My Old Florida
  • Home
  • Old Florida Towns
  • Roadside Attractions
  • Road to the Keys
  • On the Water
  • Old Florida Blog
  • About
  • Reviews
  • Home
  • Old Florida Towns
    • Cortez Seafood Festival
    • Barberville's Pioneer Settlement
    • Matlacha
    • Cedar Key
    • Pierson
    • Lake Placid
    • Everglades City
  • Roadside Attractions
    • Coral Castle
    • Old Florida Festival
    • Shootout at Big Cypress >
      • Seminole War Reenactors
      • Billie Swamp Safari
    • Smallwood Store
    • Flamingo Gardens
    • The Redland
    • Bob Hughes and the Ole General Store >
      • Remembering 3500 year-old tree, The Senator
    • Lion Country Safari
    • Butterfly World
    • Sunken Gardens
    • Jimbo's
    • Gatorama
    • Roadside Blog
  • Road to the Keys
    • US 1 — Part 1 >
      • Keys Parks
      • Upper Keys
      • Middle Keys
      • Lower Keys
      • Key West
    • US 27 Part 1
  • On the Water
    • Rock Springs Run
    • Newnans Lake
    • Silver Springs
    • Cabbage Key & Cayo Costa
    • Stiltsville
    • Salt Springs
    • Peace River
    • Black Hammock
    • On the Water Blog
  • Old Florida Blog
  • About
  • Reviews

​Roadside Blog

Yard Art and Produce in Barberville

7/25/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
In 1975 the Barberville Produce opened in Pierson, Fla. and in the 40 years since then has grown into a combination produce, pottery and yard art emporium that fills up over two acres. By 1990 the road art aspect had grown so large that the place took on a new name, Barberville Roadside Yard Art & Produce. 

In a state where there are plenty of unusual things by the side of the road this one stands out. Located on SR 40 just west of US 17, it is a beacon of color and design. As you approach you are likely to see a full sized T Rex next to a seven-foot tall ceramic rooster. Just beyond them are a few Statue of Liberty ladies wired for lanterns to spread light at your own welcoming shores. There are lifelike ceramic and metal animals from the African plains and buffaloes mixed in with them for good measure.

Inside the wire walls of the compound are dozens of kinds of ceramic pots and more animals and metal signs for your party room next to gazing globes and gazebos, outdoor furniture, fountains, sinks and rustic metal animal sculptures.

Much of the pottery is Talavera from the city of Puebla and surrounding towns in Mexico. Talavera is famous around the world because it is made from especially fine clays and the traditional glazes and decorations are so crisp and colorful. A new shipment arrives each month.

The produce stand is still there and still offering up boiled and roasted peanuts, local honey, produce of the season, peanut brittle and old fashioned freshly made peanut butter. 

With its independent spirit and quirky offerings, Barberville Yard Art and Produce definitely qualifies as Old Florida. 

Next time you are on your way to Silver Springs or Barberville Pioneer Settlement or somewhere else and passing close by, set aside a half hour or so to wander the grounds and look at all this fine yard art and produce. You’ll probably take home some peanuts at the very least and may fall in love with a full sized ceramic tiger or a rearin’ bronco made out of metal. Don’t worry, if it won’t fit in your car, they can get it delivered to you.

Barberville Produce is open every day from 9 am to 6 pm. It’s not too soon to start thinking about Christmas presents…

Picture
My mom had a great time here. She loved the big giraffe entryway.
Picture
This cute spotted dog would be no trouble as a pet.
Picture
Sing a song for the celebration of the Mexican Day of the Dead at Barberville Yard Art.
Picture
Barberville Yard Art has Statue of Liberties in many sizes.
Picture
Even Betty Boop shows up along with screaming eagles and roaring lions at Barberville Yard Art.
0 Comments

Bob Roth’s New River Groves

5/20/2013

3 Comments

 
Picture
The Big Orange is kind of like the Weinermobile but different.
Started in 1964, Bob Roth's New River Groves roadside stand in Davie is famous for several things including the big orange that is often seen in the parking lot along busy Griffin Road as it leads away from Fort Lauderdale and toward the Everglades. The big oranges at Roth’s are both vehicles and a drink stand that travels around. There are a couple of them and they are part of the Old Florida feeling with their 50 years of squeezing and pleasing.

Roth’s is one of the places you can count on getting the delicious honeybell orange during the short span of time it’s available once a year. Of course there are plenty of other orange, grapefruit and tangerine varieties for sale all packed up in half-bushel paper sacks or the familiar orange mesh bags that hold a full bushel.

Inside there are sandwiches and coffee, fresh juice, snacks, boiled peanuts always hot and ready, a batch of jams and jellies, other condiments and a cooler full of plain white boxes full of promise.

There’s gator meat in the cooler in those hand-lettered boxes and Roth’s well known pies including the key lime pie based on a recipe from Bob’s late wife Terry who died in 2002. (You can get Terry’s pies in a number of other places including nearby Flamingo Gardens, another must see.)

Although there is a lot of discussion about crust and toppings, everyone agrees key lime pie is pale yellow, never green. The ingredients are few but that still allows for plenty of wiggle room when making this simple but exquisite pie.

Terry’s pie uses the more traditional graham cracker crumb crust as opposed to the baked pastry shell. And her pie features whipped cream topping while an equal number of pie makers tend to meringue. At Roth’s there is also a key lime pie with orange or mango flavor added.

Their pie is so famous that it traveled to the capitol in Tallahassee in 1994 when the legislature was pondering that most serious of state decisions — which pie to name as the state pie. Key lime won in a squeaker over pecan pie and you have to wonder if it wasn’t Terry and her tart-sweet concoction that sealed the deal once the legislators had a taste.

People have been stopping by Roth’s for almost 50 years for a bag of sunshine and now a piece of vote-swaying history.


Picture
Neat shelves are lined with honey and jellies and all kinds of Florida products.
3 Comments

    Author

    Sue Harrison points out things you might miss but shouldn't as you go down the road.

    Archives

    July 2015
    April 2015
    May 2013

    Categories

    All
    Old Florida
    Oranges
    Roadside Stand
    Shark Teeth
    Sue Harrison
    Venice

    RSS Feed

  • Cortez Seafood Festival
  • Barberville's Pioneer Settlement
  • Matlacha
  • Cedar Key
  • Pierson
  • Lake Placid
  • Everglades City
  • Coral Castle
  • Old Florida Festival
  • Shootout at Big Cypress >
    • Seminole War Reenactors
    • Billie Swamp Safari
  • Smallwood Store
  • Flamingo Gardens
  • The Redland
  • Bob Hughes and the Ole General Store >
    • Remembering 3500 year-old tree, The Senator
  • Lion Country Safari
  • Butterfly World
  • Sunken Gardens
  • Jimbo's
  • Gatorama
  • Roadside Blog
  • US 1 — Part 1 >
    • Keys Parks
    • Upper Keys
    • Middle Keys
    • Lower Keys
    • Key West
  • US 27 Part 1
  • Rock Springs Run
  • Newnans Lake
  • Silver Springs
  • Cabbage Key & Cayo Costa
  • Stiltsville
  • Salt Springs
  • Peace River
  • Black Hammock
  • On the Water Blog