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woman standing in johnston's cranberries enthusiasticallyl tossing them into the air

Cranberry Harvest

Starts Sept 26, 2020!

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.

cranberry picker with farmer giving a thumbs up

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 Highlights:

Harvest Hours (Sept 26 – Oct 31): 9-6 daily

Weekdays:

  • Daily Wagon Tours @ 11, 1 & 3
  • Enjoy a Wine Tasting
  • Shop in The Cranberry Emporium
  • Take the Cranberry Plunge
  • Sample cranberry goodies (like candied cranberries!) at the Cranberry Café
  • Hike the Trails
  • Hunt for Geocaches
  • See harvesting and packinghouse operations (can vary)

Weekends:

  • All Day Wagon Tours (drop in 10 am – 4 pm)
  • Wine Tasting (drop in 10 am – 5 pm)
  • Shop in The Cranberry Emporium (9 am – 6 pm)
  • Take The Cranberry Plunge   (drop in 10 am – 4 pm)
  • Sample cranberry goodies at the Cranberry Café
  • Hike the Trails
  • Hunt for Geocaches
  • See harvesting and packinghouse operations (can vary)
  • Harvest 2020 weekend dates:
    • Sept 26-27
    • Oct 3-4
    • Oct 10-12 (Thanksgiving)
    • Oct 16-18 (Bala Cranberry Festival)
    • Oct 24-25

Bala Cranberry Festival

  • Always the weekend after Thanksgiving!
  • click here for more information

FAQ

Is there somewhere to eat?

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?

  • Thanksgiving and Festival weekends are our busiest times – expect crowds and line ups – especially Thanksgiving Sunday and Festival Saturday at mid-day.
  • less busy times are weekdays or early and late in the day on weekends
  • we do get scheduled and unscheduled bus groups that can create crowds and line ups
  • the Cranberry Plunge is busy on weekends – line ups can be 1-2 hours long – come early or book a weekday appointment

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 for parking?

No. Parking is free.

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.

What can we do, how much does it cost, how long does it take?

  • Everyone is welcome to shop in our store (which opens into the packinghouse, so, during operation, you can watch cranberries being sorted and packaged)
  • We offer light fare (food and drink) at the Cranberry Café
  • Wagon Tours (approximately 20 minutes) 2020 prices TBD
  • Wine Tasting (approximately 20 minutes – format may vary through the harvest season) 2020 prices TBD
  • Cranberry Plunge: (approximately 10 minutes in the plunge, plus the time to put on and take off waders) 2020 prices TBD (children must be over 137 cm – 4’6″)
  • Trails/Farm Access: (If you want to go beyond the store/buildings and explore the farm & harvesting – in designated areas – you need a trail pass) $5 pp, $3 kids 12 and under
  • All Access Pass (your ticket to everything!):
    • adults (wagon tour, wine tasting, cranberry plunge, trail pass) – 2020 prices TBD
    • designated drivers (wagon tour, cranberry plunge, trail pass) – 2020 prices TBD
    • kids (wagon tour, cranberry plunge, trail pass) – 2020 prices TBD

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!