Hillsta Farm Shop, Gårdsbutik, Västerljung, Sweden

Hillsta, Västerljung – Picking Strawberries and Potatoes

Summer in Sweden has two major attractions – nature and strawberries. At Hillsta, a place between Vagnhärad and Västerljung in Swedish Södermanland, we were able to combine these two treats. We spent a fine Friday afternoon picking strawberries with fields and forests in the background. Actually, we also had the chance to pick some potatoes as well.


Hillsta Farm Shop

Hillsta is a family business that has been around since 1954. The farm produces different types of vegetables, all depending on the season. These can either be purchased in the farm shop at the site or at a few different markets in the region. At certain times of the year, guests can visit and pick their own strawberries and potatoes.


Picking Strawberries

Little A really likes picking berries. She likes all kinds, but strawberries are definitely one of her favorites. The biggest challenge when entering the large field with the strawberry plants was not going to be to fill the one-liter boxes. It was, of course, preventing Little A from eating all the berries.

The lanes of strawberry plants closest to the shop were already quite empty with very few berries left. But once we got a bit further away we managed to fill a box without the need to move to a new spot. The berries were in perfect condition with very few that had gone bad. But it was also obvious that it was the end of the strawberry season as almost all the berries were bright red. In other words, they were the very same color as Little A’s mouth soon after a few strawberries.

We paid per liter picked, with a lot of trust given to the visitor to be honest. That is actually one of the charms of the Swedish countryside – there is still trust!


Picking Potatoes

After the strawberries, it was time to pick some potatoes for tonight’s dinner. Tools were readily available at the field and digging for the potatoes was easy. It didn’t take long to fill the bag and payment was per kilo. We paid for them in the shop. Little A really enjoyed picking up the potatoes that we unearthed.


Visiting Hillsta

Hillsta is located on the outskirts of Västerljung and right outside of Vagnhärad. It is also easily accessible from Trosa.

Find out more at Hillsta’s homepage (in Swedish) >>


No, we have not written this post in collaboration with Hillsta. It is our way of showing appreciation of the nice activities available around us. Our connection with Hillsta is mainly based on family friendship, with my grandfather being a regular coffee visitor to the owner.

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