LARRY’S RIVER — There was a time when berry picking was woven into the fabric of this community – and many other Nova Scotian communities. Not only figuratively, but also literally; just ask Sylvester Pellerin.
“It was a major undertaking,” the 80-year-old remembered, taking The Journal back to the winter of 1955 in the Acadian community where he was born and raised.
At that time, the parish priest for St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Larry’s River – Father Neil MacKinnon – challenged the community to come together to construct a community centre, “a place for people to meet,” according to Pellerin.
He explained that MacKinnon had a vision to create a venue where people of all ages could enjoy participating in sports and other activities.
Knowing the enormity of such an initiative, the Catholic priest even recruited the youngest parishioners to do their part; he urged to them to pick blueberries – “as many as we possibly could,” Pellerin remembered, to help finance the purchase of cement for the foundation of the proposed building.
“It took a lot of berries,” he said, with a laugh, of the children’s successful effort to raise the required money to cement a foundation for the 60X90 structure; one that was taken down only a year or so ago.
That’s just one of the memories of berry picking – a rich tradition for not only his family, but also in the history of Larry’s River.
“She was getting a small pension,” Pellerin said of his mother’s financial situation after the untimely passing of his father – a Second World War veteran – in 1955.
After experiencing complications from spinal surgery meant to help relieve a back injury sustained while serving his country, the elder Pellerin was left paralyzed and in a vegetative state. When he died, his wife – the mother of their six children – had four youngsters, including the youngest – Sylvester, still at home.
“So, every little bit helped,” he recalled of ramping up berry picking as a 10-year-old, along with his siblings, to help out.
Like so many in the community, depending on the time of year – which determined the fruit to be harvested – the Pellerin children picked berries. They were fortunate that many different varieties were plentiful in the Larry’s River area.
“It gave us a bit of spending money, and helped with our school needs,” Pellerin said of what the proceeds of their berry picking purchased; not to mention household staples, such as sugar, flour and molasses.
“It also kept us busy,” he explained, adding, “We all did our part to help out.”
Now, seven decades later, Pellerin continues to beat the bushes, so to speak.
“I never stopped. I have always loved it,” he said on a day that he spent the afternoon picking before his phone conversation with The Journal.
Since he was a youngster, the fresh air and wide open spaces that come with a berry-picking excursion appealed to him.
“I am quite at peace,” Pellerin explained of his mindset while out in nature.
At this time of year, fox berries are the focus for his picking adventures.
“They are very, very close to a cranberry,” Pellerin – tapping into his encyclopedic knowledge of berries found in the area – explained of fox berries, while noting their similarities in flavour and colour. He noted that they are about the size of wild blueberries.
To illustrate the importance of berry picking to the community growing up, he pointed out that school closed in mid-September each year so plenty of picking could be carried out.
Along with fox berries, the annual picking list included blueberries, cranberries, wild strawberries and black berries.
“It runs the gamut – they were quite plentiful,” Pellerin said.
He added, “I don’t know,” when asked why the Larry’s River area was a hot bed for berries, although he offered the rocky terrain may have been a contributor.
Sadly, when he makes his picking trips in retirement, the berries are not as bountiful.
“It is kind of sad,” Pellerin offered, attributing the decline to factors such as the once fruitful barrens becoming overrun with spruce trees and alders. There are no longer as many wild animals to keep down the vegetation, or “anymore cattle” in the area.
Although he could continue to cash in – there are always people looking to purchase his berries – he no longer sells them.
“They are for our own consumption,” Pellerin said of him and his wife, Marilyn, adding, “And, I give a lot away,” with family and friends the usual recipients.
As for what the couple does with their berries, other than gift them to others, they make preserves.
“She doesn’t do any picking,” Pellerin noted of his spouse, but she is a key contributor to the preservation process.
The couple has teamed up since they retired to his home community 20 years ago. They built a piece on a bungalow they purchased in the early 1990s for a summer residence.
“It is the best job that I ever had,” the former member of the Canadian Coast Guard joked of his retirement.
Noting he “never stopped” picking berries – his trips continued during vacations and visits home – Pellerin said, “It grows on you.”
Over his 70 years of picking, he recalled, there were no run-ins with animals or any such related adventures.
Pellerin remembered the measures taken to find an older lady who got lost in the woods while berry picking when he was growing up. “They had to bring in a helicopter to find her.”
Even though his passion for picking berries hasn’t waned, there have been changes since his boyhood days.
“It is certainly not as popular,” Pellerin said, noting he is often the lone person beating the bushes, describing it as “quite a change.”
And, his outings are not as open-ended – time wise – as they were in those carefree days of childhood.
During a call earlier in the day, while Pellerin was out picking, his wife indicated he would be home by a certain hour, noting she had started putting a time limit on his expeditions.
Noting he “overstayed” on one of his picking trips a couple of weeks ago, Sylvester said Marilyn “became concerned” and sent some people looking for him. He was fine but it still necessitated the couple implementing a curfew, of sorts.
“You get in a world of your own; you definitely can lose track of time,” he added.
Another safeguard, he pointed out, is that the places where he finds the most berries are “within walking distance.”
With the fox berries – the last of the season – starting to soften, along with the arrival of some frost, Pellerin noted the days for picking are becoming as scarce as the fruit.
Nevertheless, it won’t be long – when spring has sprung – that he will be picking wild strawberries, the first arrival of the year. As the weeks unfold, blueberries and the other wild fruit will be filling his bucket.
“Again, I just love it. It is so great to be outside; it is just incredible. I always look forward to it,” Pellerin said.
