Florida Strawberry Members

Welcome to the home of the freshest, most delicious strawberries in the world. Enjoy fresh Florida strawberries, available December through April.

Spivey Farms U-Pick 2015

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Jammer on Florida strawberry farm Spivey Farms clamshell container.
Spivey Farms U-Pick is open!

Spivey Farms U-Pick is Closed.

If you have any questions that are unanswered on this post, text them at 813-917-1756 or e-mail them.

Learn more about the Spivey Farm family, we documented their story back in 2011.

Berries are priced at $1.00 for 2 quarts, cash only. If you want to pick your berries in half-flats you bring, it’s $1.50 per half-flat (one half-flat = 3 quarts). If you want to pick your berries in a flat you bring, it’s $3.00 per flat (one flat = six quarts).

What You Need:

  • Spivey Farms will provide the quart cups to pick in, but you need to bring containers to store and take your strawberries home. Very deep containers are not advised as piling strawberries too high in your container will cause the berries on the bottom to be severely bruised and may be no good.
  • Considering this is a time of year in Florida when the temperature is warm, make sure to wear loose-fitting clothing. Sunscreen and hats are recommended to avoid overexposure to the heat.
  • You’re more than welcome to bring your own drinks and/or snacks to the farm. If you do bring your own food/drink, please make sure not to leave any garbage remaining around or in the field.
  • For all the tips you need on the hows and whats of strawberry picking/freezing/etc., we highly recommend this site which covers all aspects for you.

Spivey Farms
6101 County Road 39 South
Plant City, FL 33567
Directions

Helpful U-Pick Tips:

  • Dress comfortably. Wear loose fitting clothing.
  • Wear a hat or cap and bring sunscreen.
  • Bring your own containers to transport.
  • If you plan to spend the day, take ice to keep berries cool.
  • Select only firm ripe berries.
  • Be careful not to remove the tops of the berries.
  • Make an effort to pick every ripe berry on each plant rather than jumping from plant to plant and row to row.

The growers will appreciate your consideration and you will reduce the amount of strawberries that are left sitting in the field.

Berry Bay U-Pick 2015

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Berry Bay Farms

Berry Bay U-Pick is Closed.

Mid-March is Berry Bay Farms’ U-Pick season usually begins. They will allow the public to pick their own strawberries in March. Please check their website or you can call their office at (813) 642-9866 for more information.

No need to schedule an appointment. Just come out to the farm, once the fields have opened for u-pick, and they will greet you at the gate.

Berry Bay Farms is solely owned by Marvin and Linda Brown.  They have been in the strawberry business since 1978 and have been involved with several more farms and 2 cooler/sales companies.

If you have any further questions, please email them at [email protected].

Location:
5135 Bonita Drive
Wimauma, FL 33598

Helpful U-Pick Tips:

  • Dress comfortably. Wear loose fitting clothing.
  • Wear a hat or cap and bring sunscreen.
  • Bring your own containers to transport.
  • If you plan to spend the day, take ice to keep berries cool.
  • Select only firm ripe berries.
  • Be careful not to remove the tops of the berries.
  • Make an effort to pick every ripe berry on each plant rather than jumping from plant to plant and row to row.

The growers will appreciate your consideration and you will reduce the amount of strawberries that are left sitting in the field.

Valentine’s Day

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day & Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month with sweet & nutritious winter strawberries

Celebrate Valentines Day with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and Roses
Celebrate Valentines Day with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and Roses

PLANT CITY, Fla. – Surprise your Valentine this week with something unique, fresh and nutritious – Florida winter strawberries! At the same time you can celebrate Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month.

Strawberries are the perfect treat. They’re heart shaped, ruby red, sweet, juicy and they pack a healthy punch. You can enjoy fresh berries many ways, including chocolate dipped, dropped in a romantic glass of sparkling wine, covered in whipped or fresh cream or eaten out of hand.

Giving strawberries also means you truly care about your sweetheart’s heart – and health. Because they contain lots of Vitamin C, fiber, and provide potassium, magnesium, iron, Vitamin B-6 and calcium, they are a much healthier alternative to traditional Valentine’s Day candy.

Consumers can enjoy this unique winter berries annually from November through April, when fresh-from-the-field, U.S.-grown strawberries are delivered to markets east of the Mississippi River, including the Eastern Seaboard and parts of Canada.

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association celebrates the peak of its season each February during Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month. It’s perfect timing for strawberry lovers and romantics alike. A few romantic strawberry facts include:

  • The strawberry is the symbol of Venus, the goddess of love.
  • In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions to bring peace and prosperity.
  • Folklore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you’ll soon fall in love.
  • In France, strawberries were thought to be an aphrodisiac.

Plant City, Fla., has been proclaimed “The Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.” The ideal climate and productive soils, along with dedicated family farms that have existed for many generations, provide the most locally grown and “Fresh from Florida” strawberries during the winter months.

