Starts Sept 25, 2021!
Harvest is the most exciting time of the year. It’s when we (quite literally) get to see the fruit of our labour! We start two weekends before Canadian Thanksgiving and are usually finished by October 31st. We harvest only once a year. We have 27 acres to pick and produce around 300,000-400,000 lbs of cranberries.
Cranberries are grown and harvested like no other crop in the world. They’re also native only to North America. Drop by and learn about this unique crop!
Harvest Activities
- Wagon Tours
- Wine Tasting
- Cranberry Plunge
- Fresh cranberries
- Hiking Trails
- Beautiful fall scenery!
Bala Cranberry Festival
- Always the weekend after Thanksgiving!
- Stay tuned for 2021 dates and information due to COVID.
- click here for more information
FAQ
Will I see floating cranberries?
You will see cranberries – lots of them! BUT, we don’t always look like the commercials. We have three ways we can harvest – dry rake, wet rake and beating. You are visiting a working farm – which means we can’t always predict what will be going on during your visit.
The videos below show what harvesting often looks like here.
You may see:
- cranberries being dry harvested (without water – usually early in the harvest season)
- cranberries being picked with our Getzinger retracto-tooth picker (with water into shallow boats – usually mid-season)
- cranberries being ‘beaten’ (cranberries floating on the water – usually late in the harvest season after Festival weekend)
- cranberries growing on low vines
- cranberries being loaded for transport to the packinghouse
- cranberries going through the outside packing line (cleaning and drying)
- cranberries going through the packinghouse (mills, hand sorting, packaging)
What’s the best time to see the harvest?
This is a hard question to answer. Harvesting activities are going on everyday, but remember, we’re a working farm. That means we manage a lot of variables – weather, equipment, staff, farm layout, picking/packing speeds, varying fruit conditions, etc. We can’t predict exactly what you’ll see when you visit, even if you call and ask us on the day you’re planning to visit. The good new is, we do offer activities that are geared to visitors and are predictable. Our wagon tour is a great way to learn about all aspects of cranberry growing and harvesting. Wine tasting is always available. With a trail pass, you can see the farm via our hiking trails.
What about crowds?
- We are managing visitation carefully due to COVID-19
- We are uncertain what harvest 2021 will look like, but plan on:
- Pre-booking activities and limited participation
- Limited parking
- Parking on the road not permitted
- parking for shopping 1 hour limit
- other parking reserved through bookings
- ‘Drop-ins’ cannot be accommodated
Do I need hip waders?
No. Places where visitors walk are not flooded. Our walkways are covered in gravel, but still, they can get muddy, and the ground can be uneven. Appropriate footwear for the weather and outdoors is highly recommended.
Do you charge admission?
No. There is no charge to visit the store/café area of the farm. If you want to explore beyond the store/café, you need a farm pass. There are also activity fees for tours, wine tasting and the cranberry plunge.
Are there washrooms?
- we rent porta-potties during our harvest season – they’re environmentally friendly for our septic system
Harvest Videos
Check out some cool harvest footage!