By Danny Federico
Riverbend News
Being able to pick fruit straight off the tree is a memory that some may have from their childhood or it's one that some may wish they could have had. There's nothing quite like the experience of plucking a grape off the vine on your own and being able to taste the sweet, juicy inside right then and there. Sadly, though, this fun adventure is something that a lot of people, both children and adults alike, have been unable to take part in. Whether the reason for it being the idea of U-pick prices being too high, a person's lack of knowledge on what to do or even to not knowing where one would be, it's just not as common for people to take part in this old-fashioned kind of fun. Adam Scherer, owner of Three Rivers Plantation located at 27037 County Road 49 in Branford, Fla., wants to make the U-pick experience something that everyone can enjoy.
Scherer is not from a farming family, but he has had an interest in growing banana trees for many years. He is originally from south Florida, but moved to Gainesville in 1998 to study Environmental Science. After he earned his degree, he spent four years cleaning up contamination in Latin America, then he spent 15 years working in the developmental world. During his jobs, he was exposed to poverty of all kinds. “I would be in towns with a few hundred people and there would be no job opportunities,” Scherer said. “Some people would have no running water and no heat, but they would have fruit in abundance in their backyard to feed their children with.”
That's when he started really planting banana trees. He has a small one acre piece of land in Gainesville which he began planting trees on. “Eventually,” Scherer said, “it got to the point where I needed to find someplace to move the banana trees.” So, he began to look for a larger plot of land to transfer some of his trees to. “We were originally looking for one to ten acres,” he said. He and his father, Jim Scherer, found their newest location, a full 40 acres of land, in March of last year. “We weren't originally looking for it,” he said. “But when we saw it, we knew it was perfect.” What's more, the previous owner of the land, a total of 160 acres divided into four different plots, used the land to grow pecans. When they first saw it, the land had been untended for what appeared to be years. Bushes and grass grew thick between the trees. This didn't deter the Scherers, though. “Even though all anyone else saw was work...we saw potential,” he told the Riverbend News.
Now, Three Rivers Plantation is home to 1300 pecan trees, 550 persimmon trees, 350 chestnut trees, 220 Chinese jujube trees, a vineyard with 110 grapevines, sugar cane and banana trees. Scherer says that their next plan is to plant peaches and grow more perennial fruits that can be grown year after year. Three Rivers Plantation is also now a licensed Florida nursery and, while they may not have a lot of fruit trees at the moment, they will have more available for sale in January. Scherer says that their bananas are a big seller. “We sold 20 just in the last week,” he said. With banana trees being what led them to the purchase of this second location, it is no surprise that they know how to grow the best. Not only are their banana trees a big seller, but they are guaranteed to grow. “We don't use chemicals,” he said about their process. “We aren't an organic farm, we use fertilizer, but we don't use sprays.”
If buying a tree isn't what someone is looking for, then the best part about Three Rivers Plantation, aside from the amazingly kind men running it, is the fact that anyone can go up there and pick their own fruit and pay what they think is fair for it. When it comes to their U-pick operation, Scherer says, “We're selling the experience. Most customers come wanting to give their kids the experience of picking their own fruit.” The idea behind it is more focused on giving something to the community more than it is about money. “Some people come here to have a picnic and pick fruit,” Scherer said. Then, when they're done, they put whatever they think is fair into the green bucket that's set up outside. “That way anyone who wants to come up doesn't even have to see us,” Scherer said. “All we care about is that you come back.”
Between the fruit from Gainesville and the fruit in Branford, they usually have something available that has been produced in Florida. Not to mention, they will crack pecans and any other nuts a visitor may want.
Although everything but pecans are pretty much out of season, the Scherers urge the community to keep an eye out, as they will be having Christmas trees for sale soon. They'll be open on demand up until a few days at the end of December.
For more information on Three Rivers Plantation or how to participate in the U-pick experience, please call Adam Scherer at (352) 317-0201 or email him at adamscherer@yahoo.com.