Summer is a sweet time in Okotoks and there are a few areas perfect for fruit picking.

Many of the Town's public parks, pathways and natural areas contain edible treats for the taking including Saskatoon berries.

Gordon White, Urban Forester for the Town of Okotoks, says there are a few types up for grabs.

"We highlighted Saskatoon, chokecherry, crab apple, and currents. Right now Saskatoons and currents are ripe. The crab apples and the chokecherries are more like late August."

The Town does not spray these trees and shrubs with pesticides but should be washed before consumption.

There's one type of berry residents should avoid picking.

"We do have some honeysuckle out there, and those berries aren't edible. I highly doubt anybody would eat enough to make them sick 'cause they don’t really taste very good. They are an orange or reddish colour and the bark is a light gray and it's quite shaggy."

A map of the public fruit picking areas can be found by clicking here.

When it comes to berries, White has a clear favourite.

"By far Saskatoon. I've been out picking them most over the last week here and freezing as much as I can, and it's a pretty good crop out there this year. 

"They’re, I would say, about midway through their ripening season and the more hot days we get, the quicker they'll dry up and kind of decline, but there's probably another week or so of pretty good picking."

Fruit picking is prohibited from roadsides and medians for safety reasons.