hydro-taste u-pick hydroponics farm

Visit date is the date I wrote the review. We had been here last approx. 1.5 years ago. We really enjoyed going here and introducing this farm to friends. It's a fun way to spend a few hours. So nice to get fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a live short tour before picking. Very informative, although the promise of how long the vegetables/fruit freshness will last at home is overestimated. You can pick your own items in season or choose from pre-picked or shipped in items. They also had some cold dessert options made on the spot such as strawberry shakes. And, their farm store also sold kitchen-related items.We drove there one time before we knew they were closed and the sign in front said closed for remodeling.The website says "Temporarily Closed. The farm is temporarily closed while we grow more produce. Please check back for our re-opening." ...but after this long I wonder if it is only temporary. I just checked their facebook page and it says they are permanently closed.Sad to see such a healthy and fun place go under, if that is what happened.

I had read about Hydo-Taste on the website so we decided to give it a try. Was able to talk to the owner of the farm and he explained how to cut the strawberries with a 2-3" stem and they would last over 2 weeks. He was right, we had fresh strawberries during out entire 2 week vacation! It was a blast picking strawberries right off the vine in February! Their dried strawberries are awesome as well! It's well worth the trip off the beaten path to experience a new way of farming!

On our home we saw the signs and stopped. We had fun picking strawberries and just when I said I've had enough, I saw another berry I just couldn't pass up. On our way out we had sandwiches that were very tasty too.

If you are a gardener and interested in hydroponic fruits and veggies, don't miss this one. The 2 hour free class (call and register ahead) will teach you how to purchase, set up and grow with the Hydro-Stacker vertical, hydroponic system. Your questions will all be answered thoroughly. Plant nutrients and other hydroponic products are available on site at reasonable prices. We didn't have time to pick (had to catch a plane) but it looked like a really great opportunity to harvest your own veggies. Great Folks and a great attraction!

I enjoyed picking the reasonably priced berries that were deliciously fresh.

We absolutely love this place, very friendly staff and owner, Chester was very nice to talk to. The tour was great, the produce even better and the overall experience was great fun for the whole family no matter how old or young. Took the grandparents and we spent four hours there just talking and picking. We will be purchasing our own system soon but will continue to visit when we are on this coast. Thanks, Chester ;-)

I stopped here on 3-16-10. The owner would not let me get any produce because I had my video camera with me. Go figure. I would not recommend Hydro-Taste U-Pick to anyone. The owner was a real jerk.

The little Tour is AWESOME! What a great place and not to mention the coolest U Pick we've been... we purchased a bunch of stuff....... and waiting to go back.It's about two hours away but worth the drive!!They even have a little Deli on the premises with FRESH Juice and Sandwiches it was AWESOME!!!

The Best Place in Florida To Learn about HYDROPONICS We have grown many things in Florida since moving from Ohio and have never seen or learned as much about any kind of gardening until we went to the class held from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon I can't wait to start with hydroponics system. Looks as if this is the way to go!! We tried romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and strawberries.All the produce we picked fresh and everything was way superior to anything I have ever tasted in Florida. I hope to see you again soon to pick up some stackers we wanted to get the area prepared first and measure it up to see how many would fit in our area that we have designated.Thank you,Randy and Deborah Pierson of Tampa

From the outside, Hydro-Taste Farms looks very unassuming, but as you learn more and get involved with what this farm offers, you discover a wealth of information on hydroponic farming, a variety of delicious fruits and veggies to choose from (depending on season), and fun activities from time to time to enjoy with your little ones. My family and I set out for an overnight trip to Sarasota with the main interest of visiting Hydro-Taste farms. My husband wanted to participate in the free hydroponic training (specifically oriented on Hydro-stacker products but purchase is not necessary to participate). My 4YO son and I went and did the annual pumpkin carving class they hold special prior to Halloween (cost $25, includes pumpkins) We all had a great time!Hubby came away with wealth of information to help his hobby interest in hydroponics, while my son and I had plain old messy fun with the pumpkin carving class. There were several parents with kids there and we all had a great time picking, designing, and carving our pumpkins with our kids. The teacher also taught fun science experiments during the different stages of the carving. The classroom facilities are new, very clean, and very nicely set up. One large room is dedicated to the hydroponics training and the other room is split between a large classroom and giant multi-station kitchen area. (Looks like they are venturing into cooking classes too. Fun!)The farm itself is an amazing to see all set up. Rows and rows of crops of all kinds, all using the hydro-stacker set up or the newly designed hydro pots (all designed by the owner of the farm). Being new to the science of hydroponics, this was a great sight to see for us! Finally, the store front contains refrigerators and stands displaying veggies and crops available for sale. The prices are fair and the veggies were tasty! (Sorry this is all backwards, but since we attended the classes at the back of the farm, our view from the farm started at the back and worked it way to the front.)Overall, visiting the Hydro-Taste farm facilities was a fun experience for us all and we were happy we went. If we lived closer, it would be so much fun to go there regularly to do the u-pick fruits and veggies. Indeed, with the way the hydro-stacker system is set up, no one needs to kneel to pick fruit. Keep watch of their website for information of upcoming classes and fruits/veggies coming into season.