Food Festivals
Florida’s mild climate and long growing season has cemented the Sunshine State’s role as the nation’s winter vegetable garden since the late 1800s. The variety of crops Floridian farmers have been able to successfully produce from the sunbaked soil led to a plethora of agricultural festivals popping up all over the peninsula in celebration of the numerous harvests. Although there are hundreds of festivals that take place all around the state, these are a few that stick out on the calendar.
Perhaps one of the oldest festivals in Florida, the Plant City Strawberry Festival that takes place in mid-March definitely brings variety to the table in celebration of this ruby red crop. Pageants, strawberry potato pies, a baby parade, and a pioneer village are just a few of the events hosted over the course of the festival. The Plant City Lions Club founded the festival in 1930 after other groups in previous years failed to establish an event to showcase the sweet strawberry fields. The festival took a short hiatus after World War II, but regained popularity to attract tens of thousands of visitors in early spring.
Another well-established festival fruit is the watermelon. Several towns across the state showcase the watermelon’s wondrous ways, from Jefferson County in the north to Chiefland and Newberry in the central part of the state. These festivals often include seed spitting competitions, beauty pageants, and watermelon weigh-ins. In Jefferson County, there is a watermelon carving contest as well as a ghost tour.
Florida is the eighth highest producer of blueberries in the United States, leading to several blueberry festivals and you-pick-farms across the state. Blueberry festivals can be found in places such as Brooksville, Avon Park, Kissimmee, Mount Dora, and Bostwick. These events often feature pancake breakfasts, arts and crafts vendors, live music and entertainment, and blueberry pie eating contests. They also partner with area farms to encourage visitors to pick their own fresh Florida blueberries straight off the vine, an activity that is very popular for families with young children, and which fosters a learning opportunity about our food networks.
Since Florida’s climate can grow just about anything, there’s a festival for just about everything. Summer and fall festivals feature squash, zucchini, and pumpkins of all sorts. In Windsor, they honor a Duke of Zuk and crown a Zuqueenie, while also having zucchini-flavored ice cream available. LaBelle has hosted the Swamp Cabbage Festival since the 1960s, featuring the Florida state tree, the sabal palm, and its edible core—known as swamp cabbage, or heart of palm. This is considered a Florida frontier pioneer food, and the festival mixes heritage boat tours, rodeo riding skills, and an armadillo race for visitors to enjoy. Dunedin showcases the historic citrus packing industry while Williston revels in the Royal Family—King and Queen Peanut (and Baby Peanut.) Key West shows off their key limes, and Dade City shines up their kumquats.
Clearly, Floridians love their agricultural celebrations, as year after year new crops are added to the festival circuit. Find Florida’s heritage right beneath your feet in the fertile soil of the Sunshine State.
Images:
https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/132049
https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/271250