Strawberries

Last March, my sister decided to go to Baguio City first before meeting mom and brother in La Union for the first death anniversary of daddy. Sister and I didn't have an agenda to follow, but I did tell her that I wanted to check out the strawberry fields in La Trinidad, Benguet because I still haven't seen it, and since we were already there, might as well check it out. The cab ride was a bit expensive, but I could say it was well worth it.

Frequent raindrops made the road a bit slippery, but we managed to get by. The farmlands aren't all devoted to the strawberries, there were lands for lettuce and leeks as well. Farmers let tourists go to the fields and take pictures, but no one was allowed to pick the fruits. Before, they allow it, but tourists abuse their privileges by picking the not so ripe strawberries and stepping on the plants. Strawberries are very difficult to grow because of the cost and the time spent, so the farmers just wanted to make sure that their crops and their efforts won't just go to waste. Unfortunately, there were still some tourists who cannot resist not taking fruits.

Just a recommendation... if you want to buy strawberries when in the area, please go to the farm. The fare is expensive, yes, but the fruits sold here were much cheaper and fresher. My sister and I bought a kilo of strawberries here and when we got to La Union they still look good. Most of the times, we just buy from the public market, and when we reach La Union they looked soggy already. I think the strawberries direct from the farm are more fleshy and firmer. =)

*** Jenn ***