This is a full-day field trip to Rosy Farms, a 76-acre certified organic haskap orchard in Sturgeon County, hosted in partnership between Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton and Sakaw Gardens.
Haskaps are one of the most underappreciated berries growing in Alberta. They’re winter-hardy down to -50°C, native cousins to plants that have grown in the boreal for thousands of years, and they pack three times the antioxidants of blueberries. Most Edmontonians have never tasted one fresh off the bush.
You’ll travel together by yellow school bus from Sakaw Elementary out to the farm, where Andrew Rosychuk leads rotational educational tours of his orchard.
You’ll learn how regenerative practices restore soil health on land most farmers would have written off. You’ll see what 26,000 haskap bushes look like in peak season.
Then you’ll be able to pay to pick your own berries (if you like), share a picnic lunch in the orchard, and ride home with full containers and a deeper understanding of where good food comes from.
Capacity is limited to 40 people, with 20 spots reserved for each partner organization. This trip will sell out. Your payment covers the costs to get to the farm. Payment for the U-Pick is paid to the farm, on site.
What You’ll Experience on This Field Trip
- Guided tour of a certified organic haskap orchard Walk the rows with Andrew Rosychuk and see Alberta’s only commercial organic haskap operation up close.
- Regenerative agriculture in practice Learn how no-till methods, dense groundcover, and working with wildlife rebuild soil health on challenging land.
- The science of “super-berries” Discover why haskaps pack three times the antioxidants and five times the anti-inflammatory compounds of blueberries.
- U-pick haskap harvest Pick fresh berries straight from the bush at peak ripeness, with multiple varieties to sample.
- Picnic lunch in the orchard Bring your own meal and enjoy it surrounded by berry bushes in full season.
- Optional: take home a haskap plant One-gallon haskap plants are available for purchase at the farm if you want to grow your own.
Note: This is a U-Pick haskap farm. If you want to pick the berries, there’s the standard farm pricing for that.
Itinerary for the Day
9:30 AM: Gather at Sakaw Elementary School parking lot (5730 11A Ave NW)
10:00 AM: Bus departs (yellow school bus transport included in your ticket)
11:00 AM: Arrival at Rosy Farms
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM: Rotational educational tours with Andrew Rosychuk, U-pick haskap harvest, and picnic time in the orchard
2:30 PM: Depart farm
3:30 PM: Approximate return to Sakaw
What to Bring
- Picnic lunch and beverages
- Shallow containers for picking (label them with your name)
- Sunscreen and a hat
- Weather-appropriate clothing and closed-toe footwear
Your Host: Andrew Rosychuk, Rosy Farms
Andrew Rosychuk is the owner of Rosy Farms and the first person to grow haskaps commercially in Alberta. He purchased his 76-acre property northwest of Edmonton in 2014 and has spent the years since transforming difficult, salt-heavy soil into a thriving organic orchard.
Today, Rosy Farms is home to roughly 26,000 haskap bushes and is Alberta’s only certified organic haskap operation.
Andrew holds a Production Horticulture Diploma from Olds College and is a founding member of the Haskap Alberta Association, where he works alongside other growers to build the haskap industry in this province. He was recognized with Sturgeon County’s Excellence in Agriculture Award for his contributions to regenerative agriculture, community building, and innovation in horticulture.
His approach to farming is distinctive. He doesn’t till his soil, leaves dense groundcover of clovers and fescues between the rows, and welcomes deer into the orchard as natural pruners and fertilizers. The result is healthier plants, more flavourful fruit, and a working example of what regenerative farming looks like in Alberta’s climate.
Why This Field Trip Connects to OFRE’s Mission
At Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton, our work centers on food security, waste reduction, and connecting Edmontonians to the food systems that sustain them. A field trip like this fits naturally into that mission.
Most of us buy berries from grocery store coolers. We have no idea where they came from, how they were grown, or what the soil they grew in looks like.
That distance matters.
When you walk an organic orchard with the person who built it, eat berries you picked yourself, and see the land that produced them, something shifts. You start to understand food as a relationship between soil, climate, and care. You see what’s possible in our region, with our climate, on our timeline.
If you come home with fresh Haskaps, our Rhubarb Haskap Crisp recipe is a good place to start, and the base adapts to whatever else you bring home throughout the season. Plus – Haskaps and Rhubarb are in season at the same time, so the recipe is perfect for July.
Haskaps are also one of the most resilient food crops available to Alberta growers. They survive -50°C winters without protection, fruit reliably in our short summer, and thrive in soil that would defeat most other fruit. They’re a model for what climate-adapted food production looks like on the prairie.
This trip is hosted in partnership with Sakaw Gardens, a cooperative community garden in Millhurst that shares OFRE’s commitment to growing food, building community, and supporting local food systems. Two organizations, one shared purpose: get locally grown food into the hands, mouths, and minds of people.
If you’ve ever wondered what a regenerative organic orchard looks like in Alberta, or whether you should plant haskaps in your own yard, this is the day to find out.