Local growers and members of the FSGA produce about 15 percent of the nation’s strawberries and virtually all the berries grown during the winter. The commodity has an economic impact on the local community exceeding $700 million.  For more information about FSGA, visit www.flastrawberry.com.

Best Flat Competition Results

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2014 Florida Strawberry Festival FSGA Booth
2014 FSGA Ambassadors, Morgan Sistrunk, Alssa Shepherd, Aly Joyner

Strawberry farmers in Florida have a long history of supporting our local community.  Every March, in conjunction with the Florida Strawberry Festival, our growers participate in an event we call the “Best Flat Competition.”  Growers bring their best berries to be judged on flavor, size, color, and other key attributes.

Winning boxes are auctioned to raise scholarship money for very deserving local students.  We have generated more than $400,000 in scholarships over the past 31 years with the help of this competition.

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships since 1983. Scholarship applications are ready for pick up or download beginning in June each year and are usually due by the middle of September that same year.

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association offers scholarships to encourage young men and women to continue their education beyond high school. The committee will determine the amount of the scholarship, but none will be less than $500.00.

Eligible students must be an enrolled college undergraduate or a high school graduate and submit a letter of intent to attend college. You can find more information on our scholarship program here.

2014 BEST FLAT COMPETITION

February 28, 2014 – Swine Sale
1st Place Grower – Fancy Farms, Inc. $900.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
2nd Place Grower – Mike Lott Farms $700.00
Handler – C & D Fruit & Vegetable
Buyer – Highland Package Solutions
3rd Place Grower –  Simmons Farms $500.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer –  Wish Farms
Total Swine Sale $2,100.00

March 2, 2014 – Plant Sale
1st Place Grower – Fancy Farms, Inc. $500.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
2nd Place Grower – Mike Lott Farm $550.00
Handler – C & D Fruit & Vegetable
Buyer – Rick Lott
3rd Place Grower – Simmons Farms $250.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
Total Plant Sale $1,300.00

March 8, 2014 – Steer Sale
1st Place Grower – Simmons Farms $1,000.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
2nd Place Grower – Daniel Gutierrez Farm $500.00
Handler – Gulf Coast Produce
Buyer – Crop Protection Services
3rd Place Grower – Mike Lott Farm $1,000.00
Handler – C & D Fruit & Vegetable
Buyer – Mike Lott Farm
Total Steer Sale $2,500.00
Total 2014 Sales $5,900.00

Spivey Farms U-Pick Open

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Jammer on Florida strawberry farm Spivey Farms clamshell container.
Spivey Farms U-Pick is open!

Update: 2013 U-Pick season is over.

See you in 2014!

Spivey Farms has opened its farm for U-pick. Pickers are invited to visit the farm Monday through Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM and Sunday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If you have any questions that are unanswered on this post, text them at 813-917-1756 or e-mail them.

Learn more about the Spivey Farm family, we documented their story back in 2011.

Berries are priced at $1.00 for 2 quarts, cash only. If you want to pick your berries in half-flats you bring, it’s $1.50 per half-flat (one half-flat = 3 quarts). If you want to pick your berries in a flat you bring, it’s $3.00 per flat (one flat = six quarts).

What You Need:

  • Spivey Farms will provide the quart cups to pick in, but you need to bring containers to store and take your strawberries home. Very deep containers are not advised as piling strawberries too high in your container will cause the berries on the bottom to be severely bruised and may be no good.
  • Considering this is a time of year in Florida when the temperature is warm, make sure to wear loose-fitting clothing. Sunscreen and hats are recommended to avoid overexposure to the heat.
  • You’re more than welcome to bring your own drinks and/or snacks to the farm. If you do bring your own food/drink, please make sure not to leave any garbage remaining around or in the field.
  • For all the tips you need on the hows and whats of strawberry picking/freezing/etc., we highly recommend this site which covers all aspects for you.

Spivey Farms
6101 County Road 39 South
Plant City, FL 33567
Directions

Helpful U-Pick Tips:

  • Dress comfortably. Wear loose fitting clothing.
  • Wear a hat or cap and bring sunscreen.
  • Bring your own containers to transport.
  • If you plan to spend the day, take ice to keep berries cool.
  • Select only firm ripe berries.
  • Be careful not to remove the tops of the berries.
  • Make an effort to pick every ripe berry on each plant rather than jumping from plant to plant and row to row.

The growers will appreciate your consideration and you will reduce the amount of strawberries that are left sitting in the field.

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About Florida Winter Strawberries

In 1980, a few strawberry growers began meeting in their homes to discuss the best way to organize a group that would represent the interests of the Florida strawberry industry. On February 11, 1982, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA) was born. Hillsborough County is recognized as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World and the home of some of the sweetest, reddest and juiciest strawberries around.

Get Connected

Florida Strawberry Growers Association
P.O. Box: 2550
Plant City, FL 33564
Telephone: 813-752-6822
Fax: 813-752-216

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