A very berry Christmas for Tasmanians as farm doubles fruit-picking workforce overnight
The season is ripe for festive feasting as Westerway Raspberry Farm is sprinting towards the Christmas finishing line with the help of a small army of pickers. How the harvest is shaping up.
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At Westerway Raspberry Farm in the Derwent Valley, Richard Clark’s small army of professional pickers are sprinting towards the Christmas finishing line.
An unusually early start to the season for the farm’s blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry crops has forced Mr Clark to call in reinforcements to handle the bumper harvest.
And the 40 extra pairs of hands means that more Tasmanians will have the opportunity to include Westerway’s sweet and juicy fruits in their Christmas desserts.
“It seems like a slightly earlier season here, although it’s hard to tell because the last two seasons were so late,” Mr Clark said.
“And it’s changed our perception of what a season should be.
“Last year we were scratching around trying to find enough raspberries for everyone who wanted them for Christmas.
“But this year the raspberries are in full swing, full of flavour, and are of a good size with all the recent rain that we have had.”
Mr Clark said other produce also coming on just at the right time included silvanberries, redcurrants, and tayberries – which are a cross between blackberry and a raspberry.
The early season, combined with the favourable weather conditions this week, meant it was all systems go trying to get the crop to market.
“This is really our sprint time,” Mr Clark said.
“We had 30 or 40 brand-new pickers start here today.
“Yesterday we had 40 pickers, today we have 80.
“It would be really lovely if we could start picking two weeks ago and build up a nice inventory for Christmas.
“But we grow heritage varieties of raspberries, which are really dark, juicy, and sweet, and they have a terrible shelf life.
“So we can only really start picking for Christmas on the 20th of December.”
Mr Clark said Westerway berries would be available this weekend from Farm Gate, Salamanca, and New Norfolk markets, and were stocked by various IGA supermarkets.
And as proud as the farm boss is of Westerway’s fresh produce, he is equally happy with the way his picking crews contribute to the cultural diversity of Tasmania.
“Backpackers have returned in force which is wonderful, and we have people from the Czech Republic, Japan, and Canada,” Mr Clark said.
“Another third of our pickers are Derwent Valley locals, while the remainder are Tasmanians from a refugee background.
“They have come here from Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Bhutan, and there’s no doubt about their keenness, willingness, and reliability. They are lovely people who are keen to have a go.”
Fruit Growers Tasmania chief executive Peter Cornish said that a mild Tasmanian autumn coupled with decent moisture levels meant the state was due for a solid harvest for a variety of fruits over the coming months.
Mr Cornish said a small quantity of high-quality apricots was currently available to consumers, with cherries about to come on in earnest, and apples ready from February onwards.
“We have had really good growing conditions through spring and into summer, with long daylight hours and decent temperatures,” Mr Cornish said. “All the berry categories are looking really good.”
duncan.abey@news.com.au
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Originally published as A very berry Christmas for Tasmanians as farm doubles fruit-picking workforce overnight
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