NAVARINO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – As the Fourth of July weekend is in our rearview mirror, some fruit is starting to appear in parts of the area.
On a half-acre plot at Porter’s Patch in Navarino, bright red raspberries are ripening each day.
“This year’s crop, I would say, it’s definitely above average,” said Troy Porter, Porter’s Patch Owner.
Troy Porter says conditions have also been very wet on his Shawano County farm.
“We’ve been getting more than our share of rain. You get these pounding rains for long periods of time. That’s really hard on those ripe berries. Because they are a soft-fleshed fruit, and it will just keep pounding that berry. We won’t know what the final results are, if we can get them harvested. That depends on this rainy season we’re in, and the amount of moisture we get,” he said.
Porter says he expects the raspberry picking season to continue for a few more weeks. Pat Morlock stopped at the stand for some fresh fruit.
“We always look to see what Porter’s Patch has. I missed the peas this year, but they have great raspberries, that actually taste like something, unlike the grocery stores,” said Pat Morlock, Appleton.
Across the property, a quarter-acre field is filled with berries of blue.
“This clump here. You want them to be a nice, dark blue,” said Porter.
Porter says blueberries started to grow about a week early this year. He says he’s been battling one type of bird ever since.
“One of our techniques to try to keep the robins away. The bird. Our state bird. This kind of deters them in the beginning. But they tend to get used to it. But we get an influx of robins coming in. They just migrate here. Somehow they know when we got ripe blueberries. And if you let them, they’ll eat every one of these berries. This is their favorite thing to eat. Unfortunately for a blueberry grower,” said Porter.
Growers say weather conditions can change on a daily basis, so it’s a very good idea to call ahead, before venturing out.
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