The name of a rural farmstead at the strawberry festival. Strawberry "dozhinki" passed under the Luninets. Everything is made from strawberries

There is more than one capital in Belarus. In Glubokoe (Vitebsk region) they say that they have a cherry capital. And in Olshany (Brest region) - cucumber. But they don’t agree with the Poleshuks in Shklov (Mogilev region), where they even erected a monument to a cucumber. But no one can argue with the fact that the strawberry capital is in the village of Dvorets, in the Luninetsky district of the Brest region. Just look there - everything is covered in strawberries! And even on the local coat of arms there are three berries. We visited there to try the local berries and find out how they live in the Strawberry Palace.

There are never too many berries at this holiday!

Just paradise

We were lucky - we just got to the Luninets Strawberries festival. Where all folk art is dedicated to the harvest of the most long-awaited berry of the summer. In the center of the festivities is a poster “Berry Paradise”.

Maybe not paradise, but something similar,” smiles the chairman of the village council, Alexander Vidnikevich. - One family may have 5-10 acres, while another may have more than a hectare. 5,800 people live on the territory of the village council. There are about 200-210 hectares under strawberries. By and large, this is just an additional supplement to the basic salary. I don’t know that anyone lives solely by growing berries.

It was a lean year. The rains passed over the Palace and surrounding villages, drying out the plantations. We harvested fewer marketable, large strawberries than usual, but there are still trucks from Belarusian and Russian cities at the local market. From here, strawberries are even transported to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

But in Minsk markets, strawberries from the Luninets region are called Brest. That's what it says on the market price tags. Local residents are not offended - the main thing is that buyers give a good price.

The berry harvest takes a couple of weeks, says Alexander Vidnikevich. - In harvest years, 160-170 cargo minibuses are overstocked per day.

From this year, civilized trade. The spontaneous market moved to a special site with all the amenities.

Berry paradise began in the 1960s, when a local collective farm began growing strawberries. But he couldn’t make it a profitable business and abandoned everything. But the hardworking and savvy Poleschuki brought the “collective farmer”, as the variety of the first local berry was then called, to their plots. Over time, they learned to grow and sell it. Different varieties are bred. We were allowed to try both Polish and Dutch.

The main wealth of the grandmothers from the Palace is strawberries.

Build a house and buy a car

Everywhere you look, families choose the local red “gold” on plantations.

We walk across the field, picking strawberries along the way. From the ground it is the most delicious.

We have 20 acres,” says Valentina Fedorovna. - This year the harvest was bad, there was no rain. Today we collected 10 buckets, and in a good year - 30, or even 50. But still there is income. My daughter receives 1.5 million rubles ($100 - Ed.), other children a little more.

Valentina Fedorovna has been picking strawberries for as long as she can remember. Her mother started it; in Soviet times, she took berries to sell not only to Minsk and Brest, but also to Vilnius, Riga, and Russia. They transported it in freight cars, and in cities - by taxi. They used the proceeds to build houses for themselves and their children.

Oh, back then the taxi drivers were extorting money from us. After all, strawberries leak after transportation, and they were worried that we wouldn’t stain their seats,” recalls Vasily, a resident of the village of Brodnitsy.

Six years ago, even before the devaluations, it was possible to build a house with strawberry money or buy a car, but with the rise in the dollar exchange rate, such purchases became possible only for those with several hectares. From 20 acres in a harvest year, a family earns 1.5 - 2 thousand dollars. It will not be possible to collect the required amount in one season. Villagers get up at four or five in the morning. The first strawberries are picked before the start of the working day and taken to the market.

Families work on plantations. They get up early - at 4 am to deliver fresh berries for sale.

Everyone who picks strawberries has red hands. Yes, such that it seems that in a little more they will turn black.

They can be washed easily - with citric acid, - Inna, picking berries with her children, reveals the secret.

They tear it so deftly and quickly that we have no doubt that they are born with an innate ability to do this. It’s the city children and grandchildren who have aching backs, blurred vision, pain in their arms and legs... And here both children and old people walk through the plantations like combine harvesters. But you can see from the faces and heavy breathing of the Poleshuks: it’s hard for them too. Only their “hard” begins where ours ends with “I can’t do it anymore.”

In the village of Brodnica, next to the Palace, we met a young family; they have 1.5 hectares under strawberries. Here, as in Europe, crops are saved from drought with the help of drip irrigation.

We can collect a ton, or even a ton and a half, in a day,” says owner Natalya. - We sell it here ourselves and transport it to Minsk. But hired workers help collect. We pay them an hourly salary. In 8 days they earn as much as in a month on a collective farm.

When the dollar was worth less, they could even take a thousand “greenbacks” in a day,” recalls Natalya. - And now it’s 300-400 dollars. Little by little they saved it and built a small apartment in Luninets.

The first berry appears at the end of May. They go out on the road to sell it, with the goal of passing gourmets in mind. This year the Dutch variety was the first to ripen. For a liter jar they asked for 40,000 rubles (about 140 Russian).

