What to Expect
- Fresh berry picking on the prairies usually starts the middle of June with Haskaps, Strawberries, Saskatoons, Raspberries, Sour Cherries and may go for 6 weeks – it is a short season.
- Call the farm, visit their website or follow them on social media for picking times
- ALWAYS check picking times before heading to our farm; the field situation can change quickly and unexpectedly
- Picking days can often be sunny and hot, so bring water, a hat, sunscreen, old shoes or rubber boots
- If going to pick Saskatoons, Raspberries, Sour Cherries or Haskaps bring a belt or string to tie the bucket to your waist
- Each farm has their own set of rules for picking, it is important that you listen to their rules before beginning to pick. (eg. parking, picking, paying)
- Some farms provide baskets, some farms ask you to bring your own
- Bring the appropriate form of payment, most farms are Cash or cheque, some accept Interac and Credit Card
- Bring a cooler if your berries will be sitting in your vehicle for awhile
Picking Tips
- Once you’re assigned a row, start at the beginning, either by bending down or sitting on the ground/straw
- Use both your hands to part the leaves (especially in the middle of the row) to ensure you are getting all the ready berries
- Pick only the firm, ripe berries; green ones don’t ripen after they’re picked
- For Strawberries: Grab the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and thumb, and with a slight twisting motion pull the berry. Don’t grab a strawberry as you will squish the fruit and spoil it
- To fill a basket of Strawberries it can take anywhere from 10 minutes (at the beginning of the season when the berries are bigger) to 45 minutes (at the end of the season when the berries are smaller)
- For Saskatoons and Sour Cherries: you don’t need to pull the stems with the fruit
- To fill a basket of Saskatoons, Sour Cherries or Raspberries it takes longer than strawberries, it can take about an hour to fill a 4 Litre pail
- Allow the picked berry to roll into you palm, and repeat the process with each hand until you have three or four berries in each hand
- Carefully place (don’t throw) the fruit into your basket
- Don’t overfill your basket or pack the berries down; you will have squished berries when you get home
- Fresh berries are extremely perishable, it is recommended that you put them in the fridge or freezer as soon as you get home
