Raking in the Blue!

Those of us familiar with cattle or grain farms may be surprised to learn that there are farms around the Bay of Fundy whose sole existence depends on blueberries. Big business though they may be, blueberries are still mostly harvested here the traditional way: by hand with a blueberry rake! This rake looks like a strange combination of a metal dustpan and a broad-toothed comb (note the inside handle).

Most of our blueberries are wild blueberries (as opposed to the jumbo highbush or cultivated berries) so, as you can imagine, this is back breaking, if tasty, manual labour. Still, most of us have done it, and many continue to scoop throughout the blueberry season from mid-August through early September. There is nothing like being paid by the pound to teach you the value of a good day's work!