Strawberry Fields of La Trinidad

If you plan to go up to Baguio City between November to May, never miss the opportunity to experience strawberry picking. This is a highly recommended activity that both adults and kids will surely enjoy.

The strawberry farm is located in La Trinidad Valley, Benguet, about 30 minutes away from Baguio City. It is advisable to go there early so you can find parking and more importantly, have strawberries left for picking. We thought we would get lost but it was surprisingly easy to find. If you know how to get to Baguio Market,  you are on the right track. From the city market, all you have to do is follow the jeepneys to La Trinidad Valley!

We got there around 8:30am and were lucky enough to find several strawberries farms for harvesting. The Ibaloi farmers will approach you right away as you go down your car. They are very friendly and would gladly assist you.

Upon entering the farm, you will be asked whether you will pick the strawberries yourself or buy from the farmers’ harvest for the day. If you decide to do the picking yourself, you will be given half of a Zesto carton box. This is where you will put your fresh harvest like the one shown above.

A kilo of strawberries will take you about 30 minutes only but don’t worry, it is worth all the sweat and money. Some people are wondering why it is more expensive if the visitors offer “free labor” or pick the strawberries themselves. The farmers explained to us that most of the time, amateur or visiting pickers make the mistake of hurting the plant or the strawberry itself. Strawberries are very delicate (unlike apples and oranges) and there is a technique to cut or pick them. Do not worry because the farmers will teach you how. This is part of the whole experience for the price of P250 per kilo which is roughly twice the price of the strawberries picked by the farmers. Other farms charge as high as P350 per kilo.

After picking, you bring your harvest to the farmers to weigh and compute for the total price. Please take note that there is no minimum amount of strawberries but you have to pay for everything you picked.

Unfortunately, the farmers informed us that only 30% of the farms in La Trinidad practice organic farming although they are slowly working towards being 100% organic. They are working closely with Benguet State University, a prime mover in the organic industry in the Cordillera Region.

HOW TO GET THERE: Strawberry farm is easy to find. It is about 10 km or 30 minutes away from Baguio City. Head to La Trinidad and right after Benguet State University, you will see a big sign that says “Strawberry Farm This Way” to your left.