tagged 
Big Bear Farms, Florida, Plant CIty, blueberry, farm, organic in Photo Story
Big Bear Farms, Florida, Plant CIty, blueberry, farm, organic in Photo Story Entries in blueberry (1)
Organic Blueberry Picking at Big Bear Farms
Sunday, May 30, 2010 at 11:40PM Jason Collin 
Nikon D300 Nikkor AF-S 105mm VR micro f/2.8G @ f/11 ISO 200 1/160th SB-600 hotshoe mounted in TTL mode
I had no idea blueberries had an opening in them at one end. This is the kind of thing you can learn when you get out and obtain your own food. Big Bear Farms in Plant City, Florida is not what I expected. No silo, no big red barn, just a lot of plants in large blue tubs. The blueberry bushes were not even planted in the ground! This was a bit upsetting to me at first. Even though Big Bear is a certified organic farm, it seemed a bit artificial to not even have the bushes in the ground, but maybe that is the only way to obtain organic certification in that area?
Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 9-bracket HDR tripod mountedOnce you obtain your bucket from the main office, you are entirely left to your own devices and no doubt the honor system for picking your blueberries. The farmer said you can eat some to test them out. I ate about 15 or so right off the bush. My picking method at first was very methodical and zen like. I searched carefully and without haste. I also had ten pounds of camera, lens and speedlight hanging off my neck in full on Florida afternoon heat, so such circumstances do not lend toward fast movement anyway!
Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 @ f/11 ISO 200 1/250th SB-600 on light stand to left in TTL mode, camera on tripod
The current rate for blueberries was $11 a pound. We took home $20 worth and they were all eaten right from the bag in just a couple of days. It was a very good experience. I liked spending time in the countryside harvesting, and the photography opportunities were pretty good too, from insect macros, to HDR landscapes to fruit macros.
Be sure and call ahead as blueberries are only available in certain seasons. The farm has other berries as well.
- Big Bear Farms -- 813-986-1152