We went to the Just Darling raspberry farm, half an hour outside of Joburg (just far out enough to get the wide-open space feel), for a candlelight picnic in their berry orchards. It almost sounded too good to be true, so I was bracing myself for a reality check (like mosquitos. Or candles setting fire to my skirt. Or the zombie apocalypse). But it really was just as magical (and zombie-less) as I was hoping!
We arrived just before sunset, and, armed with our Just Darling bucket, headed into the fields to pick and taste to our hearts content. I tend to think of raspberries as luxury goods, which is basically economist-speak for expensive, and expensive means that you can only eat a few at a time. So to see rows and rows of freshly grown berries that we were encouraged to eat as we picked, almost put me in an excitement coma. And oh my gosh, fresh raspberries put store-bought raspberries TO SHAME.
Once I was literally incapable of eating another berry, we took our take-home stash to be weighed, collected our picnic blankets, and found ourselves a spot in the orchards. The lovely people at Just Darling had organised everything beautifully, with each picnic spot secluded between the rows of berries, and surrounded by fairy lights and white lanterns. They gave each couple a cheese, fruit and cracker platter, a bottle of (very very nice) wine, beautiful wine glasses, and a candlelight lantern.
We put out our blankets, cracked open the wine, and tucked into the picnic to the background serenades of Norah Jones and John Meyer. It couldn’t have been more perfect. When we were done, we collected the berries we had picked earlier, which were now in punnets with our names on them, to take home with us.
Needless to say, I've already eaten them all, so I’m already planning my return visit! Fortunately, Just Darling has just announced that they will be hosting an organic market on the 2nd of March 2014, complete with handcrafted products, artisanal eats, and organic produce for sale! (You can find all the details here.)
But, if you can’t wait that long (I don't blame you), they are open for berry picking every weekend from Wednesday to Friday. Entrance is R30 for adults and R20 for kids, and you're welcome to eat as much as you like while in the fields! The berries you pick are put in a punnet for you and weighed at R100/kg (but don't worry, raspberries are super light).
There's also a gorgeous coffee bar which serves freshly baked cakes, muffins, scones, and the delicious cheese platters we had on our picnic. Make sure you book for the berry picking so they're ready and waiting for you with a bucket! The berry season runs from now until the end of March, so go soon while the orchards are still showing off!
To book your berry picking visit, email Abigail at abigail@justdarling.co.za, and be sure to follow the Just Darling facebook page for regular updates.
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