The Mighty Fraser Country’s Circle Farm Tour

The valley of the Fraser River stretches through six British Columbia communities.
The Mighty Fraser Country’s Circle Farm Tour
View of the restaurant and gift house at Krause Berry Farms (Andrea Hayley/The Epoch Times)
8/13/2009
Updated:
8/13/2009
<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/restaurant_medium.JPG"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/restaurant_medium.JPG" alt="View of the restaurant and gift house at Krause Berry Farms (Andrea Hayley/The Epoch Times)" title="View of the restaurant and gift house at Krause Berry Farms (Andrea Hayley/The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-90814"/></a>
View of the restaurant and gift house at Krause Berry Farms (Andrea Hayley/The Epoch Times)

Rich with undulating pasture land, the farming heritage of communities across the Fraser Valley, and the legendary Fraser River, the Mighty Fraser Country lives up to its name.

The valley of the Fraser River stretches through six British Columbia communities: Abbotsford, Agassiz-Harrison Mills, Chilliwack, Langley, Mission, and Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows.

It is these communities that participate in and make up the Circle Farm Tour, a self-guided exploration of a variety of farm houses, wineries, breweries, dairy and honey farms, open air markets, and charming eateries.

The appeal of Circle Farm Tour is that visitors can come into any of the six communities and build their own itinerary to suit their time, pace, and destination. It can be a simple day trip or a full vacation with bed and breakfast (applicable to some locations only).

The only requirements for this tour are your own transportation, a road map, and plenty of time to appreciate and explore the agritourism of the Mighty Fraser Country.

Each participating community in the tour offers a road map and brochure of places to visit. Brochures can be viewed online and downloaded from the Circle Farm Tour website, which also has information on places to stay and eat in the communities.

Some, such as the splendid lavender fields, the Chilliwack Corn Maze, and Select Roses are seasonal, while others are open year round. Most of the farms are family-owned.

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/aldor_medium.JPG"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/aldor_medium.JPG" alt="Happy cows at Aldor Acres Dairy Centre (Andrea Hayley/The Epoch Times)" title="Happy cows at Aldor Acres Dairy Centre (Andrea Hayley/The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-90815"/></a>
Happy cows at Aldor Acres Dairy Centre (Andrea Hayley/The Epoch Times)
“Each partner of the Circle Farm Tour has very unique characteristics,” says Deborah Kulchisky of Tourism Langley, adding that the tour is “hugely popular.”

“The Circle Farm Tour is a concept that is enthusiastically well embraced.”

A favourite with families is the Aldor Acres Dairy Centre, a dairy farm that provides “hands on farm opportunities.” Visitors can milk a well-behaved cow and have fun feeding the calves. Outside there is a tree-house and a small playground for the kids.

Visiting Aldor Acres provides a learning opportunity, says Kulchinsky. “It’s amazing how many people don’t realize where your basics are coming from, like diary products.”

JD Farms Specialty Turkey Store raises turkeys that are certified free of antibiotics and animal bi-products. Visitors can sample fresh and smoked sausages with ready to eat meals. JD’s new bistro serves fresh turkey sandwiches and soups. Its turkeys, which are raised in spacious, well-ventilated barns and fed fresh feed, are especially in demand at Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter.

Wine connoisseurs will love the Fort Wine Company, unique in that its wines are made mostly from the abundant cranberry bogs in the area. At harvest time, visitors can attend the Cranberry Festival and experience the entire harvesting process of cranberries right from the bogs.

Krause Berry Farms, also in Langley, offers shortcakes, pies, cakes and roasted corn pizza, all made in the farm kitchen from quality ingredients. There is also a restaurant and market which is choc full of original gifts for the home and garden

Heather Fair, one of the owners of Tuscan Farm Gardens, grows calendula, echinacea, lavender, and other native herbs which are incorporated into her distinct line of handmade Lavender Body Care products. The herb gardens are blended into the surrounding landscape, making for some stunning scenery.

Those who have a passion for gardening, whether it be herbs, flowers, or vegetables, can have a wander through the Kitchen Garden and enjoy the simple beauty of the farm house. There is also an Apothecary Shop.

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/tuscan_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/tuscan_medium-297x450.jpg" alt="Gift products from Tuscan Farm Gardens (Tourism Langley)" title="Gift products from Tuscan Farm Gardens (Tourism Langley)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-90816"/></a>
Gift products from Tuscan Farm Gardens (Tourism Langley)
“I want to share what I have, the experience—just share the fact that people can come here and listen to the birds,” says Fair. “I’m not trying to make it a tourist attraction. I want it to be really real.”

In Abbotsford there’s the Fraser Valley Trout Hatchery where both self-guided as well as guided tours are available. The trout hatchery offers educational programs and summer camps that are related to B.C.’s freshwater ecosystems.

The Fraser River Fishing Lodge and Resort in the Agassiz-Harrison Mills community has been featured in a BBC program and in the Wall Street Journal. If you like to fish this is the place to find quality fishing tackle. The resort also serves and sells organic bison meat, fresh pacific salmon, chicken, and steaks.

Chilliwack’s Greendale Pottery and Guest House is situated on a 14-acre farm with a showroom for unique and functional stoneware. Visitors can browse the studio, buy organic beef, and stay at a private country guest house.

To find out about other farms, events, and activities on the Circle Farm Tour, visit www.circlefarmtour.com .

Some other Destinations on the Circle Farm Tour:


Campbell’s Gold Honey Farm and Meadery
This country store and commercial meadery offer a wide variety of beehive products including honey wines, flavoured and natural source honeys, beeswax candles, tasty honey comb, soothing ointments, honey soaps and hand creams, and candle making workshops. Educational tours: “From the Hive to the Table” (www.bchoney.com)

Tulips of the Valley
Enjoy fresh cut greenhouse tulips daily January through Mothers Day. Specializing in Canadian-grown bulbs. Also available are local field strawberries June through September. ([email protected])

Rustic Soap Co.
This “countryside soap shack” specializes in natural herbal soap, bath and body care products, and soy candles. Original recipes are handmade on-site using pure essential oils, clays, grains, vegetable oils, and exotic butters. (www.rusticsoap.com)

Hopcott Premium Meats

A unique meat shop located on the Hopcott Family Farm. Hopcott Specialty Beef is guaranteed free of added hormones. Also available are local chicken, pork, smoked products, and local fruits and veggies. (www.hopcottmeats.ca)

Mission Springs Brewing Company

Mission Springs Brewing Company offers the entire family an action-packed day or evening highlighted by delicious food and drink. Tour the 10-barrel brewery and view a collection of classic automobile memorabilia “with stuff for every generation of car lover.” The covered patios of the restaurant and pub overlook a breathtaking view of the Fraser River. (www.missionspringsbrewingcompany.com)