5 minute read
Natural Instincts
Some people can’t resist the call of the wild. These locals are among them, putting the “garden” back in Winter Garden.
By Rheya Tanner / Photos by Fred Lopez
Moo What You Love
Amy Stotler poses with Jacey
“I love everything about cows,” says Amy Stotler, owner of the cows that graze on the south side of Plant Street near the 429. “I love their personalities. I love that they’re good mamas. I’m always taking pictures and videos with them.”
This love started while showing cows at county fairs in Ocoee High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) program. “Now some of the cows I raise go back to the Ocoee High School FFA as show cows,” she says.
Stotler talks about her cows as if they are lifelong friends. Jacey is the outgoing, photogenic one. Addison is the matriarch of the herd, while Julie is often nursing other calves. “I don’t know if she knows they’re not hers. But either way, she doesn’t seem to mind,” she says. “My oldest cow, Queeda, you never know if she’s going to be super sweet or if she’s not gonna like you. It’s nothing personal. She does it to me all the time.”
The best way to get personal with Stotler’s cows is through her social media—namely Instagram and Tiktok, @amystotler. “I didn’t come up with any cool names. I thought I’d have, like, four followers,” she says. “I like to educate. I tell a lot of stories—I tell the good, I tell the bad. And my followers are invested, like they’re part of the family. That’s what I love most.”
Queeda in particular is the subject of one Tiktok that went viral. “It was of her bringing me her newborn calf,” Stotler says. “A licensing company picked it up and now it’s at 18 million views.”
As for offine support, friends and fans often honk as they drive by. (And there are many friends and fans, so that’s a lot of honking.) But passersby will also look out for the cows’ well-being. “One time a friend called us when they saw a coyote chasing a calf, and we were able to come out and deal with it,” she says.
—Amy Stotler
Stotler is delighted to have the opportunity to spread the love. “It makes me happy that my cows make people happy,” she says. “I love to share the joy of cows and their calves with people who might not get to experience it.” Amy Stotler poses with her cow, Jaycee
Chick Picks
People choose pets for different reasons, whether it’s companionship, protection, or sheer aesthetics. So why did Samantha Robinson choose chickens?
“I was bored!” she says. “I read Winter Garden was offering permits to their residents to raise chickens and thought, ‘why not?’”
Those permits are part of the city’s Backyard Chicken Program, which allows residents to keep their own coop. Samantha applied and did plenty of research, especially on what type of chickens to own. “I saw photos of Silkies and fell in love,” she says. “They’re a smaller breed, less vocal and more friendly. I figured they’d make being a ‘chicken lady’ more interesting.”
She picked up her Silkies—named Sugar, Spice, Blueford, and Naked Neck—in February. “I live on Main Street, and thought they’d add a bit of nostalgia,” she says. “People often stop by and visit my chickens— sometimes they even have a glass of wine and watch them.”
The main motivator for the program was to let locals source eggs from their backyard. Once they’re ready, that is. “I haven’t gotten the first egg yet,” says Robinson. “Mine are still young.”
Until then, chicken ladyhood is mostly a flock-ton of maintenance, for which the chickens aren’t particularly grateful. “Blueford tries to fight me every single day,” she says. “And my childhood memories of raising chickens blocked out how much goes into keeping the coop clean.”
But Robinson doesn’t mind the work, and is happy with her flock. “The word ‘chicken’ used to bring to mind food,” she says. “Now, four furry, funny cluckers come to mind.”
That’s not to say she can’t still enjoy a serving of poultry on her plate. “Sometimes I eat chicken with my wine while watching my flock,” she says. “They don’t have a clue!”
Good to Grow
The Do Good Farm food forest
Courtesy Do Good Farm
Do Good Farm isn’t the type of farm you’re expecting. You’ll find goats and chickens, but you’ll also find greenhouses that run on fish and lush forests that seem to have leapt from the pages of a storybook. And somewhere within, you’re likely to find the friendly smile and golden heart of Josh Taylor.
“Instead of shipping boxes of rice and beans over and over, we want to empower people to grow their own food,” he says of his non-profit aiming to end hunger through sustainable farming. So far they have established six self-sustaining farms that currently do good in Honduras, Burundi, and our own backyard “Once we set up a farm, it’s able to run indefinitely.”
Josh Tucker, owner and operator of Do Good Farm
Courtesy Do Good Farm
The farm’s permaculture food forest and aquaponic garden work together to sustain more than 100 species of edible plants, from common produce staples to edible cactus, cranberry hibiscus, cassava, and more.
If you’re wondering what those taste like, you’re in luck. Do Good Farm’s first Dinner Bell event of the season is October 23. The five-course chef’s table experience is designed to introduce people to the farm and to showcase the quality of locally sourced food.
Proceeds from the event help Do Good Farms, but you can also contribute through volunteering, donating, or simply purchasing a latte from House Blend Cafe in Ocoee—also operated by Do Good Farm.
“Farming is hard work, but it’s peaceful work,” says Taylor. “I enjoy the physical side of it, but it’s getting to impact people’s lives that’s so rewarding.”
dogoodfarm.org
Rise of a Monarch
Winter Garden’s much-anticipated copper Monarch butterfly sculpture, crafted by Central Florida sculptor and artist Don Reynolds, has finally hatched from its chrysalis and is now sunning its wings in the park between the splash pad and Plant Street Exchange.
The butterfly, officially named Flora, is presented by the Bloom & Grow Society in celebration of 20 years of partnership with the city. The group’s very first garden festival was held in 2000, and its twentieth will be April 2022.
“The monarch exhibits immense strength and tenacity by making the 3000 mile trek to the mountains of Mexico,” says Bloom & Grow Publicity Chair Joyce Carcara, “The women of Bloom & Grow aspire to be like the monarch butterfly, acknowledging our capacity to change and grow.”
