It’s peak strawberry harvest season in Florida, according to the latest news bulletin from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, which notes that the strawberry farming industry in the state is worth about $500 million in farmgate value.
“It has been an incredible Florida strawberry season in terms of flavor and quality,” Kenneth Parker, executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, said in a news release.
Parker notably called out several varieties developed by UF/IFAS that helped bolster the state’s strawberry production. Parker said UF/IFAS strawberry breeder Vance Whitaker and his team at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center developed new varieties such as Florida Pearl, Florida Medallion, Florida Brilliance and Sweet Sensation.
Florida Pearl, released in 2020, gets its name from its unusual, white exterior. It boasts a unique taste, with some consumers said it tastes like pineapple or apricot, according to the UF/IFAS.
“Growers look for things that consumers care about like flavor, color, shape and shelf life,” Whitaker said in the release. “Growers also look for traits important to growing the varieties, like yield, disease resistance and how easy they are to harvest.”
Whitaker said Florida Brilliance is the most popular UF/IFAS cultivar among growers.
“I am most proud that for many years we have been meeting the needs of our growers, continually providing them with better varieties,” he said. “On the consumer side, I am most proud that we have continued to increase flavor, which is hopefully encouraging people to eat more strawberries. You can’t go wrong by eating more of something that is so good for you.”
According to UF/IFAS, Hillsborough County leads the state in strawberry production and grows about 90% of the estimated 13,500 acres each year. Manatee and Polk counties also grow strawberries.
