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  • By AAA Staff
  • March 19, 2018

Knott's Berry Farm's delicious Boysenberry Festival is in full swing through April 8

All boysenberries in the world can trace their roots back to Knott’s Berry Farm. In 1920, Walter and Cordelia Knott moved to Buena Park to farm 20 acres of land and sell the first ever boysenberry—their own cross between a loganberry, red raspberry, and blackberry. The fruit is named after its originator, Rudolph Boysen.

Young ones growing up near the attraction understandably can’t picture it as anything besides a magnificent theme park full of thrill rides and the Peanuts gang. The farm, however, is the foundation of the park. And the annual Boysenberry Festival—happening this year from March 16 to April 8—provides the perfect opportunity to merge the delicious history of the farm with its family-friendly modern identity.

Already ready to visit the Boysenberry Festival? AAA members can get up to $33 off regular admission when they purchase their tickets online or at a AAA branch, or receive 30 percent off admission at the gate with their AAA membership card.

New boysenberry food & drinks
 
Knott's is constantly innovating in the field of boysenberry-fication; these are the new frontiers it's brought the fruit to this year.

Sweet boysenberry treats

This year features two impressive newcomers to the festival's already-bursting ranks of sweet and tart desserts. Boysenberry-flavored Jelly Belly beans are perfect for snacking while strolling around the park, and they're exclusive to Knott's Berry Farm.

 

Also debuting are bite-sized boysenberry coconut macaroons. Dipped in chocolate ganache, these hearty confections deliver tons of flavor without requiring members to have tons of space in their stomachs—perfect for saving room to try other items.

Savory boysenberry dishes

The bulk of this year's new offerings are of the savory variety. Perhaps the most eye-catching is the boysenberry cheese quesadilla, which not only comes with boysenberry salsa and boysenberry sour cream, but also uses bright purple boysenberry-infused tortillas. Two other new vegetarian options are the grilled pita with boysenberry hummus, and the boysenberry elote, a grilled corn-on-the-cob with boysenberry toppings.

 

For meat-lovers, Knott's has introduced the boysenberry sausage, which can be dressed with boysenberry ketchup, mustard, and relish. There's also the 2-foot-long hot dog on a boysenberry bun, a meal best tackled with a partner, and boysenberry pierogi topped with onion, bacon, and boysenberry sour cream.

Boysenberry drinks

Boba tea, with its chewy tapioca balls, has been popular in California for a while now, and  Knott's has put a spin on the thick-strawed beverage with its boysenberry boba tea, made with boysenberry milk tea and boysenberry-soaked tapioca served over ice. 

 

Festivals past have featured boysenberry concentrate for guests to take home and make their own boysenberry punch. This year, there's a new low-calorie, sugar-free version of the concentrate. 

Classic boysenberry favorites
 
Trying new things is great, but so is reuniting with old favorites. Here are the eats making a return to the festival.

Sweet boysenberry classics

It simply couldn't be the Boysenberry Festival without boysenberry pie and boysenberry tarts, which are back. The boysenberry cookiewich also makes its return, packing ice cream between two enormous chocolate chip cookies. 

 

Two less conventional but no-less beloved returning stalwarts are the Fun Bun and the Fun Stick. The Fun Bun's name is an understatement: It's a cinnamon bun deep-fried in funnel cake batter and topped with boysenberry icing. Joining it in the deep fryer is the Fun Stick, a slice of boysenberry cheesecake inside fried funnel cake, also with boysenberry icing. 

Savory boysenberry favorites

The festival's savory offerings are usually a little more "out there" than the desserts, but many have become time-tested favorites. Good examples include the boysenberry chicken wings, whose barbecue sauce leverages the berries' tangy side; and the fried alligator with boysenberry aioli, which is intriguing even before the aioli comes into the picture. (For the record, alligator tastes like chicken but flakes like fried fish.)

 

If the chicken wings get members into a barbecue-hungry mood, check out the boysenberry short ribs, marinated in boysenberry hoisin sauce and served with basmati rice and green onions.

Boysenberry libations

Boysenberry eats call for boysenberry drinks to wash them down. For adults, Knott's offers tangy boysenberry beer and boysenberry hard cider on draft. AAA reminds members that if they’re planning to drink, they should be responsible and choose a designated driver ahead of time.

 

For those too young to imbibe, or those wisely abstaining so they can drive safely, there are a number of other boysenberry-infused options, with boysenberry lemonade and boysenberry punch being perhaps the most popular. (Like the punch? Make sure to buy some of the take-home concentrate.)

Simplify your boysenberry tour with a Food Tasting Card

Guests are free to explore and sample everything a la carte, but they can save money and make sure they don't miss any of the highlights with a Food Tasting Card. For $30, each card gives the bearer eight items to enjoy from the following list: boysenberry short ribs, boysenberry pierogies, boysenberry cheese quesadilla, boysenberry elote, boysenberry coconut macaroon, boysenberry hummus with grilled pita, boysenberry sausage on a bun, and boysenberry chicken wings. Visitors can get one of each item, or mix-and-match up to eight tastings. The cards can be purchased around the park at various eatieries.

Buy Knott's Berry Farm tickets through AAA for a sweet deal

The Boysenberry Festival offers a lot more to explore than food. Entertainment includes the Snoopy’s Boysenberry Jamboree musical revue, a chance for your young ones to interact with characters at the Calico Main Stage. The petting zoo at Old MacDonald’s Farm is a perfect way to see the farm’s roots. And don’t miss the Old Time Melodrama, America’s longest-running melodrama.

 

AAA members get up to $33 off regular admission when they buy tickets online or at a AAA branch, or 30 percent off admission at the gate with their AAA membership card. The festival runs March 16 through April 8.

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