A celebration of all local things edible, green, and growing
Hosted by Bee Heaven Farm / Redland Organics
Heirloom Tomato & Vegetable Seedlings
Fruit Trees * Growing Information
Local Food * Live Music
Park Tours * Giveaways * Kids’ Activities
Demos & Presentations
Browsing through a sea of seedlings in the heirloom tomato section. (GrowFest! 2012)
Saturday October 18 and Sunday October 19, 2014
10:00 pm- 5:00 pm
Fruit & Spice Park
24801 SW 187 Ave, Redland FL 33031
$10 cash at gate * Kids under 12 free
Free tickets for military at Vet Tix
Heirloom tomato seedlings. (GrowFest! 2012)
GrowFest! is about connecting the dots between the farm or garden and the dinner table. It’s about providing the knowledge and materials to grow, forage, buy, prepare, and eat good, local, seasonal food. Engaging the public, encouraging and giving them the tools to grow some of their own will enable them to gain a better appreciation of what it takes for farmers to produce the food we all eat, and whet folks’ appetite for the best, healthiest, and freshest produce.
Start your gardens! Get your seedlings, fruit trees and companion plants. Bee Heaven Farm will have over 100 varieties of heirloom tomato, veggie and hard-to-find herb seedlings. There will be 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 Florida Organic Growers’ Fresh Access Bucks double-value program, to get those gardens growing!
Teresa Olczyk and Jeff Wasielewsky from the UF/IFAS Extension office. (GrowFest! 2013)
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 our presentations, workshops, and demos. There will be special emphasis on organic and environmentally friendly practices, and establishing building blocks for healthy eating.
Chef Jon Gambino makes pizza the way the old Italian guys taught him. (GrowFest! 2013)
Want to learn how to prepare healthy food? See local chefs use fresh local ingredients to create fun and tasty dishes, school lunches, and snacks. Pick up copies of awesome books highlighting local foods, like Local Flavor: Recipes Raised in the Florida Redland. Grab a hot-off-the-press copy of Edible South Florida Magazine’s Fall issue, chock full of information.
Cuckita “Cookie” Bellande and her daughter of Rochelois Jams.
Enjoy fresh, great locally-grown food! Tired of that same old fair food? Our food vendors showcase locally-grown Fresh From Florida and Redland Raised ingredients. Local cottage food and artisanal producers will share their stories and sell their goods.
Watch screenings of “Hungry for Justice” a documentary about social justice issues for agricultural workers presented by Florida Organic Growers.
Explore the park! The only tropical botanical garden and public park of its kind in the U.S., the Redland Fruit and 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.
Enjoy Music Bluegrass tunes by The Redland Pickers and chill vibes by Satori Kings each day at 11:30 am and 3:30 pm.
Daily Prize drawings each day at 1:15 pm and 4:30 pm. Paid and VIP admission includes a raffle ticket for a chance at some great door prizes!
(L to R): Margie Pikarsky, Nick Pikarsky, and Louise King of the Tropical Fruit Growers Association (GrowFest! 2012)
Redland Rambles 
