U-Pick Conditions – The Saskaberry Ranch

We happily accept cash, e transfer or check. We are currently unable to accept debit or credit cards. Pails are supplied, but you are also welcome to use your own containers.

Just a brief note of explanation, as we are a small family farm when things get busy here we are all outside helping our guests and picking produce. We do not have much time to check facebook, voice mail or email during the day. We try, but sometimes we just cannot get out of the field. If you phone our berry line, 403-507-8994 most likely we will not be around to answer it. If you have a question please leave a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Phil

Sept 1

I was just out checking our fields and sadly I would say that we are now out of fruit for picking. We still have cherry tomatoes and long English cucumbes in the greenhouse but unfortunately that is all we have right now for picking. We do still have some fresh eggs, raw honey, frozen saskatoons, chicken, lamb, beef, saskatoon jelly, and wheat berries so you are welcome to stop by and see if we are home, or make an appointment grab some delicious products, but our upick season is winding down. Thanks to all of you who stopped by and helped get our harvest into your hands. It was a great upick season.

Aug 29

We still have a few sour cherries left, but I was out picking this afternoon and we have a lot of wasps who are also loving the sour cherries. So just a heads up for you on that. We are open this Friday, Saturday and holiday Monday and then I think the upick fruit season will be finished. We still have some cherry tomatoes and cucumbers for picking though, and lots of chicken, lamb and beef. Have a great weekend.

Aug 15 pm

We had a great run of fresh saskatoons, but sadly I would say the fresh season has ended. Thankfully, we still have some frozen ones in the freezer. But the sour cherries are still absolutely loaded. This is by far our best season yet. People keep picking cherries, but the bushes still look full and the branches are bending low with all the weight on them. So come on out and get a bunch. And with a great crop like this one, I’m just afraid that next summer we will not have near as many, so you may want to grab some extra just in case.

Aug 15

We are almost out of fresh saskatoons for this year, but we have LOTS of sour cherries and the picking is great. Come on out and grab some of these tasty berries.

Aug 10

It is a beautiful day and we have lots of fruit for you. Yes, we still have big juicy saskatoons but the picking is getting slow so if you are wanting some fresh saskatoons yet this year now is the time to come out. We also have some delicious sour cherries ready, and there are lots of them as of this morning. We do have a few cherry tomatoes ready as well.

Aug 6

We had a great day yesterday and while we still have some saskatoons yet, the picking is starting to get slower. But as one guest told me yesterday, if you are used to wild picking it is still great. There are a few sour cherries ready with more ripening slowly. It is to be a little damp the next couple of days so you may want to bring a coat.

Aug 5

We are open holiday Monday. Saskatoon picking is still great, we have a lot of big juicy saskatoons waiting for you, they are just not right beside our berry shack. We are starting to see some overripe ones coming in though, so the saskatoon season is getting close to being finished so hurry and come get your fresh ones. The sour cherries are ripening slow this year but they are coming along, as are the cherry tomatoes. Our cucumbers will be a bit yet.

July 31

The saskatoon picking is still great. We have lots of saskatoons still out there and the picking is easy. Big juicy clusters just waiting for you. So come on out and get them before they are gone. And with the long weekend coming up, we WILL BE OPEN holiday Monday.

July 24,

Wow, not sure how time has flown by so fast without an update, but we are open and the picking is great. We have lots of big juicy clusters of saskatoons just waiting to grabbed. The weather is forecast to cool off a bit, so now is a perfect time to stop by and get your saskatoons.

July 18th,

We will be opening July 20th. The picking likely will not be super fast yet, but the berries are big and juicy. We also have fresh rhubarb ready and we now have this season’s chicken in the freezer. And just a heads up for you, we hate to do this, but given recent inflation we now have a $1 deposit on our upick pails. We will have bags here for you to use no charge.

July 15th,

Things are looking great, there are lots of fruit slowly ripening, just not very fast. At the moment the earliest we may be open is July 20th, but we will have to wait and see how they ripen this week. Stay tuned.

