For Fiona and Bruce Robertson of Montrose Berry Farm in Sutton Forrest, picking berries at their peak ripeness is something special and important; something you won’t find when buying your berries from supermarket shelves. “Berries you get in the supermarket cannot be picked ripe, because they don’t have a shelf life,” explains Bruce. “We pick our berries in the last 3 days of their life, when the sugar levels, the sweetness and the flavours go through the roof. That’s why our products taste different. We pick ripe fruit only.”
Increasing awareness of food production is an important part of picking season at Montrose Berry Farm, where people come to pluck ripe berries from the vines. “Part of our job is to educate people,” says Fiona. “People are enjoying it as family time but are also teaching the kids where food comes from.” A multi-faceted business, Montrose also hosts weddings, sells produce at local farmer’s markets and has an on-site shop where signature Montrose products are sold. “We have a lot of fun in the shop,” says Fiona. “We’ve got our jams, our pickled pears and berry vinegars. People know the product and they know the quality.” Adds Bruce, “the trick these days for farmers is to value-add by dealing directly with the customer, producing [all the way down to] the end product, like we are.”