Good Fare in Goodfare, AB

Sam and Jerry Kitt share their home - and dinner table - with global workers keen to learn their farming methods

Story by Sally Johnston

When organic meat farmers Jerry and Sam Kitt sit down to a home-cooked dinner each night, chances are they’re sharing it with visitors from Japan, New Zealand or some other far-flung point on the globe.

Although First Nature Farms is located in Goodfare, a remote town in northwestern Alberta, it draws a steady stream of multicultural volunteer workers eager to learn more about the environmentally-friendly and sustainable farming practices that form the cornerstone of the Kitts’ operation.

The family produces certified organic turkey, pork, bison, beef and chicken, which they sell at Edmonton’s Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market and through a handful of independent grocery stores in Vancouver. It’s a labour-intensive enterprise, so the volunteers, who arrive through an international program called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (affectionately known as WOOFers) are a welcome and necessary addition to the farm. In return for their hard work the Kitts provide a bed and three square meals a day. First Nature farms hosts one or two workers at a time, some for a week and others for months.

The farm is a 30-minute drive from the nearest town, Beaverlodge, so workers who make the long trek north are a welcome presence at the dinner table, sharing stories about their own families and ways of life in far-off countries.

“Mealtimes are an important part of our day,” says Sam. “As hectic as our lives are, no one starts eating until everyone is seated, including the workers, who become part of our family while they’re here.” Food is served at the big wooden table handed down from Jerry’s mom and situated in the dining area of the airy open-plan log house. A wood-burning stove makes it cosy. The kitchen window faces a creek where beavers have created their own subdivision of dams. Deer wander into the backyard from the surrounding poplar forest. In the summer, rare Trumpeter swans nest on the property. It’s easy to see what keeps the WOOFers here.

Simple food is the order of the day at the Kitts’ table, including eggs and meat produced at First Nature Farms. Also present are other locally-grown ingredients, such as creamy honey from a nearby beekeeper and garden vegetables. Sam cooks the first meal of the day for herself, Jerry and daughter Kari, 14. (Son Donovan, 19, is an engineering student at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.) “If you can make it through one of Sam’s enormous omelettes you’re set for the day,” says Jerry.

Nevertheless, farm work means that everyone’s hungry again by noon. Occasionally, the workers also pitch in at lunch. Last summer a young Swiss worker with gourmet tastes prepared fresh salads and dressings. “We were really spoiled,” says Jerry.

For dinner, Sam taps into her repertoire of hear-ty family dishes - roasts, stews, soups and salads. “It’s a long drive to the grocery store so I make do with what I have,” she says. And the barbecue is fired up all year round. Sam recommends using a meat thermometer to gauge readiness when cooking any meat. Bison, particularly, should be cooked only to medium-rare as it is lean, and tends to dry quickly.

Although the Kitts only sell turkeys at Thanks-giving and Christmas, nearly 300 annually, the family enjoys the birds all year thanks to a well-stocked freezer. Sam finds that the versatile meat works well in quick dinners such as fajitas, stir-frys and curries.

Edmonton customer Gay Edmonds-Lang agrees. She’s been buying First Nature Farms’ fare for more than a decade. “The meat’s so tender, tasty and lean,” she says. Edmonds-Lang was so impressed that four years ago she started working at the Kitts’ booth at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. “Jerry really has a love and a commitment to the land, animals and people. He works harder than anyone I know,” she says.

The Kitts support other Alberta farmers by shopping locally. “I won’t buy a cucumber from Mexico or a green pepper from Holland even though it might be cheaper,” says Sam. “It all comes back to being a member of your community. If you buy from your local farmer you’re helping your community to survive.”

Raised in Edmonton and with a background in zoology, Jerry’s always loved the countryside. In 1977 he bought his first piece of land at Goodfare. By 1990, he’d become more serious about farming.

But Jerry still enjoys his shift at the market. “It’s important to know the smiling face of the person that picks your vegetables and nurtures the animals,” he says. “I remind customers that this is food that I’ve worked very hard to produce.”

The Kitts are expecting more WOOFers to arrive soon. “Part of the program is to share our culture and our foods,” says Jerry. “We spend most of our days outside and tend to work up a pretty good appetite. The best way to make a meal delicious is to serve it to a hungry person.”

Click here for a WOOFer’s favourite, Sam Kitt’s Butter Chicken (or Turkey).