July 2, 2024

Upick season is just around the corner. We are currently guessing we should have ripe saskatoons by Late July, sour cherries early August, and possibly even some raspberries in August. The cherry tomatoes and cucumbers are running slow with the cool weather we have had and will be later in August before they are ready. The saskatoon and cherry crops are looking good at the moment, so hopefully the hail and birds stay away and we can have a great harvest.

Aug 7

Sadly upick season has come to an end. It has been fun and thanks to all who came out and enjoyed their time at our farm. We will not be open set hours, rather we will be open by appointment, or you can take a chance and drop by and see if we are available for picking up some of our delicious produce. We still have frozen saskatoons, whole and cut up chicken, fresh rhubarb, eggs, wheat berries, honey, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. We are still taking deposits if you would like a whole or half lamb as well. And if you stopped by our farm and tried some of our food and are wanting more, but do not live close by, send us a message and we will see if you are close to one of our regular drop off locations, or if we are able to make a special trip. Again, thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the summer.

Aug 2

The saskatoons and sour sour cherries are basically finished for the season. We still have our super sweet cherry tomatoes and long English cucumbers going in the greenhouse and the rhubarb is still going good and we have lots of frozen saskatoons and chicken in the freezer.

July 27

We still have lots of saskatoons, but we are getting some overripe ones so the picking is slowing down a bit. There are not much for sour cherries left, so I would be hesitant to make a long drive just for them. With the cool weather the cherry tomatoes and cucumbers are also growing slower.

July 23

We still have lots of juicy saskatoons, but with our early start to the season the end of the season is in sight and this will be the last week of good picking. We still have lots of rhubarb, eggs, and chicken and we have some sour cherries, and cucumbers ready as well. So hurry out and get your fruit while you can.

July 18

We have had a few storms blow through, but so far we have just gotten some rain. The saskatoons are doing amazing. They are big and juicy and very easy picking. But as we never know when we may get hail, the sooner you can get your berries, the better it is.

July 13,

Sorry this is so slow getting up, but we have been very busy picking saskatoons. The picking is great and the berries are big and juicy. We also have lots of rhubarb, eggs and frozen chicken.

July 3,

So this is a first for us, the early bloom time is actually turning into early fruiting, so we are OPENING JULY 6TH. The saskatoons are looking great and we are in full on scramble mode trying to get ready to go this early. We will not be a park like setting on Thursday, but the fruit sure tastes great and we welcome you to come on out.

June 29, 2023

We are looking at opening for picking saskatoons somewhere in the week of July 10th to 15th, the current weather is making it rather tricky trying to get an idea of when the saskatoons will be ready. We currently have lots of rhubarb if you want some, and we have lots of eggs, frozen chicken and milling wheat. If you are wanting some before we get going on the u pick it works best to contact us first before stopping by. The saskatoons are looking really good this year so hopefully the hail and birds stay away. It looks like we had some winterkill in the raspberries so it is not looking like we will have many of them and most of the sour cherries did not get past blossom stage. We should have lots of cherry tomatoes and long english cucumbers later in July. And as mentioned elsewhere, we are not doing strawberries this season, sorry.

Oct 22

Well, our fresh picking season has come to an end. We do still have lots of pastured eggs, frozen pastured chicken-whole and by the piece, and our grass fed/finished beef by the piece or box deals. We are not open set hours, so if you contact us in advance we will try to make sure we have someone around, or you can just stop by and see if we are here.

Sept 2

For upick we currently have lots of super sweet cherry tomatoes and long English cucumbers as well as some rhubarb and fresh eggs. We have lots of chicken and beef in the freezer as well as having some Saskaberry Ranch honey waiting for you.

Aug 29

Well, it is that time of year again, we still have a few hail damaged sour cherries, lots of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, and frozen chicken and beef, but lots to do around the farm. So we are not “open” 9 to 6 Monday through Saturdays, but we invite you to contact us when you would like to stop by to pick up some great tasting food, and we will try to work something out. If you are going by, you are also welcome to stop by and see if we are available. And don’t forget we are regularly in Red Deer and we come into Cochrane and NW Calgary every three weeks.

Aug 16

We still have some sour cherries for picking, and we have more that have yet to ripen. We also have lots of cherry tomatoes and cucumbers ready to go, and the hens are still laying well. Stop by and grab some great food today.

