Come minimum effort strawberry picking with me!
Maan Farm’ popular Berry Days is back for another season. This is during the heat of summer when strawberries are at its reddest and ripe for the picking.
Not only are guests able to take advantage of the farm’s you-pick program, but they also have a slew of strawberry related treats to round out your experience. I have visited them a hand full of times in the past, but if you are like me, and think there is nothing new that they could show you, you would be wrong.
This year, they are offering the first ever standing you-pick strawberry experience. The spectacle of it alone is worth a trip out to Abbotsford for. Whereas other you-pick farms have you crouching down and picking berries from your ankles, Maan Farms has given you the easiest, most littlest effort, self picking experience possible.
Their strawberry plants are planted in tight, packed rows, like other strawberry farms, but they have gone to great lengths to elevate said rows. Soil is packed into a trough wrapped in plastic, then cut through to form a hole, in which to plant strawberry seeds in to. The plants then grow with their leaves and flowers sprouting through these holes. Eventually to become what you see in the photos here. It is quite the visual sight, all shielded under what looks like a greenhouse roof, and it feels like it given the heat under this protective roof.
The fruit ends up dangling from off the edges, making it easier to pick. Therefore this experience also allows those with back and knee problems, the ability to participate. It is easy to walk the narrow isles, allowing fuzzy leaves and juicy berries to brush up against you, almost beckoning you to pick them. On top of not having to bend over and giving your knees a rest, it is also a lot cleaner, for those worried about dirt and mud, although that is part of the farm experience.
The cost of strawberry picking is by container, you pay for either a small carton, a medium container, a small pail, or a large bucket. Then either individually, or as a unit you fill up your chosen container. So long as everything fits in the basket you are good to go.
I suggest visiting on a week day, if your schedule permits. This allows for a more tranquil experience, as you have the isles and rows to yourself. Similarly, all the farm’s outdoor activations are condensed to the marketplace for the slower traffic.
After you have worked up a sweat, picking the largest and juiciest of all the berries, you are able to head into their marketplace to grab a drink or some snacks cool down with.
I am a fan of the strawberry lemonade with just the right amount of sweet and sour for a wonderful, icy, and slushy refresher.
Their most famous strawberry themed dessert is their “strawberry cloud” ice cream cone. Strawberry soft served swirled into a waffle cone and surrounded by a ring of made to order cotton candy. Then topped with a wafer roll and sprinkles.
They also do fresh pressed waffles topped with their farm grown strawberries, or the same fresh strawberries drizzled over with melted milk chocolate. Both classic and both sure to cure your strawberry crave.
However, my favourite is their strawberry mini doughnuts. They are so light and fluffy that they practically melt on your tongue.
And seeing as we were already here, I had to grab some of their traditional Indian offerings including their creamy butter chicken rice bowl and some of the largest vegetarian samosas I have ever seen. Both so flavourful, nothing you would find at any other farm.
In closing, this was a great way to spend the day and there is nothing more gratifying than eating fruit that you picked yourself.
Maan Farms Market and Estate Winery
790 McKenzie Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2S 7N4
(604) 864-5723
maanfarms.com
