A little boy asked me to come pick strawberries with him on a farm near Kingston… We got into a yellow school bus together and it took us to Fruition Berry Farm, where Christine and her team greeted us warmly and then showed us the path to the strawberry fields. After a quick course as we rode on a rumbling, tractor-pulled trailer (luckily, my gourd held up under the jiggling!), they gave us a row and we started picking strawberries. There were strawberries as far as the eye could see, and I felt like I was in a virgin forest surrounded by giant lanterns.
In the midst of other motivated pickers, I filled up three baskets and my gourd. What a joy it was to taste that juicy fruit later on! They taste so much better when you’ve picked them yourself…
Later on, I got to explore the property of over 110 hectares where Christine, her husband and their children Grant and Lilly grow strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and other fruits and vegetables. Their family business grew out of Ken’s love of the land, a love which Christine has come to share with him. Together, they have made it a way of life which they share with the hundreds of pickers, both big and little, who come to visit their farm every year.
The humans and plants brought back warm memories of the Incredible Edibles (article in French) and the Terre et Humanisme (French) team. All around the world, nature brings us together and roots us…
Mamie made me promise I’d bring her to pick blueberries in a few weeks… If you’d like to give it a try, go to the Fruition Berry Farm Internet site and make sure to check the current schedules, because they change depending on how ripe the plantings are.
SaDunya Project