Aug 13

It is upick sour cherry time. We have some ready and they taste great. We have lots of cucumbers and cherry tomatoes plus all of the eggs, chicken and beef. And as it is open farm days today, stop by and say hi.

Aug 8

So between the hail and the birds our saskatoon, strawberry, and raspberry season’s are over. We do have some ripe sour cherries, but they also have some hail damage. We have lots of long english cucumbers at only $1.50 each, or 4 for $5. Our super sweet cherry tomatoes are just getting going as well, and we have lots of eggs.

Aug 5, 2022

So this is just all around a weird year, our saskatoons are basically refusing to ripen at this time. Granted, the weather has been less than ideal, but it doesn’t appear that the saskatoons have ripened at all this week. We have 1 variety of sour cherry that are still pretty much all green, and one variety that is looking close to picking, and the other 3 varieties are in various stages in between the 2. Even our supper sweet cherry tomatoes in the greenhouse are ripening slow. But we do have lots of eggs, they are still laying great, and we have lots of chicken and beef in the freezer as well. Maybe next year will be boring…. nah, what’s the fun in that. Have a great weekend, and hopefully we will see you soon.

Aug 1, 2022 7 am

Sadly we took a hail storm last night and most of the saskatoons were knocked off the bushes. The few that remain will likely take about a week to ripen, so we are back to not having saskatoons for picking. The rhubarb patch was rather shredded and the raspberries and strawberries did not do well either. The sour cherries seem to be ok, but I’m certain there will be bruising. We do still have some frozen saskatoons so you can grab some of them while they are available, and we have our frozen chicken and beef, and we have lots of eggs.

July 31 4:30 pm,

We are finally getting ahead of the birds. WE HAVE RIPE SASKATOONS. There are not a lot yet, and it will take some walking, but we finally have some fruit. And yes we will be open Holiday Monday 9 to 6.

July 29, 2022

We are getting closer to having ripe saskatoons… we have lots of red ones and we are starting to get ahead of the birds appetite so I am hoping that by Holiday Monday we will have ripe saskatoons.

July 21, 2022

We have said that we are opening on July 23rd and so we shall, BUT the birds are currently eating the saskatoons as fast as they ripen. There are less ripe saskatoons now, than there was 2 days ago. So we will be open on Saturday, but we just will not have much fruit for picking yet. We do have lots of eggs, rhubarb, frozen chicken and beef and even some frozen saskatoons if you just can’t wait for some fresh saskatoons, and there may even be some strawberries hiding in the weeds.

Aug 30

We are coming off our set summer upick hours, but we still have lots of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh eggs, frozen saskatoons, frozen pastured chickens – whole or pieces, and grass fed/finished beef. It works best to contact us to make sure we will be available when you are wanting to stop by. If you are going by, you can also stop by and see if we are available. We also come to Cochrane and NW Calgary every three weeks to our drop off locations, as well as we regularly come to Red Deer.

Aug 15

After a much longer picking season than I had expected with all the heat we have been having, I would say that the fresh saskatoons are finished for the season. We do have lots in the freezer though. So feel free to stop by and grab some frozen saskatoons, fresh eggs, crunchy cucumbers, sweet cherry tomatoes, frozen pastured chicken, and grass fed and finished Angus beef.

Aug 13 pm

I was out picking this afternoon and was able to fill a pail in 30 minutes with good saskatoons. You do have to walk almost to the far end of our bottom patch and be selective of which cluster you are picking, but there are still some out there if you are wanting fresh saskatoons yet this year. I’m guessing they will be finished by Monday though. The cherry tomatoes are just getting going and we have lots of long English cucumbers. Be sure to grab some eggs and chicken and beef when you are out, and if you are wanting more saskatoons than you are able to pick, we have some frozen ones available as well. Just $12.50 for a 3 lb bag. Have a great weekend.

