The sun shines on the red raspberry pearls floating in the green bushes in Sylling in Lier. They make themselves as attractive as they can, for everyone who visits Søndre Røine farm. And there have been a lot of them lately. – The influx of people who want to pick themselves is getting bigger and bigger every year. Rumors are spreading, so more and more people are coming to us, says gardener Anita Myhre, who runs the farm with her husband Kurt. According to botany, raspberry is not a berry, but a compound stone fruit. In any case, it has been a brilliant raspberry year for Anita Myhre. Photo: Anders Haualand / news That’s why people pick themselves Even Skårberg Aarnes in Norges Bondelag, who owns morels and apples in the Telemark village of Gvarv, confirms the growing trend. – And for the farmer, it is very nice to be able to show off what we do, and to increase knowledge about Norwegian food production. It gives people an aha experience to see how much work goes into the good product that is sent to the stores. Several farmers news has spoken to tell of great progress. In some places, people have queued up to an hour before opening time. – I think there are many people who have tried their hand at pallet racks or potatoes in buckets, and perhaps seen that it is not possible to cook good Norwegian food by itself. So the fact that people visit the farms, take part in self-picking, want to seek knowledge and know more about what is happening, is very positive, says Aarnes – You run a farm yourself, how is it to meet this interest? – I think it’s incredibly funny. I have a yard sale at my barn. People who come are interested, look at the apple trees and wonder why they are planted that way, how we treat them throughout the year, and what is important to get good apples. He says that they earn more from what they sell straight from the farm, but that at the same time it requires a lot of preparation and guidance in connection with self-picking. – But there is an announced goal from the authorities to increase local food production and the share of direct sales quite strongly, which is very positive. There’s nothing like summer, sun and homemade ice cream! Here’s how to do it. Must be picked immediately Anita Myhre says that it has been a very good raspberry summer. – We pick too hard for life, and we have so far managed to stay up to date, because if it is not picked every other day, the berries become too ripe. To ensure that enough berries are picked, Myhre has extended the opening hours. One of those who made the journey to the farm to pick himself was Berit Westin Stang. Berit Westin Stang says she makes picking a daily experience. Photo: Anders Haualand / news – You can pick the berries you want, which you think look nice, and then it’s a pleasant experience. I bring coffee and food and get a day’s experience out of it, she says. Sophie Grøtting Jonas had her son Matheus with her: – I did it when I was little, but haven’t picked since, so we can try to create a new tradition. One of the instructions was that we should taste, because then we know what we are getting, she says, putting red gold in her mouth. Sophie Grøtting Jonas and her son Matheus taste test during the picking. Photo: Anders Haualand / news A little later in the season, Anita Myhre also grows strawberries and blackcurrants, and has countless kilometers of temptations on the farm. – We have a roof over the strawberries, and without that, with all the rain that has been this year, we would have almost just gone and picked rotten berries, she says. There has been a huge increase in self-picking of strawberries as well, but that season is now over. What do you like best? Raspberries Strawberries None Show result – We are 350 meters above sea level, so we arrive a little later than many others who deal with berries, so the season is not over for raspberries with us, we will be picking until well into August, if we are lucky with the weather. The raspberry plant originates from Central Asia and came to the Nordics at the beginning of the 18th century. They are usually red, but there are also raspberries that are black, yellow, orange and white. Photo: Anders Haualand / news Risikosport The weather gives, and the weather takes. This is how it works in agriculture. – If it rains several days in a row, it rots for us. As long as there is only one stormy day, it’s fine, because then it dries up. But this week, it’s just incredibly good, says Myhre. But even if the sun shines, it goes away. – Berries are fresh produce. If it stays on the bushes for a couple of days too long now, it will turn into juice and not first-class berries, she says. Anita Myhre calls picking berries a risky sport. – Last year, “Hans” arrived, which led to a short raspberry season. It’s fun, but I don’t always sleep well at night. We have to get up early to get everything out. The extreme weather last year destroyed a lot for many. For some Norwegian farmers, however, it only took a few minutes of hail before the entire year’s crop was destroyed: Published 02.08.2024, at 12.55 p.m
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More and more people want to pick their own berries, fruit and vegetables – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
