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Fourth annual Circle Farm Tour
Friday, June 20th, 2008 by GetawayBC.com
Visitors and Langley residents alike will get a fascinating glimpse of rural life in Langley when farms participating in the 2008 Circle Farm Tour open their gates for this self-guided tour. Farm Tour guides are available in print throughout the community and online at www.circlefarmtour.com.
The Circle Farm Tour concept was started five years ago as a way to introduce to the public the variety of successful agri-businesses located in the community.
This year, you will be able to meet horticulturalists who develop exotic daylilies, find out where cashmere sweaters come from, and pair home-made berry jam with award-winning local wines.
The crown jewel in Langley’s equestrian industry is Thunderbird Showpark, an 85-acre equestrian facility close to Hwy. No. 1. In addition to major equestrian events which attract international competitors, Thunderbird hosts lots of fun events for families. Admission and parking is free. For more information on events at Thunderbird, go to
www.thunderbirdshowpark.com
Two of Langley’s premier wineries are on the farm tour this year. The Fort Wine Co., minutes from historic Fort Langley, offers tastings of its table and dessert fruit wines in the ’saloon’ and sells specialty food items and gifts onsite, including a line of cranberry jams and wines. Or try a tour of the winemaking facilities.
www.thefortwineco.com.
Domaine de Chaberton Winery, in scenic south Langley, is the largest and oldest winery in the Fraser Valley. Its wines have won numerous awards in wine competitions held throughout Canada, the United States and Europe. Enjoy lunch or dinner at the Zagat-rated Bacchus Bistro, which features authentic French cuisine, prepared with farm-fresh local ingredients.
www.domainedechaberton.com
The best of the berries are on the tour this year at Driediger Farms www.driedigerfarms.com and Krause Berry Farms www.krauseberryfarms.com, where luscious fresh strawberries have been luring visitors for over 30 years. At Krause farm, you can pick or buy raspberries, blueberries, currants and gooseberries. Both farms serve up fresh-baked pies and jams to take home.
More farm fresh food is available at Vista D’Oro, a culinary agro-tourism operation near Campbell Valley Park. In addition to culinary herbs, heirloom tomatoes and orchard fruits, you can buy artisanal jams, preserves and cakes. At work in the farm’s cooking studio are catering chefs who design custom menus featuring local food.
www.vistadoro.com.
JD Farms raises and sells special turkeys and turkey products free of antibiotics and animal by-products. Their birds are raised in spacious, well-ventilated barns with free access to fresh water and feed.
www.jdfarms.net.
Plant lovers will have a field day on the tour this year. Erickson’s Daylily Gardens have Canada’s largest selection of award-winning daylilies and will have hundreds of unusual varieties on display. www.plantlovers.com/erikson. Cedar Rim Nurseries is the largest retail nursery in the Lower Mainland, set on 80 acres, and stocks over 60 varieties of Japanese maples, and 60 varieties of rhododendrons. www.cedarrim.com. The scent of lavender fills the air at Full Bloom Farm, where visitors can relax in scented gardens, book an aromatic massage and sample products from the farmgate shop. www.fullbloomfarm.ca.
Kids will love to meet the creatures at Aldor Acres and Sterling Farms. Aldor acres offers hands-on farm experiences like haywagon rides, apple harvest and dairy education tours and hosts birthday parties and special events. At Sterling Farms, which specializes in raising animals with fine fleeces, you will meet llamas, suri and huacaya alpacas and cashmere-
producing goats. Children’s fibre arts programs and adventures are
available this summer. www.sterlingfarms.com.