At the height of the season there is already its own “strawberry market”. Wholesale buyers in cars with both Belarusian and Russian license plates. Businessmen greet a poleshuk arriving with buckets full of berries, looking first at the berries, and then at the berry itself.

As much as you want? - asks the businessman.

25 thousand (90 Russian rubles) per kilo.

No, 23 thousand,” the buyer bargains.

Agreed. The Strawberry Exchange reacts immediately to the harvest and demand. There is no stable price. How do you bargain? On the way to large cities, the price of the berry increases by one and a half to two times.

Buyers in Moscow know that sweet and aromatic berries are brought from near Brest. Therefore, the capital's sellers are cunning and pass them off as Luninets berries grown in other places.

Become a millionaire in a day

The smallest buyers are state procurers. They come to the Palace to collect small strawberries in barrels to make wine from them. But the villagers gave them the berries at a cheaper price if the merchants did not charge more. When we arrived, the procurement cars were almost empty, the drivers were smoking sadly.

Villagers transport berries to the “exchange” more often by bicycles, less often by cars, but they are also delivered by carts. When one of the ladies taxied to the strawberry market in her minivan and opened the trunk, showing about 30 buckets to the merchants, there was no doubt about the success of her business. A buyer from Minsk immediately stocked up 200 kg of beautiful and large berries for himself. And the woman immediately became a millionaire, receiving 4.6 “lemons” (16.5 thousand Russian).

In the evening of the weekend the festival “Luninets Strawberries” was in full swing. Heroes of the battle for the sweet harvest began to arrive at the main stage, where groups from all over the Brest region sang and danced. They have already picked out all the ripe berries, but the new one is not yet ripe. It's time to relax, see fellow villagers and listen to a concert. Next to the stage is an exhibition of village farmsteads, where you can try everything made from strawberries: cakes, pastries, pies, wine...

People at the Palace can no longer imagine life without growing strawberries. More precisely, it helps to live and raise children. It was so 60 years ago, and it is so now.

Help "SV"
Where to look on the map
The Polesie village with the royal name “Palace” is located in the Luninetsky district of the Brest region near the Kobrin-Gomel highway. In the very depths of Belarusian Polesie. Brest is only 234 kilometers away. But from Minsk to its strawberry “namesake” it’s already 482 kilometers. It’s 973 kilometers to Moscow, and even longer to St. Petersburg - 1061. However, this does not prevent those who do the strawberry business, who love this berry, from coming here and shopping. It would seem that it is not south, there is not much sun. And the berries ripen sweet and fragrant.

At the “Luninets Strawberries” festival, each village council of the Luninets district presents its own farmstead, the main decoration of which is strawberries.

The festival did not start in the morning, as is usually the case at events of this kind, but only at two o’clock in the afternoon. For holiday guests, such a late start is quite convenient. Anyone who wants to get to the Palace from the regional center will just make it to the village in time for the start.

The festival "Luninets Strawberries" was visited by guests from all over Belarus.

At the site near the rural House of Culture, visitors are greeted by the “City of Masters”. The stage was located a little deeper, and behind it were the courtyards.

Each village council believes that its strawberries are the most delicious.

By the beginning of the regional holiday, there are still few locals - they are busy with work. Around this time, there are numerous grandmothers on bicycles carrying full buckets of strawberries for sale. Everything is from strawberries. 12 village councils of the Luninets district presented their farmsteads.

Everyone tried to surprise us with something. Vulkovsky-1 Center for Culture and Folk Art, for example, has set up a strawberry cafe for guests, where you can try juices from berries that grow in Polesie.

Workers of the Bostyn village council greet guests wearing strawberry aprons.

"We did everything with our own hands. Pillows with ornaments, a doll... We also have a whole strawberry cafe: juices, jam, cakes, pies. We came up with everything ourselves. Every year we take first place, we hope that we will take first place this year too. But we work not for places, but for our own pleasure. Because we love our work. We are creative people, and we work not for fame, but for the sake of our creative growth", said the director of the center Olga Melyukh.

The holiday was interesting for both adults and children. All the decorations were made by hand by the center’s employees, including a photo zone with a huge cake that attracted visitors.

Workers of the Bostyn village council greet guests wearing strawberry aprons. About ten varieties of red berries grow in this territory: “Florence”, “Polish” dark and light, “Luna”, “Kimberly”, “Dukat” and others.

“Everyone has different varieties. Strawberries are different in that each locality has different soil, different terrain, different humidity, winds. Therefore, in each place the taste of strawberries, even if they are the same variety, is different. But in Bostyn, of course, the most delicious ", the director of the Bostyn House of Culture is sure Olga Koval.

Guests at “Luninets Klubnitsy” come from all over Belarus. Spouses Tatiana and Ivan live in the village of Lyuban, Luninets district. They have been coming here for several years now for practical reasons.

"We grow and sell strawberries ourselves. They came here to look at different varieties of strawberries, to buy one for themselves and then sell it. Now we are growing Dukat. Look, what a beautiful new “Honey”, “Kimberly”. We're thinking of growing these", the family shared.

