Redland Rambles

Locavores rejoice! There’s a new farmers market coming to town!

The South Miami Farmers Market starts Saturday, December 4th, and will run every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The location is in the parking lot in front of South Miami City Hall, 6130 Sunset Drive. The market will run year-round, and will feature prepared food vendors, artisans, green technology vendors, and community groups.

This new market will showcase the best local, organic and sustainably-grown produce in season (tropical fruits, annual and perennial vegetables, mushrooms), eggs, dairy, and value-added products (jams, jellies, salsas, fermented and pickled foods). Only local growers will participate in this market. Food will come from local area organic growers (including participating members of Redland Organics), community gardens and backyard growers. The market will also sell edible and native plants.

Mario Yanez, director of Earth Learning, explained the need for another new market. “The Community Food Summit [held in July at Miami Dade College] made it clear to us that our community needed more outlets that insured access to local, sustainably-grown foods. We decided we could redefine what a Farmers’ Market can be: for us it is about building community around good, real food in a manner that ensures the viability our local farmers that grow our food, and take care of our soils and our natural systems with responsible farming practices.”

Earth Learning is very involved in the startup of this new market, which will be managed by members of Community FoodWorks, a new program developed by Earth Learning and funded by a three year USDA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Grant. Mario Yanez is very proud of this undertaking. “We have just begun with our first class of apprentices in our Community FoodWorks program. They will learn to grow food in unconventional ways using permaculture methods in underutilized spaces throughout the Greater Miami area, and they will be the new wave of social entrepreneurs rebuilding our local food economy.” The new market is the first expression of this new wave of entrepreneurialism, and has major community support. “The South Miami Farmers’ Market idea grew out of the South Miami Green Task Force, which Earth Learning had the pleasure of attending regularly,” Mario explained. “Health Foundation of South Florida is providing some funding, and many local organizations such as South Miami Hospital are strong supporters.”