U-pick farms

[maxmillan]

It's almost local BC strawberry season! I usually go pick at No.5 Road in Richmond.

I plan to pick other berries, fruits and vegetables. Where do you go for good pickings?

Edited June 3, 2004 by maxmillan (log)

[Coop]

Why? is it to get the best of the crop or to save $'s.

[Xando Head]

For me, it's both. I enjoy picking my own berries -- choosing the best ones, knowing they're fresh -- and it's usually much much cheaper too. And for some, it's fun too!

[Keith Talent]

Sorry to derail, but if I never pick another thing it will be too soon. One of my self admitted neuroses is an irrational hatred of gathering berries. As a child I was forced in contravention to UNICEF guidlines and the Geneva Convention to involuntary child labour. My mother (the source of most neuroses, or at least the semi-interesting ones) indulged her passion for saving money by using a free picking service, namely my brother and I to harvest every single freakin' crop grown within a hundred miles of Vancouver. For most of my friends summer holidays meant swimming, biking, watching Three's Company reruns etc. For me it was 8 weeks of "The Itinerant Experience".

Blueberries (the worst), strawberries, raspberries (almost as bad as blueberries), apples, plums and later when the Cal-Ital trend took off, tomatoes for drying. Apples were the only semi-fun harvest, as ever sharp to save a buck my mom spotted a mini orchard growing on the grounds of Oakalla Prision, a high security jail on Royal Oak in Burnaby. Every year she'd march the the front gate, the unwilling labour moaning about the dangers of escaped convicts the whole time, and she'd announce to the jailer that she was a tax payer and had no intention of letting the crop fall to the ground, so they jailer would lock down the cons, and a middle aged soccer mom and two small boys would pick apples. No shit. Amazingly I still like apple sauce. Only I've discovered Presidents Choice glass 1 L. jars at Superstore for like 89 cents each.

Ironiclly, my backyard is wild blueberry heaven, and I feel a little guilt about letting them go to waste. Fortunately, my kids will be tall enough to reach most of the berries this summer. Mmm, pancakes.

[Daddy-A]

Apples were the only semi-fun harvest, as ever sharp to save a buck my mom spotted a mini orchard growing on the grounds of Oakalla Prision, a high security jail on Royal Oak in Burnaby.

HOLY APPLESAUCE!!! Did you & I grow up in the same neighbourhood????

I lived near Kisbey Park (if that means anything to you) and my brother & I would sneak down through the bushes of what was then called "Blue-clay Canyon" to find the best blackberries, which were just outside the fenced grounds of Oakalla. We'd pick ice-cream buckets full to take home for jam, pies, etc ... although I'm sure we ate at least 3 buckets worth as we were picking.

I even remember the cops driving down our street, telling us to "stay in the yard" whenever there had been a prison break. One morning on my way to swim practice, I scared off an escapee who had been hiding in our garage, oddly enough eating blackberries.

Did you know there were Salmonberries down around Deer Lake (west end, near where the archery fiedl is now)?

When it comes to blackberries & raspberries, I'll pick them before I'll buy them because of how "free" they were when I was a kid. Bloobs & strawbs are another story ... just wait 'til there in season.

[Keith Talent]

We were off Gilpin a couple blocks east of Royal Oak. Our house was hard up against the bush, (which has a road cutting through it now) and spent at least 95% of my non-berry picking time running around out there screwing around at the lake and taking the ultimate extreme adventure, walking out to the fence of the prision.

Never thought about it until now, but having a high security prison in the neighbourhood probably wasn't good for property values. There's my Mom saving a buck again. As a kid it was almost the ultimate status symbol, "I've got a prison in my backyard!"

I remember being in the bush and you would hear the escape alarm bells ring and you'd tear ass home as quickly as you could.

Sorry, I forgot this was a food board, I'll get back to tearing down some chain or praising Parkside or whatever the hell it is we do here.

[merlin]

Keith Talent/Daddy_A:

"Who'd have thunk" a post concerning U-pick locations would have lead to this.

I've been laughing for the past few minutes and getting curious stares from people passing my office...ok, more curious than the curious stares I usually get.

I can just picture KT's mom marching up the prison gates.

[Daddy-A]

I can just picture KT's mom marching up the prison gates.

What's really funny is I know the apple trees he's talking about ... and my mom used to say the same thing. She just never had the nerve like Keith's mom

The prison used to have "work-gangs" in orange coveralls cleaning up the brush from the side of the road. I just thought they were members of some "team".

Clifford Olsen stayed there while he was on trial.

