Apples, alpacas and more at Gates Open

Who knew you could dye alpaca wool with Kool-Aid? That was just one of the many weird and wonderful facts of farm life I picked up on a recent preview event for the Gates Open: Savour Durham Tour which takes place on October 4 and 5.

The alpaca wool belongs to Lori Dzingala of Heronview Alpacas near Brooklin, one of 16 farms that will be welcoming visitors on the tour. “Someone will be spinning the wool,” said Lori, but you can also visit the herd of 30 alpacas. “We have six babies now, and maybe two more by Gates Open.”

Lori will be showing visitors how to get close to these shy animals. “If you walk into the field, they’ll look you up and down, waiting to see if the treat pail is in my hand.” The treats – pellets made of grain and minerals – prove irresistible. “If they see the pail, you can touch them. We call it ‘pay per touch.’ We’re always respectful and don’t corner them.” And if baby alpacas weren’t cute enough, the farm also has a baby miniature donkey.

While Lori welcomes visitors to Heronview throughout the year, many of these working farms are otherwise closed to the public. It’s a rare opportunity to learn about a dairy operation like Hazelholme Holsteins where, on Saturday only, visitors enjoy a guided tour, a chance to feed the dairy cattle and observe milking. On Sunday, sheep shearing and dog trials are featured at Greendale Farm near Brooklin.

Each of Durham Region’s eight municipalities is participating with a special event, like Port Perry’s farmer’s market on Sunday. That’s where beekeeper Ian Critchell will be selling his unpasturized honey and showing some of the tools of his trade, like the smoke pot for calming bees when opening up a hive. Much of it comes from the Whitby area where Ian says “they have really good gardens.”

This being autumn there are plenty of apples on offer at Archibald’s Orchards & Estate Winery. Both Archibald and Ocala Orchards will be sampling some very interesting apple wines. From apples to alpacas, the region’s agriculture is remarkably diverse.