Plant City Farm Kicks Off Month-Long Blueberry Festival With U-Pick Events

At Keel Farms in Plant City, Florida, the 17th annual blueberry festival has begun. Visitors can pick berries and join weekend activities throughout April, except Easter Sunday. Several acres await pickers among the rows of blueberry bushes.

"We're trying to give kids that experience of getting outside and really seeing where their food comes from," said Wendy Camacho, chief operating officer at Keel Farms, to the Tampa Bay Times.

Gates open Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., until April 27 at 5210 W. Thonotosassa Road. A $10 parking fee applies, but entry costs nothing.

Four varieties fill the fields: Jewel, Optimus, Sharp, and Gulf Coast. Pine bark beds cradle each bush, cutting water needs compared to standard growing methods.

Late April brings peak picking conditions. Since the farm skips chemical sprays, visitors can taste berries straight from the bush while filling their buckets.

"Each spring, we challenge ourselves to make the festival better than the year before. Where else can you take a camel ride, sip on a blueberry cider, and leave with a bucket full of berries you picked yourself?" said Clay Keel, President of Keel Farms, to That's So Tampa.

Kids run wild in bounce houses and a special play zone. Camels give rides while farm animals welcome pets. Local food trucks serve meals as the winery pours special blueberry drinks.

These hardy plants keep producing year after year, unlike strawberries that last just one season. When blueberries rest, the land yields strawberries in winter, wildflowers in summer, and various crops like peppers and herbs in fall.

While guests pick fresh fruit, the farm crafts its cider, shortcake, hot sauce, and wine using blueberries from other Florida farms.