The high cost of produce and the increasing uncertainty over what consumers are putting into their bodies has spurred a rise of home grown food in the valley.
Debbie Bryant of Countryside Greenhouses in Rosedale said she sees increasingly more young people taking vegetable and herb starts home to their gardens to grow for their own consumption.
“I think younger adults are looking for new and different things to try growing organically. It gives them more control over what they eat,” said Bryant.
“I think the price of produce has somewhat of an impact, as everything that’s imported from the states is very high now, but I would suspect it is more about the pleasure of gardening themselves.”
Bryant said she has been selling an unusual high variety of specialty plants this year, alongside the staple crops like tomatoes and peppers, such as chick peas, lettuce, and especially herbs. She says plant producers are breeding and marketing more unique plants to grab consumers’ attention, such as the cucumber crystal apple, a sweet cucumber shaped like an apple.
Dennis Standage, owner of Sublime Food and Wine, says the cost factor is the biggest reason he grows his own herbs in gardens surrounding the restaurant.
“We save a lot of money doing it. We go through a couple pounds of our herbs a week so it just makes sense for us. Herbs are low maintenance and many come back every year,” said Standage, who grows chives, oregano, mint, and peppers at the restaurant. He also grows tomatoes and other vegetables at a farm near the Drumheller airport.
The consumer taste for locally grown food has been trending in Calgary restaurants for years and is now catching on with valley diners.
“All our food is as local as possible, but unlike restaurants in the city we have the advantage of extra space outside the restaurant to grow our own produce,” said Standage. Sublime also purchases potatoes from local Hutterite colonies, vegetables from a local grower and he purchases honey locally as well.
“We know what’s in our food. There’s no additives – it’s all fresh. And customers see it growing outside the restaurant and can see where it’s coming from and see that they are helping support local growers.”
