Successful Open Farm Days showcases the best of Saskatchewan produce

It’s a perfect weekend to visit a farm in Saskatchewan.

Open Farm Days is a new event that focuses on sharing Saskatchewan food and agriculture with consumers. There are 36 farms that have opened their doors this weekend to allow people to learn and explore.

Gordon Hamilton and his son Caden stopped for a visit at the Over The Hills Orchard and Winery in Lumsden.

It was their first time visiting the orchard, and the pair enjoyed the scavenger hunt and some yummy treats.

“We’ve driven past it on the way to Wascana Trails, seeing the signs,” Gordon said. “So we’ve always had this on our bucket list as something to do.”

Father and son were working hard on the scavenger hunt. It had many items on it like birds, leaves, frogs, pine cones and more, and it kept Caden on his toes.

“We’re doing pretty good,” he told 980 CJME on Saturday. “We only have one more thing.”

As a treat, Caden devoured a sundae with raspberry syrup. His dad had a treat more fitting for a winery.

“The sangria was pretty good,” Gordon said, with a laugh.

For Sylvia Kreutzer, co-owner of the orchard and winery, it was a no-brainier to collaborate with Open Farm Days.

Open Farm Days co-ordinator Ashley Stone, left, and Sylvia Kreutzer, co-owner of Over the Hills Orchard and Winery in Lumsden, SK. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

“Open Farm Days is a brand new venture,” Kreutzer said. “They’re trying to get people to come out of the cities and experience what people do on their farms and what’s unique in Saskatchewan.”

The Lumsden orchard is located just north of Regina, and is offering a handful of activities during its peach and cherry festival, which is part of Open Farm Days.

“Today we’re doing an orchard walking tour,” Kreutzer said Saturday.

“People will go out into the orchard with Dean, who’s one of the owners here, and they’re going to find how we grow fruits that are unique or different to Saskatchewan.

“He’s going to tour them around and show them the adaptations and changes that have happened over the last 25 years as we have grown and changed the orchard. They’ll see all kinds of unique fruits that they’ll be totally surprised to find that we have here.”

The orchard and winery offers picnics in the orchard, a patio and supper in the orchard on weekends.

Dean Kreutzer, co-owner of Over the Hills Orchard and Winery in Lumsden takes guests on a tour of areas not ususally open to the public. Here he is showing off a plant holder made from recycled water bottles. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Ashley Stone is a coordinator for Saskatchewan Open Farm Days.

“This is our inaugural event,” Stone said. “We have 36 farms participating across the province. The great opportunity here is to showcase the diversity and the range of farming in Saskatchewan. It’s an opportunity for our province’s residents to experience agriculture and find out what’s really growing in their backyards

Kreutzer said there is something for everyone at the orchard, even the kids.

“Our venue is family-friendly,” she said. “There’s some cute little kittens that people can give some scratches and cuddles to. But during the peach and cherry festival we have different experiences like a nature scavenger hunt and some different activities for them.”

The orchard is also hosting a ladybug picnic on Aug. 24.

Kittens and their mother snuggle at Over the Hills Orchard and Winery. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Stone said the feedback for the open days event has been remarkable, with bus tours completely sold out in Saskatoon.

On the orchard tour, co-owner Dean Kreutzer said he had created a handful of unique fruits by cross pollinating parent fruits to make new ones.

“You’ve got two parents that have good qualities and bad qualities,” he said. “You want the best of the parents to go into the kids. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Back in 2016, his trees were 7-foot tall and 7-foot wide, full of fruit and very healthy.

“They’re not that way now because this is year eight of a very severe drought,” Dean said.

“On average we’re getting about six inches of rain per growing season, and the common wisdom is you need an inch of rain per week. So for six weeks we were good. We haven’t had any rain for about seven weeks now.”

But that hasn’t stopped him from nourishing his dreams and creating new fruits to make all kinds of yummy treats.