Tom West Blueberry Farm and Lake Meadow Naturals: Farm-Fresh Fun Just Outside Ocoee
Two beloved West Orange County farms bringing U-Pick blueberries, farm-fresh eggs, and pasture-raised everything to your table
Tom West Blueberry Farm, located at 350 E Orlando Ave in Ocoee, FL, has been family-owned and operated since 1954 and offers U-Pick blueberries each spring, typically from March through May, at approximately $4 per pound across 10 acres of blueberry fields. Lake Meadow Naturals, located at 10000 Mark Adam Rd in Ocoee, is a year-round working farm and market selling cage-free chicken and duck eggs, grass-fed beef, heritage pork, pasture-raised poultry, raw honey, and house-made preserves. Both farms are in Ocoee, FL, approximately 10-15 minutes north of Gotha and 15-20 minutes from Horizon West via SR 429.
Here's something plenty of people relocating to West Orange County don't realize: two of the most beloved local farms in the entire Orlando metro area are hiding right in Ocoee — tucked between neighborhoods and accessible in just a short drive from communities like Gotha, Horizon West, and Winter Garden.
Tom West Blueberry Farm draws crowds each spring for its U-Pick blueberry season — a genuine farm tradition that's been running for over 70 years. And Lake Meadow Naturals operates year-round as one of Central Florida's most celebrated farm stores, selling everything from cage-free eggs to raw honey to grass-fed beef. Together, they offer a slice of real farm life that most people assume you'd have to drive to north Florida to find.
Tom West Blueberry Farm: A West Orange County Spring Tradition
The West family's roots in Ocoee stretch back to the early 20th century, starting with citrus. After World War II, Tom West incorporated the farm in 1954. When freezes and disease made citrus increasingly uncertain, Tom's son Milton and grandson Scott transitioned to blueberries starting in 2010. Tom passed away in 2011, just before seeing the full fruition of that decision — the farm now carries his name as a tribute. Milton and Scott doubled the blueberry fields from 5 to 10 acres, and in 2012, opened for U-Pick, quickly becoming one of the most popular spring outings in West Orange County.
What to Expect at U-Pick Season
The farm is located at 350 E Orlando Ave in Ocoee, right next door to Ocoee Elementary and Middle Schools — about as "in the neighborhood" as a farm can get. U-Pick season runs roughly March through May, depending on the harvest. Pricing is by the pound (approximately $4/lb), and the farm sells out every year, sometimes well before May. Checking their Facebook page before you head out is essential.
- Family fun included: Tractor rides for a small fee, a bounce house, and a swing set mean the kids can play even when the picking is done
- Staff guidance: Farm employees direct you to the most productive rows so you're not wandering around empty bushes
- Bonus products: Blueberry butter, jams, popsicles, and fresh-baked muffins are available for purchase throughout the season
- Easy picking: Even toddlers can participate — the berries are abundant during peak weeks and fall easily from the bush
The farm also participates in Florida's Farm-to-School program, supplying fresh blueberries to local school districts — a meaningful connection between the land and the community it literally sits in the middle of.
Lake Meadow Naturals: The Year-Round Farm Store That Locals Swear By
If Tom West is Ocoee's spring celebration, Lake Meadow Naturals is its year-round secret weapon. Located at 10000 Mark Adam Rd — just one mile off SR 429 and West Road — this working farm operates a robust on-farm market stocked with some of the cleanest, most thoughtfully raised food you'll find in Central Florida.
Owner Dale Volkert has grown the operation into a full-fledged farm store that draws regulars from across the metro. The product lineup is genuinely impressive:
- Cage-free, soy-free, organic chicken and duck eggs (and sometimes quail and heirloom eggs)
- Whole chickens, broilers, Cornish game hens, and guinea hens raised on-site
- Grass-fed beef, pastured lamb, Berkshire and Duroc heritage pork, and goat meat
- Raw, unfiltered orange blossom and wildflower honey from the farm's own beehives
- Fresh cheeses, nitrate-free bacon and sausage, all-beef hot dogs
- House-made preserves, pickled items, and seasonal organic produce
The farm has been featured on The Chew and local NBC affiliate WESH 2, and reviews consistently describe it as a hidden gem — though the secret has clearly gotten out.
Hours, Tips, and What Locals Know
Lake Meadow Naturals is open Monday through Saturday. Monday–Wednesday and Friday: 10 AM–5 PM; Thursday: 10 AM–6 PM; Saturday: 9 AM–5 PM (closed Sundays). On Saturdays, U-Pick eggs are available — especially fun with kids who want to understand where food comes from.
Pricing is honest but not budget-bin: 60 medium eggs run around $15.95, with weekly specials and BOGO deals posted to their social media and newsletter. The farm is a working operation, not a petting zoo — though the animals (sheep, goats, rabbits, ducks, horses, turkeys, and more) are visible and viewable on the grounds.
Why These Farms Matter for West Orange County Residents
For anyone relocating to communities like Gotha, Windermere, or Horizon West, the proximity of working farms like these is a genuinely underrated quality-of-life factor. Many people moving to Central Florida from the Northeast or Midwest expect to lose access to farm-fresh food and local agricultural traditions — and then discover that West Orange County has exactly that baked right in.
The West Orange Trail runs nearby, so you can pair a spring morning of blueberry picking with a ride along one of Florida's best paved trails. Downtown Winter Garden — with its weekend farmers market and restaurant scene — is just a short drive west. And the Winter Garden Village shopping complex is minutes away if you need to round out errands after a farm run.
What the farms represent, beyond the food itself, is a sense of place and community continuity. Tom West's family has been farming this same Ocoee land for over a century. Lake Meadow Naturals has built a loyal customer base that returns week after week. That kind of rootedness is increasingly rare — and increasingly valuable — in a fast-growing metro like Orlando.
For more on dining and food culture in the surrounding communities, our Gotha Restaurants Guide and Horizon West Restaurants Guide cover the broader local food scene. And if you're exploring parks and outdoor activities near either farm, check out the Gotha Parks Guide for nearby green spaces along the trail corridor.
What the Locals Know
Both farms represent something the best Orlando suburbs quietly offer: real agricultural heritage operating alongside modern residential growth. Tom West's U-Pick blueberry season is one of those spring rituals West Orange County families repeat every year — building memories while filling baskets. Lake Meadow Naturals is the kind of weekly stop that makes people feel genuinely connected to their food and their community.
If you're considering a move to the Ocoee area or surrounding West Orange County communities, these two farms are worth adding to your mental map — not just the commute times and school ratings, but the Saturday morning rituals and spring traditions that make a place feel like home. 🫐
For current hours, U-Pick availability, and seasonal updates, visit Tom West Blueberries and Lake Meadow Naturals directly — both farms post updates on Facebook when seasons open and close.
Curious about what life in West Orange County really looks like? Browse our Gotha Community Guide, Horizon West Community Guide, and Winter Garden Community Guide — or contact us for personalized relocation advice from someone who knows these neighborhoods inside and out.
