Staff photo by Lizz Bottrell
The Saskatoon berries, which are beginning to form, will be ready to eat in August sometime.

Staff photo by Lizz Bottrell
Tom Sugden examines the blossoms on an apple tree which the family transplanted from the farm they used to own in Grenfell.

By Lizz Bottrell, Citizen Staff

Tonight when families gather around the dinner table for their meal, it’s likely most of the food on the plates travelled approximately 1,500 miles. That’s a long way just for one meal. Take into account all the pollution it causes combined with the fact that food may not remain as fresh as one would like and eating that meal may not seem so appetizing.

As a way to fight back, an ‘eat local’ trend emerged over the last couple of years. The eat local idea, which started in Vancouver, BC, has encouraged people all over North America to support their local economy by eating foods grown closer to home.

During the summer, an array of fruits and vegetables grown right here at home are available to Prairie folk, a person just needs to know where to look. Usually farmers’ markets, classifieds and U Picks are a great place to start.

Tom and Maxine Sugden, along with their 17-year-old son Jeremy, recently started their own U Pick farm in order to offer berries, as well as other fruit, to the community. The couple began with saskatoons back in 2004 and now have an array of fruit to offer, including raspberries, strawberries, grapes, pears, plums, apricots and apples. To top it all off, the family also sells garden produce.

After spending years farming around Grenfell, Sugden sold everything and moved to Kipling where he built the home he and his family currently live in. Not quite ready to retire, he chose the acreage on the outskirts of Kipling because it sat in a prime location for the U Pick. “I quit farming cause it wasn’t paying but I don’t think this is any better,” laughed Tom Sugden.

He now spends most of his time tending to his berry farm - weeding, irrigating and checking on the status of his fruit. He pays careful attention to every aspect, giving the same care to his fruit as one may give to a newborn baby. Attention to detail is important in order to ensure his farm flourishes.

“I lost all this to winter kill,” said Sugden pointing to one of his crops of strawberries. “They should all be as thick as that last row there.” Winter kill occurs during the cold season if the berries do not receive enough snow to keep them adequately warm. “They need about six inches of coverage to keep them warm,” said Sugden.

Despite some of the hurdles Sugden’s run into, it doesn’t slow him down. “I’ll be replanting soon,” said Sugden. “Next year if there isn’t enough snow I’m going to buy a snow maker.”

Regardless of the fact that some plants were killed off this past winter, Sugden’s U Pick still has many berries and fruit that will be ready for the picking this summer. “Strawberries will be ready mid July, raspberries late July to early August, with the bigger ones in October and the saskatoons will be ready in August sometime,” said Sugden.

Buying berries and other fruit vegetables locally from places like Sugden’s U Pick not only lessens the pollution caused by transporting the fruits and veggies from distant places, but it also supports the local economy.

For more information on prices of fruits and vegetables as well as when they will be ready, contact Sugden’s U Pick at 736-2837.