Aug 11

I just came in from checking the saskatoons, doing one of my favorite jobs…quality control. We still have lots of delicious saskatoons, I was eating them by the cluster. If you only want the perfect berries, you need to be a bit selective, but if you are wanting them for baking they are easy picking. It was a little slower today, so I was able to get out and do a bit of picking and I was able to get 4 pails and it only takes about 30-40 minutes to fill a bucket with lovely saskatoons. But if you are wanting to enjoy fresh saskatoons you have a limited number of days to get them yet this year. The cucumbers are really starting to get going, and the cherry tomatoes are also starting to ripen quick. So come on out and enjoy your time in the country.

Aug 9

Good Morning, we woke up this morning and we can finally see the mountains! It has been a long time since it has been clear enough to see them. We still have a lot of saskatoons ready for picking. After my last post, I went out and picked a pail in about 30 minutes, and they were as good of saskatoons as I have picked all season, you just have to be careful which cluster you pick. So the picking is slower, but if you want some fresh saskatoons the sooner you are able to get out the better. See you soon.

Aug 7 Afternoon

Today was a good day for picking cherries, so much so that they are basically picked out for the year. We still have a lot saskatoons, but we are getting a more overripe ones out there, so if you are not wanting them the picking will be slower. We also have lots of saskatoons in the freezer and the cherry tomatoes and long English cucumbers will keep on coming. We still have lots of frozen chicken and beef as well as our fresh eggs.

Aug 3

We had a great day holiday Monday, but we still have lots of areas of saskatoons that have not really been touched, and the bushes are still totally loaded. The picking is still phenomenal. We also have sour cherries ready for picking, and our long English cucumbers are just getting going and we are having a few ripe cherry tomatoes ready as well. And don’t forget to get some of our fresh eggs and some chicken and beef to complete your visit to our farm.

July 29

The saskatoon picking is still fantastic! We are just starting to see the odd over ripe berry though, so there will not be a better time this year to pick saskatoons than now. And they are only $3 a pound! The sour cherries are just starting, as are the long English cucumbers. Hopefully by the end of the weekend we will have some of our super sweet cherry tomatoes as well. We also have lots of eggs, frozen chicken, beef and some lamb. We are closed on Sundays, but we will be open Holiday Monday. See you soon.

July 26,

The saskatoon picking just seems to get better. It is great. I’m thinking we will have a few sour cherries ready by mid week but the main bunch will be a bit yet. The smoke seems to have cleared and it is beautiful day to be out in the county picking berries.

July 22,

The saskatoon picking is AMAZING. There is so much fruit out there and the picking is incredible. We had one young guy pick over 30 pails yesterday, and the bushes are still loaded. Come get yours before the birds or hail do. We also have lots of eggs, chicken, beef and a bit of lamb left.

July 14,

We are open for upick!!! We have saskatoons, and rhubarb ready for picking. We also have lots of eggs, chicken, beef and some lamb ready for pick up. Right now our berry line is messing around so I currently cannot return any phones calls, hopefully it will be resolved soon.

July 12,

We will be opening on July 14th at 9 am. We will have saskatoons, rhubarb and limited strawberries ready for picking. See you then.

July 5, 2021

Wow, it has been a while since I have had something to update. Things are looking good here on the ranch, and at the moment it is looking like we will be opening somewhere around July 15th for full upick. We do have a few strawberries that we are picking by appointment, but there are not many currently available. We do however, have lots of rhubarb and the saskatoon crop looks phenomenal and I am really looking forward to some fresh saskatoons. We have a few chickens in the freezer from last fall that need new homes to make room for this summer’s chicken, so they are currently on sale with buy 5 get 15% off, we also have some chicken legs and thigh packages on sale for $6 a lb. We also have lots of beef and some lamb still available as well, and we have LOTS of eggs. The sour cherries are coming along nicely and I am expecting them to start early August. The raspberries did not winter well and it is not looking like we will have many of them this year. We have planted another 4 rows, so hopefully in a few years we will have lots of raspberries. Our super sweet cherry tomatoes got off to a rough start this spring, so they will likely not be ready until August, and hopefully we will have some long English cucumbers ready around that time as well.

