Spring is the peak time for strawberries. Tony's Farm, one of the largest organic farms in Shanghai, is offering organic "red cheek" strawberries that visitors can pick themselves at the farm.

The species from Japan is named for its lovely red color, like the red cheek of a young girl. Tony's strawberries are touted as safe enough to eat directly without being washed, which means you can try a few when picking them in the fields.

You can tell how natural the environment is when you see bees flying around inside the shed. However, be careful when the beekeeper appears with a big case - she is going to let the bees out.

You can also tour the farm after harvesting your strawberries.

The farm's owner, Zhang Tonggui, once owned a popular restaurant chain featuring Sichuan cuisine.

Six years ago, he gave up his business and started to cultivate the first piece of land in Datuan town in the Pudong area - eager to grow healthy vegetables for the people in the city.

It took three years to cultivate an unpolluted soil plot. More than 60 million yuan ($9.5m) has been spent in improving the rivers around the farm and the water used to irrigate the vegetables, so that the farm can have an independent water circulation system.

A large number of trees are grown around the farm to purify the air.

In the showroom of the farm, you can see how the organic system works.

You can also try the farm's organic vegetable hotpot in the villa restaurant. More than 10 vegetables and beef from Yunnan province are served in a small pot of chicken soup.

The admission for strawberry-picking is 20 yuan per person and children under 1.3 meters can enter for free. Strawberries are priced at 40 yuan for 500 grams. Customers who pick more than four kilograms enjoy a 25 percent discount.

yangyijun@chinadaily.com.cn