Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm, Gohtong Jaya, Genting Highlands

There is no better way to understand about fruits or vegetables and the journey from farm to table than to witness it for oneself.  Hence we have always wanted to bring the kids strawberry picking and to farms to experience it for themselves. In Scotland we saw many animals however the PYO (Pick-Your-Own) strawberry farms around us had closed down.  Upon our return to Malaysia, we went to the Genting Leisure Strawberry Farm in Gohtong Jaya. 

Red Malaysian strawberries

Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm is the biggest strawberry farm in Malaysia and actually encompasses the strawberry farm, lavender farm, vegetable farm, mushroom growing facility, a cafe and some shops. It is opened daily from 9am to 6pm and admission is free to all farms, except the lavender farm.  It took us about 45 minutes to get here from Kuala Lumpur. There is plentiful free parking at Gohtong Leisure/Sport Centre opposite the farm.

It was a sunny day, but weather was cool enough to enjoy the day outdoors. Since we visited on a weekday, the farm wasn't too busy but I can imagine it getting really busy during weekends and school holidays.

Rows and rows of strawberries are grown hydroponically. During our visit, only a section of the farm is opened for strawberry picking. Grab a basket and a pair of scissors and we were off hunting for red, juicy strawberries. It's a really cool experience for kids, cos now they've seen how strawberries can be grown, and also how the flower, unripe and ripe fruits look like and get to pick their own. I showed them an example of a nice strawberry to pick and soon, our baskets were filled with beautiful, red strawberries.

Unriped strawberries and flowers

Kids were content once we spent a good 15-20 minutes walking around and picking strawberries. Just bring them to the counter and pay - it is charged at 100g per RM8, more expensive what's sold in the stores, but the experience gained is definitely priceless. We had a great time and another fun family activity ticked off our list.

Counting how many strawberries they collected each

Some flowers growing overhead

Red rose

Here's a simple recipe for strawberries and cream:
Serves 4

15- 20 strawberries, hulled and sliced into quarters
200ml whipping cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
Honey (optional)
Fresh mint

1. Using an electric mixer with whisk attachment, whisk whipping cream with icing sugar until stiff peaks. Place strawberries in a small bowl, then place a quenelle of whipped cream on top. Garnish with mint leaves and drizzle with some honey.

Note: Malaysian-grown strawberries are quite tart, so honey will make them more palatable.

Strawberries are also great as garnishes for cakes. I topped some sliced strawberries on the moist butter cake (recipe here) - simply follow the recipe and replace edible flowers with the strawberries. So pretty and goes well with the butter cake and whipped cream.

Butter cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream

Opening hours: 9.00am to 6.00pm daily.

To get here, drive towards Gohtong Jaya signage, then when you arrive at the town, there will be signage leading towards "Genting Strawberry Leisure Farm." You can read about the other farms here.

Location: Genting Strawberry Leisure Farms, No.1, Lot 3707, Jalan Jati 2, Bandar Gohtong Jaya, 69000 Genting Highlands, Pahang Darul Makmur. Malaysia.

Tel: + 603-6100 1121

Website: http://www.gentingstrawberry.com/index.htm

GPS Coordinates: 3.398617,101.766817


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