Writer Lisa Truesdale got the chance to explore Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California and came away with a new appreciation for the region’s versatile fruit. She tells Real Food Travelers what to expect from the food when they go including which boysenberry-centric items to be sure to order.
Save this article to Pinterest to help you plan your own enjoyment of everything Boysenberry in Buena Park, California. Photos, except top left (courtesy of Canva.com) by Lisa Truesdale. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.
Where to Indulge in Everything Boysenberry in Buena Park, California
Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, hosts a huge boysenberry festival every spring, where you can taste and enjoy boysenberry everything—from pies, cookies, and pastries to cocktails, ribs, and even pizza. Luckily, this hybrid berry is celebrated all year long at Knott’s Berry Farm and nearby restaurants, so you don’t even have to wait for the festival to indulge in this fruit’s unique deliciousness.
What’s a boysenberry, anyway? It’s a cross between a red raspberry, a loganberry, and a blackberry, and it’s a vibrant dark purple color. This hybrid fruit was created in 1920 by a man named Rudolph Boysen, who partnered with his friends Walter and Cordelia Knott to grow the berries on the Knotts’ Buena Park farm. The berries were so popular at the farm’s roadside stand that Cordelia soon began making jams and jellies from them and serving them in her tearoom, which she opened in 1934. Before long, the tearoom expanded into a family restaurant serving fried chicken, biscuits, and boysenberry pie, and gradually, that turned into the huge theme park (California’s first) that people still flock to today.
Warm biscuits with boysenberry jam at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant.
A World of Boysenberry at Knott’s Berry Farm
Knott’s Berry Farm’s 160 acres are jam-packed with thrilling rides, entertaining shows, attractions, and cute shops in different themed areas including The Boardwalk, Ghost Town, and Camp Snoopy. Everywhere you look, there’s a restaurant, stand, or kiosk ready to serve up boysenberry delights, as well as other theme-park favorites like tacos, burgers, hot dogs, salads, fish and chips, and more.
Some of my favorites on my tour of the park included a boysenberry margarita from Cantina del Sur; a boysenberry CookieWich from Mix-It-Up Ice Cream Shop; and a boysenberry caramel from Ghost Town Candy. I was getting full, but I gave in and also sampled the boysenberry stuffed churro from the Gourmet Churro Factory; the boysenberry cream soda from Calico Saloon; and the boysenberry funnel cake from Cable Car Kitchen.
Boysenberry stuffed churro rolled in cinnamon from the Gourmet Churro Shop.
Don’t miss Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant, right outside the park’s main entrance. Now in its 90th year, this is the concept that began as Mrs. Knott’s tearoom and grew to be one of the largest restaurants in the state. The fried chicken (delish!) is still made using Mrs. Knott’s original recipe, and the dinner portion comes with so many sides, I didn’t think I’d eat again for days. Of course, the menu features boysenberry-infused choices, too, like meatballs slathered in boysenberry BBQ sauce, boysenberry pie, boysenberry sherbet, and boysenberry mac and cheese (sounds weird but it’s awesome!). Specialty cocktails include a boysenberry lemon drop martini and a boysenberry mojito.
Garden salad with fresh fruit and boysenberry vinaigrette at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant in Buena Park.
Back at my hotel that evening, I learned from the bartender that I missed one of the most unique boysenberry offerings in the park: pizza made with boysenberry BBQ sauce. Not to worry, though; the Knott’s Hotel’s restaurant, Thirty Acres Kitchen, has their own version of that pizza, with chicken, battered onion straws, and bacon, plus lots of sweet and tangy boysenberry BBQ sauce. The menu also features chicken wings served with boysenberry chipotle BBQ sauce; a salad featuring chicken dressed with boysenberry BBQ sauce; and a wide array of creative boysenberry cocktails.
The Knott’s Hotel is conveniently located just steps from the park, making it the perfect retreat for families wanting to spend multiple days exploring all that the park has to offer. The property was completely renovated a few years ago and offers fresh, clean, comfortable rooms with a “country-chic” aesthetic.
Hungry for more? Make these Olalliberry Bars from Cambria, CA.
Where Else to Indulge in Buena Park Boysenberries
Porto’s Bakery and Café is an institution in Southern California, with six locations including their largest one, just a mile and a half from Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park.
This huge bakery—a whopping 24,000 square feet—is like a theme park in itself, with multiple counters throughout the massive space, including a coffee shop, a counter for fresh bread, and the longest bakery case I’ve ever seen. My head was swimming at all the boysenberry choices in that case—tarts, pies, cakes, cookies, muffins, strudels, coffee cakes, croissants—and amazingly, they’re all baked fresh daily. You can even watch many of them being made!
If you want a break from boysenberries, Porto’s has just about every other sweet treat you can imagine, like strawberry shortcakes, cinnamon rolls, cute little single-serve portions of caramel flan or tiramisu, and their always-popular guava strudel.
On the savory side, there are dozens of choices at Porto’s, including breakfast empanadas, pork tamales, cheese rolls, Potato Balls®, ham and cheese croissants, Cuban sandwiches, and my favorite taste of all, sweet corn croquettes.
Enjoy Boysenberry Treats at Home
If you don’t quite get your boysenberry fill during your trip to Buena Park, multiple shops in the theme park, and the Berry Place gift shop at the hotel, carry premade boysenberry treats that pack up easily, or baking mixes for preparing your own at home. Don’t make the same mistake I did—I grabbed a quick bread mix and forgot to get the boysenberries to go with it. Luckily, Knott’s sells many of their most popular items on their website, where I also couldn’t resist ordering some boysenberry coffee, boysenberry vinaigrette, boysenberry tomato jam, and boysenberry twists (they look like licorice sticks).
Also, Porto’s sells “Bake at Home” pastries, both sweet and savory, that you can order on their website and have shipped directly to you.
Hungry for more? Make this easy recipe for Raspberry Caviar.
BONUS: 8 Tasty Ways to Use Boysenberry Preserves
Jazz Up Bottled Barbecue Sauce. Mix a spoonful of boysenberry jam into store-bought barbecue sauce, then simmer gently to meld the flavors. This will add a subtle fruity flavor to pork and chicken dishes.
Make 3-ingredient vinaigrette. Combine ¼ cup white wine or rice vinegar, 1/3 cup olive oil, and 1 tablespoon boysenberry jam (or a bit more, to taste). Whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Store in a lidded jar or glass cruet.
Brighten Up Your Charcuterie Board. Sweet condiments like fruit preserves not only add color and variety to a cheese platter but also complement the taste of the cheese.
Add Flavor to Oatmeal. Stir a couple tablespoons of preserves into your freshly cooked oatmeal for a burst of flavor.
Make Yogurt Parfaits. In a clear glass, layer yogurt, preserves, yogurt, and preserves, then top with fresh fruit and a sprinkling of granola. (These parfaits are especially tasty with lemon yogurt.)
Heat ‘em Up. Warm preserves gently in the microwave, then pour over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a stack of pancakes, or a slice of cake or cheesecake.
Slather Your Bread. You’ll love boysenberry preserves on your morning toast or biscuit, of course, but if you really want to get creative, make a grilled cheese with preserves, cheese, and ham or prosciutto. Experiment with different varieties of cheese to find out which makes the tastiest combo.
Enhance Your Smoothie. Preserves and jams are great additions to smoothies (and milkshakes), especially when you don’t have enough fresh or frozen fruit on hand.
To learn more about Buena Park, California, check out their visitors website.
-Story and photos, except where noted, by Lisa Truesdale
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