Florida Guide > Other Activities
Showcase of Citrus (8)
During many of our visits to our villa we had said we must do some orange picking yet never seemed to get around to doing it. Then a couple of years ago I decided to search on the internet before going on holiday and I found Showcase of Citrus.
It is located on Highway 27 in Clermont. From Kissimmee/Disneyworld you take the 192 heading towards the 27. You then merge right onto Highway 27 going north for about 4 miles and you will come to Showcase of Citrus. This is located on Arnold Groves and Ranch which is a huge 2, 500 acre working citrus and cattle ranch.
This is a family operation and they have grown citrus for several generations and are passionately committed to it. The family who do not use herbicides or pesticides do everything from the digging to working in the store or collecting the eggs from their chickens.
When we arrived a very polite man welcomed us and gave us a lot of samples of oranges, grapefruits, tangerines and freshly squeezed juice. There are maps of the grove showing what fruit is produced and the gentleman gave us directions where to pick and bags. You can buy small, medium or large bags and you can fill it all the way for a fixed price. It is a bit like strawberry picking in the UK, you can eat as you pick!
Whist here you can see otters playing in the canal as you walk through the grove. There are also alligators but these are best viewed from afar!
As well as growing several varieties of Grapefruit, Tangerines, Tangelos, Lemons and Limes they also grow the following varieties of Oranges:
Yellow Navel
Valencia
Hamlin
Red Navel
Blood Navel
Spring Navel
Ordinique
Kara
Kinnow
Temple
Spring Sweet
Ambersweet
I must admit several of these I had not heard of before. Friends of ours who went just before Christmas last year said that the Hamlins and Ruby Reds were really good at that time of year.
If you visit the Old Tyme Farm store you can buy locally grown sauces, pickles, jams and jellies as well as the fresh eggs from their organically grown chickens.
In addition you can buy T-shirts, caps and canvas shopping bags that will tell the world you have experienced the world’s greatest U-Pick Citrus Grove.
When we went we took a blanket and a picnic and had a lovely few hours here.
Showcase of Citrus is open from mid October to mid May do try and go if you get time.
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