Summer is coming… and to prove it, Castleton Farm strawberries are about to land on the shop shelves.
And that’s the start of an eight-month harvesting period for us.
Castleton Farm is one of the most northerly soft fruit growers in Scotland.
Poly tunnels and biomass energy are what allow the season to lengthen from the traditional six weeks mid-summer to producing premium, high quality fruit from April right through to November.
And that’s not just strawberries but raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and cherries.
Ripen
The long daylight hours and cool Scottish climate allow the fruit to ripen slowly which creates more sugars producing a delicious sweet berry.
The blueberries are harvested later than anywhere in the northern hemisphere, and Castleton Farm is one of only a few farms in the world picking fresh cherries in September.
And you can enjoy these in the taste of our fresh soft fruit, or captured in our preserves range – or even as strawberry tart jelly.
It has always been about the tradition and taste of the fruit, but the business has grown through innovating and diversification.
Castleton is more than just fruit. It is innovation built on traditional values & methods.
From diversifying into new fruit crops to pioneering new preserves like blueberry, port and orange chutney, we are continually trying out new ideas.
With the first of our berries ripening, we’re hoping for a bumper season as people savour the start of the taste of summer.
Anna Mitchell said: “Strawberries have always been the taste of summer, and as our homegrown Scottish berries arrive on the shelves in April, we feel there is definitely a brighter future to look forward to.”
