Pick Knaus Strawberries. Pick Florida Tomatoes. Bite Redland Pie

Go Pick. Taste Home.

You drive past strip malls and feel a pull. You push through a gate of green and smell earth and sun. You take off your shoes. You learn how fruit lives. This guide shows you three things. How to pick Knaus strawberries. How to pick Florida tomatoes. How to turn both into a Redland pie. Each section gives plain tips. You will learn to find the RED and pick the best. You will learn to seek sun-ripened fruit. You will learn to bake a simple, bright pie. Walk out with hands stained and a plan and a cup of coffee.

Strawberry & Tomato Picking at Knaus Berry Farm

You want berries that pop. Look for deep, even red. The skin should glow. No pale tips. No green shoulders. Press with your thumb. The berry should give, not mush. Pull by the stem, not the berry. Pick in the cool of morning. Walk slow. Scan the rows. Learn the field. Watch which rows see sun first. Watch which rows hold shade. Scan for birds and bugs. Sort as you go.

What to wear and bring

You will bend. Dress for it. Wear closed shoes. Thin gloves help if you pick a lot. Bring a wide-brim hat. Wear layers. Mornings bite with cool air. By noon you sweat.

Pack light. Use a small harvest tote or a shallow clam-shell box. Bring a cooler with a few ice packs if you must travel. Bring a small towel to blot dew. Bring a phone for photos. You will want to remember which row held the best fruit.

How to pick — the hands-on steps

Pick when the field is dry. Wet rows bruise and rot. Move slow. Use your eyes first. Then your hands.

You will learn to notice stems and leaves. Sturdy green stems mean fresher fruit. Brown leaves or soft stems mean a berry past its prime. Watch birds. They take the best. When you see nests or flocks, move to another row.

You will meet old pickers. They will show you quick tricks. One will drop ripe fruit into his shirt to keep it cool until the next box. You will learn by watching.

Pack and cool — keep the heat out

Sort as you go. Remove crushed or split berries. They rot fast and they spread rot. Pack small. Small boxes prevent crushing. Shallow is better than deep.

Cool fast when you can. Aim to get berries under 50°F within a few hours. If you cannot cool immediately, keep your harvest in shade and out of wind. Use a cooler like a small Coleman or Igloo with a frozen pack wrapped in towel. Do not let berries sit in water or on melting ice. They must not touch liquid.

Wash and store — simple rules

Do not wash until you will eat or cook them. Water shortens shelf life. If you must rinse, dry gently and cool right away.

Refrigerate in a single layer if possible. A shallow tray with a loose cover works. Expect best flavor in 24–48 hours. Properly cooled berries can hold 3–5 days. Use the soft ones first.

If you want longer life, freeze whole berries on a tray, then bag them. They thaw best for baking and smoothies.

Varieties and what to do with them

At Knaus you will see types that differ in size, flesh, and sugar.

Choose by use. For jam and toast pick the most fragrant berry. For pie pick the firm ones with good structure. For a quick dessert pick the sweetest you can find.

Quick checks in the field

You will leave with stained fingers and a plan. You will know which boxes hold pie fruit and which beg to be eaten on the spot. The next step is the tomato rows and the oven.

You walk the vine. You read the color. You press with a thumb. The ripe tomato yields, but it keeps its shape. You avoid green shoulders and soft spots. You lift gently. You twist at the stem and let it go. You keep your crate in the shade on the drive home.

When to pick

Pick in the cool hours. Early morning is best once the dew dries. Late afternoon works if the sun has cooled. Midday heat cooks sugar out of fruit. In Florida, most fields ripen from late fall into spring. Walk the row. Taste one. If it sings, pick the row.

Tools to bring

Bring these things and you will move fast and clean.

How to pick without bruising

Use your eyes first. Look for even color. Avoid green shoulders. Press the shoulder. If it gives yet keeps shape, it is ripe.

Twist at the stem. Do not yank. Snap the fruit free with a small twist. Leave a little stem if you can. The stem protects the core. Lay fruit in a single layer. Do not stack heavy tomatoes on top of light ones.

If a fruit sticks, clip it. Shears save the next fruit from a torn vine. Put blemished or split fruit aside. Use them first.

Handling in hot weather

Do not bake your haul in the sun. Shade the boxes. Drive in shade if you can. Put a wrapped ice pack in the cooler, not touching the fruit. Aim to cool a few degrees. You want flavor, not frost.

Do not refrigerate warm tomatoes. Cold kills scent and sugar. If you must cool, move them to 55–65°F, not 40°F. If a tomato is very ripe and you need to keep it longer, brief refrigeration slows rot. Bring it back to room temperature before you eat it. Flavor wakes up with warmth.

Best Florida varieties — slice vs. sauce

Know the types before you pick.

Choose by use. If you plan a sandwich, pick a firm beefsteak or heirloom. If you plan sauce, pick paste types with little juice.

Pack and carry

Pack shallow. One layer if you can. Put the ripe ones on top. Use waxed flats for long runs. Keep the crate stable in the car. Drive slow on bumpy roads.

A small cooler with a single wrapped pack is fine for a short trip. For longer runs, ventilated plastic bins work. Mark the soft fruit and eat them first.

Fixes for overripe fruit

You will find an overripe one now and then. Do not waste it.

Soft fruit will not sit well on a sandwich. Cook it. You will save sugar and good taste.

You bring fruit in. You wash and sort. You mash some, slice some, and leave some whole. Here is how to turn field fruit into a simple pie that holds flavor and memory.

Quick, plain recipes

Strawberry pie — simple and true.

Redland tomato pie — savory and bright.

Fillings and thickeners that work in heat

Pick based on juice and time.

Match the thickener to the fruit. Berries: cornstarch or tapioca. Tomatoes (sweet pies): tapioca or arrowroot. For mixed fruit, use a blend.

Crust that snaps

Make a crust that cracks and keeps juice out.

Save a soggy bottom

It happens. Here is how you fix it and how to avoid it.

Bake, cool, slice, serve

Vent the top. Steam must leave. Bake until juices bubble. The smell will tell you. Cool the pie on a rack. The filling will set as it cools. Run a knife under hot water and wipe it between slices for neat cuts.

Serve plain. Or add a spoon of cold cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a dollop of lightly whipped cream folded with a touch of sugar and lemon. Fold, not beat. Keep the texture.

Simple tweaks and ideas

You have made the pie. You have learned a few tricks. Let it cool and move to the last note on eating what you pick.

Eat What You Pick

You pick with your hands. You learn to tell ripe by feel. Red yields to a gentle pull. Firm fruit gives back. Sun hides in the flesh and breaks free in your bite. You carry the field home and wash the dust away. You bake with your heart. You measure time and sugar in small, true ways.

You serve the pie to friends. You trade a slice for a laugh. The land gives fruit. You give it a short road to pan. Now go pick. Now go bake. Now go taste. And now savor every bite.