By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: October 17, 2012
6179 248 St, Langley BC
Hours: Wednesdays to Sundays, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(Closed October 29 to November 21)
604-856-5757
Ever feel like being a tourist in the Fraser Valley? It’s quite amusing when you get the opportunity. As long as you bring a camera with you and pretend like you’re from the east coast, no one will suspect a thing – until you see your dentist or neighbour who stymies your ruse.
Krause Berry Farms offers the perfect faux-touristing spot with their Barley Maze, pumpkin patch, market and “on the porch” eating.
It does sound a little like a family destination and in a large part that’s true, with van after SUV driving down their gravel road to enjoy an autumnal afternoon out – to feast on every kind of pie and corn pizza. This place can also be fun for the student (or group of students) who wants nothing more than comfort food and adorableness.
Upon parking diagonally on the grass (don’t worry, it’s allowed), Krause welcomes visitors with a giant strawberry that says, “Welcome.” The choices are then nearly endless. You can stroll to the right to see the old pick-up truck laden with dozens of different kinds of pumpkins and gourds, go a little further to their mini-maze garden or walk a little further to the right to explore the barley maze (a little less claustrophobic than a corn maze since the barley is only knee-high). Or you can go straight past the friendly strawberry into their expanded store, off of which is a covered patio where mouth-watering waffles are made and topped with farm-fresh berries. Or you can go left past the strawberry and up onto the porch where a selection of desserts and lunches are offered.
It’s on the porch that you can make your selection of corn pizza, soups, buns, pies, milkshakes, coffee or their culinary triumph, the berry shortcake.
The Krause shortcake is different from the traditional strawberry shortcake; it’s not simply a layer of pound cake topped with whipped cream, sliced berries and sprinkled with white sugar. Their creation is more like a berry-stuffed scone, with two layers of pastry baked and busting with a mound of fresh berries on the inside. The juice of raspberry, blueberry or blackberry pops out of every side, staining both the pastry and your lips as you dive into the icing sugar and cinnamon topped piece of heaven. It may seem a little pricey, but it is too good to pass up. And what person doesn’t want to follow the advice of Tom and Donna from Parks and Recreation. Treat yo’ self.
Certainly, Krause is making a killing off their “aww” factor, but why shouldn’t they? One step through their market doors bathes the customer in smells so delectable that they can’t help but put their nose against the bakery display glass and drool a little over the cookie-topped pumpkin pies and selection of fudges. A little further and baskets upon baskets of fresh vegetables tempt even the most averse to nutrition. Shelves, cute corners and little baskets are filled with fresh jams, berry-infused balsamic vinegars and gadgets that can fill a dozen junk drawers. It’s like having a farmer’s market that always has consistently cute stuff, not the typical disappointing one with five tables in a row of homemade scarves that look … homemade.
If there was ever a good excuse to be a hometown tourist, fresh pie would be it.
