SOW IT GROWS TWO DAYS OF FARM TOURS THROUGHOUT NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA Saturday May 3rd & Sunday May 4th
THE TOUR SOW IT GROWS In partnership with the newly developing group of the Florida Small Farms Alliance, Florida Organic Growers and friends bring you the 1st annual Sow it Grows Farm Tour, to be held on May 3 and 4, 2014 in the Gainesville, Florida area. The creation of this farm tour is with the intention to better connect farmers and consumers, increase the capacity of the local farming community, and to create a more viable and vibrant local food system. Visitors are able to see the reality of where their food comes from and what life is like on sustainable, small farms. The hope is that the relationships built from these interactions will translate to a more informed and lasting customer base. TIPS Budget your time wisley. You may only be able to visit a few farms. Bring a map. Carry cash for personal purchases. Bring a cooler if you plan to buy fresh produce, eggs or meat. Wear closed toe shoes. Bring a hat, sunscreen, water and a camera. 2014 FARM TOUR RULES No early admission into farms. No pets, please. Drive with caution. Watch your children. Do not enter private locations on the farms. Look for these icons to help plan your outings: Restrooms available Meals available for purchase Goods for sale Complimentary refreshments Animals On Facebook 1 CRAZY WOMAN FARM 2205 SE 23rd Place Gainesville, FL 32641 Crazy Woman Farm is a small 20 acre homestead farm that implements sustainability practices such as water catchment, solar energy production, LEED building standards, restoration of wildlife habitat, organic orchard and garden as well as a variety of organic meat production. Our next endeavor will be an aquaponics project in the greenhouse, growing fish and plants in a symbiotic relationship. Be sure to check out or solar food dehydrator on the tour. We are also home to the Edible Plant Project that will give tours of the greenhouse and answer questions regarding exotic edible plants. Directions: We are located off SE 15th street two miles from downtown. Take University Avenue east, stay right and merge onto Hwy 20, turn right onto SE 15th street. Go approximately 2 miles to SE 23rd Place, turn left. Go 1/2 mile down the dirt road to the last gate. LEED certified house 2 BOONDOX TROPICALS 11410 SE 83rd Terrace Newberry, FL 32669 Boondox Tropicals grows peppers, okra, starfruit, papayas, pineapples, brassica herbs, cucumbers, atemoya. 3 SIEMBRA FARMS 2033 SE 23rd Place Gainesville, FL 32641 Sunday, May 4, 9:00am-1:00pm Siembra is a family run farm. Pesticide, herbicide, and synthetic fertilizer free. We incorporate many holistic farming techniques and strive to maximize nutrition in our veggies. Directions: East on University, Right on Hawthorn, Right on SE 15th St, Left on SE 23rd Place www.siembrafarm.com
4 FROG SONG ORGANICS 4317 NE US Hwy 301 Hawthorne, FL 32640 Tours available at 3pm, 4pm and 5pm We are a 20 acre certified organic CSA and market farm growing a diverse array of veggies, herbs, and more! Directions: From Gainesville, take Waldo Road to 39th ave, and then follow signs to the airport (east) on 39th. Continue east on 222/26. Take the left hand turnoff for 301 towards Orange Heights before the overpass to Melrose. Look for a black and white sign for 301 and a green sign for orange heights. Cross the railroad tracks, pass a church, and then go South (right) towards Hawthorne at the light on Hwy 301 for 2 miles. The farm is on the East (left) side of the road. Please turn in at the gate and park along the access road. USDA certified organic by QCS www.frogsongorganics.com 5 POSSUM HOLLOW FARM 10106 NW 156th Avenue Alachua, FL 32615 Guided tours only, available at 2, 3 and 5pm Diverse small farm growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, chestnuts, blackberries, pear, pineapples, and more. Also, hedgerows for insectaries and restoration of rare Florida native plants. Directions: North on 441 to CR 237; Right on CR 237 2 miles to NW 156th Ave; Left on NW 156th Ave; 1.8 miles; Driveway on the right. 6 RAINBOW STAR FARM 3650 SW 24th Avenue Gainesville, FL 32607 Tours available from 2pm-6pm Rainbow Star Farm grows vegetables, peaches, pears, persimmons, mulberries, plums, apples, trees and fruit. Composting, barns, tractors, and sprayers are approved materials used. Directions: 2 blocks North of Lowes on SW 24th Ave off of 34th Street. http://rainbowstarfarm.com/ Haile Farmers Market Supporting local farm families since 1996 Every Saturday 8:30 am to Noon Join us every Saturday morning along the tree-lined streets of Haile Plantation Village. Our market features all your favorite local farmers, baked goods, prepared foods, meats and fish, cut flowers, plants, crafts and more! Google Haile Farmers Market for more info!
