road trip

Florida’s Short, Sweet Blueberry Season

Blueberries in Florida ripen in April and May, right after strawberry season.
By | July 07, 2021
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Blueberries in Starkey
Blueberries in Starkey Photo: Andrea Ragan

Florida farmers produce 10 to 12 million tons of the sweet, antioxidant-rich berry every year.

Springtime is ideal for picking blueberries during a weekend trip to some darling farming towns in central Florida. Northeast of Tampa, Plant City is famous for the Strawberry Festival every March, which is mainly a huge music event – although there are plenty of ways to sample strawberries: strawberry pizza, strawberry brisket tacos, strawberry Dole Whip and, of course, a strawberry shortcake-eating contest. Blueberry season is not so flashy, but there are lots of places to enjoy these sweet, juicy berries.

Start at Keel Farms, where you can pick blueberries, then enjoy a craft beer like their Roasted Jalapeño Blueberry Porter. You can also tour their winery and taste a dry blueberry wine along with bar food from their farmhouse kitchen. Sit on the huge porch surrounded by oak trees and blueberry bushes.

In Odessa, northwest of Plant City, find Starkey Blueberry Farm, grab a bucket and head to the u-pick bushes bursting with blueberries in April and May. The Starkey Market and Barn is a good stop for fresh smoothies, produce and baked goods. There’s a wine bar with local fish dip and dill pickle samplers. It’s popular with cyclists since there are loads of bike trails in this area.

Northeast on SR52, you’ll pass through Saint Leo and the verdant grounds of Saint Leo Abbey, a Benedictine monastery and university. Much of the stone used to build the Abbey during the Great Depression came from an Indiana monastery in exchange for Florida citrus grown in their groves. From here it’s a 10-minute drive to the charming town of Dade City.

Keel Farms
Keel Farms

Pioneer Life in Dade City

Founded over 135 years ago, Dade City’s small downtown is anchored by the Pasco County Courthouse and surrounded by antique stores and tea shops. The Farmhouse Market and Cafe offers a large selection of local produce, meats, kumquat products – Dade City is kumquat capital of Florida – and a small cafe. Steph’s Southern Soul Restaurant, a stellar cafeteria, serves up fried chicken, squash casserole, collard greens, black-eyed peas and too many desserts to choose from, so blueberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream was the way to go.

One of my favorite Florida museums is the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village in Dade City. Some highlights include the Lacoochee Schoolhouse, smelling of wood desks and chalk; the two-story Overstreet House, with kitchen artifacts and a fancy dining room; a citrus packing house; and a train depot with a1913 locomotive. The tool barn showcases wonderful inventions like an animal-powered butter churn – your dog runs on the conveyor belt and your butter gets churned, a fine purpose for any dog. The General Store has an eclectic display of goods, including one of the first slow-cookers. Annual events worth a visit include Civil War re-enactments and Seminole War  Living History Days, and Raising Cane in January, celebrating sugar cane syrup.

Old Schoolhouse at Pioneer Florida Museum and Village
Animal-powered butter churn at the Pioneer Florida Museum
Photo 1: Old Schoolhouse at Pioneer Florida Museum and Village
Photo 2: Animal-powered butter churn at the Pioneer Florida Museum

FIND OUT MORE

Blueberry U-Picks
blueberriesfromflorida.com
Call first to check on availability at u-picks.

Farmhouse Market and Cafe
myfarmhousemarket.com

Keel Farms
Keelfarms.com

Pasco County Tourism
flsportscoast.com

Pioneer Florida Museum and Village
pioneerfloridamuseum.org

Starkey Blueberry Farm
starkeyblueberryfarm.com

Steph’s Southern Soul Restaurant
stephssouthernsoul.com

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