.jpg)
A local farm is offering access to their organic veggies through a subscription service.
Sundog Organic Farms, located in Sturgeon County, has been operated by James and Jenny Vriend since 2009.
"We built the farm up; it was just a regular farm field with no amenities," said Jenny.
After being a vendor at some of the local farmers' markets in the region, the COVID pandemic forced the couple to find alternative ways to sell their products.
"What we decided to do was to create a farm box subscription so people could still access our produce without having to go to the farmers' market," said Jenny.
The farm box is a customizable box full of organic vegetables grown at Sundog Farms that people can order online and receive on a weekly basis. A typical subscription would provide one box a week for 14 weeks.
"People can identify vegetables that they would rather have in their box... they can also identify things that they don't want in their box ever," said Jenny.
"We send an email out to all of our customers about what is in their specific box for the week and then there is a 36-hour window of opportunity where they can go in and change their box up."
Vegetables included in every box are dependent on what is currently in season.
There are three options:
● Small share (feeds 1-2 people) - $29/week
● Medium share (feeds 2-4 people) - $39/week
● Large share (feeds 4-6 people) - $52/week
Boxes start being delivered on the week of July 9 and continue until October 21. The program has been a hit with locals across the region.
"Last year we had 280 members and we delivered to eight different locations," said Jenny.
One thing that helps Sundog stand out is their commitment and care to keep the soil on their farm healthy.
"We are one of the first farms to move to a no-till farming system which is one of the pillars of regenerative [agriculture]," said Jenny.
"This system of farming means that we are creating resiliency for our growing farm."
Supporting local is also something the people at Sundog Organic Farm are passionate about.
"Fort Saskatchewan, we feel, is our community. That is where we shop, our kids play sports, it feels like our backyard," said Jenny. "My thinking is that when a community supports its farmers, they can become sustainable enough to support its community."
"If we want our community to be vibrant and healthy, then buying locally is key to that. Keeping our dollars within our community ultimately serves all of us."
To sign up for the farm box program, click here.
Here is a look at what a large share farm box looks like:
