Transitioning to Fruit Picking Fun
“Yi-Farm” encompasses a vast area of land. In the early days, it functioned as a professional fruit farm, cultivating various citrus fruits such as pomelos, tangerines, belly-squeezed oranges, seedless tangerines, Japanese sweet oranges, sugar oranges, grapefruits, longans, and more across its eight hectares of mountainous terrain.
Introduction
With different fruit harvests each season, it stands as a professional hub in fruit farming. Following the opening up of the farm for fruit picking, it has now become the largest leisure farm in the Xihu area. The farm’s owner, Peng Yifang, boasts over forty years of experience in fruit cultivation. He employs non-toxic and healthy methods to grow fruit trees, and is recognized as a national model farmer. Presently, the second generation is actively involved in the farm’s management. Aside from allowing visitors to pick fruits and offering eco-tours of the orchard, camping areas and wooden lodging zones have been added in recent years.
Peng Baozhu, the farm’s second generation, points out that due to the farm’s adoption of environmentally friendly non-toxic farming methods, even citrus fruits which are especially susceptible to sunburn are not sprayed with any whitening agents. Ecological pest control measures are implemented to mitigate damage caused by fruit flies, coupled with diligent care and tidying of the orchard on a daily basis. Managing the fruit orchard comes with a multitude of challenges. In addition to fruit flies, fruits also run the risk of sunburn affecting fruit appearance. Visitors are educated on farming practices while they pick fruits. Through this educational experience, visitors not only enjoy healthy, pesticide-free fruits but also realize that just because a fruit has minor blemishes does not mean that taste or quality is necessarily compromised. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement for all.
Features of Agricultural Tourism
Fruits
In recent years, the farm has also set up a camping area that provides accommodation. Camping under the fruitful trees during the peak fruit season is a unique experience. Additionally, there is a lodging area in the park, providing another option besides setting up camp.
Apart from fruit picking and camping, visitors who book in advance can also enjoy Hakka dishes such as Hakka stir-fry and white-cut chicken at the farm., which are traditional local flavors.
Years of experience in planting have enabled the farm to continuously experiment with new varieties. For example, papaya oranges (also known as Phoenix oranges) have gone through their second year of harvest on the farm. Oval in shape with a delightful color and fragrant, tender flesh, they have good market appeal. As there are few farmers dealing in novel varieties, its rarity equates to competitiveness. Visitors who come to pick fruits also find it novel and interesting.
