrot orange marmalade, strawberry banana jam, raspberries and roses jam, apricot, strawberry. vanilla jam, raspberry peach jam

other goodies -
green tomato mincemeat
peach salsa
pears and peppers salsa
coriander chutney
sugar free apple sauce
sweet and spicy corn relish
fig sauce
spiced pears
four bean salad

Fruit flavoured orchard honey - saskatoon berry and sour cherry

email us for pricing and gift baskets
We also make fruit-inspired chocolates and candies by order - $10/dozen
fruit juice marshmallows covered in Bernard Callebaut chocolate
Fruit fondant covered in chocolate
fudge

We can make up a gift basket for you.

2010-06-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of our church from the front orchard (before all this rain!), those cute little bushes are honeyberries (haskap). We will have to net them soon to keep the birds from eating the fruit - they love it!

2010-05-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

Looking for a thoughtful, unique and eco-friendly wedding present? How about a CSA fruit package from Fruition Orchards?

CSA spaces are filling up!

2010-05-03T13:40:00.001-07:00

2010 Community Supported Agriculture Project

Spring is here (again!)

We have seven spaces left in our 2010 CSA - for more information, to request a brochure, or to secure a membership, you can email me at fruition@sasktel.net.

Gardenscape!?

2010-03-21T21:46:00.001-07:00

March 26/27/28
We will be attending Gardenscape this year, providing weary and thirsty shoppers seven flavours of juice, as well as homemade marshmallow dipped in chocolate, three kinds of fudge, and fruity lollipops.

Look for us at the tiki bar!

new fruit juice flavours

2010-02-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

Saskaberry - a combination of saskatoon berry and strawberry, sure to make you reminisce about those lazy hazy thirsty days of summer

High Bush Cranberry Punch - high bush cranberry, strawberry and pineapple juice - blended with grape and apple juice, a fruit punch right in the kisser!

At the farmers market every Saturday!

2009-12-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

From our house to your house - Merry Christmas!

new logo for Fruition Orchards!

2009-11-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

Fruition Orchards has a brand- spankin new logo! Thanks to Wayne and Dana from Walden Sweet for putting it together for us.

new tasty fruity treats for the holidays

2009-11-16T22:14:00.000-08:00

We've started making fruit filled holiday treats!
Bernard Callebaut chocolate surrounding sour cherries, honeyberries, black currants...
Homemade sour cherry and saskatoon berry marshmallow, on its own or dipped in chocolate...
Fruit juice lollipops...

Perfect for gift giving!
They come in packages of four and soon to be available in 1/2 pound and one pound boxes. Come see us at the farmers market Saturdays, and now Wednesdays at the Saskatoon Farmers Market and at the Refinery!

at the farmers market...

2009-10-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

We now have a table at the Saskatoon Farmer's Market on Saturdays. We sell hand-pressed juice, fruit jellies, sauces, and canned fruit, as well as fruit granola. We have cranberry jelly and mincemeat available for the holiday season.

Come and sample our fruit juice! Flavours include -
saskatoon berry grape
saskatoon berry apple
sour cherry
sour cherry pear
raspberry
strawberry rhubarb
plum
peach

Frozen saskatoon berries also available!

"Papa Joe" - our berry harvester

2009-08-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

This is our berry harvester - it is a "Johanna II" model and we use it to harvest saskatoon berries, honeyberries, sour cherries, and currants. The berries are shaken off the trees and onto a conveyor belt, the sticks and leaves are blown off and they come down a shoot where you have to "catch" them in a tray and stack them up as fast as they come out (where Frances and Lily are standing).

Saskatoon Berries are ready!

2009-07-22T14:48:00.001-07:00

We are harvesting saskatoon berries! We sell them at the Saskatoon Farmer's Market on Saturdays as well as at some of the local BC fruit stands. You can also phone and order at 933-9630.

CSA members - get ready for your saskatoons on Sunday!!

Saskatoon Berry Platz
I remember my mom making this cake for my dad during harvest season - his favourite was with rhubarb. You can mix the saskatoons and rhubarb together (both are in season at the same time) and that would give you a nice sweet/sour combination. This cake gets better by the day, but probably won't last very long.

1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter or marg
Combine until crumbly.
Add:
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Spread into greased 9x12 pan.
Top with fresh saskatoon berries or any other fresh or frozen fruit of your choice (rhubarb is also a classic).
For the topping:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter or marg, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
Combine to make crumbs and sprinkle over the fruit.
Bake until golden brown - about 30 minutes.

CSAs and rain...

2009-06-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who joined us this year for our Community Supported Agriculture Project! There is still a bit of time left if you want to join, our harvest will be quite late this year, probably end of June we will start to pick honeyberries, and saskatoons mid-July.
We are excited to welcome two people to help us at our orchard this year. Last year, we hosted Francois, from France, as a WWOOFer (www.wwoof.ca) for six weeks, and this year we have hired him to come back and help us with berry season as our orchard manager. He will be helping with the harvest as well as with custom harvesting. We will also have a visitor from Taiwan this year helping us. He wants to understand the fruit market here and work on a fruit farm.
Thank goodness for the rain! We needed it!

What is community supported agriculture?

2009-03-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA consists of a community of members, who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes the community's farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production. As a member, you will receive fresh local fruit and vegetables grown for the season, and be able to come and see where your food is coming from!

A $20 Membership includes:
· Annual newsletter
· Tour of orchard
· Access to CSA fruit program
· Option to purchase other fruit and food packages, such as orchard honey, canned fruit, etc.
· Great deals on bulk fruit (over 100 lbs)
· Recognition on our website
· Pancake breakfast

As memberships grow in numbers, we will be asking other local producers to join our CSA project, giving members more local food choices.

You can pay by paypal (see sidebar), or email me at fruition@sasktel.net and I can send you an application form and the membership packages available for 2009...

Local Bounty

2009-03-09T15:06:00.000-07:00

We attended the Local Bounty meeting on March 8 - a chance for local producers and buyers to come together and understand each other's needs and issues. Key note speaker Wade Sirois, from infuse catering, Calgary was inspiring on the slow food movement in Alberta. I recommend checking out his blog as well as the terra madre site:
http://www.terramadre2008.org/welcome.lasso

Chef Moe from Willow on Wascana also gave a talk on what it is like running a restaurant using as many local products as possilbe. Thanks for the entertaining and humourous perspective Moe!
http://www.willowonwascana.ca/

We were inspired by discussions on educating consumers on local food products and "Saskatchewan cuisine". We hope to have some events that will highlight Saskatchewan local producers and chefs at the cooperative centre. Stay tuned!!

Anyone out there want to help us start a slow food group in Saskatoon, let us know and we can talk about it becoming a part of the coop...

What to do with a piece of dirt and an old church?

2009-02-18T20:04:00.000-08:00

That is the question we have been asking ourselves for the past few years. My husband's dream has always been to have a fruit orchard, so we planted trees. I 've always wanted to renovate an old church, so we bought a church and moved it to the orchard. Now what? We hope to take you on this journey with us as we try to create something unique, cooperative, community-based, and a learning experience for everyone who visits us as Fruition Orchards.