Article published September 02, 2009
Local raspberries plentiful
Growers say conditions perfect for bumper crop
From left, Thomas Dey, Andy Lesczynski, and Tim Lesczynski, all of Lambertville, pick at Whittaker’s in Ida, Mich., where Marilyn Whittaker said rain after a dry summer made the berries ‘just pop.’
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THE BLADE/JEREMY WADSWORTH
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By GARY T. PAKULSKI
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER
They have lent their name to an unfashionable shade of beret, awards for bad movies, and a crude insult made with the mouth.
But the very unpeachy raspberry continues to command a following.
And lovers of the fruit that gets no respect will be out in force at local pick-your-own farms in coming weeks.
Growers report that ample late season rain and plenty of sunshine have created conditions for a bountiful harvest.
“It’s a bumper crop,” said Marilyn Whittaker, owner of Whittaker’s Berry Farm in Ida, Mich.
“You don’t have to move and you’re going to have a quart of berries,” said the former travel agent, who grows about an acre of berries on the farm she operates with husband, Bill, on Todd Road, between Lewis Avenue and Telegraph Road.
Ohio and Michigan are home to about 800 raspberry farms, most of which cultivate less than two acres of the fruit, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Washington state, Oregon, and California are the nation’s raspberry-growing powerhouses. But even in those states, the fruit is a drop in the basket compared to huge commodity crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat.
Based on past popularity of raspberries, the Whittakers plan to more than double production next year to 2.5 acres. Strawberries remain their most popular crop, however.
Despite dry conditions early in the summer, the raspberry crop looked promising. Then the fruit was hit with a deluge of about 1½ inches of rain. “That just made them pop,” Mrs. Whittaker said.
Prices are about the same as last year at $3.35 a quart.
“This is my fourth year for growing raspberries, and this is probably the strongest crop yet,” said Leonard Steuwe of Steuwe Farms in Petersburg, Mich.
He sells at farmers’ markets and to customers who pick their own at his farm at 7926 Sylvania-Petersburg Rd.
Because raspberries typically survive mild frosts, the harvest will continue until early to mid-October, Mr. Steuwe said.
At Hoen’s Orchard and Farms north of Delta, the crop also looks good.
“They need plenty of moisture and some nice sunny weather,” said Mike Hoen. “The cool weather does not bother them a bit.”
The pick-your-own farm, at 12540 County Road 7-2, expects the current crop to last through the first freeze.
Contact Gary Pakulski at:gpakulski@theblade.comor 419-724-6082.
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