BALA, ONT., -- Cranberry Harvest season is underway at Johnston Cranberry Marsh in Bala, and while this year is nowhere near traditional, co-owner Murray Johnston still has a big smile on his face.
"From a growing perspective, it's been great," said Johnston, who adds while pandemic has posed many challenges, the farm and winery have been successful, taking it day by day and following all necessary protocols."
Despite those COVID-19 challenges, Johnston said this weekend kick-off was a big hit for the harvest season.
"Harvest time is our busiest time of the year, so we were anxious about that," admitted Johnston. "But we just had our first weekend, and it actually went really really well."
The farm has been around since 1950, and its the first time their 27 acres of cranberries have experienced a global pandemic.
The attraction has sanitization stations, required masks and social distancing, while at the same time limiting the numbers of visitors by making online bookings on their website.
But according to Johnson, COVID-19 has also brought on a new appreciation for nature, saying they've experienced higher traffic this year.
"Over the summer, we had our busiest summer, July and August, ever," said Johnston.
He said they are also experiencing higher amounts of volume during the week.
And while the farm is disappointed about the cancellation of the annual Cranberry Festival, they are happy to offer their classic fall events.
"We're doing three events still like we always have. We've got a wagon ride, wine tasting and the plunge where you can weigh in the cranberries," said Johnston, adding the limit of twenty people every half an hour.
