This month's notes: February 2012: Winter is upon us, but don't despair! Strawberry and citrus picking actually begins in Florida, southern Texas and southern Californiaa in December. And for the rest of us; there are many delicious jams, jellies, and marmalades that you can make for yourself or as gifts, from frozen or fresh fruit.  See this page for hundreds of easy canning and freezing instructions/recipes, canning equipment guide! Also make your own ice cream - see How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals. Then see each state's crop availability calendar for more specific dates of upcoming crops. Organic farms are identified in green!  See our guide to local fruit and vegetable festivals!. Please tell the farms you found them here - and ask them to update their information!!

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Florida Fruit and Vegetable Festivals

Florida Fruit and Vegetable Festivals

This page lists all of the fruit and vegetable festivals in Florida. Links are provided to each festival's website, so you can confirm this year's date, times and events. Just click on the blue, underlined name of the festival. IUf you know of a festival we've missed, please click here to let me know about it!

January

  • Florida Citrus Festival - Late January every year.
    Winter Haven, FL (Central Florida).  This long time festival was started back in 1924. They have with beauty pageants, karaoke, grapefruit packing competition and parade.
  • Kumquat Festival - Mid to late January
    Dade City, FL.  (Central Florida).  Phone: (352) 567-3769. Florida's furry citrus have their own festival with a cook-off, antique car rally and farmers market. The Kumquat Festival is a day of outdoor community fun with live music, food booths, shopping and plenty to keep the whole family busy. The festival unfolds in the heart of historic Dade City and each year it gets bigger and better!  Some festivities include a farmer’s market, wagon rides, antique cars and tractors, tasty kumquat dishes and craft shows. As many as 40,000 people attend our event every year, with over 350 vendors participating, filling our historic Downtown core. Here, visitors can enjoy all kinds of tasty kumquat treats, from kumquat pie to kumquat cookies, smoothies, ice cream, marmalade, and even kumquat salsa.

February

  • Delray Beach Garlic Festival - Friday, Saturday and Sunday, in February every year
    Admission Fee (in 2007): $8 ($1 of every ticket purchased goes to Project Thanksgiving)
    The Delray Beach Garlic Fest continues to offer Florida garlic fans the opportunity to celebrate the most widely used and loved food in the world ...GARLIC. This year the Delray Beach Garlic Fest continues its' tradition of bringing some of the greatest national act entertainment to downtown Delray Beach. Note: the 2007 Delray Beach Garlic Fest is typically held in mid-February.

March

  • Florida Strawberry Festival - March, check their website for this year's dates.
    Plant City, FL. (Central Florida). Whatever your interests, we have it all. All manner of strawberries, cotton candy and strawberry shortcake are served! Exhibits of agriculture, commerce, industry, livestock, fine arts, horticulture, and crafts await you. The fabric of American life is woven into this Florida Strawberry Festival® through ethnic traditions, social events, competitive contests, youth developmental programs, top-name entertainment, parades with scores of glorious floats, and high-stepping marching bands moving to the musical beat. The Florida Strawberry Festival® is also a community fair. Click here for directions. Discover the greatness of this land we live in by attending an American tradition–the community fair.

