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Ronda Payne
Pumpkins
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Ronda Payne
The Long Table
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Ronda Payne
Can Tina Outdoor Kitchen
Chef Chris Whittaker can be seen with his bright orange hat standing inside “CanTina” the shipping container turned outdoor kitchen.
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Ronda Payne
Chef Chris Whittaker.
"Whole Hog" organizer Chef Chris Whittaker.
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Ronda Payne
The feast
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Ronda Payne
The Musicians
Live music was part of the celebration at “The Whole Hog” feast with one of the farm’s residents, Tallulah Winkelman, on the accordion.
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Ronda Payne
Corn Maze
Welcoming people to growing, producing lands to take in the “farm to plate” experience is nothing new. Wine tasting rooms, petting zoos, field tours; it’s all there to be seen in what has been coined agri-tourism.
It’s a challenge to come up with something new and different to keep people coming back on a regular basis. For those lucky enough to score customers who return year after year for their favourite wine, this may not an issue. But for those making a living off harvest and are looking for ways to increase and extend that income, new ideas are essential. At Orchard & Vine, we’ve noticed three growing trends in agriculture:
- Popular in Europe for many years, long table dinners have recently hit farms and orchards in B.C.
- Farm gate shops grow in size to become destinations and sources for products from many local producers
- Seasonal activities incorporate new attractions to keep things fresh and fun
Long Table Dinners
For a second year, Chef Chris Whittaker of Vancouver’s Forage restaurant saw his idea of a “whole hog” feast come to life. Not only did Whittaker serve up all parts of the hog in various dishes, he also brought attendees closer to the source of their dinner by having them pick the ingredients for a few of the dishes as they toured Glorious Organics, an Aldergrove cooperative farm.
Whittaker is no stranger to the farm or the food which is used at Forage. In addition to the Whole Hog event, he has worked at the farm and become a friend to those living and working there.
One of the farm’s residents, Mark Cormier, explained that everyone wanted to see CanTina – a shipping container turned outdoor kitchen – functional in time for the feast. Funds raised from the dinner helped pay for CanTina’s arrival and set up.
“We did this Forage event last year,” Cormier said. “This year we worked really hard and sold out.”
The new outdoor kitchen facility will allow for a greater number of events on the farm from kid’s campouts to other dinners.
“I guess one of the big things we want [as a result of events] is for people to get to know our farm and see what we do,” Cormier said. “The farm is always open for visitors and at this event we get to see people eating our food. We don’t see that with restaurants.”
In 2013, Rebecca Awram was a co-organizer of an inaugural long table dinner held at Golden Ears Cheesecrafters in Maple Ridge. This was a collaborative process where the owners of Cheesecrafters worked with Awram (who has plenty of local food event experience) and the head of the local farmers’ market. Profits went to the Friends in Need Food Bank.
“It was elegant yet pastoral at the same time,” Awram said of the event. “Gourmet courses with hay barrels and farm equipment. A total juxtaposition, seemingly at odds yet blending so smoothly, so naturally. A true 'field-to-fork' experience, it just seemed so natural to dress up and sip expensive local wines while lighting our tent by candle and lantern as it got dark and gazing out over the fields, and then the stars. You just don’t get that in a restaurant.”
Farmgate Shops Bring Local to their Shelves
The latest trend for farmgate shops is the introduction of shops turned markets where customers can buy a wide range of local products outside what may be expected.
Hopcott Farms began in the 1930s as a dairy operation. The family grew and diversified their product offerings and in 2006 opened their Hopcott Premium Meat shop. Despite those origins, this is far from a shop that sells only meats. With five different kinds of berries grown and sold on site and products from about 50 different local producers, the shop is able to provide everything for breakfast to dinner. With meat, sauces, produce and breads, it has become a destination for locals.
“It’s all about supporting other farmers,” said Jenn Hopcott, the shop’s operations manager. “We’re all about connecting the farmer and where food comes from to people.”
Another successful farmgate shop turned market is Abbotsford’s Lepp Farm Market. Opened in 2009, the market was built where the family’s corn stand used to be. Certainly there is still corn, but every variety of meat and produce – all sourced locally – can be found on the shelves, in the deli and the coolers.
Make Seasonal Sensational
The old pumpkin patch is more than just a place to pick up a pumpkin. Also located in Maple Ridge, the Laity Pumpkin Patch makes choosing a pumpkin a full morning, afternoon or day-long activity.
This 18-acre patch has been running for 25 years and understands that, to keep people coming back, new offerings need to be added. It may seem like an awful lot of work for a business that only runs in October, but the small corn maze, concession, frontier town, gold panning, tractor wagon ride and more allow the family-run business to charge an admission, along with pumpkin sales, while ensuring families and school tours keep coming back for more.
While Hopcott farms was previously mentioned as an example of taking a farmgate shop and making it a destination, it is also an example of making a seasonal attraction something even grander.
Since 2000, the Hopcott family has turned 17 acres of forage corn for their cattle into Meadows Maze. Three mazes – the Mega Maze, medium maze, and mini maze – are 8.7 kilometers of GPS cut paths through close to a million stalks of corn. Because the corn is used to feed the cows, closing the maze and harvest time is carefully planned to not coincide with the farm’s cranberry crop.
New attractions are constantly added to the Maze site and include diverse offerings like pigs kids can colour on, a petting farm, barrel train rides and more.
15 Things to Know About Bringing Folks onto the Farm:
- Find sources of alternative entertainment like music or monitors with short movie clips if your offerings are limited
- Accept as many payment options as possible. Yes, credit cards charge a fee, but do your research for the best rates and avoid losing a sale
- Reduce any risks and get adequate insurance
- Look at your property through the eyes of a non-farmer and if possible get advice on “flow” from a neutral associate
- Signs are your silent employees. Use them liberally
- Repair what’s broken, replace what’s needed, take care of basic maintenance
- Ensure adequate parking
- Collaborate with local growers and farmers where possible. People love to see farming and growing as a community
- Provide plenty of shade, places to rest and water in summer
- Convenient washroom facilities are a must
- Widen, clear and smooth walkways and paths
- Ensure wheelchair and mobility challenge accessibility wherever possible
- Remove the temptations of equipment and most animals from areas children frequent
- Always look for events and activities that are an extension of what you produce. An apple themed dinner is great for an apple orchard, but a pig race is not
- Ensure staff involved with events is well-aware of what’s expected
The 5 Best Ways to Get Them to The Farm:
- Offer a unique experience, linked to your property and what you do
- Involve a charity component, whether it's a donation to a non-profit or funds raised to ensure a certain amount of food is donated at harvest
- Focus on foodies. No one loves a visit to a farm and unique food experiences more than foodie-types
- Charge what it’s worth. If you undersell your attraction, people will dismiss it as cheap and uneventful
- Integrate your marketing efforts to get the biggest bang for your buck. Posters, social media, banners and affordable advertising must be targeted specifically to those you want to attract
