Picking and grinning

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This article was published 27/06/2016 (2849 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Grab your bucket and go — Manitoba’s short, sweet strawberry season is here, and local growers advice is to get picking while the picking is good.

The berry season arrived earlier than usual this year, and many U-picks in the province are opening their doors and their fields to eager pickers well in advance of the typical early-July start date.

Jennifer Philippe welcomed pickers on Monday for the first time ever. Philippe and her fiancé, Matt Turenne, own Prairie Berry, a brand-new U-pick just south of Winnipeg in Glenlea.

Philippe grew up on the farm and, three years ago, the pair purchased it from her parents. She and Turenne developed their berry patch right next to the house they share with their two young children. They had originally planned to get married in July, Philippe said, but moved the date back to accommodate strawberry season.

“We didn’t know what to expect, but it’s been really, really good,” Philippe said early Monday from the fields. “The berries are awesome — they’re big, they’re juicy, they’re delicious. I think we’ve had about two or three hundred baskets out already.”

“Every kid that’s come today… their mouths are all red,” Philippe said with a laugh. “It’s really cute.”

Being heirs to a strawberry field does not mean their kids love strawberries, though, Philippe said. While Nixi, their six-month-old daughter, is a berry fan, their three-year-old son is unconvinced.

“Cruz will not eat a strawberry,” Philippe lamented. “I was like, ‘Come on, you have five acres.’”

Like most Manitoba growers, Prairie Berry grows Kent strawberries, Philippe said, which are known for their high yield and large size.

“They don’t have the longest shelf life, but they’re the juiciest, the best-tasting strawberries, in my opinion,” she said. Other locally grown varieties include Glooscap and AAC Lila, a newer varietal you can find at Cormier’s Berry Patch near La Salle.

The early start to the season is exciting, but it might also mean an earlier end. Strawberry season is short — it can last as little as two or three weeks, and stretch up to four or five — so if you want to pick, by all means pick soon. If you miss this window, however, or just love picking fruit, some Manitoba U-picks offer other, later-ripening options, such as raspberries or sour cherries.

Kalynn Spain, founder of Small Farms Manitoba, said all types of picking are a chance to support local fruit growers while getting better quality fruit.

“By eating locally, you’re getting the freshest food possible,” she said. “It hasn’t travelled as far as it would if you buy it in the grocery store.”

Spain stressed that eating locally year-round was possible in Manitoba, and suggested freezing berries for the cold winter months.

“(Freezing) it preserves it at its freshest point. You are getting that food at its highest nutrient possibility,” she said.

Spain added fruit-picking is a kid-friendly way to sneak in the foundation of nutritional habits.

“It’s a really nice way to get kids involved in food,” she said. “It can be a really fun family activity to do to get kids engaged in eating good fruit.”

“It’s a lot healthier for you and it’s healthier for our economy,” she said.

Cormier’s Berry Patch also opened their doors — and fields — on Monday, for the 12th year running.

“We’re very excited,” Cormier said Monday. “The fields look great, there are lot of berries — we’ve had lots of moisture and the heat has been just right. They are waiting to be picked.”

Cormier said pickers should always call ahead before venturing to any U-pick, and recommended storing the strawberries in a cool place as soon as possible — getting them home to the fridge, rather than letting them sit in a hot car, helps the berries last their longest.

Berries should only be washed as needed, since washing makes them deteriorate faster.

So what was it like out in the fields Monday?

“You would be hearing lots of birds, you would be feeling the warmth of the sun, you’d be feeling a little bit of wind, and hearing the rustling of the leaves — and you can see tons of red berries,” Cormier said.

“The best part would be having a little taste of them.”

To find out more about berry picking and where to go, check out the Prairie Fruit Growers Association website at www.pfga.com.

 

aidan.geary@freepress.mb.ca