Pick Your Own Local Berries at Emma Lea Farms, Delta, BC

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Posted by : Anonymous, Mon, Aug 04 2008

This summer I admit to be totally smitten with berries. Luckily, I've got a good reason to be happy because just a short drive south of Vancouver, lies Emma Lea Farms right on Westham Island in Delta, BC. I'm all for eating local and it's amazing to visit and support a nearby farm.

While Emma Lea Farms isn't an organic farm, they do use an integrated pest control management system to minimize the use of sprays and pesticides. By introducing biological defenses (good bugs to control the bad bugs) and spraying only when the bad bugs get out of hand (and before there is any fruit on the plant), they are able to help keep the area ecologically sound and your berries safe.

Last month, I went with a group of friends in our co-op van to pick strawberries. The berries were unbelievably delicious; sweet, ripe and juicy and I think each berry gained extra flavour points from picking it yourself. They were so much better than the gigantic, styrofoam-like strawberries found in most grocery stores. I managed to take home $17 dollars worth of berries, which is a whole lot of strawberries!

This past weekend we decided to head back since a whole new crop of berries are now ready for picking. With our sunscreen slapped on and our re-usable ice cream and yogurt containers in tow, we were ready to pick until we dropped.

We had our choice of six different kinds of berries: raspberries, tayberries, boysenberries, black currants, blackberries and loganberries. The blueberries had been over-picked the previous day, so the only way to pick up a blueberry was by purchasing a 10lb box ($20) at their stand.

Since I can pick blackberries for free in my own neighbourhood, my first stop was raspberries. After filling up a one gallon ice cream bucket, I then checked out the black currants. These were definitely hard to pick because of their small size. I only managed to pick 29 cents worth, but it was enough to cram into a batch of scones! Next stop, the tayberry! Tayberries look like a marionberry (more long than round) but are black like a blackberry. They were tart and sweet and easy to eat. Despite all my snacking, I managed to pick two containers full.

Just when I thought the picking couldn't get any better, I discovered the best berry of all: the large, juicy boysenberry. I've never tasted a boysenberry before, which Wikipedia says is a cross between a loganberry, a blackberry and a raspberry. It's deep maroon in colour and the perfect balance between tart and sweet. Eating them warm off the vine was like eating candy, but with better health benefits. While I have plans of jam-making and pie-baking for the rest of my berries, the boysenberry will be reserved for eating out of hand.

After you've finished picking, Emma Lea also offers freshly made milkshakes, cones and sundaes so that you can cool off after a hard day's work in their picnic area. So head over to your local you-pick berry farm and take advantage of all the different varieties of berries available. Maybe you'll even discover a new favourite!

Need ideas on what to do with your berry haul? Get inspired by these recipes: