There’s nothing quite like savoring the fruits of your own labor. More and more farms are opening their doors to the public so that visitors can enjoy the many pleasures of U-pick: eating fresh, local and healthy, and all at low cost. Here are a few agritourism destinations where you can spend a pleasant day outdoors harvesting (and eating!) local berries that make a change from strawberries and raspberries.
Morello cherries
• Where: South Flank Domain (Mont-Saint-Hilaire)
• When: end of June/beginning of July
Many fruits grow at Domaine du Flanc Sud, but the first to ripen are the sour cherries. Small bright red fruit with a tangy taste, it is often preferred processed rather than raw. Stock up on them since they can be used in many ways: in jam, chutney, muffins and fruit salads, among others.
Haskaps
• Where: Cambrook Orchard (Bonaventure)
• When: July
Located in the backcountry rows in Bonaventure, Gaspésie, this farm offers pick-your-own haskap, this small fruit that looks like an elongated blueberry. Easy to harvest (although a little staining on the hands!), sweet enough to be eaten fresh and versatile in the kitchen, it really has it all.
blueberries
• Where: Les Bleuets du Vire-Crêpes (Lévis)
• When: end of July/August
This is a very popular place with families, since the fruits of the shrub are at the height of small hands and they easily detach from the branches. Know that it is very economical to pick blueberries: in 2022, a liter of berries was selling for $5. The blueberry is eaten fresh, but can also be frozen for future use in muffins, pancakes and other delicacies.
sea buckthorn
• Where: Les Petites Ecores Farm (Pointe-Fortune)
• When: Late July/August
Sea buckthorn is a very thorny shrub and picking your own small fruit, sea buckthorn, is rather difficult. Although the growers show you how to harvest the precious orange berries so as not to sting yourself or damage the shrub, it is not recommended to take children under 10 years old. Once harvested, sea buckthorn is quickly frozen, as it deteriorates quickly. It will not lose its highly nutritious properties and will be delicious added to your home-made smoothies, jams or pastries.
Black currants and red currants
• Where: Ferme du Capitaine (Île d’Orléans) – Organic
• When: Late July/early August
Facing the river, in Saint-Jean-de-l’Île-d’Orléans, this farm is one of the few in the province to offer pick-your-own two small currant fruits: red currants and black currants, also called blackcurrant. It takes a bit of meticulousness to harvest these little berries, but you quickly find out how to do it. Once harvested, they are transformed into jam, coulis or jelly, as Grandma used to do.
Grapes
• Where: Bio-Vital grapes (Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly) – Organic
• When: September/October
Picking table grapes is easy since the whole bunch is harvested; it is therefore ideal for taking the children there and enjoying the last beautiful summer days. At the height of the season, towards the end of September, five varieties of grapes can be picked at Raisins Bio-Vital, in Chaudière-Appalaches: somerset, trollhaugen, brianna, radisson and bel-chas. .
This content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.