Blueberry U-Pick Orchards in Desoto and Hardee counties, west 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.

Desoto County

• A.L.L. Blueberries, LLC - blueberries, porta-potties are available
  3151 Sw Gator Trail, Arcadia, FL 34266. Phone: (863) 993-3686. Email: allblueberries2012@yahoo.com. Open: During the off - season, we open our field as the blueberries are become ready; Please see our Facebook page for more details; Our regular harvest time is mid - April through the end of May. Directions: Hwy 72 to Gator Trail. Two miles to field on right. For a map to our farm, . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. . Alternate Phone: (863) 990-1739. . (UPDATED: October 05, 2016) (UPDATED: May 30, 2016)(UPDATED: April 28, 2016) (ADDED: April 26, 2015)
• Circle C Farm - blueberries,
  880 North Johnson Ave, Arcadia, FL 34266. Phone: 239-908-8589. Email: karenknotek@att.net. Open: 8am till 4pm, Monday thru Sunday, Usually weekends from late though mid-May. Directions: cross street highway 17 and west Gibson, Arcadia FL. For a map to our farm, . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . Alternate Phone: 239-248-9254. . (UPDATED: May 27, 2016) (ADDED: May 14, 2016)
• English Lake Farm - May, June; Blueberries - April, May, June; Persimmons - July, August; Citrus - November, December, Jan., Feb; Honeybells, Meyer Lemons,Ruby Red Grapefruit, Tangerines, Tangelos; Avocados - July, August.
  7288 South West Lime Drive, Fort Ogden, FL 34267. Phone: 863-990-6164. Email: Englishlakefarm@aol.com. Open: Monday to Thursday, from 9am to 5pm; Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 8am to 5pm. Directions: Call for detailed directions to the farm. Off of Highway 17, halfway between Punta Gorda and Arcadia; located in SW Florida in Ft. Ogden, off of Highway 17, halfway between Arcadia and Punta Gorda. Look for the little Post Office. For a map to our farm, . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Alternate Phone: 863-494-0911. . Blueberries are available March 15th until June. It looks like this year's crop will be a great one and the peaches are also on the way to getting ripe. Come on out while the weather is still not too hot. We're looking forward to seeing all our old friends and to making a lot more! We also have a limited supply of raw Orange Blossom Honey as well as a selection of jams and jellies. We have for U-Pick: Peaches
  Comments from a visitor on September 16, 2010: "I went there this summer on several occasions and even brought along a gaggle of friends, to pick the most delicious and BIG blueberries!! Farmer Walter and his lovely wife are still there. Additional veggies available in smaller quantities, just call and ask. SPOKE WITH WALTER TODAY: The next crop will be CITRUS (HONEYBELLS, MYER LEMONS, ETC) starting Dec.2010. Walter also grows lots of fun things like apples, watermelons, avocado, persimmon, peaches and sells trees too, during the season. Very close to Punta Gorda / Pt Charlotte. "
• Ryder Berries, LLC - blueberries, U-pick and already picked
  2490 Sw Gator Trail, Arcadia, FL 34266. Phone: (863) 990-7671. Email: ryderberries@comcast.net. Open: Saturday and Sunday, from 8 am to 8 pm beginning May 6, 2017 until the end of the season. Directions: From Arcadia: Highway 72 W to Horse Creek Bridge. Turn left on Gator Trail and go 1 12 miles to 2490 SW Gator Trail, Arcadia, FL. From Pt. Charlotte: Kings Highway to highway 72, turn left, then turn left on Gator Trail and go 1 12 miles to 2490 SW Gator Trail, Arcadia. From Sarasota: Highway 72 \(Clarke Road\) to three miles inside Desoto County Line. Just before Horse Creek bridge, turn right on Gator Trail and go 1 12 miles to 2490 SW Gator Trail, Arcadia. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. . Alternate Phone: (863) 990-1586. Fax: 9412967877. . From Arcadia: Highway 72 W to Horse Creek Bridge. Turn left on Gator Trail and go 1 1/2 miles to 2490 SW Gator Trail, Arcadia, FL. From Pt. Charlotte: Kings Highway to highway 72, turn left, then turn left on Gator Trail and go 1 1/2 miles to 2490 SW Gator Trail, Arcadia. From Sarasota: Highway 72 (Clarke Road) to three miles inside Desoto County Line. Just before Horse Creek bridge, turn right on Gator Trail and go 1 1/2 miles to 2490 SW Gator Trail, Arcadia. (ADDED: May 05, 2016)

Hardee County

• Jack Green Farms - blueberries
  1250 Broadus Williams Road, Zolfo Springs, FL 33890. Phone: (863) 375-4901. Open: Monday to Sunday, 7 am to 7 pm Payment: Cash, Check. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Click here for a map to our farm. Crops are usually available in May. (UPDATED: April 20, 2015, JBSFDACS)

 

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.

Click here to find a local Blueberry Festival (usually held between April and July).

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.

• It takes about 4 cups (about of blueberries to make a blueberry pie (see this fantastic and easy blueberry pie recipe)

• A normal batch of blueberry preserves, jam or jelly requires 5 pints of berries.

• Blueberries do come in a variety of sizes from small (190-250 berries per cup) to extra large (<90 berries per cup).

Blueberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Blueberries

Recipes

• The world's best Blueberry pie, recipe and directions and illustrated!
• Blueberry buckle coffee cake: illustrated directions for this great crumb-topping blueberry coffee cake
• Other easy directions to make blueberry desserts: cobblers, etc.

Canning, freezing and other blueberry recipes:

• How to Freeze Blueberries
• How to Can Blueberries
• How to Make Homemade Blueberry Jam
• How to make blueberry jelly
• How to make and can blueberry syrup (it works for strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, too)
• blueberry pie filling to use later,
• blueberry butter

Baking tips

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!

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers