Supporting local food producers
LOCALLY PRODUCED GOODS ARE IMPORTANT TO SOUTHERN ALBERTANS
It’s summer! The season it’s easiest to be grateful for our incredible land and climate. Any Wednesday or Saturday, you can pop into the farmers’ market and get the best produce, meat or baked goods you’ve ever tasted. The strawberries I bought were so delicious they didn’t even make it into the house.
Albertans care about where their food comes from. Of course we do, many Albertans are in the business of producing it. Farmers’ markets and direct farm purchases are a big part of Alberta’s economy, and getting bigger. A 2016 survey showed that 80 per cent of Albertans had bought local food from a farmers’ market, and 92 per cent had bought local food from a grocery store.
That’s why the Alberta government consulted the province this past spring, and passed the Supporting Alberta’s Local Food Sector Act in May. This new legislation did three key things:
• it created a local food council that will represent this industry and advise the government on how to support it;
• it set standards for local organic food, so that consumers know what the labels actually mean when they are choosing a product;
• and it proclaimed the third week in August as “Local Food Week.” And since that is also Whoop-Up Days in Lethbridge there will be a lot going on that week.
Local food is a billion-dollar industry in Alberta, and supporting it benefits families who produce, sell, or consume local food. Tomorrow is the Saturday Farmers’ Market at Exhibition Park. Get there early if you can, it’s a popular place to be!
Also on the topic of local food, did you know that the City of Lethbridge maintains almost 4,000 public fruit trees? There are apples, cherries, pears, plums, chokecherries, and crabapples, free for the picking. You can find a map of these on the Environment Lethbridge website at
environmentlethbridge. ca/public-fruit-trees.
There are also berry bushes and rhubarb around the city for public harvest. You can pick yourself a snack, or grab some pectin and jars and start stocking up on jam. That’s about as local as you can get.
If you need some help dealing with all the apples you harvested, The Lethbridge Sustainable Living Association has you covered. Applefest! 2018 is Aug. 11, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., in Galt Gardens. Bring your apples and a clean container, and they can grind or juice your fruit for you. Even if you don’t have apples to process, come on down for a great day in the park. There will be vendors, exhibitors, live music, activities for kids, and beer garden. One more way to enjoy summer in Lethbridge.
Whoop-Up Days Family Festival takes place Aug. 21-25, at Exhibition Park and all around town. Join in for all or part of it: there is a Farmers’ Market, a parade, Bucking & Barrels, a midway, entertainment, and of course, pancake breakfasts. You can find a full listing of events at
and lots of details here in the Lethbridge Herald as we get closer to the dates.
Taber Cornfest overlaps with WhoopUp Days this year, running Aug. 23-25, but it is well worth the trip. Not only is Taber corn unbeatable for taste, but the Cornfest is a ton of fun. There’s the usual festivities, but also a chili cookoff, a cornbread contest, a slo-pitch tournament, and fan favourite: the corn-stuffing contest. Find out more at
visittaber.com.
I am so grateful to our local food producers who work so hard to keep us fed and happy. Let Alberta agriculture be the star of your backyard barbecue and you won’t be sorry. This summer is going to be delicious. Do you or a loved one have a milestone birthday or anniversary upcoming? Contact us to get a celebratory certificate from the government. You can reach my office at lethbridge.west@assembly.ab.ca, or 403-329-4644. We are located at 402 8 St. S.