Summer got off to a great start this past Friday with some phenomenal weather this past weekend, and our family decided to take advantage and to go strawberry picking this past Friday.

In case you missed it, last week I posted about doing things in & around our beautiful city this summer in a post entitled 61 Days of Summer-Starting Today. 

We try to go every year and it usually ends up with a a whole lot of jam-making ( See: We be jammin’  ) .

This year, I just knew I wouldn’t have the time or energy for Jam ( plus we still have some left from last year!)  we just decided to go for the experience ( and of course, the delicious Quebec Strawberries!)

We went to Quinn Farm which we always enjoy, especially on La Fête St Jean, because many people don’t know that it’s open then, so it tends to be slightly less crowded. ( Although the secret must be out, since it wasn’t empty either!)

We found the berries larger than usual- Quebec strawberries tend to be very small and very sweet- these were larger than usual and slightly more tart than usual…although we really didn’t mind – They were still DELICIOUS! and we filled 4 baskets full in addition to what we ate 🙂

If you are looking go berry picking- you can choose to go to Quinn Farm or to one of the MANY Quebec producers.

You can visit fraisesetframboisesduquebec.com to locate  a producer near you 🙂

A few TIPS:

• Walk towards the back of the field where there are less people…there will likely be more berries
• Hold your basket from the bottom…while my hubby was holding 2 baskets, one basket’s plastic handle biconnected & the berries spilled everywhere.  We saw it happen to someone else as well.
• Calling before you go – I recommend this for a few reasons:
  • Supply can run low, so it’s always good to ask before you leave
  • Inquiring about rates is a good idea. Although we enjoyed our experience very much, admission was $5 per person which meant we were paying $30 in admission alone + $10 for a 4 L basket. There’s definitely value to the experience, but if you are not particular about where to go, you may wish to shop around before choosing your location.

Do you have a favourite place to pick strawberries or other berries? If yes, Please share with us!

Tanya