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Farm Day 2012

8th Annual Farm Day Open House at Bee Heaven Farm

Come to the country! Fun for the whole family!

Sunday, December 23, 2012
11:30am – 3:00pm

* Hay Rides and other Activities *
For all the kids at heart

* Farm Market *
Locally-grown seasonal organic produce, dried tropical fruit, raw farm honey, heirloom tomato and veggie starts, and other goodies for sale.

* Live Music *
With local singers Jennings & Keller

*Food*
Chef Keith Kalmanowicz’s Love & Vegetables Community Pop-Up Café featuring fresh-from-the-farm food lovingly prepared and served buffet-style.

A suggested donation of $10 to help cover food costs and provides support for the Bee Heaven Farm internship program. Your donation includes a raffle ticket for door prizes. Extra raffle tickets are available at  5 for $20.

Directions:
From southbound on US1, turn west (right) on Bauer Drive (SW 264th St), and go approx. 5 miles. The farm is 1/3 mile west of Redland Road (SW 187th Ave) on the left side of the road. Look for the farm sign and flags. Please angle park on the swale.

Nick and Margie Pikarsy with Roger Blanco

Nick and Margie Pikarsy with Roger Blanco

A belated shout-out to all the hard working people of Fruit and Spice Park who helped make GrowFest! happen. Here’s Farmer Margie with her husband Nick with Roger Blanco, a park staffer who was most helpful in setting things up for the event. The farmers had a chance to hang out with him at the park’s Redland Fish Fry back in November.

If you’ve never been to the park, go! It’s a wonderful place to wander around and look at their extensive collection of tropical and exotic edible plants. Even the name, Fruit and Spice, conjures up someplace distant and adventurous. Or taste the local  flavors of Redland at the park’s Mango Cafe, open from 11-4 seven days a week. Try the Fruit Sampler, made from seasonal ripe fruit straight from the park. How much more locavore can you get?

Once more with feeling

Vendors set up at the new Southwest Community Farmers' Market.

Vendors set up at the new Southwest Community Farmers’ Market.

Southwest Community Farmers Market
open Saturdays 9-2, from Dec. 1, 2012 to June 15, 2013

Location:
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
7701 SW 76 Ave
South Miami FL

A new farmer’s market opened up in South Miami last Saturday, Dec. 1st. The Southwest Community Farmers Market is a grassroots, volunteer operation organized by city’s Green Task Force, with the mission “to provide local, organic and sustainable food for the community.”

On opening day, about a dozen vendors set up in a large grassy area behind the Unitarian Universalist church. If you are not familiar with the church property, park along the east side and walk back to the tents. There should be signs to direct you. You will not see the market from the street.

Luigi and Melissa of Urban Oasis Project.

Luigi and Melissa of Urban Oasis Project.

Urban Oasis was offering their usual beautiful and fresh assortment of locally sourced, and sustainably or organically grown produce, and is providing doubling funds for EBT shoppers. Art Friedrich was also brought in as a consultant to help start the market.

Coconut Grove Farms and Laura’s Produce were the other two produce vendors (but not everything they were selling was local or organic). For those with a sweet tooth, this market is heaven, as there were several vendors selling sweet breads, jams and jellies, and honey. Located in the back were musicians jamming on drums and a sitar, and Bricolage, a community vintage sale where neighbors can buy and sell older and unique household items. Other vendors include: Tattooed Beekeeper’s Wife, Spice Galore, Freakin Flamingo, Tante Leah’s Handmades, Crackerman, Siggi’s Organics, Cafe Luigi, Kami’s Kitchen, Odell Massage, and Roc Kat Ice Cream. (Some vendors had participated in the now-defunct South Miami Farmers Market once run by Mario Yanez’s non-profit Earth Learning.)

Annick Sternberg, who chairs the market committee, is thrilled that the market is up and running. “I want this to work,” she told me with a note of determination. Mayor Philip Stoddard walked around chatting to vendors and shoppers. Everyone involved has high hopes for this market to succeed, and believes that hands-on community involvement is key. Copme on out and support this new market! It’s worth the effort to find.

 

swcm-flyer

paradise-signThe first Dinner in Paradise event on Sunday, December 9th, will be a special treat as the chefs have gone all out to present a menu almost entirely from the farm.

This year’s opening dinner introduces Philippe Reynaud and Jason Stocks from Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Fla. A native of Cannes, France, Reynaud oversees 12 restaurants, as well as catering and culinary events, at the world-class, all-inclusive residential community. A big proponent of local and natural ingredients, he believes customers want to know where their food comes from more than ever these days.

Perennial and popular favorites Frederic Delaire and Jason Prevatt from Loews Miami Beach hotel return with yet more creative approaches to local ingredients, keeping diners coming back year after year.

Together these teams will be producing a tantalizing five-course menu that features produce harvested fresh from Paradise Farms, as well as seafood and grains provided by sponsor Whole Foods.  Sommelier Shari Gherman offers a select array of red and white wine pairings for each dish.

Guests arrive at 5 pm to enjoy a cocktail reception in the cotton candy tree grove before taking a farm tour that ends in an open-air gazebo strewn with linen clad tables and edible centerpieces.

Dinner is served at 6 pm, at communal tables of 10, so strangers are often making plans by the end of the night and the party continues with a bonfire and stargazing.

Tickets are $165 per person plus tax and processing fees. Reservations are required. All reservations must be made by Friday noon, so that the farm crew can harvest accordingly. For more information and to make reservations, please visit Paradise Farms Organic web site.

Proceeds from this dinner benefit Miami’s Project HEAT’s Healthy Eating for Active Teens.

Hidden in fennel

While packing shares last Friday, farm hand Victor spotted this beauty.

While packing shares last Friday, farm hand Victor spotted this beauty.

CSA members, did you look carefully at the fronds of fennel that was in your share box last week? You might have been lucky enough to get a caterpillar!

Look carefully, there’s a thin line holding it in place on the branch of fennel. The caterpillar is starting its transformation into a chrysalis, and from there, will emerge as a butterfly. Anybody got any ideas what what kind of butterfly this might become?