Sweeten the spring season (and current fifth-wave restrictions) with a field trip out to Hong Kong’s local farms for an afternoon of strawberry picking.
Mark your calendar now, in strawberry red. You’ve only got till April — when the strawberry season ends! This is an activity perfect for those of us trying to live out our Stardew Valley dreams (I have already committed to growing strawberries at home). Of if you really love Japanese strawberries and not the hefty price tag. Or — or! — for those just looking to do something beyond padding to and from their fridge and couch.
There’s still time to get your hands on some sweet home-grown strawberries (remember to support local!). Some tips to get you started should you decide to pay these farms a visit this weekend: Don’t rush to fill your basket with as many berries as you can find. What you can take home is priced by weight and most farms offers untimed sessions anyway, so you can take your sweet time (ha!) picking and choosing the strawberry of your eye. And just because the strawberry looks plumper doesn’t always mean sweeter, you gotta follow the strawberry scent to sniff out the gems.
It’s Berry Sweet! Strawberry Farms in Hong Kong:
Tai Tong Organic EcoPark
Opening hours: 9am to 6pm
Pricing: HK$140 / child or HK$160 for a combo “Entrance Fee and All-You-Can-Eat Strawberry” ticket, HK$100 for a single “All-You-Can-Eat Strawberry” ticket inside the park. Strawberries to-go are priced at HK$100 / pound.
Tai Tong EcoPark isn’t solely a strawberry farm, it grows a handful of other fruits and veggies, including papayas, lychees, muscat grapes, starfruit and longans that are also available for harvest. It’s also home to a few fuzzy animals at the on-site petting zoo. As for the strawberries, they’re of the sweet Japanese varietal. The eco-park allows a single-entry untimed session where you can eat while you can pick, but should you want to take your harvest to go, the berries will be charged according to their weight.
How to get there: Leave at Exit B from Long Ping West Rail station. Then, hop on the K66 to Tai Tong Shan Road Bus Stop and walk 15 minutes to the EcoPark’s ticket office.
Tai Tong Organic EcoPark, 11 Tai Tong Shan Rd, Yuen Long, New Territories, Hong Kong, +852 2470 2210
Old Xu Farm (老徐農莊)
Opening hours: 9am to 6pm
Pricing: Free entry. Strawberries are charged by weight, starting at HK$60 / pound.
While local organic veggies are the main harvest over at Old Xu Farm, they also have a talented hand in strawberry growing. At the peak of the season, the farm yields three varietals — French, Japanese and Korean — listed at different price points. What’s popular here though is the farm’s own milk strawberries, bred with Japanese strawberries by adding milk powder to its water. When you’re over huddling by strawberry bushes carefully snipping away, sign up for an easy crash-course on making strawberry jam.
How to get there: From Fanling station, leave at Exit C. Head to 52K minibus headed in the “Ping Che” direction and get off at Wun Chuen Sin Kwoon temple. It’s about a 7-minute walk to the farm’s entrance.
Old Xu Farm (老徐農莊), Ping Che Road, Fanling, New Territories, Hong Kong, +852 9168 8931
Long Ping Strawberry Farm
Opening hours: 8am to 6pm
Pricing: Free entry. Strawberries are charged by weight.
Across the 50,000 sq. ft of open space at Long Ping Strawberry Farm, you’ll find mostly Japanese strawberries. But within that is an extensive rota of carefully nurtured breeds — Long Ping Strawberry Farm is known to grow the most variations of Japanese strawberries (they are also the only farm to grow Japanese grapes). The strawberry harvest varies year to year, but the farm’s previously haul has featured the Kumamoto Beni-Hoppe, Sagahonoka Ichgo, Nara Asuka Ruby and the reputed snow-white Japanese Awayuki.
How to get there: Take the West Rail to Long Ping station and get Bus K66 to “Tai Tong”. From there, it’s a short walk to the entrance.
Long Ping Strawberry Farm, Tai Tong Road, Tai Tong Tsuen, Yuen Long, New Territories, Hong Kong, +852 9251 8926
Law’s Strawberry Farm
Opening hours: 9am to 6pm
Pricing: Free entry. Strawberries are charged by weight.
Family-run Lam’s Strawberry Farm has been doing this for decades. Their berry patch is a favourite since it’s they allow an untimed picking session with no minimum spend. Not to mention the strawberries are the sweet, sizeable kind. And once you get the hang of picking out the best strawberries, bring home a strawberry plant of your own to try your hand at growing them. Law’s will offer sound advice and guidance to novice growers.
How to get there: From Yuen Long station make your way to Fung Cheung Road Minibus Terminus for the 39 minibus. Get off at Pak Sha Village First Bridge and walk for 5 minutes.
Law’s Strawberry Farm, Pak Sha Village, Yuen Long, New Territories, Hong Kong, +852 2470 7981
Ah Fong Strawberry Farm
Opening hours: 7am to 7pm
Price: Free entry. Strawberries are charged by weight.
Ah Fong’s Strawberry Farm is a favourite for a couple reasons: the strawberries sometimes rank on the smaller end but are still very sweet. It’s also available in endless bunches that are grown across the farm — so even if you miss the peak strawberry picking season, there’s hope on bringing home a basket full of berries. Entry is free and you can roam around as you please.
How to get there: Leave from Exit C at Fanling station and catch the 52K minibus headed to “Ping Che”. From there, get off at Wun Chuen Sin Kwoon temple and walk towards the farm’s entrance.
Ah Fong Strawberry Farm, Ping Che Road, Fanling, New Territories, Hong Kong, +852 6426 1127
Hero image of Tai Tong Organic EcoPark
Lorria Sahmet
Editor
After two years writing in luxury retail, Lorria now covers food and drink happenings in Hong Kong. When not taste-testing for the best fries in the city (shoestring, always!), find her at home obsessing over tableware and attempting a fruit garden on her tiny bay window. She is happiest by the ocean with a giant fishbowl-glass of Aperol Spritz.
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