Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Dull green is giving way to vibrant bright red in the strawberry fields of Paulridge Berry Farm which can only mean one thing: it’s berry picking season.
The popular family-run farm located on the Greater Napanee and Loyalist Township border will officially open for its 46th season of pick-your-own berries this Saturday.
“We have had very strange weather,” said Ruth Paul, who operates the farm with her husband Philip and the help of their grown kids and grandchildren. “We had 90 degree in April for a few days, which is strange, we had the really hard frost in May, one of the hardest frosts we have ever seen. Usually irrigation can save your blossoms, so Philip was irrigating but it was even too cold for the irrigation in our area to work.”
Though an unexpected challenge, their years of experience helped them adapt. Their months of hard work have paid off with delicious berries now ready to be plucked right from the vine. They figure to be open to the public from now through the end of July with red and blue raspberries, sugar snap peas and green and yellow beans soon to be in season.
“Farming is challenging and it doesn’t get much easier with inflation because everything we go to buy, fertilizers, and even the plastic baskets, everything we go to buy has just gone up so amazingly over the last two or three years,” said Ruth. “But we have wonderful friends and neighbours who help us out and come and work for us through the season, we just love it. It’s fun.”
Poppy Bruder picks a bright red strawberry from the field during the 2021 season at Paulridge Berry Farms. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
For the Paul family it’s all worth it to offer a unique family outing.
“We love to see families come and see people who have been here as children and bring their children back, we’re seeing more and more of that, generations that come and bring their kids and tell them stories about having been here when they were this age, about the tractor and wagon rides,” said Ruth. “I think parents love for kids to see where food comes from, they don’t just come from the supermarket, this is how they’re grown. It’s a great learning experience for kids, and it’s fun.”
After all that’s gone on the last three years, welcoming people back to the field with no restrictions is a welcome sight.
“I’m so glad to see that the uneasiness of COVID is gone,” said Ruth. “That was a really difficult couple of years for us because we tried to keep everyone safe and yet give them a nice experience at the same time. So much of what we do is personal and greeting people and being friendly to the person who is picking beside you and meeting new people and its really hard to do when you’re masked and behind screens. This is just going to be wonderful this year.”
Paulridge Berry Farm is located a 2115 Palace Rd. in Loyalist. For the latest picking conditions and hours of operation visit their website www.paulridgeberryfarm.com or visit the Paulridge Berry Farm Facebook page.