“Pick-your-own cherries season on the way!” – Niagara This Week

Paula Bryk is looking forward to meeting lots of new people as she re-opens the farm to customers who love cherries. “Our family has farmed this land for four generations,” she shares. “We’re now ‘Bryk’s’ but began farming in Canada as ‘Raczka’s.’ My great grandfather had three daughters and divided up his land between them. My grandparents ran the farm, then my father (until he passed away 12 years ago). I took over the farm a couple of years ago.

“In my lifetime we’ve grown tender fruit, mostly cherries, but in my great grandparent’s time the farm was mixed agriculture, as were most farms in that time. We’re starting this year with pick-your-own cherries and will be adding a market stand to our other farm location in order to begin shifting our operations from wholesale to retail.

Cherries grown at 20 Valley Harvest Family farm

“We have ample cherries for pick-your-own. The block of cherries that I’ve designated for PYO has 400 trees of sweet cherries. We also have tart cherries – too many trees to count. Our other location will have one acre of vegetables and lots of pumpkins to sell at the market stand.

“In the future I’d like the cherry farm to be exclusively pick-your-own and I may plant some peaches for PYO as well. I’m transitioning our other farm to organic and hope to have pick-your-own pumpkins as well as a large vegetable garden. I’ll also be planting plums and pears, grown organically but it will be many years before anyone will be picking those.”

To help promote the health benefits of cherries, give recipe suggestions and lead tours, Bryk is looking for some volunteers this summer to fill the role of nutrition educator and pick your own guide. She is also looking for a volunteer to help her with recipe research, blog posting and assist with community groups that are interested in cherries. Interested volunteers can apply with a resume and a letter explaining experience and interest in this unique opportunity to Paula at 20 valleyharvest@gmail.com

Pick-your-own cherries (sweet cherries and tart cherries) is located at 4235 15th St., Jordan Station. Open late June and all of July. Call or check www.facebook.com/20valleyharvest to find out when the cherries are ripe. Market stand and pick-your-own pumpkins located at 3905 Nineteenth St., Jordan Station.