All buns go to heaven
Less than an hour from Downtown, the Redlands is a world apart from Miami and its surrounding urban sprawl. Here, mango trees, tomato patches, and orange groves outnumber humans in one of South Florida’s few remaining agricultural areas. Where Miami has white-sand beaches and shimmering condo buildings, the Redlands have fresh fruit stands and sugar-cane fields. This far southwest of the city, it’s difficult to determine where civilization ends and the Everglades begin.
The Redlands comprise the hot and sweaty “Amish Country” of Dade County. From late fall through the middle of spring, Knaus Berry Farm straddles the line between charming country outpost and gourmet bakery. The plain tin trailer on a blacktop parking lot that marks your arrival is easily overlooked if you’re unfamiliar with the area. Friendly Mennonites run the operation. Grab ears of fresh local corn, baskets of strawberries, and tomatoes harvested earlier in the day. Order a cool, refreshing blueberry milkshake from the creamery to combat the scorching South Dade sun. Out back, a U-pick strawberry patch has been filling up with children and their parents for over a half century.
Info
Address 15980 SW 248th Street, Homestead, 33031, +1 305.247.0668, www.knausberryfarm.com | Hours Nov–mid-April, Mon–Sat 8am–5:30pm| Tip Also worth a stop is Burr’s Berry Farm (12741 SW 216th St), a 10-minute drive northeast. They may not have Knaus’s famous cinnamon buns, but their signature strawberry shortcake is nothing to shake a stick at.
But Knaus Berry Farm’s biggest draw isn’t its selection of Florida’s freshest produce, its timeless strawberry field, or its Mennonite charm. The bakery – specifically the gooey, moist cinnamon buns – is what causes a spike in the Redlands population during the farm’s business hours. Patrons sometimes wait for a half hour or longer in a line that snakes around the storefront, through the parking lot, and onto the street. As the aroma of the butter and cinnamon grows stronger, so do your hopes of grabbing a box of sweet, sticky, sugary nirvana. Sink your teeth into the warm, sweet roll that puts even the trendiest bakeries in Manhattan to shame. But don’t roll in on a Sunday; the farm is closed for God’s day of rest.
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