FLORIDA HARVEST
RED HILLS SMALL FARM ALLIANCE LINKING GROWERS TO CONSUMERS, NONPROFIT’S ONLINE MARKETPLACE Written by: Ava Grace
Collectively, the founders in 2010 agreed on a three-part mission: to support the regional farm economy, to support farmer-to-farmer and community education, and to improve fresh food access. Farmers and producers, from small backyarders and urban growers to larger farms and ranches in rural Tallahassee, are all part of the Red Hills Small Farm Alliance.
Cari Roth, board president and interim executive director, says, “the biggest way we support our regional farm economy is linking producers ... to customers with an online farmers market, the Red Hills online market.”
INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY
Over 100 producers participate and offer an incredible diversity of regionally grown fruits and vegetables and a great variety of fresh herbs, meats, cheeses and milk, as well as items such as oysters and alligator, honey, mushrooms, eggs (chicken, duck, goose, and quail), cornmeal, grits and polenta, orange juice, herb, vegetable and decorative
WHILE CONSUMERS ENJOY FRESH LOCAL FOOD AND OTHER OFFERINGS, MEMBERS ENJOY THE STRENGTH OF WORKING TOGETHER, SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER, NETWORKING AND PARTICIPATING IN MUTUAL EDUCATION THROUGH THE ALLIANCE’S CRAFT WORKSHOPS.
Customer ordering starts Sunday mornings and ends on Tuesdays. Produce is harvested to order, and the bounty gets delivered to the market’s central hub by early Thursday.
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PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF RED HILLS SMALL FARM ALLIANCE
T
hrough the vision and work of four women supporting farmers in Tallahassee, the nonprofit Red Hills Small Farm Alliance bloomed.
