strawberry picking / farm visits
- Thread starter pixelelf
- Start date
joyofliving
Registered User
While on the topic of farm visits, me and a friend went to Kadoorie Farm last week. It was lovely and a nice break from the city BUT it is not child friendly AT ALL. Its on a hill and so you have to climb very steep which is quite tough with a stroller or even for kids on foot.
Shenzhennifer
Registered User
We went to Kadoorie farm a couple of months ago and thought it was great. It would be better for older kids for sure. But we didn`t walk much anyway as they have a free shuttle\tour bus that goes up and down the hill.
joyofliving
Registered User
Thats right and it would be useful to know the exact timing of the bus, the frequency is about 2 or 3 times a day.
Shenzhennifer
Registered User
I think it was about hourly.
Strawberry season hasn't arrived yet--the strawberry harvest happens between February and April. It's far too hot in HK in the summer for strawberries but the winter is when they grow them here. By the end of April the berry season is over. There is a huge strawberry patch out where we live and about three weeks ago we walked through there and the gardeners were just starting to transfer the plants into the ground. It is a very toddler-friendly place here--huge grass field (about the size of 3 football pitches) and very open. They have a "petting zoo" with bunnies, goats and some other small animals. There is a Hong Kong-style barbeque place that is covered--quite big--probably 50-70 barbeque pits. There is also a craft area where kids can make their own sand candles. There are ponds where my son likes to throw stones into the water. There are turtles and they had a tortoise out there a few weeks ago (probably too cold for him now). Also an area with little tricycles for kids to ride around on. Totally hands-on. Children can and are encouraged to pick their own vegetables (tomatos etc.) And there is no admission fee. When it comes strawberry season, you just pay a set fee about $50 HKD for a little basket and they give you a pair of scissors and direct you to a patch and you go pick your own strawberries. Organically grown. So, PM me in February and we'll set up a time for you to come out! :0)
where is this place? waaaaaaa!!!!!
Yay! Here are some other photos--I especially like the ones of the goats.
King Fai Farm & Kam Tin Country Club -- fotop.net photo sharing network
There is a really funny story about those goats. My husband, son and a friend and I were all going for a walk up in the foothills near the country club. My son was probably about 3 months old and my husband had him in a front carrier. My husband and I got in a bit of a disagreement and he and his friend and our son were walking ahead of me a pretty far distance. Then I saw this big group of black animals walking toward me. Now, our village had a huge problem with packs of wild/abandoned dogs running together about 5 years ago. My friend from Norway and I got cornered by a pack one time and it was really scary. Two of my other friends had been bitten. Thankfully the problem isn't so bad anymore but I am still really wary. So, I saw this group of animals and called my husband on the phone with a quivering voice saying, "You have to come back and get me! There is this huge pack of dogs! I'm scared." So, my husband was like running--with our son in the front carrier--gets over there only for us to find out, it was a flock of goats that had gotten loose! I really had to eat crow for my bad attitude--especially since I had to be "rescued" from the goats!
joyofliving
Registered User
Shenzhennifer
Registered User
Thanka2 - the strawberry field, is it part of the organic farm that`s right near your place? Organic strawberries, what a treat - I`ve never seen them. I`m always wary of strawberries: they are nasty little pesticide sponges.
There are several different farms that form a sort of co-op in that area and the strawberry farm is the largest by area. The strawberries are out between February and April so if you go at any other time of the year you likely won't notice them. I've picked them and eaten them on a couple different occasions and they're great. They are organic--all of the members of the co-op in this area are part of the HK organic growers' association. I'm looking forward to strawberry season.