2024 Orlando and Orange County, Florida Blueberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org
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Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in Orlando and Orange County, Florida in 2024, by county
Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for blueberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have blueberries orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!
Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!
PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.
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Orange County
Beck Brother's Blueberries - blueberries, U-pick and already-picked 12500 Overstreet Rd, Windermere, FL 34786. Phone: 407-656-5344. Email: beckblueberries11@gmail.com. Open: 7 days a week, from 9 am to 5 pm, from April 9th to late May depending on the berries; We only accept cash. Directions: Overstreet Road is about 8 miles South of highway 50 on CR 535 in Winter Garden or about 12 miles North of the intersection of I-4 and CR 535. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Beck Brother's Blueberries . (UPDATED: October 14, 2019, JBS)
Lavoie Farm - No pesticides are used, blueberries, strawberries, U-pick and already picked, porta-potties are available 1119 Sunflower Trail, Orlando, FL 32828. Phone: 407-683-7053. Email: Lavoiestrawberries@gmail.com. Open: Directions: For a map to our farm, click here. Directions: For a map to our farm, . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . We are your local hydroponic strawberry farm and blueberry farm . We use all natural and organic methods to produce our crops. We plan on having more vegetables to come in the future as well as Raw honey . Support your local farmer as we grow. Know what your eating is pesticide free. (ADDED: October 07, 2016)
Southern Hill Farms - blueberries, strawberries, peaches, flowers: zinnias, sunflowers 16651 Schofield Road, Clermont, FL 34714. Phone: 407-619-2846. Email: brooke@southernhillfarms.com. Open: 7 days a week, from 9 aam to 4 pm, during the months of April and May, through May 25. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: cash, Visa and MasterCard. Southern Hill Farms Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 321-239-3137. . We planted our first crop of blueberries in 2010 and currently have 40 acres of blueberry bushes on our 120 acre farm. We welcome guests to our family friendly blueberry u-pick farm when the blueberries are ready to be harvested at the peak of their ripeness, usually during the months of April and May. The blueberry u-pick and store will be open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am to 4 pm. Just the blueberry u-pick will be open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. The price in 2015 is $4/lb, and there is no entry or parking fee. We have raw honey, blueberry sauce, t-shirts and hats, as well as other items available for purchase in our store. Blueberry U-Pick is the perfect location in the Orlando area to bring your family and friends for a day of outdoor activity and fun. Admission and parking are free, and there is never an 'all you can eat' fee. We will provide you with all of the necessary equipment for picking once you arrive, including plastic one gallon buckets and clamshells to take your blueberries home in. Our blueberry bushes and rows are very well maintained, making it easy to access the fruit. They are also stroller accessible. The start of the blueberry u-pick season in Central Florida typically begins in mid-April, usually lasting about 6 weeks, ending in May, when the berries are at their ripest. We will begin offering updates on starting dates and times for the blueberry u-pick before the harvesting season begins in the spring on our website, as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages. Please check back regularly on our website or give us a call when planning a visit to our farm for the most current information regarding dates, times and weather alerts for the u-pick. Blueberry u-pick at in Clermont, FL. 2021 pricing: U-pick blueberries are $5/lb, Sunflower u-pick at in Clermont, FL. Sunflower field pass - $5 ages 10+, $2 ages 3 to 9. U-pick sunflowers - $2/flower. Peach u-pick is usually Mid-April through May. Zinnia u-pick is in the Spring and fall. Strawberries are December through March.
Tom West Blueberries - blueberries, U-pick and already picked, porta-potties are available, picnic area, school tours 324 E. Orlando Avenue, Ocoee, FL 34761. Phone: 407-656-3223. Email: info@tomwestblueberries.com. Open: 7 days a week, 9 am to 5 pm starting in April to early June depending on the supply of berries; See our website for current days and times. Directions: We are located downtown Ocoee behind the Ocoee Elementary School and we are 5 minutes from highway 50. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. Tom West Blueberries Facebook page.
. Alternate Phone: 321-246-2994. Fax: 407-656-1549. . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. On Saturdays and Sunday we will have free boat rides
during our season. We will provide you with the buckets to pick along with free packaging. You may use our wagons for the kids to ride along through our
spacious rows. If when you get ready to leave you may also purchase local honey, jams and t-shirts.
Blueberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information
Blueberries are one of the easiest fruit to prepare and serve.
There's no peeling, pitting, coring or cutting. They have few natural pests,
(other than birds), so pesticides are generally unnecessary! This year's crop is
fantastic (see
related news story), thanks both to the weather and to
more farms planting more blueberry bushes due to increased consumer demand
over the past few years as more studies proclaim the anti-oxidant and other
health properties of blueberries.
If you are looking for information about a similar
berry, the saskatoon (also called the June berry or Serviceberry)
see this page about
saskatoons.
Picking
tips:
Select plump, full blueberries with a light gray-blue color. A berry with any
hint of red isn't fully ripened.
Ripening AFTER picking?
First, it is key to know that once picked, blueberries will NOT become any sweeter, nor will the flavor improve. The only change that occurs
is the color. They will APPEAR to ripen, but it is only a color change, from white to green to rose to red to pale blue to fully blue. So, white and green colored blueberries will not
"ripen" after they are picked; while blueberries that have already turned purple,
red or blue-ish usually DO change color after they are picked (if they are kept at room
temperature to "ripen").
As the blueberries ripen ON THE BUSH, the flavor goes from tastless to bitter to tasteless tart to tart blueberry flavor to sweet blueberry flavor.
Grocery stores sell blueberries that are tart, not sweet because they had them picked unripe by machine so they are very firm and can handled being
bumped around in shipping. They may look good, but are not as tasty as those picked when actually ripe.
So, the key is, PICK ONLY RIPE BERRIES!
How to pick blueberries
Since blueberries hang on the bushes in bunches a but like
grapes do, the easiest and fastest way to pick them is hold your bucket under
them in one hand and with your other hand, cup a ripe bunch and gently rub them
with your fingers. The ripe berries will drop into your bucket, while the
unripe ones will remain attached to the bush.
When the bushes are at peak, I can easily pick 2 gallons per
hour (if I'm not being distracted by the kids and the sun isn't too hot!).
A newbie might do 1 gallon per hour.and at the beginning or end of the season it
takes more time as the berries are not as plentiful nor concentrated
in clusters.
Tips for storing blueberries after harvesting:
Once picked, don't place the berries, still warm from the sun, in a
closed bag or container. Leave the container open so moisture doesn't form
in the container.
Don't wash berries until just before using, to prevent berries from
becoming mushy.
Chill berries soon after picking to increase shelf life. Store
your fresh blueberries in the refrigerator as soon as you get them home,
without washing them, in a covered bowl or storage container. If
refrigerated, fresh-picked blueberries will keep 10 to 14 days.
Freeze berries in freezer containers without washing to keep
the skins from toughening. Place berries one layer deep. Freeze,
then pour the frozen berries into freezer containers. Because unwashed
blueberries freeze individually, they can be easily poured from containers
in desired amounts. Remember both frozen and fresh berries should be
rinsed and drained just before serving. Just before using, wash the berries
in cold water.
Blueberry Measurements and Conversions
Keep in mind that blueberries vary considerably in density and moisture
content, so these ranges are approximates.
1 gallon of blueberries weighs about 7.5 lbs or (4
liters of blueberries is about 3.5 kg)
1 pint of fresh blueberries weights about 3/4 of a pound. (1
liter of blueberries is about 700 grams)
1 pound of fresh blueberries is usually between about 2 and
3 cups
of berries.
If you have trouble with blueberries settling to the bottom of muffins and
blueberry breads, try one or more of these tips:
Coat them with flour before adding to the batter. Just gently shake the
blueberries in a bag (plastic or paper) with 1/2 cup of flour, then dump
them mix in a sieve to remove excess flour.
It may just be that your batter is too thin. try making the batter a
little thicker!
Fill the muffin cups or baking pan up to 1/4 full with batter (which
hasn't had blueberries added to it yet); then stir the blueberries into the
remaining batter, and continue to fill the muffin cups or bread pan. The
blueberries will start off higher in the mix!