The June heat wave is taking its toll on strawberry crops in Quebec Achi-News

Strawberry farmers in Quebec are in damage control after extreme heat this week wiped out the beloved summer fruit.

Three days of temperatures above 30 degrees left their mark and burned the strawberries.

On Friday, customers at Ferme chez Mario fruits et légumes, southeast of Montreal, chose the strawberry fields and France Hamel is one of their most loyal customers.

“The berries were excellent last weekend, they were really sweet. This week they’re a little rarer, a little more rotten and they’re not as sweet as last week,” Hamel said.

The change in taste is due to the recent heat wave, according to farmer Matthew Beauregard.

“It’s a fruit that prefers weather between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius,” he said.

“The foliage falls and the grains rise to the surface and they burn that way.”

Mathieu Beauregard, co-owner of Ferme in Mario fruits et vegetables. (CTV News)

The heat also kept the pickers away.

“The biggest problem is that people don’t come to pick berries when it’s this hot. The strawberries don’t wait for a customer,” said Burgard.

The heat wave is not the only challenge Quebec strawberry producers have to face. With an early start to the season, they went head to head with strawberries from California, which are priced at a lower rate.

Still, farmers say customers can taste the difference.

As the largest producer of strawberries in Canada, Quebec has a vast field of experience to draw from.

Beauregard has seen his share of bad weather and has diversified his crops.

He has a dedicated team to pick the berries but says he also needs help from the public.

“We have to have the weather on our side, we have to have people at the right time,” he said.

“This week is the end of school and people need to find activities. So if this can help people get to the farm that would be amazing.”