If you’re nestled in South India, yearning to cherish this chilly winter in style, then you most certainly can. Winters call for a hot mug of filter coffee, warm blankets, long conversations and even strawberry picking. And you don’t have to go all the way to Mahabaleshwar to taste and pick fresh strawberries. Lambasingi village in Andhra Pradesh is your abode for everything strawberries this winter. The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t dampened the spirits and the fresh produce of the ruby-red fruit. Infact around 25,000 tourists all masked up visited the strawberry farms of Lambasingi during the New Year’s eve weekend. So, you can paint the town red too, here’s how.
Lambasingi In Andhra Pradesh Is A Heaven For Strawberry Picking
Nestled 1000m above sea level, Lambasingi village in the Eastern Ghats of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh draws tourists in large numbers during the winter season. Nothing, not even the dreadful pandemic could stop tourists from picking and tasting the freshest strawberries of this season. According to The Hindu, Prasanna Kumar Dasari planted 50,000 strawberry plants in his 3-acre farm. He was initially skeptical about tourists visiting the strawberry farms due to the pandemic. But in the past three weeks, a large number of visitors walked in for strawberry picking.
Also Read: Andhra Pradesh Will Soon Get A Formula 3 Racing Track
Over 25,000 Tourists Visited Lambasingi’s Strawberry Farms During The Weekend
Prasanna states to The Hindu, “The numbers have almost doubled. Last weekend, we saw close to 25,000 people visiting our farm on a single day.” The strawberries grown in the farms in Lambasingi are sold at a premium of ₹400 per kilogram. He informs The Hindu, “Strawberry baby plants need special care to save them from frost during winters. Once the fruit is ripe it needs to be immediately sold because storing them is an issue. Pests are another thing that one needs to be extremely careful about. You have to identify and tackle it at an early stage.”
Also Read: 10 Best Strawberry Desserts In Mumbai For 2020
Tourists from not just South India, but even states like Odisha and Chhattisgarh visited the strawberry farms of Lambasingi this winter. One of the visitors, Sudhir Behara, who drove from Odisha with his family was fascinated by the simple hacks used by farmers to combat pests, like using garlic chives on the strawberry patches. Another tourist, Hima Rao Garimella exclaimed to The Hindu that the strawberry picking experience was hugely rewarding for her and her family. So, if you’re from South India, you don’t have to go all the way to Mahabaleshwar to pick strawberries. Just drive down to Andhra Pradesh for a rewarding and nurturing experience. When you’re in Andhra, do check out the International Hot Air Balloon festival.