In the summer, U-pick farms are usually bustling as families bring their children to pick fruits and vegetables.
But that鈥檚 not the case this season, as the Okanagan鈥檚 recent rainy weather has turned people away from many outdoor activities, including visiting farms.
Bruce Duggan, owner of Duggan鈥檚 Farm in Lake Country, said seasons for produce have been thrown off as a result of the onset of cooler weather this summer.
鈥淭his season, with the cooler weather earlier, we were way down in the production of asparagus but now that we鈥檝e hit the strawberry (season), boy, there鈥檚 a lot of strawberries up there,鈥� he said.
鈥淏ut the problem for the strawberries with all the rain is getting them picked quick enough before they go rotten.鈥�
Duggan said unpicked fruits stay in the field and once they rot, that means a loss for the farm as they can鈥檛 sell them at all.
He said he hasn鈥檛 seen families with their children a lot this year as rain keeps them indoors.
鈥淚 always encourage parents to bring their kids because I want them to see where their food starts, especially if they鈥檙e from bigger cities. Kids probably haven鈥檛 a clue and don鈥檛 appreciate their food as much because they don鈥檛 know where they come from.鈥�
The farm has 70 kinds of fruits and vegetables in total, including strawberries, peaches, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, grapes and lettuce, among many others. Duggan said the 20-acre property was mainly a fruit tree farm but once he took over from his father, he decided to branch out and cultivate other produce.
鈥淏ut this season, I don鈥檛 actually have that many (fruits and vegetables). This year, I could鈥檝e sold double of what I had this year had it not been for the cooler weather,鈥� he said.
鈥淥nce asparagus season starts, we get very busy. Three of the stores that I sell to, I had to tell them 鈥榯hat鈥檚 it for this year, I just don鈥檛 have any more鈥�. We just didn鈥檛 have as much this year.鈥�
Duggan is optimistic about the rest of the summer, however, especially for the fruits that flourish in cooler weather.
鈥淭he blueberries, they鈥檙e not ready yet but they鈥檙e loaded with fruit already. Once they鈥檙e ready, the season will pick up again.鈥�
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