5 Reasons to Spend this Berry Season on Fogo Island

1. Fogo Island becomes a berry patch.   

Berry picking is a popular Fogo Island pastime, given there are more than 20 kinds of berries growing wild here in abundance. Guests can join our Community Hosts to berry pick then later learn how to bottle and bake using their harvest, as we have done here for hundreds of years. Or you can just grab a handful as you hike and enjoy your mini harvest at peak freshness. 

Our Outdoor Adventure guides are also experts in the island’s botanicals. They’ll help you identify wild greens, mushrooms, flowers, and berries that are safe and delicious to eat or use in teas and cocktails. Expect to nibble along the way, then enjoy an infusion on your return. 

 2. Our culinary offerings reflect the island’s bounty. 

As berries are abundant, our culinary team incorporates condiments, jams, jellies, and shrubs into the menu. This is the season for foraging porcini mushrooms and hops blossoms, which are added like a spice to breads or infused in oils.    
 
Fogo Islanders harvest cabbage, carrots, squash, and turnips – island staples for centuries, which still hold the sweetness of summer. Tree fruits are readily available, such as cherries, plums, and tart little apples, their taste intensified through light salting.   

Cod fishing is in full swing, so it’s a time to enjoy fresh, smoked, or salt cod. Mid-September, we are hosting a weekend all about cod. With enlightening culinary experiences and hands-on workshops, we will explore the relationship between Fogo Islanders and this mighty fish. 

3. Cooler temperatures offer an opportunity to get creative. 

Not everyone enjoys ambling along the hills and shorelines, hunting for the perfect berry-picking location, and we understand that. Creating something with your hands is a meditative experience; we offer guests the opportunity to learn the basics of quilt making from a master quilter at The Winds & Waves Artisans Guild or take part in a pottery class led by Fogo Clay Studio owner and experienced potter Sarah Fulford.   
 
Spend an afternoon in Tilting, learning the storied history and skilled artisan practice of quilting, or customize a visit to the clay studio, where you can create pieces by hand building or on the pottery wheel. We will ensure your creations are glazed, fired, and shipped safely to your home.

4. We’re hosting knowledge-sharing and experiential events. 

In early October, we will be joined by the architect behind Fogo Island Inn and the Fogo Island Arts’ artist studios, Todd Saunders. Along with local designers and builders, Todd will share the history of outport Newfoundland architecture, exploring the traditional saltbox home, and how the storied history of this place influenced the design of the Inn and the design ethos he’s carried through his career. 

5. Shore Time: A gathering to celebrate art and everything that makes this island special. 

At the end of September, Shorefast and Fogo Island Arts are hosting Shore Time, a new biannual gathering of those near and far coming together to celebrate our island’s art, ecology, culture, and foodways. It will showcase conversations on art, economics and place, exhibitions, studio visits, guided hikes, and so much more.  

International Reservations: +1-709-658-7260    

US & Canada Reservations: +1-855-268-9277    

or email [email protected]