The Saanich Peninsula has seen a bumper crop of strawberries this year and one farm is paying it forward.
“I’ve been here almost 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Derek Scott of Oldfield Orchard farm.
“We’re about a week earlier this year on the strawberries than we usually are and we’re expecting it to last another four to five weeks.”
Last week, the farm shared some of the berry wealth by donating 800 pounds of strawberries to the Mustard Seed Food Bank in Victoria on June 10.
“We do this every year,” explained Scott.
“It’s just something we’ve always done and it lets people who might not otherwise have access to fresh, local strawberries enjoy them too.”
Scott attributes the bumper crop to perfect conditions over the last six or seven months, adding that local vegetable crops are about two weeks earlier than normal as well.
“The conditions were just perfect. We had a great fall, a beautiful spring and basically all the planets aligned perfectly for farmers,” he said, adding that local farmers all over the Peninsula are encouraging locals to get out and enjoy the local fruits of their labour.
“We only have these beautiful, local strawberries this time of year so everyone should get out and enjoy them.”
reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com