Annual strawberry-inspired tradition has returned to the sunshine state, shining the spotlight on the “capital of winter strawberry capital” and the community that grows this sweet crop.
The 90th Florida Strawberry Festival will begin on Thursday in Plant City and will continue until March 9th with more games, rides, livestock shows, crafts and more strawberry-flavored food than you could have imagined. Famous headlining concerts this year (prices vary) include Reba McEntire (sold out), Lauren Daigle, Boys II Men, Reinard Skynard, Beach Boys and John Fogerty.
The headliner has proven to be a big draw as well as a family-friendly game, midway rides, fun shows and information displays, but the focus of this fair is really the food.
On the first day of the event, my companions and I made our mission to try out some strawberry-infused dishes, from flavour to very sweet.
Chocolate-covered strawberry lemonade, fried strawberry shortcake, smoked gouda mac and cheese, strawberry cannoli funnel cake, strawberry slow dog and strawberry wings are all one of the food highlights listed at this year’s fair. Festival participants, prepare your taste buds: there’s a lot to try out there.
Strawberry mixed nuts
Our initial taste of strawberry flavor came as a coating of small bags of mixed nuts, similar to the kinds found at Buc-ee. These were discovered in front of a Candyland Warehouse Tent where visitors can view a wide selection of traditional candies.
The combination of pecans, almonds and cashews made the nuts mostly sugary, but with a slightly salty and flavor that was satisfyingly crunch. These proved to be sweet snacks to prepare our tastes, wander around the festival grounds and get a nice treat to enjoy in a small handful while being familiar with the layout of the event.
Price: $5.85
Sweet strawberry salad
Looking for healthy things in the ocean of fried fair food, we found a refreshing salad from a sweet mission at Softbuspass Carriage House. The bakery also sells strawberry cookies, dessert cups, waffle chips, and more.
The vinaigrette dressing covered a lush green bed with fresh strawberries, pecans and cheese complemented on top. The food felt like it would be a good appetizer on the restaurant menu and was a nice break from all of the calorie-dense foods we eat later.
Price: $8
Strawberry milkshake
It was difficult to resist the temptation to pass the Brandon Farm Stand. So we didn’t enjoy the fresh and creamy strawberry milkshake.
We noted that the colours are not only less fuchsia pink than your average store-bought strawberry ice cream, but also a bit of real strawberry in the drink. While milkshakes cannot be considered healthy, this made the preservatives that you might find in other such desserts look much fresher and free. It was creamy and refreshing on hot days, and the right amount of sweetness.
Price: $10
Strawberry pizza
Another of the Brandon Farms menu items was the strawberry pizza that piqued our interest. It was in the form of a broken down strawberry cheesecake, with extra stuffing on top.
The crust had hints of salt, which complemented the berry and cheesecake-style filling. Luckily, the food didn’t skip strawberries.
Price: $6
Strawberry wings
Grub & Go Food Truck serves fried catfish, oxtails, jerk chicken and more. The strawberry wings were interesting to see listed on the menu and sounded like some kind of entree after some small snacks.
The wings were crispy and I did well with a slightly sweet glaze with a subtle strawberry flavour. The strawberry tips complemented the flavourful flavours with cornbread and vegetables on the side.
Price: $15
St. Clement Catholic Church Strawberry Shortcake
There are multiple venues for finding strawberry shortcakes on the festival grounds, but the St. Clement Catholic Church booth appears to be the most popular. The long-term festival tradition allows guests to make their own shortcake with strawberry stuffing and a scoop of whipped cream. Volunteers at the edge of the line have fresh strawberries closed on top.
Guests can choose as a base from cakes or biscuits. We chose the sponge-colored cake. This was well complemented by strawberry filling and fluffy whipped cream. Everything had the right texture and flavor, with a pop of red colour and strawberry flavour. The experience I create is also cool. This proved to be the right way to end the Florida Strawberry Festival experience.
Price: $6
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If you’re going
The Florida Strawberry Festival is open daily from 10am to 10pm at 303 Berry Fest Place in Plant City. The festival admission fee is $15 for adults and $5 for each child ages 6-12. Children under the age of 5 are free to enter with paid adults. Concert tickets will be charged an additional fee. Details: 813-752-9194 or flstrawberryfestival.com
Original issue: February 28, 2025, 2:00 pm
