- See and learn where milk comes from, cow to bottle – then taste the real deal.
- Enjoy breakfast or lunch at the farm kitchen and store.
- Kids can play in the 5-acre picnic area and dig for shark teeth there.
Sunny days in Florida offer a chance for new wild adventures, especially now with alligator mating season in progress (you might find them under your car any day of the week). My better half and I like excitement, but this time, we took a short and peaceful sort of adventure road trip to Myakka City in Manatee County, Florida. Arriving there, we discovered Dakin Dairy Farms – a sustainable family dairy farm of about 1,200 acres. It’s a place where kids can learn learn where milk comes from, how milk travels from the cow to the bottle, and then taste the difference of truly fresh milk from Dakin.
They process and sell their own milk and cheese products, and offer tours to the public. In their Farm Market Store, you may purchase delicious cheeses, milk, and butter. The Farm Market Café is open year-round and serves delicious meals that are sure to leave you feeling happy.
At their farm site, visitors can find a 5-acre family picnic area/petting zoo with tables, baby cows (more than 30 baby cows are born each month!), goats (2 baby goats were born on Valentine’s Day), and a not-so-big earth hill where kids can dig for ancient shark teeth. Everyone is looking to find a Megalodon tooth, the biggest of fossilized shark teeth from whale-eating sharks that roamed the seas about 10-20 million years ago.
The best part? Their kitchen nook! A lengthy breakfast and lunch menu at really affordable prices for VERY generous portions. We tested some of the items out for taste – try their Reuben Sandwich, it was delicious!
We met the general manager, Courtney, who explained the operation of the farm, their large number of cows and other farm animals, their roadway dirt-fill provision capability for county highway crews, and the function of the kitchen, gift shop and children’s picnic area. We then met the chef and storekeeper, Russell, who explained some of his cooking secrets not to be shared in this venue, but you could stop in there and see for yourself.
It was a very relaxing morning! Their delicious products are carried in Publix, Detweiler’s and many other South Florida area stores. Learn more about Dakin Dairy Farms when you visit this Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/DakinDairyFarm.
