The Philippines never ceases to amaze me. We have picked sapinit (lokal raspberry variety), grapes and now strawberries. I would have never thought I would have these experiences living in Manila, it really is an adventure. After four trips to Baguio, we finally made it up north to La Trinidad for strawberry picking. The whole process of picking strawberries at La Trinidad Strawberry Farm was fairly simple. They have a set price per basket of 450php and you walk into a farm valley filled large individual gardens with where you will have a guide to help you pick strawberries. The many individual gardens are all privately owned. You are only allowed to pick in the designated strawberry patch of your choice as you pay the fee to the owner of the garden you picking from. But you are certainly able to buy pre-picked strawberries (and a few other freshly grown vegetables) from any of the gardens along the way. I bought a kilo of beautiful dinosaur kale for 200php. It was a moment of sheer delight. The farms are pretty wet because of their location and because we went at the tail end of rainy season. I highly suggest dressing for muddy conditions and bringing a change of clothes. You cross many bridges, small creeks and small irrigation canals. I had my own personal food tour during this outing. The fresh lumpiang was to die for! I highly recommend buying from this vendor. He is just sitting in the middle of the trail on your way to the back strawberry patch. Full disclosure: we only picked for about 20 minutes. It was chaotic even with Chanda, our magical yaya. Jake and I didn't pack shoes for muddy conditions and it was exactly that - muddy! We got our basket full and got out. Even with the short time we spent actually picking, I highly suggest doing it. But only pick one basket yourself and supplement by purchasing strawberries for a cheaper price just outside the farm. It was a blissful day! Luscious strawberries, cooler weather, sunshine and my family. The beautiful berries hanging on the vine, ripe for the picking. Just outside of the farm entrance there is a market area with numerous vendors. I cannot recommend the produce enough. The price was cheaper than Manila and the produce was so fresh and rich with flavor.

There were numerous vendors selling strawberries. Price check a few of them until you find one you like. The strawberries really did taste as sweet and as beautiful as they appear.