Canada: Cranberry harvest underway
The month-long harvest of cranberries is under way at Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh and even though the season is a week late getting started, the year’s crop looks great.
“They actually do need cold winters to grow well so the cold winter wasn’t bad for them but the cold summer was a bit much but they’re in good shape now,” says Matt French with Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh.
Johnston’s has produced cranberries since 1950 and is one of only two cranberry marshes in Ontario.
“Last year was another great year, we did over 400,000 pounds of fruit off our 27 cultivated acres,” adds French.
Cranberries are becoming more and more popular across North America and to meet that demand south of the border, American cranberry growers are now producing almost 60% more berries than they did ten years ago.
But French says because the Johnston’s farm has produced cranberries for more than half a century, they actually have growing experience to produce a superior berry.
“Last year we sold around 2,000 cases and this year we’ve sold 3,500 already,” says French.
More wine and everything else cranberry is expected to move during the Bala Cranberry Festival starting October 17th and the crowds are expected to be huge.
“We’re expecting 10,000 to 15,000 the weekend after Thanksgiving,” adds French.
Source: barrie.ctvnews.ca
