Farms

Kale Boucher I’ve long romanticized gardening. As soon as I got my hands on “The Adventures of Peter Rabbit” I was fixated by the idea of growing your own food. It’s only recently I’ve made the leap from childhood dreaming to tangible learning and practice. In this, I’m not alone. The concept of Urban Agriculture, or gardening in city spaces, has exploded in popularity in recent years. Urban Farming is not a new idea; there’s evidence of urban growing as far back as 3,500 BC Mesopotamia. However, it’s current resurgence is due in large part to the desire for more …

12740 Atlantic Blvd #105, Jacksonville Epik Burger has long been a Jacksonville favorite when it comes to their burgers, but they recently added a new menu item that is guaranteed to knock your socks off, a Poutine using fresh Cheddar cheese curds from Wainwright Dairy & Creamery in Live Oak. In early March, we took a trip down to the farm to check out the creamery and pet some cows. Sadly, the cows did not cooperate, but we had a great time learning all about the farm and the amazing family that has been running it since the late 60’s. …

Slow Food First Coast is hosting their biannual Tour de Farm November 19th from 12pm to 5pm. The event gives over 15 North Florida farms a chance to open their (barn) doors for a day. Each farm has a restaurant or an artisan food and beverage partner along with fun events for all ages. President of the , , encourages all visitors to bring their adventurous spirit. “Consumers shape the future of local food through the choice they make. We want to spread the word about all of the delicious, beautiful foods being grown and produced right here in our area, …

Jacksonville Farmers Market Daily, dawn to dusk, jaxfarmersmarket.com Because so many produce providers are there each day, there’s competition, so prices are excellent even if you don’t haggle. What they have over other farmers markets is an incredible selection, but of course that means not everything is locally grown. If it was, there wouldn’t be enough of a variety to sustain such a great market, with choices from exotics like durian and jackfruit to a booth that specializes just in varieties of peaches! There are locally grown booths to be found, and sometimes a booth that’s largely from other states …

When he was sixteen years old, an employer advised beekeeper to quit his job every five years. “Incidentally, that’s what’s happened,” says Leach. Yet the bee business seems to stick. These days, he’s on his third year of the honey product development side of with his wife, Christie, and their three children. Bee Friends produces over a dozen unique varieties of honey. Their most commonly harvested products include gallberry honey, a berry native to Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia, and wildflower honey. Over time, Christie has developed and perfected Bee Friends Farm’s spreadable creamed honey flavors, including Chocolate (destined for …

  Tree Hill Nature Center is one of Jacksonville’s greatest hideaways. The 50+ acres of land, the Florida natural history museum and the annual Joseph A. Strasser Butterfly Festival ensures a unique experience for all visitors, any time of the year. Since its inception in 1971, Tree Hill Nature Center has provided science and outdoor education to hundreds of thousands of children.  This would not be possible without the support of its members. Become a member!  For only $40, a family of six can visit anytime they wish, are offered free admission to the Joseph A. Strasser Butterfly Festival and …

BY BRENTLEY STEAD Event: Tour de Farm Date/Time: November 15, 12-5pm Tickets: $5 Donation or a $20 all day car pass Contact: SlowFoodFirstCoast.org Fall harvest is the time to explore local farms, and the presented by is the perfect way to do just that. The Tour de Farm is on Sunday, November 15th, from noon to 5pm, boasting over 20 farms paired with artisan partners and chefs providing tastings of seasonal offerings from the farm. The tour is designed to give you the opportunity to visit your local farms, meet the farmers, and check out where your produce, dairy, meat, …

Growing Rice in Jacksonville Leads to Mayhaw, Muscadines & Bees Frequent any of the local farmers markets and you might have seen the cheerful folks from . Their product is unique–locally grown North Florida rice, and you can take one of their recipe cards if you aren’t quite sure how you’d like to prepare it. The recipes were all crafted by local chefs from restaurants such as , , , and . Congaree and Penn has revived a local tradition of growing rice that dates back more than a hundred years. The wetland conditions of Florida are actually perfect for …