May

  • Bostwick Blueberry Festival - See their website for most current dates; Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 8 am - 4 pm
    Bostwick Community Center Bostwick Public Library 125 Tillman Street, Bostwick, FL 32007. Phone: 904-268-3346. Directions: Off US Highway 17, 7 miles north of Palatka. It is held at the Bostwick Community Center in Bostwick, Florida, 125 Tillman Street. And for a map to our farm, click here. Crops are usually available in May. Open: Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 8 am - 4 pm. Payment: Blueberry pancake breakfast served from 8 am to noon (5.00), arts and crafts, country store, fresh blueberries, homemade blueberry pies and other blueberry baked goods for sale, plants for sale, library book fair, continuous entertainment, refreshments and snacks. Click here for our Facebook page.  (UPDATED: September 15, 2011)
  • Keel & Curley Winery Annual Blueberry Festival - May 15th & 16th, 2010
    5210 W. Thonotosassa Road, Plant City, FL 33565. Phone: 813-752-9100. Fax: 813-752-9199. Email: cconnolly@keelandcurleywinery.com. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. Note: this is a business-operated festival, not a community/volunteer run festival. They are charging $5 for parking this year  (2011).
    A visitor writes on May 03, 2010: "The winery has a blueberry festival this weekend. They have u-pick blueberries and blueberry wine among other wines. Place for the kids and craft stuff."
  • Pasco County Blueberry Festival - Blueberry Jerry Jamboree - May 13, 2011 to May 15, 2011
    Alric Pottberg Road, Hudson, FL 34610. Directions: At the Concourse entrance off of SR 52 in Hudson between Hays Rd & the Veterans Expressway (safety town entrance). Featuring lots of Blueberry Goodies, Vendors, Food, Entertainment, a Kids Fun Zone w/ Bounce Houses & Games, etc... Lots of fun for everyone! Vendors or Sponsors: Please contact jandbshort@yahoo.com or speak2600@verizon.net.
    (ADDED: March 22, 2011)
  • Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival - late May - check their website. Gates open at 11am - 10pm.
    4253 W Ponkan Road, Zellwood, FL 32798. Phone: 407-886-0014. Fax: 407-886-0001. (Central Florida). The New Zellwood Sweet Corn Festival is a combination of outdoor family fun and entertainment. We have plenty of activities for everyone, young and old. Everyone loves to watch "BIG BERTHA" at work. She can cook 1,650 ears of corn every 9 minutes, in 350 gallons of boiling water. While Mom browses through the Arts & Crafts and the kids enjoy the amusement rides. You can purchase a variety of items from our concessionaires, and then walk it off while you spend part of your day browsing and shopping. We have one of the best Arts & Crafts exhibits in the state. Take home a Festival T-shirt from our Souvenir Shack. Many other items are available. As you leave for home, drop by the Corn Sales area and take home some great fresh Zellwood Sweet Corn. Our corn is grown right here in Zellwood. We will be purchasing our corn from the remaining farm in Zellwood, Long & Scott Farms. For those with disabilities there is a handicapped tent with facilities and assistance for getting to and from the area. Emergency Medical Services are nearby. Parking is free.
  • Ruskin Tomato & Heritage Festival - Saturday & Sunday, early May, 10 am to 5 p.m.
    Food, Fun and Farmer's Market, Ruskin Tomato Queen, Plant Show and Sale, Gardening Seminars and Workshops, Fried Green Tomatoes, Kid's Korner- Rides and Games, Crafts, Products and Prizes, Watershed Tour, Butterfly tent with release at end of Festival, Free Sliced Tomatoes, Antique Tractor Show, Roamin' Oldies Classic Car Show, Bluegrass and Country Music, Heritage Center, Historical Exhibits. Free tomato plants to first 250 people. $4 admission; children under 6 are free.

