http://www.durgan.org/15%20October%202006%20Harvesting%20Cranberries%20Bala%20Ontario/HTML/ http://xrl.us/r93c 15 October 2006. Bala, Ontario was visited today. The small village in the Precambrian area of Ontario is touted as the Cranberry Capital of Ontario. This was the first time I had an opportunity to see the harvest of cranberries. The pictures depict the area and method of harvesting. There is little juice in cranberries, and this was reflected in the price of a liter of pure juice, which cost $10.00 at the festival. There was one other new innovation to me anyway, and that was small red candy cranberry on a round toothpick, similar to the ubiquious candy apple. It was a pleasant and informative trip of about 500 km. Durgan.
Is cranberry a recent crop for Bala? I used to spend a lot of time in Torrance and Bala when I was growing up and don't recall cranberries. I now live in Maple Ridge, BC, which is also known for its cranberries (and blueberries) Small world. Westcoastgarden
I took these pics on Oct 12 in Pitt Meadows BC. There is 550,000 lbs of cranberries in this field (18 acres) and the plants are grown on wood waste.
URL to a short history of commercial cranberry growing in Ontario. http://www.cranberry.ca/history.html Johnston's Cranberry Marsh and the Iroquois Cranberry Growers are still the only two commercial cranberry farms in Ontario. Started about 1951. Durgan.
Most impressive. Clearly the producers in Ontario are outclassed by those in BC. Only 114 acres are under production in Ontario, but many areas are suitable for growing the native North American fruit. Apparently there is a glut of cranberries in the market, and aggresssive marketing efforts are being taken to encourage world demand. Wisconsin produces about half the cranberries in the USA. Durgan.
I should have said Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows - or Ridge Meadows as many refer to the communities. We should be one municipality/city. Westcoastgarden
Even though I grew up in Bracebridge Ont., only a short drive from Bala, I never knew they grew cranberry's there. Thanks Durgan, I enjoyed the pics!
Hey Durgan, I was there this fall aswell. The wine they make from these cranberries is just excellent. We took the helicopter ride there and had a great view of the bogs and the surrounding area.
Hi Durgan, Rich, wonderful photos. While viewing, felt like I was there. You've inspired me to make the trip. Thanks, Marnie
