May Harvest in October
Posted on 08. Dec, 2009 by Peggy Truong in Uncategorized
Photo Credit: Peggy Truong
By Peggy Truong
At home in Richmond, British Columbia, Lisa May spends her days preparing for the upcoming harvest season or operating an excavator on her family’s cranberry farm. Since arriving in New York City on a recent October day, May and her family have been transformed into instant celebrities as they strode through an artificial cranberry bog set up in the middle of Rockefeller Center.
“Not everyone understands this lifestyle. Farming is cool,” said the 29-year-old, draped in green suspenders, boots and a red cap. At Rockefeller Center, May and her brother Todd, father Ron and mother Lila chatted with tourists, locals and just about anyone passing by the 2,000 pound rectangular sea of red.
May, who married a cranberry farmer just two weeks ago, said she looks forward to teaching her own kids about cranberry farming. “We lived it to learn it. Growing up, we just had fun playing in the dirt,” said May.
The elder May said he’s been lucky to be working all his life with great company – his family. “I wouldn’t trade it for nothing, absolutely not,” said May, who has been in the family business for over 45 years. He said the motto for his clan, now at 50 members, is to work together, play together.
Between posing for pictures and answering questions, the elder May said the instant fame hasn’t changed him one bit. “I’m in the background most of the time, the kids do all the talking,” said May, who is visiting New York City for the first time.
The May family was part of Ocean Spray’s Heritage campaign, a spotlight on more than 600 cranberry and grapefruit growers in North America. British Columbia is the largest cranberry producer in Canada, churning out more than 80 million pounds of fruit every year.
Ron Positano of New York City said he was just walking by the area on his lunch break when he saw the large bog. Like many people in the afternoon crowd, Positano snapped a quick photo with his phone, then found himself learning about the harvest from a grower. “Now I can have some intelligent conversations at dinner about cranberries,” he said.
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