Where can you see the cranberry harvest in Canada?

Cranberry Harvest in Canada - Muskoka, Ontario

Ever since I first saw cranberry fields more than twenty years ago, I've wanted to watch how the bright red berries are harvested. From stories and photos, I knew that water plays a role in the process.

Some footage from New England showed cranberry farmers raking the cranberries together in flooded fields. Finally, they loaded the berries onto waiting trucks for further processing.

During our trip to Muskoka, we had the opportunity to visit the only cranberry farm in Ontario. So I didn't have to think twice. I didn't want to miss this chance to see the cranberry harvest in Canada. This way I could finally satisfy my curiosity. We added Johnston's Cranberry Marsh in Bala, in the Muskoka region, to our itinerary.

 

 

Johnston's Cranberry Marsh in Bala

Johnston's Cranberry Farm is located just outside the small town of Bala im Muskoka Cottage CountryThis region is wonderfully suited for growing cranberries.

This requires acidic peat soil and proximity to water, which is abundant there. During our drive through Muskoka, the lakes rarely disappeared from view, and if they did, it was usually only when we were crossing a small isthmus between two of them. Sometimes this isthmus was so narrow that the water was even on both sides of the road.

Furthermore, the area is known for its silted-up lakes. Dense reeds grow along the edges of shallow pools. This reed grass decomposes on the lakebed, slowly filling it from below. This process repeats itself until the entire lake disappears under a layer of vegetation, creating a peat bog – ideal soil for cranberries to thrive in.  

Those who wish to combine such agricultural experiences in Ontario with suitable accommodation should also consider whether a Farm Stay in Ontario better suited to the trip than a hotel on the street.

 

 Cultivation and use of cranberries

The Johnston farming family from Bala recognized the potential and cleared several hectares of land. There they planted cranberries.

At the same time, they constructed a network of channels that they can flood via valves when needed. Late September – we were there on September 26th – is harvest time at the cranberry farm. Our chance to see the cranberry harvest in Canada.

Then you can watch what happens to the red berries. The farm offers guided tours. In the farm shop, you can buy freshly harvested berries, as well as cranberry wine or jams made from cranberries and other berries.

Raw cranberries taste very bitter, so cranberry wine and jams are combined with other fruits. However, raw berries are well-suited for juice making, as an ingredient in cakes or pastries, and for sauces or compotes. They are used, much like lingonberries are in some regions, as an accompaniment to game.  

 

 

Cranberry harvest in Canada

The harvesting of cranberries in Ontario is done differently than what I was used to in New England. The berries in Ontario are partly sold as raw fruit, unlike in the surrounding area of Cape Cod, where they are mostly used for juice production.

For this reason, the berries have to be harvested more carefully than elsewhere, and so I missed out on the anticipated pleasure of seeing the farmers wading through the bright red water. Although the fields are also flooded here to ensure a careful harvest.

Unlike in the south, a harvesting machine is used here that carefully plucks the berries from the bushes and collects them in a container. They don't float on the fields as they do around Cape Cod, but are gathered directly. From the fields, the berries are transported to a rack where they dry in the sun.

Afterwards, they are sorted by size and color and packaged according to their intended use. The undamaged, deep red berries are sold in local supermarkets. Burst berries and those that are ripe but have not yet developed their red color are used for winemaking or for processing into chutneys, jams, or sauces.

And my farmers in the flooded ponds full of red cranberries? For that I have to go to New England ...

 

A visit to Johnston's Cranberry Farm is possible year-round: 1074 Cranberry Road, Bala, Ontario. P0C 1A0 Tel. 705-762-3203 Fax 705-762-3213.

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Travel Arrangements:

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

Getting to the Cranberry Harvest in Canada

Arrival by plane, bus or train*. Lufthansa, Air Canada and several other airlines fly to Toronto. Bala is a 2 hour 15 minute drive from Toronto.

Car Rentals:

Compare rental car prices here.

Rent Motorhomes:

Compare motorhome prices here.

Accommodation

Accommodation in Muskoka Region * you can also book through our partner booking.com. We have stayed in Sir Sam's Inn Resort & Spa * in Haliburton.

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Discover more travel tips for trips to savor on our blog TravelWorldOnline.

 

 

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Source Cranberry harvest in Canada: own research on site with the kind support of Tourism Ontario and the Canada Tourism Commission. However, our opinion remains our own.

Text cranberry harvest in Canada: © Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline