Picking Season: A Spring Tradition at Ever After Farms
- Kelsey Walters
- May 4
- 3 min read
Where Blueberry Season Becomes a Family Tradition
For our family, blueberry season doesn’t start at the store… it starts in the fields at Ever After Farms. This place holds a special spot in our story. Our first visit eight years ago was also Avery’s very first “Florida or Bust” adventure. She was just four weeks old and the enormous blueberries were bigger than her tiny hands.
These days, she’s grown quite a bit… and so has the Ever After Farms family. What started as a single farm has blossomed into a network of nine locations across Florida, each serving as a picture-perfect wedding venue and most as a U-pick farm in their respective seasons.
What Makes Ever After Farms U-Pick Blueberry Farm a Unique Experience
Still, it’s not just nostalgia that brings us back year after year. There’s something about stepping out into the rows on a perfect spring morning that just feels right. The pace shifts. The air smells a little sweeter. And suddenly, picking berries becomes less of a task and more of an experience. We turn it into a game - who can find the biggest, bluest berry - and this year Avery introduced a new one she calls, “Bloobs for Dudes.” She’d race down the rows, handing off berries to Scott, who was in charge of the collection bags, announcing, “bloobs comin’ in for ya, dude!” It’s chaotic, a little sticky, and completely perfect.
Sure, you could grab a carton of blueberries at the grocery store. But you’d miss all of the fun. The laughter, the competition, the wandering conversations between rows. And then there’s the taste. Sun-warmed, freshly picked blueberries are in a category all their own. Sweet, tart, juicy, each one just a little different. Picking them yourself means you get exactly what you want, from perfectly plump berries to those slightly tart ones with a sweet finish.
The farm grows a few varieties you won’t typically find in stores, including the Kestrel blueberry - an especially sweet variety developed by the University of Florida for southern climates and a clear favorite for Scott. I tend to lean toward the slightly tangier berries, while Avery, like most kids, is completely undiscerning and happy to eat anything remotely berry-shaped by the handful.
Pick-your-own blueberry season at Ever After Farms offers a fun, family-friendly spring outing with fresh, flavorful berries and a hands-on experience you won’t find at the grocery store.
And yes, this is about as close to nature as it gets. No pesticides, no fuss… just berries straight from the bush. That couldn’t be more evident than when a tiny beetle hitched a ride into my hand along with a perfectly ripe berry, which felt like proof enough that we were doing this the right way.
Plan Your Visit for Peak Blueberry Season
Blueberry season kicked off at the end of April, and the Ever After Blueberry Farm in Mims is open on weekends throughout
May. Arriving early is key if you want the best selection (and to beat the midday Florida heat). Be sure to check their Facebook page before heading out, as hours and days can shift depending on how quickly the ripe berries are picked over.
Looking ahead, peach season is right around the corner, with grapes following later this summer at Ever After’s other farms, so keep an eye on their pages for opening days. Just a few more reasons to keep coming back!
4400 Bouganvilla Drive, Mims, FL 32754(321) 209-1670
Open weekends in May 9 AM - 2 PM
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