June

  • Chiefland Watermelon Festival - the first Saturday in June, every year
    Chiefland, FL. City Park, Tommy Usher Center. The Parade runs from high school to CR 345. Watermelons, parade, music, crafts, Watermelon Queen Contest. Call (352) 493-2330 or (352) 493-1849 for more information. A one-day festival includes arts and crafts exhibitors, and children's activities, such as the Greased Pole and the Seed Spitting contests. Free cold watermelon, donated by local growers, is served by Civitan members and other volunteers throughout the day. The festival parade is made up of floats with a watermelon theme, high schools bands, fire engines, and cars chauffeuring contestants of the Watermelon Festival Queen contest. Local growers enter their biggest and best melons in the watermelon weighing contest, conducted in three categories. Following the awards ceremony, the delicious entries are auctioned off. Their proceeds help pay for festival expenses. Children's activities are a special part of the festival. The Little King and Queen Contest, organized by the Chiefland Woman's Club, is for youngsters between three and five years old. Each year, 20 to 30 pre-school children dress up and parade in front of an auditorium full of proud relatives and friends. The festival is sponsored by Chiefland Activities Incorporated, which consists of the Civitans and the Chiefland Woman's Club.
  • Panhandle Watermelon Festival- Chipley, Florida - Held the last Saturday in June, from 10 am to 4 pm.
    Chipley, FL. Big Parade at 10:00 A.M. from Old High School through downtown. Held in the quaint Florida panhandle town of Chipley, at the Agricultural Center on Jackson Avenue, Highway 90. Events include: a Big Watermelon Contest, comedy shows and other surprise guests, a 5000 Meter Run, a Car & Truck Show, Contests for Kids, Tournament Horseshoe Pitching, Square dancing and Singers. There is also nightly entertainment at the Northwest Florida Campground, in Chipley games and plenty of entertainment for the kids. For More Information Contact : Washington County Ag. Center (850) 638-6180 or email: washington@ifas.ufl.edu. (UPDATED: May 12, 2008)
  • Wellborn Blueberry Festival -  the first Friday and Saturday in June
    1340 - 8th Avenue, Wellborn, FL 32094. Phone: 386-963-1157. Alternate Phone: 386-590-0002. Fax: 386-963-1151. Email: wendellsnowden@prodigy.net. Directions: Wellborn is halfway between Jacksonville & Tallahassee in North Florida. From I-10, take Exit 292 (Wellborn CR 137) and go south to the blinking light; turn right. Click here for a map and directions. Come join us for two fun-filled days of blueberry treats and entertainment. Admission is free; Arts & Crafts and Food Vendors, Country Store featuring blueberry items, live entertainment, blueberry bake-off and tasting party, blueberry pancake breakfast, parade, talent contest, and kid's games. (UPDATED: March 02, 2011)

July

  • International Mango Festival - July, Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 am to 4:30 p.m.
    Azucar! Celebrating Mangos from Old Cuba
    Held at Fairchild Tropical Gardens. 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Miami, Florida 33156, USA. Fairchild is adjacent to Matheson Hammock Park, about 20 minutes by car from downtown Miami and Miami International Airport. Driving directions are easy.
    Saturday,
    Mango Tree Sales, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (or until sold out)
    Mangos of the World Cultivar Display, Garden House 9:30 am to Noon
    Mango Medics, Mango Tastings & Evaluations, Corbin Building, 9:30 am to Noon, Admission: $1 per person
    Enjoy Mango Cuisine Samplings from Regional Chefs, 9:30 a.m.
    Mango Fruit Market, Garden House Lawn, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
    Mango Café, Garden House Lawn, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
    Mangos for Kids! Education - Center for Teaching and Learning Chickee, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 pm, Admission is $1 per child
    Mango Workshops, Garden House, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
    Sunday,
    Mango Tree Sales, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (or until sold out)
    Mango Fruit Market, Garden House Lawn, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
    Mangos for Kids! Education - Center for Teaching and Learning Chickee, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 pm, Admission is $1 per child
    Mango Workshops, Corbin Building, 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
    Fairchild’s Mango Brunch, Garden House, 11:00 am, Fairchild Members $75, Non-members $100
    Mango Auction: Garden House, 3:00-6:00 p.m.


Florida Pick-Your-Own Information

This page provides a listing of pick your own farms in North Florida (Jacksonville, Gainesville, Ocala areas).

We also have our own free and simple, step-by-step, illustrated instructions on canning, freezing and drying  many fruits and vegetables, such as  how to make jam, apple butter, applesauce, spaghetti sauce, salsa, pickles, ketchup or freezing corn .   If you are looking for Canners, mixes, jars, pectin and other canning supplies at the best prices anywhere!

I'm always looking for suggestions of more farms and events to add and feedback about any you have visited, so if you encounter any, just click on the preceding link, as appropriate!  And if you have a farm and want to add it or correct the information, please click on the link to "add my farm".

For other areas of Florida, click here:

Current Weather - Click on a map for forecast, or enter a zip code for a different location.
Orlando Tampa Panhandle

 

For availability of other crops (berries, vegetables, etc.)  in Florida, click here!

Ball home canning kit water bath canner

Home Canning Kits

Features:

  • Everything you need to get started with waterbath canning (fruits,pickles, jams, jellies, salsa, sauces and tomatoes)
  • 21-1/2 qt. enamel water bath canner
  • Funnel, jar lifter, lid lifter, bubble freer spatula
  • Ball Blue Book

This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from applesauce to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need and lasts for years: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. It's much cheaper than buying the items separately. You'll never need anything else except jars & lids (and the jars are reusable)! There is also s simple kit with just the canner and rack, and a pressure canner, if your want to do vegetables (other than tomatoes). To see more canners, of different styles, makes and prices, click here!
 