Dec 9,

We finally have our grass fed/finished beef in the freezer, and we should have our grass fed/finished lamb in the freezer by the 18th. We still have lots of our pastured chicken as well and the hens are laying great, and we have lots of our milling wheat in the bin. Our prices at the farm are,

Fresh eggs $4 a doz
Whole chicken $4 a lb,
Chicken breasts still on sale for $9 a lb,
Chicken wings $8 a lb,
Chicken legs & thighs still on sale for $7 a lb,
Chicken liver $4 a lb,
Lamb shanks $9 a lb,
Lamb Shoulder roast, stew, and ribblets $11 a lb,
Leg of Lamb roast $13 a lb,
Loin chops and rack of lamb $17 a lb,
Lamb organ meat $5 a lb,
Lean ground beef and stew $8 a lb,
Beef short ribs $9 a lb,
Rump & Chuck roasts $10 a lb,
Sirloin tip & Cross rib roasts $12 a lb,
Round steak $12 a lb,
T-Bone & Sirloin steak $16 a lb,
Rib steak $20 a lb,
Tenderloin steak $25 a lb
Beef organs $5 a lb,
Beef fat $1 a lb,
Organically grown milling wheat $1 a lb,

Oct 16,

Well, our upick season has come to an end. The greenhouses are shut down for the winter. We still have lots of fresh eggs coming daily and lots of pastured chicken in the freezer. The whole chickens are $4 a pound, and the breast packages are on sale for $9 a pound, the legs & thighs are on sale for $7 a pound and the wing packs are $8 a pound. We also have chicken liver packs for $4 a pound and our organically grown milling wheat for only $1 a pound and it can be milled into flour at no charge. In mid December we will have our grass fed and finished lamb and beef available as well. We are also coming into NW Calgary and Cochrane every 3 weeks to our drop off locations. If you would like to be notified about when we are coming in, just send us an email at phil@saskaberryranch.com. We also come into Red Deer regularly and can meet up there if you are wanting some of our products.

Aug 23,

All of our ripe fruit has been picked, and unfortunately we did not get anything put in our freezer this year as they all went home with our guests. We still have cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, rhubarb, milling wheat, fresh eggs and frozen chicken available but we are not running set open hours. If you would like to stop and pick up some of our produce, it works best to contact us before stopping by phil@saskaberryranch.com, or our FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/The-Saskaberry-Ranch-132018563538294/ or call 403-507-8994. Later in September weather permitting we hope to have our second crop of strawberries. We are also taking bookings for our grass fed and finished lamb which will be processed mid December as will our grass fed and finished Angus beef.

Aug 22,

The sour cherries are getting picked fast today, I think we will basically be picked out by the end of the day. Edit: the sour cherries are finished for the year.

Aug 21,

It has taken longer than usual, but we have finally caught up to the eggs from the laying hens, so our eggs are VERY fresh right now. Also, the easy picking sour cherries are about picked, so the picking is getting slower.

Aug 18,

Wow, I didn’t realize it had been so long since I had updated here. Up til now there hasn’t been much change. But with the heat we have had, the cherries are ripening well, and they are now ready for easy picking. We also have some raspberries, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers ready now. As well as lots of eggs and chicken. Hope to see you soon.

Aug 10,

There are a few ripe sour cherries and raspberries, and the odd ripe cherry tomato as well as our rhubarb, fresh eggs and frozen chicken. The birds have cleaned off the saskatoons, and the first crop of strawberries is finished but hopefully we will get a good second crop in September.

Aug 7,

So the sour cherries have not ripened as quick as I had hoped, they still need a few more days before they will be ready. There are a very few saskatoons left, so if you really want some, and have some time you are welcome to get them before they are gone. We still have lots of rhubarb, fresh eggs and frozen chicken available as well.

Aug 4,

So yesterday’s hail did not damage us, but the birds have taken their toll. There are not many saskatoons left out there and I would say for the most part the saskatoon season is finished for the year. Hopefully we will have sour cherries and cherry tomatoes ready by Saturday.

Aug 2

So we have lots of birds visiting the saskatoon patch, and they enjoy fresh saskatoons just as much as we do, so if you would like some you may want to hurry and get yours before they do. The cherries and cherry tomatoes still need some more time, but we still have lots of rhubarb, fresh eggs and frozen chicken available. And we will keep our chicken breasts and legs on sale until the end of the long weekend. And yes, we are open holiday Monday 9-6.

