Bountiful blueberry crop so far this summer in Sudbury

Art Choquette of Sudbury, Ont., known locally as the ‘Blueberry Man,’ has been in the business for four decades.

The local blueberry expert he is bullish on this season’s crop. Choquette said his blueberry stand just off Highway 69 has been open for awhile already this summer with the crop blossoming about two weeks early.

“This is the second time in the history of blueberries -- in 2021 we started on the 21st of June for the first time -- and this is the second time we started on the 28th of June,” he said.

“I think it must have something to do with climate change, I would say.”

With little snow this past winter, Choquette said he was worried about this year’s crop, but he said the wet spring saved it.

“The spring turned out better than we figured because we need a lot of snow for the blueberries and we didn’t get it,” he said.

“But we got lots of rain and I think that’s what saved our bacon."

Choquette has several pickers out in the bush and said so far, this year’s crop is bountiful.

“Pickers are saying the crop is good,” he said.

“Besides that, the bears are out there. They are having their feed, too, so you gotta’ watch out for mama bear. She is still around with her cubs.”

Choquette said if the weather for the next little while brings a good balance of rain and sunshine, the blueberry season could last until the end of August.

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“Our crop is looking promising,” he said.

“A lot of people don’t understand that we do have two crops of blueberries in Sudbury. We are in the first one and then we will be in the second one … probably the first week of August we will be getting into the second crop.”

Choquette said the going rate for wild blueberries this season is $15 a litre.

His stand, at the corner of Highway 69 and South Lane Road, is open from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m., seven days a week.