"Where do you find Florida's best Blueberry Pie?"

Recently on a Daytrip, the gentleman working for a Lloyds of London affiliate posed the question about the best slice of Blueberry Pie.  He had specific requirements about his preferences which included that that the pie should be made up primarily with Blueberries, not filler, not crème and not crust but an abundance of the fruit now considered an anti aging super food by many authorities including Dr. Oz.  Dr. Oz says one of his favorite anti-aging foods are blueberries. You can tell blueberries are chockfull of antioxidants because of their dark color. "All foods with dark colors in them have some of these really protecting antioxidant chemicals in them," he says. "Blueberries lead the charge."

My immediate response made me remember about two places in Florida which are each several generations old; Flora and Ella’s in La Belle and Wheelers in Arcadia.  These are the kind of places which reminded you of Aunt Bee baking in the back of the shop. Meanwhile, her sister welcomed you to the front of the café’.  These are the kind of places where pies are more than an annual cook-off item. How was I to know that after 80 years the place with a giant Billboard on route 80 had closed its doors?  Wheelers, on the other hand is still open but primarily known for their Southern Peanut Butter Pie which could spark a whole other conversation and therefore a potential future blog article.   I have to give credit for finding those two places to Bruce Hunt’s book, “Visiting Small-Town Florida” a great companion to have when eating your way around the State. 

My next thoughts turned to the now several Blueberry Festivals that we have in the State.  The May Festival in Island Grove Florida which is near the small town of Citra and not far from Micanopy easily was my choice for the quality of the Blueberries themselves.  I like to buy them by the flat at the Festival and then freeze them for use in Smoothies.  However, I never tasted a pie there so I couldn’t consider them the top contender for the Category of Pie.  The Brooksville Pie Festival has what I would consider the winner of the Blueberry Pie Contest and here’s what it looks like as shown on the Festival’s site. 

 SUPPORT THE MARCHING BAND!!!! BUY PIE!!! 
Hernando High School's Royal Regiment Marching Band will be out selling pies this weekend... (Everyone loves Pie)

I haven’t been to the Blueberry Festival in Plant City but we annually attend their more famous cousin, the Florida Strawberry Festival.  It’s an easy selection to tell you where to get the top rated Strawberry Shake in the Country and that is the Parksdale Farm open air Market.  This choice is not just mine and every tour participant I’ve ever taken there in the past 15 years but now officially the choice of the Food Network as pictured here.

 Southern Living Magazine did an article a few years back called Florida Dreaming “10 Reasons to go” and # 1 on the list was the Strawberry Shortcake from Parksdale Farms Market. N

Now, I was having fun remembering these great events and their special contributions to the palate. On an annual basis the town of Celebration hosts a pie festival of National Acclaim.  Here, for one flat fee you enter and sample diverse pie selections from National Brands and Grocery Chains.  However, a smaller entry caught my eye that won in a different category for their Almond Joy pie but has a Blueberry pie that meets the requirements of our tour participant that asked the pie question in the first place.  My conclusion is that you can travel the Region, the State and the Country looking for a great slice of pie and then find out that your own town has Joan’s Perfect Pies close by in the Eau Gallie Historic district of Melbourne, Florida. 

http://joansperfectpie.com/

The Movie Waitress was opening about a person who dealt with whatever life threw at her by baking pies.   The Celebration Pie Festival also has a good car show and some nice walking trails to walk off the pie calories

I asked the question in a travel class I teach, Where do you find Florida’s Best Blueberry Pie?  A student answered, that’s easy, my house!     I welcome your participation to find out where in Florida you have found the best Blueberry pie and for that matter somebody next asked, “Where can I find the best Banana Crème Pie?”  and so the search continues and your comments and opinions are welcomed here.