DA <---- Burnaby Historian

[maxmillan]

Unlike KT, I love to pick berries because I've never done anything like this during my youth and I get to control what berries goes into my bucket. Just got some local strawberries from the Trout Lake Farmer's Market and had some rotten ones in the middle! Rip off!

I can get the freshest stuff by picking it myself. Plus, I can stuff my face while I'm picking. Aaaaaah, and those early days of trying to make money in the summer and those wonderful strawberry fights.....

Also, there are loads of free blueberries and blackberries in town. Basically it's something I do to get the city out of me.

It's not the $$ saving, I think it's fun...as long as it's not a job.

Back to the original question. Where do you go to pick strawberries and other produce?

[maxmillan]

Went to Featherstone Farm in Richmond (No. 4 and Steveston) and got myself 20lbs at $1.15 per pound. It's a little bit more than the neighboring farm but the berries here are nicer. Lot's to pick still and I did my picking in under an hour.

But somehow, these BC strawberries are not as sweet as I remember. Even the strawberries I bought last week at a roadside in Chilliwack was not as sweet, but at least better than USA.

I have a feeling BC farmers are using different seeds than a few years ago to increase production and avoid blight. Are we heading towards Californa's bland strawberries?

Edited June 14, 2004 by maxmillan (log)

[cnspriggs]

I too have been surprised at the size and lack of sweetness of the local berries. I overheard someone saying something about 'everbearing' variety versus 'June' bearing variety but didn't catch the whole conversation. If anyone can enlighten on the different types of strawberries out there that would be great. I love the small little strawberries that are packed with flavor and haven't seen any this year.

[maxmillan]

I'm looking for a U-pick farm for raspberries and blackberries, preferably not sprayed.

I usually go to Westham Island in Delta but would prefer something a little closer such as Richmond. Can someone point out a farm in Richmond with good raspeberries? It should be ready for picking in the middle of July.

Can someone also suggest a place to buy ready picked raspberries in Richmond (or close by) that sells in bulk? I would like to buy 10 to 20 pounds. I'm even willing to buy from a nearby grocer, if the quality is good.

Thanks.

[gourmetgal]

Hubby and I went to Bisset, on Westham on Wednesday. We were the only ones picking and picked approx 14 lbs in about 35 minutes. The berries were very flavourful. We brought some to our neighbours, and they stopped by today to ask where we got them, as they were so good. They were the first strawberries that their 10-month old daughter would eat.

Maxmillan, I know you said that you wanted something closer to home, but Bisset doesn't spray their berries.

[annecros]

I like to keep my eye on this web site, wether looking local, or if I happen to be taking a road trip somewhere. They do have a Canada page, but I am not familiar enough with Canadian geography to know if it would be of any help.

Click for "pickyourown.org"

[lauramart]

hi all it's the westham island strawberry know it all again (I'm not trying to be annoying, honest!).

The reason the berries aren't as sweet this year is because of all the rain we had in June. The more sun the berries have when they're growing and ripening, the sweeter they are.

As for Bissett's not spraying, no strawberry farms on Westham Island spray their berries.

On Westham Island, the pests are controlled using Integrated Pest Management, basically introducing good bugs to eat the bad bugs. The crops are only sprayed when the company monitoring the bugs feels that the bad bugs are out of control. If there is spraying, they spray before there is any fruit on the plant.

If you're looking for strawberries still, I suggest you get them this weekend because they will most likely be finished after that. Remember the later in the season the harder the picking, so no complaining when you get out there.

I don't really go by varieties as everyone has different tastes. At my friend's farm, she grows Reliant and Rainier, if I remember correctly, and I am the only one in my family that likes the one variety.

And remember, a small berry is a sweet berry.

[maxmillan]

I was disappointed today when I went to Emma Lea on Westham Island to pick raspberries and there was no U-pick. They were picked clean on the weekend. Last year I made it out on the first day of raspberry U-pick and the berries were huge, sweet and plentiful. They did have ready-picked raspberries for sale. They also had strawberries.

I headed to Bissett Farm and picked raspberries. They were not as nice as Emma's but will do for jam. The tayberries were ready with more to ripen this weekend. The taste reminds me of champagne and I think it will do wonderfully for preserving. They also had ready picked raspberries for sale. But I overheard that they get it from Abbotsford and their berries were reserved for U-pick. The ready-picked raspberries looked much bigger and a lot less dusty than the ones I picked. They also had ready-picked BC strawberries. I think after this weekend, it will be the end of BC strawberries. Frankly, I think some of the California strawberries were sweeter this year.