HANOVER – At this time of year in Chautauqua County there appears to be no end to rolling hills covered with vines, fruit trees and bushes, and emerging vegetable plants.

The vineyards look almost reddish as we roll by in our cars, and soon green specks will appear to guarantee travelers that there will be a grape harvest in September. Strawberry plants are covered with white blossoms, luring young and old to soon taste their sweet yield, and blueberry bushes are covered with delicate pink blossoms, assuring us that there will be delicious berries to pick come July. Vegetables of all kinds are pushing up from the soil, and the world is once again green with the promise of crops to delight our taste buds and nourish our bellies.

Growing crops is in the blood of the Erdle family. Rich and Sue Erdle have been tending crops at their farm in the town of Hanover for almost 40 years. California-born Rich moved to this area when he was 12, graduated from Silver Creek High School and then from Cornell University’s agriculture program. In 1978 he purchased his first acreage and began with blueberry bushes, which now make the Erdle farm well known. Today, he and his partner, son Colin, farm about 80 acres, and Sue manages the pick-your own portion of the business. Son Drew, although living in New York City, works with growing things as a partner in a business called The Sill, an indoor plant supplier.

Soon there will be a small sign at the corner of Routes 5 and 20 and Hanford Road directing pickers to travel one mile up Hanford Road to the Erdle farm to pick first strawberries, then blueberries and raspberries. The picking season continues most of the summer because the Erdles have chosen a variety of species of berries that ripen at different times. Each row is numbered, so pickers can walk to a specific range of long, long rows to find the best berries. Some families come together, and other pickers come alone to relish in the quiet while sampling some of the best berries grown in western New York.

When I asked what it takes to be a successful farmer, Rich quickly responded, “Perseverance, faith, and a positive attitude, along with ‘industrial’ knowledge gained from working on a farm, from schooling, or from generations of farming. So often you are challenged to keep on going even when weather conditions don’t cooperate, so you always have to resolve to keep moving forward, having faith that the next crop will be better.” Farming is not a good choice for people with a defeatist attitude.

Some of Rich’s industrial knowledge came from his education and some from his career with the National Grape Cooperative Association where he ended his service as the Director of Member Relations, traveling all over western and central New York, Ontario, western Pennsylvania, parts of Ohio, southwest Michigan and Washington state. Working with growers during harvest season, forecasting crop yields for Welch’s, and writing newsletters for his clientele were all parts of the job that expanded his own knowledge and experience base while assisting growers with their farms.

In about 1980, the Erdles added Concord grapes to their product line. Today, they also grow several varieties of table grapes including some seedless varieties. They have added raspberry bushes, strawberries, dahlias, gladiolas, and sunflowers. All berries are available as pick-your-own, and the flowers can be purchased at the stand in front of their house at 12229 Hanford Road, Silver Creek.

In addition to sales at the farm, they sell berries at their stand at the Elmwood Village Farmers’ Market in Buffalo on Saturdays during spring, summer and fall until October. You can also find Erdles’ berries in Buffalo at the Roswell Farmers’ Market on Thursdays, at Guercio’s Market on Grant Street, at the Lexington Co-op on Elmwood Avenue, and at Farmers’ and Artisans’ Co-op in Amherst. Deliveries are made from the farm directly to the vendors a few times a week, and berries are sold to them by the flat.

When Sue is selling her blueberries at the Elmwood Village Farmers’ Market, she meets old friends every single year. “Many people greet me in the spring with, ‘I think of you all winter long when I open my freezer and take out blueberries for my breakfast,'” said Sue. “What a wonderful way to be remembered!” With over 400 customers each Saturday, the number of greetings only expands as the years go by. Sue said, “I estimate that about 20 percent of the berries are sold for freezing and the rest are enjoyed fresh as the summer goes on.”

All of the hopes for a good berry season are so highly weather-dependent.

Rich noted, “It was a really mild winter, but on April 27 the towns of Hanover, Brant, North Collins and Versailles had a frost that has taken a toll on the primary buds of the grapes. Although the secondary buds are still there, the size of the crop could be affected. Fortunately for us, the temperatures did not go below freezing in the strawberry fields, but that was a very long night. At midnight, my son Colin drove into the fields watching the thermometer, waiting for just the right temperature that would signal that we would have to start watering the plants with sprinklers to keep them from freezing. Fortunately for us, the temperature slowly started to rise, the sprinklers could be turned off, and we could return to bed for a few hours sleep.”

After hearing this story, I will never question the price of locally grown berries!

Along with their dedication to their crops, the Erdles have each played a significant part in helping others in our community. Rich has been the president of the board of directors of the United Way of Northern Chautauqua County for three years, following many years of service to the board. In years past, he was also chair of the Hanover Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, and now serves the town, Silver Creek and Forestville as part of an informal group developing a new comprehensive plan to improve the area.

Sue worked as registered nurse for Lake Shore Hospital and she has been an active volunteer for the American Field Service, both as a host family mom for seven students from a variety of countries, and as a part of its organizing group. Currently, she also volunteers at the Darwin Martin House in Buffalo and for Chautauqua Area Habitat for Humanity. Obviously, retirement from a daily job does not mean retiring from service or farming for the Erdles.

So what does a “typical” day look like for Rich, Sue and their son Colin?

Rich reported, “The night before, Colin and I meet to plan our chores, and then the next morning we meet again and invariably reprioritize that plan. At this time of year, there is planting, weeding, fertilizing, and spraying to do, and there are trellises to repair.” Sue mows many acres of land and prepares the stand for opening day when strawberry picking begins.

During the growing season, Rich tends his four bee hives.

“Grapes, unlike most fruits and vegetables, are self-fruitful, and don’t require other pollinators to produce their fruit. But for nearly all other fruits, nuts and vegetables, bees and other pollinators are critical for successful crops. Without them, there would be no blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or other fruits and vegetables,” said Rich. “They are the life-blood of local farms, and they are currently suffering from what is known as ‘colony collapse disorder’, which has severely reduced the number of bee colonies around the world.”

The “manned” pick-your-own stand has been in operation for 23 years, following an attempt at using the honor system for people to pay for what they picked. Over the years, Sue has been assisted by about 10 of her nieces and nephews, who are never in short supply when you come from a family of 10 as Sue did. For her own sons and for these young relatives, many good lessons about interacting with the public and using math skills to calculate costs and make change without an automatic cash register have been learned.

All aspects of this farming and selling operation require such hard work and so much perseverance! Rich provided some advice to anyone who thinks that they might want to farm in the future.

“First get all the experience you can by working on a farm. Next find out what customers want. We are fortunate today that there is such a heavy emphasis on consuming lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Lastly, make sure you have truly great partners like I do. The family nature of farming allows us to stay close to the land and close to our family.”

Good advice.

You can start to pick berries in mid-June, hopefully. If in doubt, call 410-0599 before visiting the farm at 12229 Hanford Road, Silver Creek. The stand is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily during picking season and welcomes all who wish to pick and eat really fresh and delicious berries.