Foxmoor Farm

With all the rain and warm weather we have experienced this spring/summer the currant harvest appears to be a super crop for 2024. Harvest will begin July 6, which is the earliest in 22 years. The boys and myself will harvest steadily for a couple of weeks and get the crop off and frozen as quickly as we can. From there I will de-stem and prepare both the 2 Kg and 20 lb(9 Kg) pails for sale here at the farm.

Currants will be available anytime after July 26. We operate as self-serve at the farm so everyone comes whenever they want and help themselves to frozen fruit, jam and new this year our Black Currant Cordial – a concentrated black currant syrup- which can be added to many recipes and drinks or just diluted with water and ice on a hot afternoon.

I always have plenty of 2 Kg pails available at the farm but it is best to text, call or email for the larger 20 lb pail and I will reserve it for you with your name on it.

Unfortunately we do not have debit at the farm. We gladly accept cash, cheque or e-transfers (foxmoor.blake@gmail.com).

The outside temperature just hit 32 degrees Celsius and summer has officially arrived at the farm.

Spring has been very welcomed this year; cool with lots of moisture. The black currant bushes have responded well and are looking fruit laden. 

The good news is there should be plenty of product available after July 20. Harvest will likely begin between July 9-12 bearing any natural disaster. Berry size seems very large and we will be adding a new variety this year called Blackcomb. At this point it seems very promising and is very upright.

 

This year’s crop was dismal at best. We harvested all plants and only managed a little under 400 pounds of black currant fruit. As I was driving the tractor during harvest I kept reviewing this year to pinpoint our low production. Weather wise we had an unbelievable season with perfectly timed rains, cool nights and no pest issues. The only reason I can figure is the fact that my producing bushes are over 20 years old and have run their course so to speak.

I remember back in the early years, we had 3000 – 4000 pounds of fruit without the means of handling that quantity. I spent many an hour calling potential customers and trying to market our fruit. The fruit production was never the issue, freezing and selling were the hurdles to overcome.

Now I seem to always tell people that I don’t have enough fruit for their needs. I will tighten my pruning regime and the new block will definitely come into production next year. The future looks brighter but I can’t help but laugh at how things have changed over the past 20 years.

Once again I apologize for this year’s dismal production and will continue to work to bring consistent, yearly production I the future.

It is hard to believe another school year has ended and currant harvest is less than a week away.  I intend to begin harvest on July 13. The rains have been perfectly timed and the late spring frost did very little damage.  The crop at this point looks promising and sizeable.

When we started black currants about 14 years ago I really struggled selling the fruit. I tried selling fresh currants through the Toronto Food Terminal and learned that fresh currants are not in high demand. I tried to get some fresh product into Sobey’s but ran into some labelling and UPC difficulties. Ultimately I would freeze up each season’s remaining fruit and market the frozen fruit through various avenues. Some years I would keep the frozen berries until late winter or early spring.

The early years were definitely a learning curve or better yet a learning vertical wall. However we have developed a number of relationships with various wineries, processors and loyal customers. Now 15 years later my production has dropped somewhat due to rejuvenating 2/3 of out patch but the demand or inquiry about black currants has grown immensely. I can’t even fulfil 20% of local demand for currants. As I tell everyone asking if I would have enough currants for this year “I’ll let you know after harvest…”

Harvest begins July 13 and product should be available after July 18.

As always it is self-serve in the retail building on the farm.