Albritton Fruit Farms blueberry field opens for guests to pluck their own fruit

U-pick blueberry season underway in Sarasota

Kimberly Kuizon reports

SARASOTA, Fla. - At Albritton Fruit Farms, the U-pick blueberry field is back open for its 7th year.

"We’ve got 60,000 blueberry plants," said Sarah Albritton. "There’s 25 acres and then four varieties in those 60,000 plants."

Not every berry is the same.

"They vary in taste and size and texture," Albritton explained. "We’ve got Spring High, Arcadia, Jewel, and Emerald and all four are available right now."

The Albritton family has been farming for more than a hundred years. They’ve had to adapt over that time, which includes switching from citrus to blueberries.

"It’s a really good piece of history in Sarasota," Albritton noted. "It’s also a way to connect our community with the farmlands. They’re able to see how the foods are grown and a lot of people send us their recipes afterward."

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Families love it. Kids of all ages can be seen tasting the berries in the field.

"I like it because you can just keep eating them and not get full," said Audrey Vanhellemont.

For the Albritton family, it’s a tradition that continues from generation to generation.

"It’s a labor of love," Albritton said. "We’ve put a lot of time and energy into it. Usually, my kids are out here. We just had a baby, she’s 7 months old. She’s been in the field since we started picking this year. It’s a really good family legacy."