A Little Slice of Prairie Magic: Why We Keep Coming Back to Saskatoon Farm
If you’ve ever driven south from Calgary on Highway 2, turned east just past Okotoks, and suddenly felt the city melt away, you’ve probably found yourself pulling into The Saskatoon Farm. Nestled against the Foothills like it’s always belonged there, this place started as one couple’s dream of growing saskatoon berries on an old barley field and somehow turned into one of southern Alberta’s happiest traditions.
Paul and Karen Hamer planted the first bushes more than three decades ago, and today their little operation feels less like a business and more like a living postcard of what Alberta summers (and Christmases!) can be. The garden centre is downright legendary—row upon row of hanging baskets that look like someone bottled sunshine, plus every hardy tree, shrub, and berry plant that can survive our wild winters. Need a sour cherry that actually fruits here? A haskap that laughs at -40? They’ve got you.
Wander past the greenhouses and you’ll hit the old-timey main street: quirky shops filled with local art, jewellery, and those “I didn’t know I needed this” gifts. The bakery pumps out butter tarts and saskatoon pie that should probably come with a warning label, and the on-site restaurant does a Mexican-meets-prairie menu that somehow works perfectly while you watch tortoises amble around their enclosure (yes, actual tortoises—don’t ask, just enjoy).
Summer means U-pick berries, kids sticky with juice, and picnic tables under big prairie skies. But right now, the farm is gearing up for something even more festive.
Mark your calendars: the 9th Annual Christmas Market is happening over two cozy weekends—November 28-30 and December 5-7, 2025. More than 200 Alberta makers will fill the heated buildings with hand-turned wooden toys, pottery, jewellery, baking, and enough candles to light the whole Foothills. Think horse-drawn wagon rides, fire-pits with hot chocolate, Santa on site, and live music drifting through the crisp air. Hours are Fridays noon to 7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The address (in case your GPS is feeling dramatic): 80181 338 Ave E, Foothills County—just 15 minutes south of Calgary’s city limits.
Whether you’re a plant nerd, a food lover, or just someone who believes the best memories are made a little outside of town, Saskatoon Farm delivers every single time. I still have an old video from a sunny July day there a couple years back, and every time I watch it I’m already reaching for my keys.
See you at the Christmas Market? I’ll be the one juggling pie and a new trinket that I definitely don’t have room for. ~ KassDays Blog
