Florida is known as the winter salad bowl of the United States, thanks to a warm climate and fertile soil that allow for year-round farming. While much of the country doesn’t produce fresh fruits and vegetables during colder months, Florida’s fields stay vibrant—producing delicious strawberries, sweet citrus, crisp lettuces, juicy tomatoes, green bell peppers, crunchy cucumbers, and more.
From November through April, Florida supplies a significant portion of the nation’s fresh produce, making it a vital source of garden favorites when other regions are dormant. It’s truly sunshine in every bite!
Each year, Florida provides more than 300 commodities to consumers and foodservice outlets offering a wide variety of fresh produce, seafood and beef.
Now is a great time to feature leafy greens in your recipes; nothing tastes better than fresh, local and homegrown lettuce accented with seasonal fruit such as strawberries or citrus. Salads like these are developed to let Florida produce shine:
- Florida Sunshine Harvest Salad
- Florida Strawberry and Arugula Salad with Candied Pecans
- Florida Gulf Shrimp Niçoise Salad
- Florida Charred Okra Salad with Hot Honey Vinaigrette
“Fresh From Florida” promotes Florida’s agricultural products domestically and internationally. FreshFromFlorida.com is an inspirational resource that provides seasonality information on fresh produce and seafood, cooking videos featuring Florida grown products, more than 400 recipes and growing, and we even have Florida’s culinary ambassador, Chef Justin.
At over 1.4 million followers, “Fresh From Florida” has a strong presence on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Our followers also include “Fresh From Florida” Club and Newsletter members. “Fresh From Florida’s” kids’ online culinary program, Jr. Chef University, launched in November to help us reach even the youngest chefs!
“Fresh From Florida’s” multi-media campaign uses media platforms to share Florida’s bounty with the public. Join “Fresh From Florida’s” industry membership program at no charge and enjoy the power of “Fresh From Florida’s” marketing program to enhance your profile!
Visit the “Fresh From Florida” Food Service webpage for specific foodservice resources or find us on social media @FreshFromFlorida.
