Do you know where your fresh fruit and vegetables come from? If you’re still unsure, don’t worry, I’m here to help you be prepared to answer that question the next time it comes up!
I recently had the privilege of joining an eye-opening, educational Florida farms tour hosted by the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation. The experience left me with a wealth of knowledge about Florida agriculture, its challenges, triumphs, and most importantly, why it’s so crucial to support our local Florida farms.
Today, I’m excited to share three compelling reasons why you should support them too, along with the amazing things I learned from the farms and facilities we visited during our two-day Influencer tour.
FRESHNESS:
When you shop for produce from local Florida farms, you can enjoy fruit and vegetables that sometimes make it to your grocery store shelves within just 24 hours of being harvested. That’s incredibly fresh! In contrast, imported produce can take days or even weeks to reach us. The closer the farm, the fresher the crop.
SECURITY:
As we talk about local versus imported produce, I’m reminded of something farmer Stephen Callaham from Eco Grown Citrus, a Dun-D farm, said: “Food Security is National Security.” This statement really made me think. As a country, we need to ensure food security by producing and buying locally. We should never find ourselves in a position where we depend on food imports from all over the world.
SUPPORT:
Before this tour, I’ll admit I never fully considered the lengths it took, from seed to shelf, for me to simply grab the strawberries I need for my smoothie. The farms we visited were family-owned and have been part of the agriculture community for generations. The farmers shared their passion for the land, but also the struggles they face from unpredictable weather and climate change to diseases and labor shortages. These challenges have contributed to the decline of farms across the country. When we buy local produce, we are supporting our local farmers and the local economy.
One key takeaway from this tour is the importance of buying local, in-season, Florida produce. If you want to know what produce is in season, check this “What’s In Season” guide provided by Fresh From Florida. Moving forward, I’ll be making a conscious effort to look for the “Fresh From Florida” logo on my groceries. Additionally, if you don’t see the Florida grown produce you want in your local grocery stores, request them from the grocers. When possible, I’ll personally be choosing produce from the Southeast region or any United States farm before imported options, if local isn’t available. It’s a small change that can make a huge impact!
HERE ARE A FEW THINGS I LEARNED FROM THE FARMS & FACILITIES WE VISITED DURING THE FFVA INFLUENCER FARM TOUR 2025:
FANCY FARMS
5204 Drane Field Rd Lakeland, Fl 33811
Located in Plant City, this family owned and operated strawberry farm has been in the farming industry for 51 years (est.1974).
- They specialize in strawberries but change out fruit based on the season.
- In addition to their nearly 140 acre farm, they also have a market that’s opened October through June where they sell their produce, as well as homemade, seasonal desserts and other delicious menu items.
- The have seasonal strawberry U-pick opportunities.
- Their Flower Fields open for U-Pick in May and lasts through June.
- Other agrotourism opportunities offered include bookings for professional photography sessions.
Located in Palatka, FL, L&M Farms was founded in 1964.
- L&M specializes in vegetables including: bell peppers, squash, cucumbers, eggplants, cabbage, and chili peppers.
- L&M has a passion for farming rooted in innovation, using the latest in agricultural technology.
- This farm plants and hand harvests some of the best, thicker walled, bell peppers in Florida.
- Often times, once harvested, their crops can reach our grocers shelves as early as the next day.
- FUN FACT: According to farmer and North Florida regional manager, Adam Lytch, striped bell peppers have the best flavor so don’t shy away from them if you come across them in the grocery stores.
This family farm began in the 1930s in NYC’s Washington Street Market on a push cart.
- Lipman is the largest producer of open field tomatoes in the USA.
- They use Ethylene which is a natural gas + heat to help ripen tomatoes faster.
- All fresh market tomatoes are harvested by hand by 700-800 people.
- Compact Growth Habit (CGH) improves life and efficiency of tomatoes.
- Lipman is the producer of the Crimson tomatoes. These tomatoes have a deep red center, more intense flavor, and higher lycopene content compared to standard tomatoes.
- Lipman lays 3500 miles of plastic and uses 32,000 miles of twine to tie crops.
- Lipman also supplies tomatoes to some of our favorite restaurant chains like Chick-Fil-A, McDonalds, and Chipotle.
