GrainsWest Summer 2018

The Food Issue 2018 Grains West 8 Public interest in the origins of food crops is at an all-time high. Understanding the provenance of the wheat in your bread, the barley in your beer, the vegetables in your salad and the steak on your barbecue is certainly satisfying and somehowmakes these foods taste just that much better. For the complete picture, visit the rural areas where our food is gown andmeet the people who farm it. As you plan your recreational roadmap this summer, consider making Alberta farms and agricultural attractions part of your itinerary. FAIR-WEATHER FARMADVENTURES Enjoy tastings and tours, andmeet Alberta’s farm entrepreneurs EVENTS Go farmhopping On August 18 and 19, the Alberta agricultural community hospitably invites the public to visit the province’s farms and ranches for tours and demonstrations, tastings and dinners, and to meet the people who grow our food. For Alberta Open Farm Days host-farm locations and culinary-event tickets, and to plan your farm-hopping route, visit albertafarmdays.com. Also, flip to page 15 for our full story on the event. Take the family to a funny farm While your typical Alberta farmmay not feature a pumpkin cannon, mini golf range, pig races and sprawling corn maze, farm animals and produce figure into almost every aspect of Kraay Family Farm, an agricultural-themed family-fun zone. Visit kraayfamilyfarm.com for admission details as well as dates and hours of operation. Take a trip to tasty town Twenty minutes from Innisfail, the cuisine-loving hamlet of Markerville presents Taste of Markerville, a farm-fresh mini-fest of locally produced food and drink on July 28 that features a focus on grain and malt. Held at the Creamery Courtyard in Historic Markerville, the day’s 4 pm to 6 p.m. Appy Hour event offers bite-sized eats and a selection of drinks made within an hour’s drive, including craft beer, mead and Stoneheart Distillery Gin. This will be followed by an outdoor, long-table dinner for 120 on Main Street. For details and dinner tickets, go to tasteofmarkerville.com .