Tags
Alberta, colony, farming, hutterite, local food, Puncher Creek, southern
Pincher Creek is not just another blog post, Tyler’s fathers family comes from this little slice of heaven, located in southern Alberta. We enjoyed spending time with Family in and around the Pincher Creek area.
I think the story goes someone, many many years ago found a pair of pincher’s (pliers) in the creek and being in an unnamed area at the time, though that would be a great name.
This is what makes Pincher Creek beautiful, wide open land and Mountains in the distance. Outdoor recreational activities are plentiful, and the summers are hot. The winter is not as much fun, but that is why we don’t visit in the winter.
The Backcountry Outhouse Restaurant (they have flush toilets) located in nearby Cowley, AB has some tasty foods we were told.
We met up with Tyler’s Sister, from Kamloops, BC who just happened to be in Pincher Creek at the same time.
Family recommended that we tour the local Hutterite Colony. This was an experience.
The Hutterite colony is operated something like this: everyone works collectively for the betterment of the colony. Money is pooled and no individual really owns anything, the colony owns everything. The colony has thousands of acres of farm land, houses, trucks, tractors, daycare etc. You get the idea, this is essentially a self sufficient community.
Lucky for us we visited on Chicken Slaughter day!
The Colony has strict rules for what tasks each member must do. For example the women are responsible for the slaughter, cleaning and packaging of the chickens. The men would have been responsible to raise them, clean the barns etc. The colony keeps about 25% of the Chickens for their own use, and sell the other 75% to grocery stores.
The colony makes all of their own clothing, and even makes its own soap for the laundry. Animal fat is dried and somehow made into soap.
You can visit and select your own hog, and have him slaughtered and cleaned right away and ready for the BBQ the same night.
The Colony eats together every meal of the week except for Sunday dinner. Sunday night is a private dinner in home with just your immediate family. The colony is 120 members large, and that is a lot of cooking to prepare 120 meals, three times a day. Women between the ages of 15-48 must cook for one week, every seven weeks. One woman cooks, the other bakes every meal for 7 days, and then are rewarded with six weeks off.
Everything is made from scratch, we tasted the tomato sauce and it was delicious.
As all resources are pooled on the colony and everything is owned by everyone, the gas pumps are open for anyone to use. This is a weird site, no key or security code required.
Now onto the dairy cows:
Now onto the Calving room:
Calves love sucking on fingers, no teeth yet. Your fingers come out a little slimy.
Of course the Colony also raises crops and cattle for beef. But staring at a field is not as interesting.