Great post on local fruit, but my question is, and it's one I've been asking for a while, how do locals get a hold of local fruit? I've heard in other cities they have these things called farmers markets where local farmers gather in an urban setting and sell their own fruits and vegetables. Hmmmm, you think we'd have one here? Aside from the lack of good farmers markets is the lack of locals being able to procure local ingredients. As you stated, Paradise Farms doesn't sell to the public and others sell to Whole Paycheck, where the markup is outrageous. What's a poor, hungry local to do?
Ed-- I forwarded your email to Gabriele of Paradise Farms, and she graciously sent this response:
The best local market that I know of in the summer is Robert Is Here fruit stand at Palm Drive (SW344 St) and Tower Rd (192 Ave)on the way to Everglades National Park. He buys fruit from locals. I don't know his markup compared to Whole Foods and he is not organic but he does have the best variety around and lots of unusual fruits you won't find at Whole Foods (worth the trip). They also have great map of other places to visit while down here so it's fun to make a day of it. Not on the map and a great visit is Everglades Outpost about a mile on the left past Robert's. They have LOTS of exotic animals that lost their homes (i.e illegally owned) and are now at the Outpost. On the last visit I saw giraffe, bear, wolf, monkey, snakes, tigers, birds and more. Glaser Farms in Coconut Grove is a Saturday market and has mostly organic and some local.
Send your questions to food critic Lee Klein.
Yes, Robert Is Here is a source of locally grown tropical fruits, but there are many other sources from which to purchase these delicious exotic fruits, as well.
Our Redland based organization, Tropical Fruit Growers of South Florida, Inc., TFGSF, has a website, www.tropicalfruitgrowers.com , that lists many local tropical fruit growers who sell to the public. Once on the site, click on "Buy Fruit/Trees", and this will take you to a large listing of growers by crop. You can contact the farmer directly for the fruit, or contact the packing houses listed. Our website also has recipes, tropical fruit information, and local events featuring tropical fruit, so please visit our website.
Another place to look for local fruit is on Krome Avenue, SW 177 Ave. Up and down Krome are many fruit stands that sell not only tropical fruits, but also vegetables and herbs, and the majority of the produce is from growers in the Redland. Most of the stands areNOT listed in the phone book, so you'll have to just drive down Krome and visit them. The most northern stand is up near Kendall, SW 88th St., so start there and head south.
As far as Farmers Markets are concerned, Coral Gables started up a Farmers Market this past winter, and I heard it was quite popular. There seems to be a growing consensus for more farmers markets, and I know that the County has looked at Farmers markets in the past, but I guess at the time, there were other issues that got the attention. If more citizens wrote to the County and/or municipalities, and asked for farmers markets, then maybe we could get some markets going for the locals. It would be great to sell more of our produce to more of our neighbors.
Good luck!
Posted at: July 16, 2007 9:18 PM