As we enter step one of Ontario’s reopening plan, everybody will be looking for some fun, safe, outdoor summer activities.
One of the most popular summer activities is berry picking.
“Last year [berry picking] was a very popular activity for people because if you’re stuck at home and you’re looking for something to do that’s easy to get out to, safe, and local, picking strawberries is going to check all of those boxes. And after, you get to enjoy some yummy berries and maybe make some jam or share them with your family,” says Will Heeman from Heeman’s Garden Centre and Strawberry Farm.
Heeman’s opened up their strawberry field for “pick your own” strawberries on June 14. They have some COVID-19 friendly practices to make sure everybody is safe.
“We made some modifications with how people are greeted in the field, how they pay, how they’re able to go out and pick and come back to their car. We have almost like a lazy river setup where you come in one way and then you can exit another so that there’s very minimal contact with anyone when you’re out. We have a 25 acre field and right now we have 3 acres open so that people can really spread out and have a little piece of the field to themselves,” Heeman says.
Heeman’s holds pride in their strawberries. There are a lot of factors that go into a good strawberry, but they focus on one main factor.
“At Heeman’s, we’re selecting our varieties that we’re growing for our customers based on the flavour. For us, the only factor that matters is if it tastes good because if it doesn’t then it’s not worth growing. We’ve been around a long time and people always expect that a Heeman strawberry is going to taste fantastic,” Heeman says.
Heeman says they only have 1 early season, 1 mid-season, and 1 late season berry that they really lean into because of the flavour.
“They’re not always the biggest, they’re not always going to be the most heavy yielding, but it’s going to be the best flavour,” says Heeman.
Berry picking is a popular activity that isn’t just fun in the moment, but also after! You can make some ‘berry’ yummy desserts for you and your family to enjoy.
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