So anyways, we’re smack in the middle of the strawberry season. But isn’t it just the start of spring? Ah yes, but here on the Sunshine Coast our season runs from May through to October. The first strawberries begin appearing around Mother’s Day and come Melbourne Cup Day they’re gone.
Fun fact 1: Queensland supplies the winter production of strawberries for the rest of the country and most of them (about 85%) are grown here on the Sunshine Coast – although Bundaberg is now also growing strawberries and there are some producers even further up north on the Atherton Tablelands.
We’re lucky – the strawberries that we buy at our weekly farmer’s market haven’t been anywhere near cold storage. They’re low on food miles and taste the way that strawberries are meant to taste. The way they never seem to taste in the city.
Fun fact 2: Strawberries have to be picked when they’re ripe. They won’t ripen any more once they’ve been picked.
Picking your own…
There’s something about picking your own fruit though – and luckily, we have places where you can do that. What’s not to love? Some Vitamin D, the smell of warm strawberries all around, the promise of the freshest tastiest fruit and a strawberry icecream at the end of it.
Fun Fact 3: Technically the strawberry is not a berry, but a member of the rose family. Don’t say you don’t learn anything here!
McMartin’s Farm
BLI BLI
After we finished picking we went for a bit of a stroll around to check out the views and see what else was growing.
Not only are the strawberries fabulous here, but the ice cream is next-level good. Made on premises it contains about 30% fruit – that’s a lot of fruit.
You can, of course, get a Devonshire tea here as well, but we stuck with the ice cream.
There’s even a playground for the kids.
Open 7 days between June and October. Check the website for dates.
At the time of our visit it was $13 per kilo. You can get them cheaper at the markets, but it’s not nearly as much fun.
Strawberry Fields
Palmview
With picnic areas, lawns for the kids to run around, a farm shop and a café there’s more to do than pick strawberries – although that’s obviously what you go for.
Open 7 days between June and November. Check the website for dates. At the time of our visit it was $14 per kilo. We picked 2kgs and I bought another 3 kgs of jam strawberries for $5.
For more places where you can pick your own, check out this list.
Sunshine Coasting 