Lake Okeechobee News/Danika J. Hopper
Thousands of blueberries are ripening in the U-pick section of the farm.

LABELLE — Early Saturday morning, the sweet smell of berry blossoms wafted through my neighborhood, beckoning us to follow it and find the source. We happily discovered that just over a mile from my doorstep sits Blueberry Bunch Farm. Florida’s southernmost — and Hendry County’s only — blueberry farm tends to approximately 60,000 blueberry bushes.

“Our love for healthy food and fruits led us to purchase the farm 15 years ago. With our love for blueberries, hard work and use of the newest technologies, we’ve been expanding every year,” said Kristian Velasco, public relations manager at the farm. The farm is owned by Arthur Molzan and run by some truly knowledgeable and dedicated employees.

Upon visiting, we were excited to find that this family-owned farm had recently opened its gates up as a U-pick farm. U-Pick is where customers can harvest the produce themselves.

“People can drop by the farm from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday through Sunday to pick our delicious blueberries. We can’t wait to see everyone at the farm this season,” said Mr. Velasco.

Lake Okeechobee News/Danika J. Hopper
Reporter Danika Hopper’s daughter strolls through the rows of blueberry bushes, at Blueberry Bunch Farm.

When we arrived, Jessica Molzan, the farm owner’s daughter and Mr. Velasco’s wife, supplied us with a bucket lined with a biodegradable bag for collecting berries. As my daughter began to stroll through the rows of berry bushes, her eyes widened, “They’re everywhere! So many berries,” she exclaimed. She was right. There were thousands upon thousands of blueberries in each row. The rows went on and on, spanning 29 acres.

A family in front of us were first timers to U-picking blueberries, so we watched, as they quickly learned how to pick the best ones.

“Select plump, full blueberries with a light gray-blue color. A berry with any hint of red isn’t fully ripened. White and green colored blueberries will not ripen after they are picked,” said Mr. Velasco. “Blueberries that have turned purple, red or bluish usually ripen after they are picked when stored at room temperature. Since blueberries hang on the bushes in clusters, the fastest way to pick them is hold your bucket under them in one hand and while cupping your other hand around gently pulling. They’ll drop into your bucket, while the unripe ones will remain attached to the bush.”

Children and families ran around filling their buckets, tasting some as they went, having a great time. At the weigh-in, we discovered the other family farm, in Arcadia, produces macadamia nuts. We sampled some of the nuts, which were absolutely exquisite, as they weighed our berry haul.

If you would like to try your hand at U-pick blueberries, Blueberry Bunch farm is open Friday through Sunday from 9 to 2 p.m and is located at 2754 Howard Road in LaBelle. They welcome everyone, and speak Danish, Spanish and English. The farm has both a Facebook and Instagram account for you to follow for updates, and their website address is blueberrybunchfarm.com.