Strawberry picking Tampa – I am a Honey Bee

When my brother and his family were visiting last week from CT, we took everyone strawberry picking. It was a great, delicious activity for everyone, especially the kids.

Strawberry picking is fun but it’s a great, affordable activity for young kids. They get such a trill finding a ripe berry to pick. And depositing it into the bucket (or their mouths) is the best. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you have picked something.

We went to Hunsader Farms in Bradenton since a friend suggested it. She was spot on with her suggestion since it was an easy, nice drive and there were plenty of strawberries to pick from from long rows of strawberries.

Bring a bucket or a basket with you to Hunsader since they don’t have buckets for you. They have plastic grocery bags but for tender fruit like strawberries, I’d suggest a bucket to help prevent them not getting squished.

Also, don’t pull all the way down the rows in the strawberry fields, they are not open at the other end. Sure, you can try to drive through the ditch but the people who got stuck ahead of it wouldn’t suggest it. I suggest just parking on the main ‘road’ and walking so you don’t block anyone or get blocked in yourself.

Besides the ripe, super strawberries that are warm from the sun’s rays, we snagged a few tomatoes from the plants that were past their prime picking season. Autumn eats them like apples.

Hunsander Farms also has a petting zoo but we just hung around the perimeter watching the talking birds. It’s $4 a person for entry into the petting zoo and playground so not too bad but we just had enough time to enjoy it before heading back home to cook up all our veggies that we picked up at the store for our dinner.

Not into Strawberries? Then be sure to check out all the other fruits and veggies that you can pick throughout the year. Want some Eggplant? Then go from Oct-Nov and then again in April- May. Or stop by in Nov- Dec and then again in May for tomatoes. And don’t forget that rhubarb is ripe in Jan-March!

I can’t wait to get back there for some green beans, zipper peas, and okra. And getting to visit the petting zoo next as well.