8 August 2006: Berries are few

Berry picking remains slow. Although we have fewer pickers than last year, they are collecting berries faster than they are ripening. Approximately 2000 lbs have been picked. There are many berries still to ripen, but it is not possible to estimate when the best times to pick are. Although it has been suggested that we close the farm to picking for a few days, we are reluctant because it is impossible to get the word out and so it is inevitable if we did close, there would be a number of people showing to pick who would be disappointed (or worse). We are purposely not advertising this year simply because the yield can not sustain more pickers. It has been suggested that the lower crop yield is due to inadequate pollination last spring, and this is consistent with the reports of practically no wild berries. We plan to arrange for beehives next year, and hopefully that will address one of the natural factors affecting the abundance of berries.