Strawberry Picking at Yangsuri Strawberry Farm
While perusing around online for things to do during my winter break here in South Korea, I stumbled upon multiple offering for strawberry picking. The idea was intriguing. Not only was it something I'd never tried before, but it allowed me to partake in a winter-themed activity that wasn't skiing, something I refuse to take part in due to my trauma of childhood family ski trips where instead of descended the mountain via skiing I unwillingly opted for the approach of falling every two seconds. Anyways....
After researching the different strawberry farms located within the Seoul vicinity, I decided Yangsuri Strawberry Farm, a small farm east of Seoul in the Gyeonggi Province. Not only was the farm recommended by the official Gyeonggi-do Tourist Organization, but it has been features on popular Korean TV shows like, “Return of Superman!” With that in mind, my friend and I decided to check it out.
Getting there
To get to Yangsuri Strawberry Farm from Seoul it took about an hour and a half via subway and bus. My friend and I took the Gyeongui-Jungang Line to Ungilsan Station (운길간역) and from there took a bus that dropped us off five minutes walking distance from the farm.
At the bus stop. From here, you will turn right
Note: Only foreigners can go to the farm without a reservation! If you are a Korean citizen or are traveling with someone that is, make sure to go to their website and book in advance!
Since we showed up a bit early, we decided to grab some lunch at a small restaurant across the street from the bus stop. The warm meal was perfect for fending off the cold!
freshly cooked fish with banchan (side dishes): sweet fried tofu, peppers, miso soup, kimchi, rice, white radish, black glazed beans, and seaweed (kim)
The Farm and Strawberry Picking
Yangsuri Farms is open every day of the week from November 1st to June 16th, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Strawberry picking starts every hour from open to close so make sure you arrive by 4:00pm! The entrance to the farm was a bit dubious, being a large white shed in the middle of a what appeared to be an abandoned property. Following the posters though, it wasn't too difficult to find. Once we stepped inside, the smell of fresh sweet strawberries and homemade jams completely overrode our senses, exciting us for what was to come. After paying the 10,000 won fee, we were given empty containers for putting the strawberries into before being guided out back to a designated tent from which we could pick from.
We spend about an hour walking up and down the rows picking strawberries. There were tons of strawberries, but we were determined to hunt down the prettiest, brightest, plumpest ones we could find! It was like a scavenger hunt! We then proceeded to play a game of Tetris with our loot, wanting to fit as many as possible!
Going into this, I thought it’d be fun to wear bright red to match the concept of strawberries. It was going to be SO cute.
I’m telling you now: learn from my mistakes.
What I didn’t consider was the number of bees that would be present on the property and the bright red really didn’t help. I didn’t get stung or anything, but it’s just something to keep in mind!
After picking strawberries we headed back inside to wash the berries we wanted to eat and saved the rest for later.
There’s an option to make strawberry jam or chocolate dipped strawberries afterwards for an extra charge. We didn’t opt for either of these, but after we washed our berries the owners prepared a small table with warm bread and some of the homemade jam for us to sample! The jam tasted heavenly. So good that I ended up buying myself a small jar of it (5,000 won) to take home!
Samples of fresh jam with bread alongside our freshly picked strawberries
Besides picking strawberries, one of the best parts of the whole experience was the owners, a sweet and friendly older couple. They came over and sat with us as we sampled the jam and we ended up having an hour-long conversation discussing everything from family to Korean culture to current politics. The woman knew some English and enjoyed putting English words into random parts of the conversation which I found really endearing. The husband was funny too, getting excited talking about politics. The wife at one point handed him some gloves saying, “You keep talking! go get some work done!” He looked at the gloves, paused, then launched back into it saying, “and another thing!” Needless to say, they were both extremely charming and entertaining.
Overall the experience was enjoyable! While it is a bit of a stretch traveling from Seoul it’s definitely worth it. The countryside brings out a laid back feeling with its fresh air, wide planes, and the sound of chirping cicadas in the distance. It's a nice contrast to the bustling city of Seoul. As it turns out, being on a farm, picking strawberries, and having long conversations with locals is quite therapeutic! Talking to the owners also gave me a better appreciation for the lifestyle of those in Korea's more rual areas. The strawberries also tasted delicious and it was fun eating them over the course of the week! If you have a free day, I highly recommend checking out Yangsuri Strawberry Farms!
Eating my freshly picked strawberries with my morning cereal!
Address: 44, Dumulmeorigil 8beongil, Yangseomyeon, Yangpyeong-gun
(KOR) 경기도 양평군 양서면 두물머리길8번길 44
Hours: 8:00am – 5:00pm Sunday-Saturday. Strawberry picking begins every hour (8am, 9am…)
Contact: 010-4383-0013 or 010-5495-2143
Prices: Strawberry Picking Aug-Oct: 14,000 won, Nov-Dec 12,000 won, Jan-Jul 10,000 won
Strawberry Jam Making: Dec-Feb: 8,000, Mar-Jun: 6,000
DIY Chocolate Dipped Strawberry: 10,000 won