Posted in fruits, market, photo, tagged avocados, Dan Howard, Homestead Organics, Whole Foods on October 7, 2012| 4 Comments »
Seen at Whole Foods stores recently….
The store in South Beach is proud to support local growers.
The Aventura market had local, organic avocados from Homestead Organic Farms.
(Homestead Organic Farms is also the area’s largest organic green bean grower, and you will get their green beans in your CSA share come November.)
Local avocados from Homestead Organic Farms, next to grape tomatoes from Lady Moon Farms (which are not local, not this time of year).
Posted in agritourism, events, photo, tagged Bee Heaven Farm, GrowFest! on October 6, 2012|
For Bee Heaven Farm, the heart of GrowFest is their annual heirloom tomato and vegetable organic seedling sale. Over two thousand seedlings have been planted and are waiting to go home to your garden.
The stars of the party are heirloom tomatoes in a rainbow of colors — black, red, orange, yellow and green. The available varieties are tried and true and do well in our hot and humid climate.
For the first time this year, Bee Heaven is offering two kinds of organic choy and napa cabbage seedlings, started by the Miami G.R.O.W. Project.
There’s also arugula and eggplant and a variety of mild and hot peppers. GrowFest is where you need to be, to get what you need to start your fall garden.
Posted in agritourism, events, tagged GrowFest!, Redland Fruit & Spice Park on October 6, 2012| 1 Comment »
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13
10:30 am & 2:00 pm – Backyard Beekeeping – Rigoberto de la Portilla – Demo Tent
10:30 am – Confused about organic? FOG has answers – FOG Staff – Classroom
11:30 am & 2:00 pm – What’s Organic About Organic indie documentary screening, followed by Q&A – FOG staff – Classroom
11:30 am – Vermicomposting: worms working for you! – Lanette Sobel – Demo Tent
1:00 pm – Worm poop and worm tea – good for plants? – Lanette Sobel – Demo Tent
2:30 pm – Quick, healthy kid-friendly lunches and snacks – Chef Adri Garcia – Demo tent
3:30 pm – Using rain barrels – Barbara McAdam – Demo Tent
All day – Children’s activities / Ag in the Classroom
10:30 am & 2:00 pm – Backyard Beekeeping – Rigoberto de la Portilla – Demo Tent
10:30 am – What’s the Farm Bill and why should I care? – FOG Staff – Classroom
10:30 am – Vermicomposting: worms working for you! – Lanette Sobel – Demo Tent
11:30 am – Food preservation – Barbara McAdam – Classroom
11:30 am – Quick, healthy kid-friendly lunches and snacks – Chef Adri Garcia – Demo tent
12:30 pm – Transplanting veggie and tomato seedlings – Farmer Margie Pikarsky – Demo Tent
2:00 pm – What’s Organic About Organic indie documentary screening, followed by Q&A – FOG staff – Classroom
3:30 pm – Confused about organic? FOG has answers – FOG staff – Classroom
All day – Children’s activities / Ag in the Classroom – Dade County Farm Bureau Booth
SATURDAY 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm Robert Morgan High School Chamber String ensemble – Demo Tent
SUNDAY 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm – Grant Livingston, Miami singer-songwriter – Demo Tent
Admission price for adults includes raffle tickets, for a chance at some amazing door prizes: backyard composters – tickets to Dinner in Paradise – lunch for 2 at the Park’s Mango Cafe – organic product and T-shirts – B&B stay at Paradise Farms – veggie garden starter pack – organic breads – gift baskets
Redland Fruit & Spice Park
24801 SW 187 Ave.
Redland FL
(corner of Coconut Palm Drive and Redland Road)
Posted in events, market, photo, tagged GrowFest!, Whole Foods on October 5, 2012| 2 Comments »
The GrowFest flyers are ready! Farmer Margie worked hard on designing them, and I picked them up at the printer Thursday afternoon.
Ten boxes holding 10,000 copies — yes, TEN THOUSAND copies — crammed into the trunk of my car.
Spent Friday afternoon dropping off boxes of flyers at Whole Foods at South Beach and at Aventura. The store is one of the event sponsors. Farm assistant Victor Hernandez ran around all day dropping off more boxes at eight other Whole Foods stores.
Grab a flyer and drop it in your bag. Then come out and see us!
When you go shopping this weekend, look for the flyers right by the bags as you check out … and take one! If you don’t see them, ask!
Posted in agritourism, events, farmer/grower, location, tagged Bee Heaven Farm, Florida Organic Growers, Fruit & Spice Park, GrowFest! on October 4, 2012|
Saturday October 13 and Sunday October 14, 2012
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
GrowFest! 2012 is about connecting the dots between the farm or garden and the dinner table. We want to engage you, encourage and give you the tools you need to grow some of your own, and gain a better appreciation of what it takes for our farmers to produce the food we all eat, and whet your appetite for the best and freshest produce.
Start your gardens! Get your seedlings, fruit trees and companion plants. Bee Heaven Farm will have over 80 varieties of heirloom tomato seedlings, several varieties of eggplant, hot peppers, basil, arugula, chard, kale, Asian greens and perennial herbs like garlic chives, curryleaf, and lemongrass. Other vendors will have fruit trees, native and companion plants to promote beneficial insect habitat and gardening supplies. SNAP/EBT dollars can be used for buying veggie seeds and seedlings. And those dollars will stretch twice as far, courtesy of Urban Oasis Project/Wholesome Wave Foundation’s double-value program, to get those gardens growing!
Questions about growing? Answers here for backyard growers, urban farmers, small and big farms. The UF/Miami-Dade County Extension Office is our local source for growing information tailored to our subtropical South Florida climate. Check out their presentations and demos. There will be special emphasis on organic and environmentally friendly practices, and establishing building blocks for healthy eating.
“What’s Organic About Organic?” Florida Organic Growers & Consumers will be here to answer your questions, and will feature the documentary “What’s Organic About Organic?” in the classroom building, along with other presentations and demos. Here’s your chance to learn what it really means to be organic, why it’s important to strive for sustainability, and how locally-grown produce helps keep farms in business and boosts our local economy.
Want to learn how to prepare healthy food and kid-friendly snacks? See local chefs use fresh local ingredients to create fun and tasty dishes, school lunches, and snacks.
Enjoy fresh, great food and drinks! Tired of that same old fair food? We’ll have a great selection of healthy foods showcasing locally-grown Fresh From Florida and Redland-Raised ingredients. Local cottage food and artisanal producers will share their stories and sell their goods. Want to be a vendor or exhibitor? Click here for GrowFest! 2012 Vendor application http://tinyurl.com/GFvendor
Explore the park! The only tropical botanical garden and public park of its kind in the U.S., the Redland Fruit & Spice Park hosts over 500 varieties of tropical fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, nuts and edible plants. If you’ve ever been to the park, you know what a nice place it is to visit and learn about the amazing variety of edible plants you can grow in South Florida.
Admission:
$8 advance purchase, $10 at the gate (cash) – children under 12 free
Get your advance tickets now! http://tinyurl.com/GFTickets
Location:
Redland Fruit & Spice Park
24801 SW 187th Avenue, Redland, FL
(corner of Coconut Palm Drive & Redland Road)
GrowFest! 2012 is a fundraiser for Florida Organic Growers
Call 305-247-8650 or email GrowFest@beeheavenfarm.com at least 7 days in advance to request materials in accessible format, a sign language interpreter and for information on access for persons with disabilities.
Redland Rambles 