7 FORAGE FARM 7204 SE County Road 234 Gainesville, FL 32641 Sunday, May 4, 9:00am-5:00pm Tours approximately every hour Forage Farm is a small non-profit farm and education center that grows sustainable cut flowers and grows seeds for our local seed library. Our farm is located on the Prairie Creek Conservation area, which also is home to Alachua Conservation Trust and and the Conservation Burial Ground. There are mile so walking trails adjacent to the farm, and it is a great spot for a picnic! Directions: Take University Ave east, and follow split to right onto Hawthorne Road (Route 20). Follow past Newnan s Lake and over Prairie Creek, then take a right on 2082. This road runs along the Gainesville Hawthorne bike trail. When you come to the clearing and grass parking for the trail on your right, you will be at the intersection of CR 234. Turn Right. The farm is 1 mile on your right. www.foragefarm.org FILM NIGHT AT FORAGE FARM Enjoy an evening of inspiring food films under the stars at Forage Farm! Bring your own picnic or reserve a picnic prepared with fresh, local ingredients from us by April 23rd. Bring lawn chairs or a picnic blanket. Movie Tickets $10/person, Picnic and a movie $25/person. Children s tickets $5. Children under 3 free. Visit www.foragefarm.org or email anna@foragefarm.org for more information or to reserve your meal. 8 HIGH SPRINGS ORCHARD 10804 NW SR 45 High Springs, FL 32643 Tour available at 3pm This is a USDA Certified Organic (by QCS) U-Pick Orchard for Blueberry, Asian Pears, Muscadine Grapes and Persimmons, except for Chestnuts which are picked, washed & chilled, available fresh, or roasted on a open fire in a wok. Available on site, berry or grape crusher is available for home processing of juice, jams, jellies and winemakers with minimum 30 lbs purchase for $5.00, bring your own bucket. From Gainesville, take Newberry Road (SR 26) to Newberry, turn right(north) at the light towards High Springs on SR 45 (approx 7.5 miles) we are on the left, NW 105 PL with commercial signboard. USDA certified organic by QCS, GAP, GMP, Certified Kitchen, ServSafe www.highspringsorchard.com 9 GLADES RIDGE GOAT DAIRY 6395 SW 63rd Street Lake Butler, FL 32054 Sunday, May 4, 1:00-5:00pm Workshop at 2pm- Making fresh goat cheese* *(limit 12 people) Specializes in goat dairy, milking 30 does. We make fresh cheeses, Kefir, yogurt, goat cheese truffles and goat milk fudge, all from unpasteurized goat milk. We also produce eggs, goat meat, pork and lamb, all from our pasture raised livestock. Directions: From I-75 North, Exit 404. Make a left at the end of the exit ramp. This is SR 236. Drive about 4 miles to the first stop at SR 241. Make a left, and continue on about 5 miles to the first stop. This is CR 18. Make a left. The 2nd paved road is CR 791. Make a right. Drive north on 791 about 1 and 2/10 miles to SW 63rd Street. It is a dirt road. We are at 6395 SW63rd Street, the first driveway on the left - long driveway, www.gladesridge.com 10 SWALLOWTAIL FARM 17603 NW 276th Lane Alachua, FL 32615 Sunday, May 4, 9:00am-5:00pm Tours available throughout the day Swallowtail is a diverse, small scale, family farm raising mixed veggies, cut flowers, & livestock for our community supported Agriculture program. We offer season long harvest shares (CSA), farmers market sales, monthly farm to table dinners, educational workshops & festivals, apprenticeship & volunteer opportunities, and much more! We continually strive to reconcile economic viability and ecological sustainability in a way that nurtures our soil, plants, animals and people. Our goal is to reconnect our community members to good food. Directions: Get on 75 north and take exit 404 for CR 236. Head East (Left) on 236. Make your first Left onto CR 1491. Turn Left at the T intersection then curve around to the right. Turn right onto 276th lane and you re here! http://swallowtailcsa.com/
