Blueberry in eastern Ontario: Picking season underway [Video]

The blueberries are as big as nickels at Hugli’s Blueberry Ranch east of Pembroke, Ont., as picking season officially got underway Thursday.

“If you come this weekend and you can’t fill your trunk, it’s because you’ve got a hole in your trunk,” said owner and farmer Brian Hugli.

Hugli says he is expecting a big summer of picking ahead, with the summer’s recent weather offering a plump start for the crop.

“Well for blueberries, they like lots of water and heat, and we’ve had both. So it’s been a great season for blueberries,” added Hugli.

The blueberry farm grows 18 different types of blueberries that come ripe at staggered points throughout the season, offering variations in size, juiciness, sweetness, and flavour.

“Ideally, we want them to sit on the bush for a week after they turn blue, and that just sweetens them up,” said Hugli.

Heading out to the bush …