July 28

If nothing else, the saskatoons are loving this heat and are ripening fast. So if you are wanting some great tasting super fruit, now is the perfect time to come get yours. And you’ll want to hurry before the birds or hail get them. Sadly, we just do not have much for strawberries this year, demand definitely exceeds supply. But our chicken legs and breasts are still on sale until the end of the month, so grab them while you can. We will be open on holiday Monday.

July 26

We had a busy Saturday and a lot of our ripe saskatoons were picked, thankfully the forecast is for sunny and warm for the next few days so they should ripen fast, but for the next couple of days the picking will be a bit slower. The strawberries were also well picked and they will need a few days to ripen as well. We do still have lots of rhubarb, eggs and chicken, and for the rest of July our chicken breasts are on sale for $9 a lb, and the legs and thighs are on sale for $7 a lb.

July 25

WE ARE FINALLY OPEN!!! No appointments needed. We have lots of saskatoons ready, (they ripened very fast the last couple of days) some strawberries, rhubarb, and lots of eggs and frozen chicken. As we have had a large amount of rain this summer, the strawberry patch is a bit overgrown with weeds, and the ground is a bit muddy, but we have been able to keep the grass cut in the saskatoon patch so that picking is still easy. And as per government regulations, if you are not feeling well, we ask that you resheculde your visit to our farm when you are feeling better. If you have any questions just send us a message. phil@saskaberryranch.com, contact us though our FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/The-Saskaberry-Ranch-132018563538294/ or call 403-507-8994.

July 18

We will finally be opening July 25th! The saskatoon crop looks great, and with another week of ripening we should be ready to start picking Saturday. All of the appointments for picking strawberries until then are filled, but we will still have some strawberries ripening once we open. We have lots of fresh eggs, and we have our first batch of pastured chickens in the freezer already. And as per government regulations, if you are not feeling well, we ask that you resheculde your visit to our farm when you are feeling better. If you have any questions just send us a message. phil@saskaberryranch.com, contact us though our FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/The-Saskaberry-Ranch-132018563538294/ or call 403-507-8994.

July 13

So things are not ripening very fast. It is not looking like the saskatoons will be ready to start by the 20th, I will keep you posted though as a few days of actual sunshine can make a big difference. We are taking appointments for our greenhouse strawberries, but even they are slow to ripen this year. We do still have lots of fresh eggs, and we have just put our first batch of pastured chickens in the freezer. So if you want whole chickens, chicken breasts, legs & thighs, or wings, let me know and we can get you some. If you have any questions or for booking a time to come pick up products, just send us a message. phil@saskaberryranch.com, contact us though our FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/The-Saskaberry-Ranch-132018563538294/ or call 403-507-8994.

July 4

I was out checking the fields and the saskatoons and sour cherries look great. However, the strawberries did not winter so well, and with the cool wet spring we have had the strawberries in the field are not looking very promising. The ones in the greenhouse are coming along nicely, and we will likely be taking appointments for picking them around July 13th. The ones in the field will be later than that, and will hopefully be ready when the saskatoons are ripe, which I am guessing will be around July 20th. Should the weather improve and they are ready sooner, I will be posting. We currently have lots of fresh eggs and our organically grown milling wheat, and by the middle of next week we will have our pastured chicken again. As to the upick being open, the standard cover regulations will apply, we ask that if you have any of the covid -19 symptoms that you stay home. Social distancing will be in affect, and we will have sanitization stations around the farm, but other than that, your visit to our farm will hopefully be as pleasant and memorable as usual.

May 30

In the midst of this crazy season, we are still planning on having our upick open. We are planning on opening early July with some strawberries, saskatoons later in July, and raspberries, sour cherries, and cherry tomatoes early August. We still have some cut chicken pieces available and our fresh eggs and milling wheat. Early July we should also have our whole pastured chicken ready. If you have any questions or for booking a time to come pick up products, or to be added to our contact list for our Calgary/Cochrane drop offs, just send us a message. phil@saskaberryranch.com, contact us though our FaceBook page https://www.facebook.com/The-Saskaberry-Ranch-132018563538294/ or call 403-507-8994.

Phil