The cranberries are floating towards harvest in 91原创.
The Dewit family farms in Glen Valley, members of the family will be busy for most of October harvesting the bright red berries from flooded fields.
鈥淲e started last Friday,鈥� said Melanie Dewit. She anticipates they鈥檒l finish in about two weeks.
She was working Thursday with her husband Colin and his father Jack to harvest a field off 264th Street.
The harvest involves flooding the fields so the berries float off the low bushes. Then workers wearing hip waders use booms to corral the berries.
A pipe sucks in berries and water, and pumps them from the field to the 鈥渢rash bin鈥� device, where leaves are filtered out before the berries tumble into a truck.
The 13-acre Glen Valley farm will produce about 300,000 pounds of cranberries this year, Colin estimated.
Like the majority of berries harvested in B.C., they鈥檙e bound for Ocean Spray processing.
But there are also some privately-harvested fields on the farm.
Harvest is the toughest time of year for the family of farmers, said Melanie. Colin is particularly busy.
鈥淗e鈥檒l sometimes work 6 to 7 a.m., and he won鈥檛 get in until 8 p.m.,鈥� she said.
The kids don鈥檛 see much of their dad during October, she said. The rest of the year is a lot easier.
On Saturday, Oct. 7, the Dewit farm will be selling berries and hosting harvesting demonstrations as part of the Fort 91原创 Cranberry Festival. Shuttle buses will take people from the festival to the Fort Winery, which is adjacent to the farm.