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This page was updated on 8-Jul-2011

Remember to ALWAYS call the farm or orchard BEFORE you go - weather, heavy picking and business conditions can always affect their hours and crops!

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And our other related websites!

Care to Donate to help me keep the website going? Donate to me at Benevia here:

Use the feedback form for questions, comments and feedback about farms -  Use this form suggest a farm to add to the website? 
Or as a last result (I reply to the forms FIRST),write me at 
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Permission is given to link to any page on www.pickyourown.org 
Looking for jobs on farms?  Farmers: If you'd like to advertise or have your own web page(s), click here!

Remember to ALWAYS call the farm or orchard BEFORE you go - weather, heavy picking and business conditions can always affect their hours and crops!

PYO Farms in Other Countries: [ Australia ] [ Canada ] [ South Africa ] [ New Zealand ] [ United Kingdom ]

Our other free, informative sites you may like:

EHSO.com - Environmental health and safety information and guidance for the home
ConsumerFraudReporting.org - Information about identity theft, frauds and scams; how to report them and how to protect your identity.
FitnessAndHealthScience.org - Practical fitness, health and diet information that works.
And our other related websites!

Care to Donate to help me keep the website going? Donate to me at Benevia here:

Use the feedback form for questions, comments and feedback about farms -  Use this form suggest a farm to add to the website? 
Or as a last result (I reply to the forms FIRST),write me at 
 Write to pickyourown.org
All images and text  Copyright © Benivia, LLC 2004 - 2010 All rights reserved.   
Disclaimer and Privacy Policy
Permission is given to link to any page on www.pickyourown.org 
Looking for jobs on farms?  Farmers: If you'd like to advertise or have your own web page(s), click here!

Remember to ALWAYS call the farm or orchard BEFORE you go - weather, heavy picking and business conditions can always affect their hours and crops!

PYO Farms in Other Countries: [ Australia ] [ Canada ] [ South Africa ] [ New Zealand ] [ United Kingdom ]

Our other free, informative sites you may like:

EHSO.com - Environmental health and safety information and guidance for the home
ConsumerFraudReporting.org - Information about identity theft, frauds and scams; how to report them and how to protect your identity.
FitnessAndHealthScience.org - Practical fitness, health and diet information that works.
And our other related websites!

Care to Donate to help me keep the website going? Donate to me at Benevia here:

Use the feedback form for questions, comments and feedback about farms -  Use this form suggest a farm to add to the website? 
Or as a last result (I reply to the forms FIRST),write me at 
 Write to pickyourown.org
All images and text  Copyright © Benivia, LLC 2004 - 2010 All rights reserved.   
Disclaimer and Privacy Policy
Permission is given to link to any page on www.pickyourown.org 
Looking for jobs on farms?  Farmers: If you'd like to advertise or have your own web page(s), click here!

Remember to ALWAYS call the farm or orchard BEFORE you go - weather, heavy picking and business conditions can always affect their hours and crops!

PYO Farms in Other Countries: [ Australia ] [ Canada ] [ South Africa ] [ New Zealand ] [ United Kingdom ]

Our other free, informative sites you may like:

EHSO.com - Environmental health and safety information and guidance for the home
ConsumerFraudReporting.org - Information about identity theft, frauds and scams; how to report them and how to protect your identity.
FitnessAndHealthScience.org - Practical fitness, health and diet information that works.
And our other related websites!

Care to Donate to help me keep the website going? Donate to me at Benevia here:

Use the feedback form for questions, comments and feedback about farms -  Use this form suggest a farm to add to the website? 
Or as a last result (I reply to the forms FIRST),write me at 
 Write to pickyourown.org
All images and text  Copyright © Benivia, LLC 2004 - 2010 All rights reserved.   
Disclaimer and Privacy Policy
Permission is given to link to any page on www.pickyourown.org 
Looking for jobs on farms?  Farmers: If you'd like to advertise or have your own web page(s), click here!