Search Results for: growers

Packaging Berry Growers in Ontario are increasingly using sustainable forms of packaging to deliver their berries to consumers on their pick your own operations, farmers’ markets or in the produce section of your local grocery store. The move towards sustainable packaging has been hastened with the 2019 Canadian government announcement of a ban on harmful,

Sustainability Berry growers in Ontario utilize advanced methods of sustainable berry cultivation, harvesting and packaging. Many are multi-generational, family-run operations. They steward the land through techniques such as soil testing, crop rotation and mulching with biodegradable materials. Straw is commonly used to protect strawberries and suppress weed competitors. Integrated pest management involves preventing pests and

Very Berry Canada Day Highlights Nothing is as quintessential to Canada Day as strawberries. That’s why Berry Growers of Ontario invited food media and influencers to experience the heart of berry production in Ontario’s Norfolk County.  In June 2019, Greater Toronto Area journalists visited Blueberry Hill Estates, St. Williams, Ontario. Owner Nick Vranckx showcased his

Explaining Ontario Raspberries Fresh or jammed? Either way, Ontario growers produce about 12 varieties of red raspberries that are ideal for several uses. In the spring, the canes are loaded with flowers that are very attractive to pollinating bees. As summer progresses, the canes are staked upright to prevent wind damage to the delicate fruit.

Explaining Ontario Everbearing Strawberries Sometimes called day-neutral strawberries, these new varieties are every bit as flavourful as the strawberries ripening in June. Ontario berry growers offer these gems from May through October frost. Why can these berries be grown for so long? Day-neutral refers to the light sensitivity of the variety. These strawberry plants will

Explaining Ontario Blueberries The bluest blueberries signal they’re ready to be picked and plunked into a pancake. How to pick? Just cup a cluster in your hand and use your thumb to roll the blueberries into your hand. Leave the green berries for the next picking. Blueberry growers protect their crop from pesky birds by

Explaining Ontario Summer Strawberries There’s no better way to kick off the summer than with strawberries. For 49 weeks of the year, your local berry grower is nurturing the plants, protecting them with straw-all for that sweet unforgettable taste in the three weeks spanning the end of June and the first weeks of July. For

Family Farms Most members of the Berry Growers of Ontario are family run farms. Several of them are multi-generational operations that have, over time, finely honed stewardship of their land through innovative and sustainable agricultural practices. These include the introduction of new varieties of berries, such as the high bush blueberries, to increasingly northern locations