Next weekend sees the beautiful mountainous Magoebaskloof area in Limpopo host its fourth annual Berry Festival in the small town of Haenertsburg, from 3 February until 5 February 2012. The festival celebrates the region’s blueberry and raspberry farms with a frenzy of fruit picking and merriment.

During the festival, tours of each of the three participating farms will be available between 10am and 4pm for R25 per person. Taking home containers of fresh raspberries and/or blueberries is optional, and each will be charged at R35. Tours include a visit to the berry orchards, where the visitors can pick and eat the superfood at their leisure. This is followed by a factory tour, after which visitors can relax in the gardens and browse in the display room where various berry products will be on sale. The tours end with a glass of berry juice.

If you are staying over, there will be special Friday and Saturday evening dinners and entertainment, as well as competitions for the kids. The village market – under a marquee on the Haenertsburg park lawns – offers fresh farm produce, berry-related fare, ceramics, second-hand books, homemade confectionary and more, ensuring that you will find something unique to take home. Also look forward to Saturday morning’s extreme ready-steady-cook dessert competition – focused on berries, of course – and make sure you set aside some time to explore the lush forests and mountains that make Magoebaskloof a perfect berry-growing area.

Participating farms include Cheerio Gardens, Kuhestan Organic Farm and the Blueberry Heights Farm, and restaurants taking part in the festival include the Tlou Restaurant at the Magoebaskloof Hotel, Picasso’s, The Red Plate, and The Iron Crown. Visit www.berryfestival.co.za to find out more about accommodation, details on each participating farm and contact details.

Images by La Grande Farmers’ Market and K. Kendall