South Windermere Gardens by Coutts Agriculture Inc.

South Windermere Gardens

by Coutts Agriculture Inc.

We'll be opening a little LATE this spring due to the extreme dry conditions.

A u-pick berry farm in southwest Edmonton.

Know your food. Know your farmer.

PICKING QUALITY TODAY: BELOW AVERAGE - BEGINNING OF SEASON - Fewer & Smaller Berries

[updated July 4, 2009]

The bees are hard at work! Every flower on the farm must be visited!

This year we have planted or are planting beets, Nantes carrots, eggplant, garden peas, snow peas, green beans, yellow beans, pickling cucumbers & dill, peppers, tomatoes, raspberries, saskatoon berries, strawberries, squash and sweet corn!

(Beets and carrots will be late because of reseeding due to extreme dry conditions.)

(Raspberry crop will be poor, you may want to make alternate arrangements...)

We will open for the year when STRAWBERRY SEASON begins SATURDAY JULY 4.

and will continue until killing frost, usually late September.

We grow both day neutral (ever-bearing) and June bearing (July bearing in Edmonton) strawberries.

Saskatoon berry season begins approximately July 15 :)

Dry farmed Early Girl tomato season begins approximately July 25 :)

Dry farming techniques are used with the intent of increasing flavour. Learn more about dry farmed Early Girl tomatoes here.

We need some help! Part-time and Full-time Farm Team Hourly Field Workers are needed.

Must be in good physical shape. It's hard but fulfilling work. Pay starts at $10/hr. We seek individuals with leadership skills and interest in taking on additional responsibilities. We do not apply pesticides to our crops. Smoking is not permitted on the farm.

See you soon!

Saskatoons are a little late blooming this year.

Planting more strawberries in May!

mid July for SASKATOONS :)	July through September for STRAWBERRIES!

Strawberries begin approximately July 4. The saskatoon berry season begins approximately July 15.
THANKS FOR THINKING ABOUT THE FARM and SEE YOU SOON!!

PRESENTLY AVAILABLE: Early Strawberries (main strawberry crop will begin about July 11)

U-Pick strawberries: $2.50/lb ($5.52/kg)

HOURS (weather and berries permitting):

Saturdays & Sundays: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Tuesdays & Thursdays: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Please check the telephone message just before coming out at 721-1932 to check what's available!

Sorry, cash only, no plastic at this time.

WHERE TO FIND US:

17940 - 41 Avenue S.W.

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

T6W 1A6

Ph: 780-721-1932

email: ljcoutts@southwindermere.com

Farm location on GOOGLE MAPS (LINK)

DIRECTIONS TO OUR FARM FROM Anthony Henday Drive at Terwillegar Drive:

Go South on Terwillegar Drive / 170 Street SW to Ellerslie Road (9th Ave SW).

Continue south on 170 Street SW for 3.2 km.

Turn right and go west on 41 Avenue S.W., approximately 1.0 km to the farm gate on the north (right) side.

Print Riverbend-Terwillegar Directions

DIRECTIONS TO OUR FARM FROM Rutherford-MacEwan:

Go South on 127 Street to 41 Avenue S.W.

Turn right and go straight West on 41 Avenue S.W. 5.8 km to our farm gate.

Print Rutherford-MacEwan-Heritage Valley Directions

Our favourite breakfast smoothie:

1/3 vanilla yogurt

1/3 orange juice

1/3 freshly picked raspberries, strawberries or saskatoons

plus a spoonful of fresh ground flaxseed.

optional: some dried cranberries

U-Pick: Dress for the ENVIRONMENT!

A big part of a positive farm experience is being properly prepared for the weather. Don't forget your sun hat, sun screen, gloves, suitable footwear, mosquito protection and drinking water!

South Windermere Gardens is a commercial, operating farm. Please exercise caution in all your activities when visiting.

Flips flops, sandals or other opened toe footwear are not appropriate footwear on a farm. Such footwear can expose your feet to soil, straw, small stones and other discomforting things commonly found on farms.

Please leave your pets at home.

CBC's Edmonton Weather: http://www.cbc.ca/weather/conditions.jsp?station=YEG

The Weather Network's Edmonton Weather: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/cities/can/pages/CAAB0103.htm

Wash your berries before using or eating them by placing them in a sink full of of cold water. They'll float! After no more than 5 minutes scoop the berries out by hand and drain them in a colander or on a towel. Very ripe strawberries are quite delicate, you should plan on using them within 3 days of picking.

To conserve limited moisture and better fight the weeds we began planting our strawberries on plastic mulch in 2008!

A LITTLE OF OUR HISTORY:

2004 at South Windermere Gardens in Pictures

2003 at South Windermere Gardens in Pictures

2002 at South Windermere Gardens in Pictures

South Windermere Gardens is not our first venture in commercial horticulture. Our commercial horticulture roots go back to the 1980s at our original farm at Calmar. At that farm we produced beans, carrots and cole crops (broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage) for the wholesale market. Have a look at our history.