Fresh From Florida Executive Chef Justin Timineri
For lunch, we had a delicious meal prepared by Executive Chef Justin Timineri of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This meal incorporated Florida grown produce.
He prepared delicious blueberry key lime and thyme mocktails with in-season fruit and they were so refreshing. For our lunch we had a delectable caponata with orzo and I think I want to create a similar recipe at home.
Chef Timineri emphasized the importance of shopping for produce that is in season. He gave us a great TIP: Instead of looking for ingredients for a recipe, see what is in season and look for recipes with those fruit and vegetables.
UF/IFAS GULF COAST RESEARCH & EDUCATION CENTER
After lunch we explored farms at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Science and learned about how AI is being used to control pests by introducing natural predators, drone usage for improving crop production, and sustainable farming practice.
Fun Fact: The Pineberry, also known as the white strawberry was developed at UF IFAS by cross-breeding the Florida red strawberry and Japanese white strawberry. It is quite tasty!
Farmer Family-owned since 1928 where it started in Boston as a push cart filled with produce.
- Dimare grows tomatoes in different varieties including: field grown round tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, Cherry tomatoes, and Grape Tomatoes.
- They have a consistent supply of premium tomatoes through their partnerships with California farming operations.
- During our stop they emphasized the importance of shopping local Florida farms as they have decreased significantly over the years for various reasons.
This family-owned seed company originated in the Dutch Netherlands in 1938.
- Enza Zaden develop high quality varietals of food based on consumer demand which in turn equals high yield for the farmers.
- These varietals have longer shelf-life and have great flavor.
- Some of their products include: Campari tomatoes, Lollipeppers, and Butterhead Hydro Lettuce.
- 15 billion heads of lettuce have been grown per year from Enza Zaden seeds.
The science teacher in me had the best time cross pollinating a tomato plant with step by step instructions from Enza Zaden professionals. I’ve taught this very thing in my Biology class so being able to actually do it, was a full-circle moment for me!
DUNDEE CITRUS GROWERS ASSOCIATION
Established in 1924, Dundee is one of the largest fresh fruit cooperatives in the Florida Citrus Industry.
- In 2017 they started using CUPS which stands for Citrus Under Protective Screen to help combat environmental threats and disease such as citrus greening disease and psyllid vectors.
- They develop new variations of citrus crops to have more tolerance, be more sustainable, and grown faster with less water and fertilizer.
- They produce Rubies Grapefruit that are more vibrant in color, have less acidity, and are slightly sweeter and less bitter than the grapefruit our grandparents use to eat.
- Interesting Fact: Grapefruit plants have heart shaped leaves
- Farmer, Stephen Callaham, emphasized during our visit that “Food Security is National Security” and I will never stop thinking about this when it comes to our food.
This farm has been around for quite some time, starting as a NYC push cart in 1904.
- Wish Farms is the largest contiguous strawberry farm in the world.
- We got to tour the processing and packaging facilities and learned some really cool things about strawberries!
- For starters strawberries stop ripening after picked so it is important to pick at an optimal time.
- Strawberries will only be held in the facility for 24-34 hours before shipping off the grocery stores to ensure maximum freshness for the consumer.
- Shelf-life is lost for every hour the strawberries aren’t kept at 34 degrees F.
- Strawberries not packaged don’t get scrapped. They are fed to cows as a yummy snack. NO FOOD WASTE!
- Lastly, Wish Farms will package blueberries from surrounding farms to help keep up with consumer demand.
This Florida Farms tour was truly an eye-opening experience. I loved everything about learning where our crops comes from, how they’re processed, and the things our Florida farmers go through to make sure we get high quality and ethically sourced fruit and vegetables. I have a new found respect for our Florida farmers can truly say I will never grocery shop for produce the way I use to, again. I will definitely be making a more concerted effort to shop fresh from Florida produce first, then regionally, then nationally before imported from here on out.
If you didn’t know, I have a YouTube channel now and I did a recap of my experience! Be sure to check it out by clicking the video below! Also, my very next blog post will be a delicious recipe I made using fresh produce straight from Florida farms so be sure to come back for quick and easy, step-by-step instructions for delicious stuffed green bell peppers!
As always, thank you all for stopping by and don’t forget to support our Florida Farms!