Spouses Tatyana and Ivan from Lyuban found new varieties of their favorite berries to grow. Anna and her boyfriend are traveling around the Brest region. Interest brought Minsk residents here.

"We've heard for a long time that this festival is taking place. The weekend is free, we decided to get out and spend it here. We just love strawberries very much and we are interested in everything connected with them", the young people said.

At the height of the strawberry season, a festival dedicated to the red berry is held in the village of Palace, Luninets district. At the “Luninets Strawberries” festival, each village council of the Luninets district presents its own farmstead, the main decoration of which is strawberries.

At the site near the rural House of Culture, visitors are greeted by the “City of Masters”. A little further there was a stage, and behind it - a courtyard.

Almost everyone grows strawberries in the Luninets region. But the village of Palace is considered the leader in its production. In addition, there is a wholesale market where berries from all nearby villages flock. By the beginning of the regional holiday, there are still few locals - they are busy with work. Around this time, there are numerous grandmothers on bicycles carrying full buckets of strawberries for sale.

Everything is made from strawberries

12 village councils of the Luninets district presented their farmsteads. Everyone tried to surprise us with something. Vulkovsky-1 Center for Culture and Folk Art, for example, has set up a strawberry cafe for guests, where you can try juices from berries that grow in Polesie.

“We did everything with our own hands. Pillows with ornaments, a doll... We also have a whole strawberry cafe: juices, jam, cakes, pies. We came up with everything ourselves. Every year we take first place, we hope that we will take first place this year too. But we work not for places, but for our own pleasure. Because we love our work. We are creative people, and we work not for the sake of fame, but for the sake of our creative uplift,”- said the director of the center Olga Melyukh.

All decorations are made by hand by the center’s employees, including a photo zone with a huge cake that attracts visitors.

Each village council believes that its strawberries are the most delicious. This confidence helps to take prizes at the festival. A special commission evaluates the dishes prepared by the masters and selects the best farmstead. Workers of the Bostyn village council greet guests wearing strawberry aprons. About ten varieties of red berries grow in this territory: “Florence”, “Polish” dark and light, “Luna”, “Kimberly”, “Dukat” and others.

“Everyone has different varieties. Strawberries are different in that each locality has different soil, different terrain, different humidity, and winds. Therefore, in each place the taste of strawberries, even if they are the same variety, is different. But in Bostyn, of course, it’s the most delicious,”- the director of the Bostyn House of Culture is confident Olga Koval.

Strawberry paradise

Guests at “Luninets Klubnitsy” come from all over Belarus. Spouses Tatiana And Ivan live in the village of Lyuban, Luninets district. They have been coming here for several years now for practical reasons.

“We grow our own strawberries and sell them. They came here to look at different varieties of strawberries, to buy one for themselves and then sell it. Now we are growing Dukat. Look, what a beautiful new “Honey”, “Kimberly”. We’re thinking of growing these,”– the family shared.

Anna Together with her boyfriend they travel around the Brest region. Interest brought Minsk residents here.

“We’ve heard for a long time that this festival is taking place. The weekend is free, we decided to get out and spend it here. We just really love strawberries and we are interested in everything connected with them,”- the young people said.

The holiday program was not limited to the exhibition of farmsteads. Parade, fashion theater and concert - all with a strawberry accent. The festival ended with an evening disco.

BREST, June 25 – Sputnik. At the “Luninets Strawberries” festival, each village council of the Luninets district presents its own farmstead, the main decoration of which is strawberries.

The festival "Luninets Strawberries" was visited by guests from all over Belarus

At the site near the rural House of Culture, visitors are greeted by the “City of Masters”. A little further there was a stage, and behind it were the courtyards.

Berry festival "Luninets strawberries"

Everything is made from strawberries

“We made everything with our own hands. Ornamented pillows, a doll... We also have a whole strawberry cafe: juices, jam, cakes, pies. We came up with everything ourselves. Every year we take first place, we hope that we will take this year too. But we are working not for the sake of places, but for the sake of our own pleasure. Because we love our work. We are creative people, and we work not for fame, but for the sake of our creative uplift," said the director of the center Olga Melyukh.

All decorations are made by hand by the center’s employees, including a photo zone with a huge cake that attracts visitors.

“Everyone has different varieties. Strawberries are different in that each locality has different soil, different terrain, different humidity, winds. Therefore, in each place the taste of strawberries, even if they are the same variety, is different. But in Bostyn, of course, the most delicious ", says Olga Koval, director of the Bostyn House of Culture.

Strawberry paradise

Guests at "Luninets Klubnitsy" come from all over Belarus. Spouses Tatyana and Ivan live in the village of Lyuban, Luninets district. They have been coming here for several years now for practical reasons.

“We grow strawberries ourselves and sell them. We came here to look at different varieties of strawberries so that we could buy one for ourselves and then sell it. Now we are growing Dukat. Look, what a beautiful new Honey, Kimberly. We are thinking of growing these,” she shared. family.