On the road again for the first blueberries.

We’ve jammed our summer packed with visits to our partners' farms and this past week was no different as we made our way from the Laurentides to the Estrie region, stopping in at Verger Maia, two of the Collectif de bleuets bio local’s farms, and Les Petits Fruits Bio. Like others in the berry fam, blueberries have a short growing season and we’re making the most of it - including sneaking in a few berries while at the farms!

Keep scrolling for a look at our road trip!

VERGER MAIA - Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, QC

Apples and blueberries as far as the eye can see. Mario Cataphard, the man behind Verger Maia, began growing blueberries by chance when he bought his neighbour's land with blueberry bushes scattered throughout. Since then, he's planted a few more rows of his own to grow even more.

When it comes to helping hands for harvest, the family is joined by seasonal workers including Marco, pictured above. Returning from Mexico for a fourth year, Marco has plenty of ag experience having worked at various farms across the US and Ontario (and swears this is the best gig he's ever had).

Harvests are done entirely by hand to make sure only the ripest bluebs are picked. Since blueberries don't all mature at the same time, the harvesters scour the fields to find which are ready (like the ones above Marco nicely offered us) and which need a little more time to reach their peak.

When their apples are happy, so are the blueberries. Since his main endeavour is taking care of the orchard, Mario (pictured on the right chatting to our team member Alexis) focuses his attention on the apples when it comes to pest control, keeping a strict balance between beneficial and predatory insects. And the hard work pays off - both the apples and blueberries are doing well!

LES PETITS FRUITS BIO - Granby, QC

From an abandoned lot to an organic blueberry farm. When Pierre Bell and Gysèle Rainville first purchased their land, it was a sprawl of pasture that hadn't been touched in 30 years. This made it easy for the couple to farm organically since the land already had plenty of time to rid itself of any synthetic pesticides.

Nets are the first line of defence protecting the little organic fruit at Petits Fruits Bio. Pierre (pictured above) explained that once the fruits are “hurt” by a bird, their juice attracts pests to the site significantly damaging the harvest.

Haphazard planting makes for more resilient bushes. In the early days of the farm, a local agronomist suggested that the couple plant several blueberry varieties around the property to promote better pollination - advice that they followed quite literally, scattering his six varieties randomly throughout his five acres.

Thanks to warm days, the season is off to an early start. And the work continues, with daily harvests by a team of faithful workers who've been returning for 10 years to work alongside the couple who still do all the weeding by hand. Anaïs, another of our purchasers, was (and still is) making the most of it, finding the ripest berry she could to taste test.

LE COLLECTIF DE BLEUETS BIO LOCAL
Ferme Giroflée - Hemmingford, QC & Bleuetière Gregg Edwards - Covey Hill, QC

Bringing together organic farms across the province, Le Collectif de bleuets bio local is a team effort. Benoit Coulombe (above, right) brought together four organic farms in 2019 to make sure each years' harvest is as bountiful as the last. Joining him in the coop is Gregg Edwards (on the left) who was both a teacher and a blueberry farmer for many years before finally committing to his berries (and his jokes) full time.

The farms turn to innovative techniques when it comes to protecting their berry bushes. To prevent certain birds and other pests from taking up residence near the bushes, Benoit has installed speakers that randomly emit predatory bird sounds. He also built nesting boxes for swallows, which feed on insects, and designed his own traps for drosophila - those pesky fruit flies that populate our kitchens during the summer months.

With farms from Hemmingford to Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, the co-op is able to extend the season. Gregg's farm located in Covey Hill is the prime example with his 3,000 berry bushes benefiting from a warmer microclimate and blooming a little earlier than the rest.

Despite the frost, the season is looking strong. Even though May's unexpected cold temperatures took some fruit from the younger bushes, the more mature and resilient ones (like those at Gregg's farm) were able to fight on through.

All in all, you could say our visits were fruitful.