New Delhi: The endless search for exciting, unique, hatke activities to do on weekends for Delhi-Gurugram families just got a new destination. Strawberry picking. Pubs and malls just don’t cut it anymore.
Fun family experiences like these were earlier associated with Western countries and more recently with Kashmir and Maharashtra. Now it is available in New Delhi’s Gujjar farmlands of Chhatarpur.
Jogendra Kumar Saraf has opened his small strawberry farm 11 km from Chhatarpur metro station. The farm is home to a 1.5-hectare land filled with organic produce.
In a city where public places with greenery are scarce, and Lodhi Garden and Sunder Nursery nearly explode beyond capacity on weekends, it is no surprise that people took to the idea of strawberry picking like fish to water.
Divided into two slots–10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm—the Sarafs’ farm attracts all kinds of visitors. Students looking for a fun day out, couples looking for something other than coffee dates, and families who do not want to go drive down to the mall with their children.
“For less than Rs 1,000, this is quite a deal, and we have never had this kind of experience of picking fruits that we eat, that too within Delhi. We are very excited to try it out,” said Vinay Kumar Aggarwal, a Delhi University student, who turned up with his friend for the afternoon slot.
Priced at Rs 899, the experience includes a welcome herbal drink made with leaves of the strawberry plant and 200 gm of free strawberries. People sighed with relief as the warm drink provided momentary respite on the biting cold January day.
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Labour of love
Strawberry picking is a popular concept in Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra, where several farms grow the fruit. In Kashmir’s Gassu, a whole village is dedicated to growing strawberries, and visits are booked for picking. Himachal Pradesh has orchards where one can go apple picking. However, strawberries aren’t traditionally grown in Delhi-NCR, which makes Sarafs’ venture all the more important. Enthusiastic visitors from both Delhi and Gurugram line up on weekends and sometimes even weekdays to enjoy a day out.
On weekends, almost 100 people turn up, curious to see if what they read online is true and if good-quality strawberries can be found in the national capital. “We have done cherry picking in Istanbul, and apple picking in Kashmir. But we missed strawberries, and decided to come here,” said Pooja Aneja, who visited the farm with her husband and eight-year-old son.
Prakash Saraf, son of Jogendra Saraf, and his wife Pooja Saraf decided to take time off during the lockdown in 2021 to spend more time at their family home in New Delhi. Initially, the couple decided to grow fruits and vegetables on their land. At some point, Prakash was reminded of the experience of picking strawberries, and of eating farm-fresh fruit. “Our daughters are named Cherry and Strawberry. So, you can understand how much we love the fruit,” laughed Prakash.
The family had earlier done strawberry picking in Mahabaleshwar and Australia. But it wasn’t until lockdown that the couple even thought about growing them.
To ensure the produce is organic, the farm is laced with sheep dung rich in potassium and phosphorus for establishing strong roots. Strawberry plants take about 60-70 days to start blossoming from the time of plantation. The process begins in September, with fruition beginning in November and the season lasting till April.
As the Sarafs focus on organic practices, they align with the growing trend of natural farming, which emphasizes chemical-free cultivation methods that enhance soil health and crop yield.
In January 2023, after the first batch of crops was a roaring success, the Sarafs began wondering what to do with the extra fruit. Neighbours suggested selling them in the nearby market. But that was never the agenda for the family.
“We like the outdoors, and we wanted to share with people the experience of being in nature, while being in Delhi,” said Prakash Saraf. That’s when the family decided to open the gates of their family farm to visitors seeking a slice of nature and a taste of succulent strawberries picked straight from the plants.
Community building
The Saraf farm also has a small cafe that serves tea, coffee, pizza and Maggi. There’s a freshwater pool that doubles up as a daily water source for orange, pear, and peach trees and smaller vegetable patches on the farm. Once the picking is done, patrons have their strawberries weighed and then sit down for a meal at the café. It’s a rewarding end to hours spent squatting and selecting the finest fruits from the patches.
Visitors were initially unsure when Jogendra Saraf handed them baskets to pick strawberries. The farm also has guides and workers who help people in picking. As people made their way carefully between rows of strawberry saplings, hesitation soon turned into whoops of joy every time someone picked a fruit, almost like winning a competition.
Children ran to pick fruits, excited for the opportunity to witness the plants that produce the fruits they typically eat at home. Within groups, friends competed to get the reddest fruit, hidden under the lush green leaves. With the help of guides, baskets soon brimmed with strawberries within an hour.
Most headed to the café with their baskets once the afternoon wore off. Many walked off to the middle of the patch to click a picture for Instagram. After all, the weekend spent well is worth sharing with friends and family.
“I was here for the 10 am picking slot, and it was really nice to spend a winter morning in nature picking the strawberries. I was intrigued by the idea of being able to do this in Delhi,” Ayushi Kulshrestha, software developer at Virtual Diamond Boutique Inc. Kulshrestha had seen an Instagram reel about the farm, and booked a slot for herself and her friend almost immediately.
Strawberries may be decadent and delicious but they need careful handling. Organic manure, careful covering of the plants to protect them from the dew, and the right amount of sunlight are essential for red, juicy fruits that are a notch higher in quality than the kind sold on traffic signals in the city.
“I usually take my kids to malls or play areas or zoos. But this became a family outing, and I got a few friends together as well. Forget the kids, we had a ball,” said Sakshi Jain, who came with two of her friends, their mothers, and children. Jain’s daughter scrambled to fill her basket. She wanted her mother to pick the biggest and the reddest strawberries.
Prakash Saraf also wants people to plant sapling with their name tag and experience growing one’s own produce. “For us, this is about creating a community that gets to immerse themselves in the concept of growing one’s food, and keep coming back,” he said.
The next chapter in the Saraf family story is sunflower picking. “The months from May to June we plan to grow sunflowers in these patches and get people to experience picking flowers, and create a unique experience for them,” said Prakash.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)