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Fresh options
Foods and flowers waiting to be handpicked fresh from the field draw visitors to seasonal U-pick farms, which offer an affordable bounty and a fun outing for the whole family. Here are a few nearby options:
Branford Farm Stand
The Branford Farm Stand’s field of zinnias, sunflowers and more will soon be filled with families picking flowers and shutterbugs taking advantage of the colorful backdrop. Admission to the flower field, open each weekend in the second half of May, is $10 per person. For another $10, visitors picking flowers can fill a holder provided by the farm. Pickers should bring clippers and a container that holds water to prevent the flowers from wilting on the ride home. In the produce-filled farm stand — open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays — a made-fresh menu of tacos and other treats is served up every day.
Branford Farm Stand
27687 U.S. 129, Branford
386-339-9443
branfordfarmstand.com
facebook.com/branfordfarmstand
Hoover Family Farms
April marks the end of strawberry season, but flowers take center stage throughout May at Hoover Family Farms in Live Oak. The vibrant blooms, including zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers, are available for U-pick at $5 a dozen. Picking buckets are provided, and entry is free. A limited number of clippers are available, so visitors are encouraged to bring their own, as well as a container to transport flowers home. U-pick produce includes tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, depending on ripeness. Farm hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hoover Family Farms
15715 40th St., Live Oak
386-678-1570
hooverfamilyfarms.com
facebook.com/hooverfamilyfarms
Rooney’s Front Porch Farm
As June approaches, blueberries are ripening at Rooney’s Front Porch Farm in Live Oak. Berry bushes at the farm are trimmed to a convenient picking height, and mowed grass grows between the rows. The berries are rabbiteye varieties, and normally the bushes have fruit until early July. Blueberries cost $15 per gallon, and buckets and bags are provided. Sunflowers are also available, at $1 per flower. The farm’s opening date depends on when the berries ripen, and hours of operation vary.
Rooney’s Front Porch Farm
8611 47th Drive, Live Oak
386-590-9053
rooneyfarm.com
facebook.com/rooneysfarm
Scott Blueberry Farm
The first Saturday of June can be blue in Wellborn, but not in the sad way. That’s when downtown Wellborn hosts the annual Blueberry Festival and about the time Scott Blueberry Farm, just a mile away, welcomes pickers. Scott Farm’s blueberry bushes have been around for half a century. Pickers pay $12 to fill a gallon bucket, but kids 12 and under pick for free. The farm’s U-pick season usually lasts one week, so call before visiting.
Scott Blueberry Farm
4984 124th St., Wellborn
386-292-2566
facebook.com/pages/Scotts-BlueberryFarm-U-Pick/187708211278138
U-pick farms
For hours of operation and more details about the farms, check their websites and social media or give them a call.
Do you know of more local U-pick
farms? If so, please email us at
communications@svec-coop.com