11 TRACY LEE FARMS 3511 SE 171st Street Hawthorn, FL 32640 Tours available at 1pm and 3pm An organic farm raising grass fed beef, pastured pork, and pastured chicken. Directions: Take SR 20 east to SE 171st Street, turn left (north) go 1.1 miles turn right on dirt road, only house on left. 12 PORTERS COMMUNITY FARM 518 SW 3rd St. Gainesville, FL 32601 Porters Community Farm, founded in the fall of 2012, is Gainesville s first urban farm and is located in the Porters neighborhood of downtown Gainesville. It is comprised of three previously abandoned lots that have been converted into a thriving farm that is maintained to provide fresh organic vegetables to charity, primarily the St. Francis House for the Homeless which is only a few blocks away. In 2013 Porters Community Farm donated over 1200 pounds of produce to the St. Francis House and other charities. The farm hosts a weekly U-Pick, U-Pay-What-U-Can farm stand every Friday, from 1 p.m. to dusk from October to March and 3 p.m. to dusk from April to September. The farm also includes a community garden with plots available to the members of the surrounding Porters neighborhood. Directions: Coming from Downtown Gainesville, travel west on University Avenue. Turn left on SW 3rd Street and travel down SW 3rd until you arrive at the garden. It will be on the right-hand side. www.foginfo.org 13 EDIBLE PLANT PROJECT 2305 SE 23rd Place Gainesville, FL 32601 The Edible Plant Project is an all-volunteer operated, nonprofit plant nursery in Gainesville. We propagate food plants of over 50 different species that grow well in the Gainesville area, but are mostly not commercially available from other sources. We sell the plants on the second Wednesday of each month at the downtown farmer s market, for enough money to cover the costs of production. We sell plants at small sizes, and use all volunteer labor to keep prices down so that almost anyone can fill their yard with food plants, and become less dependent on corporate agribusiness (and all its associated problems) for their food supply. We work to reduce the environmental impact of food production by reducing transportation impacts, and by focusing on species and varieties that can produce well with little or no inputs (such as water, fertilizer, pesticides). Take University Ave East from central Gainesville to Hawthorne Road. Take the right split onto Hawthorne Rd. and then make an immediate right turn onto SE 15th st. Go about a mile south on 15th st. Take the first left turn after McPhearson, onto 23rd place. Pass the houses and go through the gate. Go straight past the first left fork and follow the signs. www.edibleplantproject.org Certified nursery and nonprofit 14 PORTERS URBAN PLANT PROJECT 237 SW 4th Ave Gainesville, FL 32601 PUPP is a community garden in the Porter s neighborhood of Gainesville started and maintained by a small group of UF college students. Our ongoing mission at PUPP is to transform a vacant, wasted space into a functionally beautiful community center. At PUPP, we are all about being resourceful, from utilizing old wooden pallets to build the active compost pile to using scrap wood for trellising tomatoes, showing that eating fresh and healthy food can be accessible to anyone. Directions: From downtown Gainesville, travel west on University Ave and turn left to go south on SW 3rd St. Turn right on SW 4th Ave and park immediately in the convenience store parking lot. The garden is next to the convenience store at the corner of SW 3rd and SW 4th Ave. Flexible tour hours Workshop on May 3rd & 4th at 4pm- Small scale composting
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS SEEDLING SPONSOR FLOWER SPONSOR SEED SPONSOR Organizing Committee: Emily Eckhardt, Swallowtail Farm Laura Lavid, Florida Organic Growers Cassie Lycan Noah Shitama, Swallowtail Farm Van Tran, Florida Organic Growers
Glades Ridge Goat Dairy Swallowtail Farm Possum Hollow Farm High Springs Orchard Porters Community Farm Porters Urban Plant Project Frog Song Organics Boondox Tropicals Rainbow Star Farm Siembra Farm Edible Plant Project Crazy Woman Farm Forage Farm Tracy Lee Farm https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zsqfajot_zuu.khnehvt_2oey