Walnut Hill | Pensacola with Kids

Strawberry Picking in Pensacola

A few weeks ago, I posted on our Pensacola with Kids Facebook page that strawberry season was just about to open around Pensacola. We finally got to a Upick field this weekend and had a wonderful day spending it together as a family, getting some sun, and of course bringing home pounds and pounds of strawberries (35 pounds to be exact!).

We have been going to Andrew’s Sod ever since 2010. Even though we still have strawberries in our freezer from last year, we wanted to pick some fresh strawberries to eat by the handful and also to use in baking. The frozen strawberries really only work in smoothies now…which is just fine with us…we drink a lot of smoothies around here.

Andrew’s Sod has strawberries available for $1.50 (Upick) or $2.00 (they pick) a pound. We were told today that they will probably only be open for Upick for another week or so (today is 4/14/2012). The weather is supposed to heat up and apparently strawberries aren’t a big fan of the hot, humid weather.

Andrew’s Sod is located at 3900 Tungoil Road in Walnut Hill, Florida. Their hours for Upick are Monday through Saturday from 7am to 7pm and Sunday from 1pm-7pm. While we were there, we saw plenty of strawberries that were still ripening.

Another popular Upick field is Akers of Strawberries in Baker, Florida. According to their Facebook page, they also have strawberries still available for Upick. Akers of Strawberries is located at 1074 Melton Road in Baker, Florida. They are open Monday through Thursday from 9am to 5pm, Friday and Saturday from 9am to 6pm, and Sunday from 12noon to 5pm. Their berries are also listed as 1.50 for Upick. They sell already picked berries, too.

Things to Know Before You Go:

Wear sunscreen. It gets hot and there is no shade on a strawberry field. Both of my kids were glad to have their baseball caps, too.
Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes. You are walking through a field. If it rained recently, it will be very muddy. If not, it will be dry and dusty. The fields are also often uneven. My daughter fell several times while walking up and down the rows and not paying attention.
Be prepared to see bugs. Lots of them! I also wish I had sprayed my kids with bug spray. I didn’t come home with any bug bites, but both of them did.
Pack a cooler with some cold drinks and snacks. After the work of picking strawberries, you will probably be glad you have a cold drink. Both strawberry places sell drinks, but we always like to pack our own.
Bring cash or check. Some Upick places take credit/debit cards, but most don’t. It is better to be safe than sorry. Typically, the farms aren’t very close to an ATM!

When we got home, we washed all our strawberries and they are now drying. Now, we just have to decide what to do with all 35 pounds of strawberries!

Strawberry Shortcake anyone?

Andrew’s Sod and Fruit – Walnut Hill, Florida

Frozen strawberries for smoothies this summer, strawberry bread, strawberry muffins, strawberry lime freezes, strawberry sauce, strawberry shortcake…

Last week we went to Andrew’s Sod and Fruit to pick strawberries. Be sure to read to the end of the post to see what you can do with all your strawberries when you get home! Myster Photo Monday #17 was taken here.

We had such a great time wandering up and down the strawberry patch picking and choosing the perfect strawberries. When you arrive at Andrew’s Sod and Fruit, they give you boxes to put your strawberries in and will even give you a ride to the section that is to be picked for that day.

Strawberries are $1.50 a lb. We picked about 14lbs in an hour. They are a bit pricier than what you would pay in the store, but we got to hand pick every strawberry. Usually I bring one of those pints home and throw half of them away because they have gone bad.

Hurry to the farm this week though! The strawberries will only be good for a few more days. Be sure to call ahead of time to make sure that they have strawberries available still before you make the trip out there. Later on this month and next, Andrew’s will also have all sorts of other vegetables and fruit available for U-pick! We will let you know when we head out there!

What to Know Before You Go:

Wear tennis shoes because the field can be muddy.
Make sure to bring a bottle of water, a hat and wear sunscreen.
Arrive as early as possible. They open for U-Pick at 8am and I recommend that you arrive then. We got left around 9:30 in the morning and the sun was already beating down on us.
Even though they give you a box to put your strawberries in, next time I would bring a basket or reusable grocery bag to put my strawberries in while I pick them. Towards the end, the box got very heavy and was awkward to carry.
Bring check or cash. Strawberries are $1.50 a lb. We picked about 14lbs. They are a bit pricier than what you would pay in the store, but we got to hand pick every strawberry. Usually I bring one of those pints home and throw half of them away because they have gone bad.

Once you have picked all your strawberries, what should you do with them? Here are some links with recipes that we have used this week. Do you have a favorite strawberry recipe? Leave a comment with the link or recipe!

Strawberrry Freezer Jam

Strawberry Recipe Roundup

Food TV Strawberry Recipes