Strawberry picking season is underway in Sturgeon Falls
It's summer's first taste of the season, ripe local strawberries being picked at Leisure Farms in Sturgeon Falls and taken home for a sweet snack.
"They're good and sweet. When we get back home we're going to eat them just like they are and put them with ice cream," said picker Suzanne Trottier.
At Leisure Farms, the strawberry picking season usually starts in July. However, an early melt in the spring, and a heat wave in May allowed the fruit to ripen early.
"Even though we had some cool periods, strawberries don't need much heat anyways,” said Leisure farms Operator Mitch Deschatletes.
“So they got an early start and have kept growing since."
Deschatletes says the strawberry season is one of the busiest times of the year for the farm as families look for the perfect fruit for baking.
Haskap berries are also growing in popularity, and can be picked at the farm too. Their attraction is a high concentration of antioxidants.
"We've got one small field for haskaps, but it seems to be just enough for the demand right now," said Deschatletes.
The strawberry and haskap picking season will be around until July with raspberry picking on the horizon.
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