DADE CITY, Fla. — Welcome to Dade City, the Kumquat capital.
The tiny fruit is part of this city's identity, and this weekend, you can find just about everything Kumquat in downtown.
WATCH Kumquat Festival to take over downtown Dade City this weekend
Greg Gude is the fourth generation of a family of Kumquat Growers. He grew up on them, but for many, they've never tried one. A common phrase he's heard his whole life.
"Oh my gosh, the 29 years of festival, if I had $1 for every one of them, because you used to say a nickel, but now it's a dollar. I had a dollar, well, I could afford to buy all the trees I needed," said Gude.
"That was the whole thing of kumquat was introducing Dade City to people, to get them to move to Pasco County and to bring people to Dade City at the time when it was done, to go to the antique shops and go to the little restaurants that we vote you know, it's a quaint little town. It's a county seat of Pasco County, and that was what the chamber wanted to bring people to town," said Gude.
The Kumquat Festival is Gude's favorite weekend of the year.
Not just for selling Kumquats (which they do) but for introducing people to the fruit and educating them on the history.
He said the festival helps keep Dade City's agricultural roots alive, one question and one fruit at a time.
"You eat the whole fruit," said Gude. "That's what people don't understand. You just eat the peel, and everything."
Fun fact: you've probably never seen kumquats in the traditional grocery store.
The Kumquat Growers do not produce enough today to supply them. But you can buy them online by clicking here.
The Kumquat Growers will hold an open house on Jan. 30 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
The Kumquat Festival is on Jan. 31 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. in downtown Dade City. The Kumquat Growers set up in the Wells Fargo parking lot.
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