Knott’s brings back its Boysenberry Festival

By Patty Marsters

pattym@lwsb.com

Though it has yet to set an official reopening date, Knott’s Berry Farm has offered locals the chance to experience its delicious seasonal delicacies. And there is no greater local delicacy than the boysenberry.

The definitive origins of the boysenberry have remained a mystery, but most people trace it back to Rudolph Boysen, a farmer in Anaheim. According to Knott’s history, the experimental hybrid of the loganberry, red raspberry and blackberry were wilting on the vine until Walter Knott transplanted the plant to his Buena Park farm, where he and his wife, Cordelia, nurtured what we now call the boysenberry.

As a means of staving off Depression hardships, Cordelia began selling jams and jellies made from the berries in 1932, and soon there was a small restaurant that was famous for its fried chicken and boysenberry pies.

More recently—the spring of 2014—Knott’s Berry Farm has held a tribute to the fragile berry with its Boysenberry Festival, offering both sweet and savory concoctions. While the hoopla of the amusement park is silent this year, there are more than 80 treats to sample.

As you walk through the park, you’ll find unique bites in every corner. Among the savory items are boysenberry barbecue carne asada pizza, boysenberry brisket tater tots topped with crispy jalapeño chips and a boysenberry aioli, mac-and-cheese bites over tater tots with a boysenberry Siracha ketchup, pork bao buns with a boysenberry kimchi and nam pla, Beyond Meatballs with a boysenberry barbecue sauce over cauliflower cilantro rice, boysenberry barbecue brisket mac and cheese, boysenberry beef stew over Spanish rice, apple-and-chicken sausage with boysenberry mustard on a boysenberry bun, elote with boysenberry mayo and cotija cheese, pastrami sandwich on a pretzel bun with provolone cheese and boysenberry mustard, Thai green curry and veggies in a spicy noodle bowl with a boysenberry drizzle, açai bowl with boysenberries, turkey sandwich on a Hawaiian bun with brie cheese and a boysenberry-cranberry relish, cheeseburger with a boysenberryonion spread on a brioche bun, veggie sliders on a pretzel bun with a boysenberry aioli, boysenberry barbecue meatloaf, boysenberry balsamic Brussels sprouts, boysenberry-flavored shrimp and grits, salmon and orzo salad with boysenberries, boysenberry-barbecue- glazed wings, Philly cheese fries with a boysenberry-onion topping, boysenberry queso dip, Mexican street corn chowder with boysenberry tortilla strips, etouffee with shrimp and boysenberry sausage over rice, shrimp taco with boysenberry salsa, boysenberry shrimp ceviche, chef ’s special tamale with a boysenberry roja sauce, popcorn with a boysenberry butter, veggie chili with boysenberry cilantro lime cauliflower rice, boysenberry mashed potato bowl with grilled chicken or tofu and corn, chicken tenders sandwich with a boysenberry mayo on a brioche bun, and chicken tenders with a boysenberry aioli.

On the sweeter side, there’s boysenberry pie with whipped cream, boysenberry cake with boysenberry cream cheese icing, boysenberry crisp with vanilla ice cream, boysenberry macaron, boysenberry bread pudding with a crème anglaise, vegan boysenberry lemon and almond loaf, funnel cake with boysenberry ice cream and a lemon drizzle, red raspberry cheesecake with whipped cream and a boysen- berry drizzle, Fun Bun with a boysenberry glaze, boysenberry Dippin’ Dots, boysenberry key lime tart, “Hint of Lemon” churro bites or funnel fries with a boysenberry-and-chocolate dipping sauce, boysenberry and white chocolate chip cookie sandwich filled with vanilla soft serve, boysenberry ice cream float with boysenberry ice cream, red concha stuffed with boysenberry ice cream, and boysenberry thumbprint cookies.

Wash it all down with a boysenberry and basil lemonade, boysenberry aqua fresca, boysenberry smoothie, boysenberry ICEE float made with vanilla soft serve, or boysenberry milk tea with popping pearls. Or, for a more adult beverage, try a boysenberry iced Irish cream coffee, boysenberry Cosmopolitan, boysenberry wine, boysenberry sangria, boysenberry slushy Sangria, frozen boysenberry mai tai, or Champagne and boysenberry soft serve ice cream float.

There’s even boysenberrythemed merchandise from more than 20 local crafters.

Knott’s Taste of Boysenberry Festival runs through May 2. Masks and special tasting cards are required for entry. Regular tasting cards cost $45 (plus tax) and include five food tastings. The cards are date-specific and must be purchased online prior to the date of visit. You can view the calendar of available days and hours and purchase the cards at www.knotts.com/events/taste-ofboysenberry- festival.

Churros with a boysenberry dipping sauce? Yes, please.