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Archive for the ‘food’ Category

New Farmers’ Market in Urban Food Desert

Posted in events, food, location, market, tagged , , on December 1, 2010| 1 Comment »

 

Do as Michelle does and shop at farmers' markets!

Hey there Redland Ramblers!

Guest blogger Melissa Contreras here, back again for some more exciting blog-worthy news! All the news that’s fit to blog about Redland farms right here folks!

You know me as founder of Urban Oasis Project, and we have been helping Liberty City residents create food gardens for more access to fresh VERY LOCAL food for quite a while now. As a formerly closeted farmer, now aspiring urban micro-farmer, I must say that I love plants, especially food plants, and I feel really great when I am surrounded by fresh-picked local produce! So, last year, I began helping Bee Heaven Farm sell their lovely produce at 2 local markets, Pinecrest and Overtown.

The Overtown market was the first all local, producer-run market in Miami in recent history, and seeing its success, many of us started to think that this would be great to have in Liberty City, an urban food desert. It’s easy to find processed foods or fast food there. It’s not so easy to find a mouthwatering, voluptuous heirloom tomato, or any tomato for that matter. This is due to inequalities in our food system, in which not all people have access to real food, produced by farmers and not by factories.

We are so pleased to take one more step toward transforming an urban food oasis from an urban food desert! Our new community farmers’ market will debut in Liberty City this Thursday, featuring lots of Redland produce, and a  dollar-for-dollar match for food stamps (SNAP) users, up to $10 per user,  per market. That’s found money in their pockets for local food!

Some Redland growers represented are Bee Heaven Farm, Three Sisters Farm, Teena’s Pride, and the Homestead Pole Bean Co-op, the only farmers’ co-op left in south Dade.  Hani’s Mediterranean Organics will have goat cheese and his exotic specialties. Redland Organics member Worden Farm from Punta Gorda will be represented as well, with produce grown by those award-winning farmers, Chris and Eva Worden.

We have decided to make one exception to the local rule, although it could still be considered local, depending on your definition, but it definitely regional. Thomas Produce of historically black Liberty City has a relationship with small African American farmers from southern Georgia, who will sell peanuts, pecans, sweet potatoes, and greens.  We are proud to support them, for they too have suffered their own  inequities in the food system. (USDA discrimination suit finally settled today!)

The market will also feature seedlings for your garden and native plants, healthy food, kids activities, music, and monthly health screenings, as well as local organizations. C’mon out!

When: Thursdays from Dec through April from 12 noon – 6pm or dusk (whichever comes first)

Where: Tacolcy Park at Belafonte Tacolcy Center, 6161 NW 9th Ave., Miami, FL 33127

Everyone is welcome!!!

 

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South Miami Farmers Market

Posted in events, food, locavore, market, tagged , , , on November 29, 2010| 4 Comments »

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.”

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Dinner with the Crunchy Bunch

Posted in agritourism, chef, farm, farmer/grower, food, people, photo, tagged , on November 24, 2010|

Robert just loves some jakfruit.

Last week was the start of a new CSA season, and to kick things off, The Cantankerous Chef AKA Robert Barnum invited Farmer Margie and her crew of interns, apprentices and volunteers to come over for dinner at his Possum Trot Tropical Fruit Nursery. Every CSA season, Margie has a different group of people picking and packing all the goodies you get in your share box. This year’s helpers are Jane, Liberty, Helene, Tomas, Eric and Lauren. They have come from as near as Florida and as far as Michigan and Europe to work at Bee Heaven for the season.

The group arrived at Possum Trot just as the sun was starting to set. Robert offered an abbreviated tour of his 40-acre grove before dinner. We strolled down a grassy path and paused from time to time as he pointed out various trees. (This is by no means a complete list of what grows at Possum Trot.) He has: osceola tangerine, macadamia (squirrels pillage the nuts), grumichama (which has a cherry-like fruit), jaboticaba, pithacyillobium (its sawdust will stain your skin blue, really!), a giant brassus palm killed by last winter’s freeze and still standing, mamoncillo, Central American walnut, several jakfruit loaded with fruit, sugar palm, oil palm, and Orinoco banana. Over in the lychee section, golden orb weaver spiders had spun their webs overhead, and appeared to float against the darkening sky. As we walked and listened to Robert’s spiel about his trees, the twilight grew deeper and an almost-full moon rose over the tree tops. It was getting too dark to see, so we headed back to the farm house where we were greeted by the mouthwatering aroma of bread baking.

The Crunchy Bunch: Liberty, Helene, Robert, David, Eric, Lauren, Jane, Tomas. Not seen: Margie, Marian.

The menu was curried pork with local organic green beans (which were still crisp and crunchy), white rice, avocado salad, a mixed organic greens salad made by Margie’s crew, and bread still warm from the oven. We had a lively discussion on how we liked our beans cooked. It was determined that that there are two kinds of people when it comes to beans — those who like them crunchy, and those who prefer them soft. Everyone at the table agreed that they preferred crunchy green beans, then somebody suggested that we were the Crunchy Bunch…

Mamey-pineapple-banana ice cream, with a dab of cas guava ice cream at the bottom.

I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I started eating, and forgot to photograph my plate before it was devoured. I guess that means it was good! Robert scooped up homemade mamey-pineapple-banana ice cream, which was outrageously smooth and creamy. Banana mellowed mamey, but pineapple was a bit shy.

After dinner, we broke out the wine. Robert’s friend David Weingast, who had joined us for dinner, brought a California organic petite sirah. (David’s Organic Company ships Robert’s fruit.) Robert produced two bottles of his home brewed bignay wine. One tasted much like a merlot, and the other was a sweet dessert wine made with champagne yeast. The Crunchy Bunch sipped and sampled and picked their favorites. The dessert bignay got a lot of votes. It was a pleasant end to a delicious meal, and the Bunch enjoyed their last easy night before the frenzy of the CSA season began.

For lunch or dinner reservations, trees, fruit and/or a tour of Possum Trot, contact Robert Barnum at 305-235-1768 or possumplentious@yahoo.com.

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CSA share: week 1

Posted in comic, csa, food, photo, tagged , on November 19, 2010| 1 Comment »

CSA share: week 1

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Dinner in Paradise 6th season

Posted in agritourism, chef, events, farm, food, location, locavore, tagged , , on November 16, 2010| 1 Comment »

Gabriele Marewski of Paradise Farms Organic announces another season with a stellar line up of Miami’s best chefs! Prepare yourself for an incredible evening of rustic decadence as Dinner in Paradise takes you away to a lush and tropical setting.  Upon arrival, guests enjoy a welcome reception with delicious hor d’oeuvres, before heading off on a farm tour, conducted by Gabriele that encompasses this beautiful five acre organic paradise and its fruit trees, edible flowers, mushrooms, and fragrant herbs.  As the sun sets on the evening, the magic truly gets underway.

This year, Dinner in Paradise proceeds benefit the Urban Oasis Project, a not for profit organization, whose mission it is to make fresh local food available to every one. Paradise Farms’ Ready to Grow garden beds will be installed in Liberty City and homeless shelters that house children in Miami Dade County.

Dinners are scheduled from December through February and begin at 5 PM with a cocktail reception followed by a farm tour. Dinner begins at 6 PM. March & April dinners will begin at 7PM with the cocktail reception at 6PM. Each dinner, priced at $165.50 (tax and google fee included), features five courses made with local, organic products, paired with top quality wines. Schedule/Chefs subject to change. Please visit the Paradise Farms web site for updates and to make reservations.

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