Most people are surprised to learn that there is a commercial cranberry grower in Eastern Ontario. In fact, the Upper Canada Cranberries farm is located right in the City of Ottawa, just a twelve minute drive south of the Ottawa International airport.

Upper Canada Cranberries came into being as a result of one of those rare, inspirational “Ah ha!” moments and many people are interested in hearing about that, so here’s a bit of the story.

Actually, Upper Canada Cranberries is one of just three commercial cranberry producers in the province of Ontario. The other two cranberry growers are located in the Muskoka area, north of Toronto.

Hi! My name is Lyle Slater – That’s me in the picture to the left, with the homemade machine I use to harvest our cranberries.

I grew up on a farm and I guess you could say, “Once a farmer, always a farmer.” I’ve had my own excavation business since 1982, so I’ve never really stopped working with the soil. :^) But deep down, I’ve always had the yearning to get back to growing stuff.

In 1996, I obtained 100 acres of land not far from where I live and that’s how I started my move back to farming. But I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to grow.

Then, one day, while seated in a waiting room before an appointment, I picked up a magazine that contained an article on cranberries. After reading just a few paragraphs, I became absolutely fascinated! I learned there is only a handful of cranberry growers in Canada.

I had already checked the Ph level of the soil on my property and found it to be highly acidic – just what cranberries love! Plus, the article said cranberries need lots of water and my property has a creek running through it! And there it was – my “Ah ha!” moment.

There was also an abundance of peat moss on the property. So this had been a bog in the past and at one point, cranberries probably grew wild on that very spot.

I started reading everything I could find on cranberries and it didn’t take long to learn about the amazing health benefits of the cranberry. They are loaded with a number of essential nutrients – Vitamin C, Beta-Carotene, Flavonoids and more! Continuing research suggests that cranberries can be helpful in treating and/or preventing a variety of ailments.

I decided this is definitely what I want to do and I became a cranberry grower.

I don't know that many people would think of me as a romantic, but aside from the health and nutritional benefits of cranberries, there is another aspect that makes them unique - cranberries are the last fruit of the season. Cranberry harvest time is a special period for me - the work involved in bringing this crop in off the fields is very fulfilling.

It is also very fulfilling to know that while setting up our farm for growing cranberries, we worked very closely with Mother Nature to bring back most of the bog-like qualities that existed here almost one hundred years ago. To learn more about our efforts in this regard and how cranberries grow, see the next page.

As mentioned above, Upper Canada Cranberries is located in the City of Ottawa. I can't say I've done exhaustive research on this fact, but as far as I can determine, I am the only cranberry producer in the entire world that is operating within the boundaries of a city.

I hope you enjoy your visit to this web site. I've compiled some interesting information on cranberries, so be sure to tour the other pages by clicking on the buttons in the top left corner, or on the links below. Find out how cranberries grow and how they are harvested. Learn about the history of cranberries and their health benefits. You will also find some great cranberry recipes, including easy to follow recipes for traditional home-made cranberry sauce and a yummy Canadian Cranberry Sauce. Plus, there is a recipe for a delicious cranberry cornmeal porridge that is very comforting on a cold winter's morning.

I'm very happy to announce that in 2008, we introduced a small line of delicious and unique tasting cranberry products under the Slate's brand - Cranberry Sauce, Cranberry Jam, Cranberry Chutney and Cranbee - a refreshing cranberry drink. In 2009, we developed a jam and a sauce made with artificial sweeteners, for people who must watch their sugar intake. By summer of 2010, we hope to have our own brand of cranberry wine available at the farm. Please visit our products page for more information. And of course, since we are cranberry growers, the Upper Canada Cranberries farm can provide the freshest berries for the main ingredient of these products. I hope to be introducing other products in the near future.

I really like dealing with the public directly and plan to continue with retail sales from the farm and through local farmers' markets for a long time. It's also gratifying to watch the wholesale side of our operation expand as a few more local food producers learn to appreciate the flavour, quality and freshness of our cranberries.