These last few warm weeks of November (it's 15 C/ 60 F today!) mark the end of the fresh fruit harvest here on Bay of Fundy. Starting in June, we've got a series of fresh local berries to enjoy: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and finally cranberries.
In 'top secret' locations all around our bay, local folk still dry pick cranberries by hand or with a scoop. This week, while touring Bay of Fundy, I came upon these fellas harvesting cranberries on a farm near Medford, Nova Scotia. They are "wet raking" cranberries for commercial use. When the cranberries are ready to harvest, the fields are temporarily flooded with about 8 inches of water. The cranberries (which have small air pockets inside them) float to the surface with the gentle encouragement of a hand rake.
The berries are guided to the end of the field with a wooden guide (pictured here) then scooped out and taken for processing. By the way, that's salty band of blue Bay of Fundy along the horizon just past the field.
Probably these berries will be used to make cranberry juice or, even better, cranberry sauce to accompany our Christmas dinners next month!
Terri, Could I use your profile photo for a recommendation to my readers (vast, of course)to visit Bay of Fundy Blog? I am wanting to schedule this post for sometime in lateish January, but I need to get them all done ahead, before we head south in mid December.
ReplyDeleteI'm using your comment function since I can't find your email address. But it isn't really a comment -- just a message to you.
Your blog: it's fabulous. I hate you.
cheers,
Anne at www.novascotiaisland.blogspot.com
I see you enjoyed our cranberry bogs, its funny reading your blog,the cranberrys are not raked off the vine, the rakes are just used to move the floating berries.
ReplyDelete