FEATURES
FLORIDA COUNTRY MAGAZINE / ISSUE VOL. 1 • NO. 3
34
40
40
Hilliard Brothers of Florida Historic ranch family, more than 100 years, the continuing legacy Written by : JACK COLLIER
44
Larson Diary Inc. 70 years in South Florida, Red Larson still working the farm Written by : JACK COLLIER
2
ON THE COVER: Other than tourism, Florida agriculture drives our state's multibillion-dollar economy. And has for centuries. Florida Country Magazine is presenting some of these amazing farmers, ranchers, merchants and cowboys/ cowgirls in agriculture who make our state entirely special and so historic. Cover: William Jones, Photography: Cally Simpson
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
44
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
3
DEPARTMENTS FLORIDA COUNTRY MAGAZINE / ISSUE VOL. 1 • NO. 3
FCM CIRCLE
ROSY TOMORROWS HERITAGE FARM
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
page 38
page 8
28
VET VIEW
TRACTOR TALK
FLORIDA FLYWHEELERS ANTIQUE ENGINE CLUB, INC.
HORSE SENSE
page 10
page 48
COUNTRY STYLE
FLORIDA CHARM
PURSES & ACCESSORIES WESTERN BOUTIQUE
page 14
FLORIDA 4-H
OUR STATE'S ODDITIES
20
18
FRUITS, VEGGIES AND BEES, OH MY!
FLORIDA MEMORIES FIRST BANK IN CLEWISTON
COUNTRY CALIBER DR. KATHERINE D. KOENIG
page 58
page 18
FALL FESTIVITIES
66
FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL HALL OF FAME
IS IT OCTOBER YET?
page 61
page 20
25
22
WHISPERING PINES CLYDESDALES
HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS
page 69
page 25
FLORIDA SPOTLIGHT COWGIRL'S INCREDIBLE STORY
VETERANS DAY TRIBUTE
page 28
page 30
page 72
STARS & GUITARS
38
32
MEET LINDSAY ELL
page 74
MEET PARMALEE
FLORIDA HARVEST
page 75
31 PRODUCE & MINING CO.
PICTURE PERFECT
page 32
PHOTO FINISH
page 76
BUCKINGHAM FARMS
page 34
MY RIDE
72
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
TOP TRUCKS
page 77
page 36
61 4
page 64
page 66
WILD HORSES RUNNING FREE AT FLORIDA PARK
FLORIDA FRIENDLY FARMS
A-MAZING FAMILY FUN! MAKING DESSERT FUN
page 22
ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE
LABELLE’S ARTISTIC AWAKENING
page 54
page 16
HORSIN' AROUND
page 51
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
77
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
5
Chairman/Publisher Scarlett Redenius C.E.O. Brad Redenius President Thomas Fifield Vice President Sheila Fifield Editorial Director Jack Collier Design Director Jessica Fifield Director of Photography Marsay Johnson Proofreader Katherine Waters Sales Associates Lynn Cox, Robin Griffiths Contributing Writers Walter Burns, Jack Collier, Ava Isabel Grace, John L. Hoblick, Kym Rouse Holzwart, Paige Jardin, Emma J. Morse D.V.M., Jacob Ogles, Tiffany Ogden, Kelli Pharo, Dr. Craig T. Roberts, Val White, Krista Wyant Featured Photographers Jack Collier, Douglas Dupree, Paige Jardin, Marsay Johnson, Rene Malbog, Tiffany Ogden, Lori Pascal, Scarlett Redenius, Cally Simpson For more information about advertising with Florida Country Magazine, please contact:
239-692-2613 sales@floridacountrymagazine.com For other inquiries contact:
Scarlett Redenius, Publisher 239-600-4783 Published by: Florida Country Publications
PO Box 50989 • Fort Myers, FL 33994 LIKE US ON FACEBOOK
facebook.com/floridacountrymagazine F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M Florida Country Magazine is published bi-monthly, copyright 2017, all rights reserved. Reproduction of contents in print or electronic transmission in whole or in part in any language or format must be by expressed written permission of the publisher. All articles, descriptions and suggestions in this magazine are merely expression of opinions from contributors and advertisers and do not constitute the opinion of the publisher, editor or staff of Florida Country Magazine, and under no circumstances constitutes assurances or guarantees concerning the quality of any service or product. Florida Country Magazine specifically disclaims any liability related to these expressions and opinions. Florida Country Magazine is not responsible for any unsolicited submissions. The advertiser agrees to hold harmless and indemnify the publishers from all liability.
6
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
7
FCM CIRCLE
CELEBRATING FLORIDA'S AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE
We’ve handed out food and juices and ornamental plants for a long time now. Florida ranching and citrus go back five centuries, longer than any place in America. And there’s the tourist side, too. Florida this year takes in 100 million visitors. That’s almost twice the population of California and New York together. We have people from around the world coming to see what we’ve done and who we are. Our farmers add billions of dollars and 2 million jobs to Florida’s economy, billions more in trade. Tourism is another $100 billion. The numbers hardly seem real. We truly are blessed. But none of it outside of tourism is possible without our ranchers and growers and farmers. Florida dairy farmers and their cows, for example, give us millions of gallons of milk. Red Larson and his family in Okeechobee have dairy farmed for 75 years. And his children are passing that tradition to their kids. Hilliards in Clewiston cattle ranched more than 100 years ago. There’s no comparing our conveniences with what those ranchers went through. And still they made it, building little empires out of nothing. Their families still ranch, quietly feeding everyone as our neighbors and countries fight with one another over God knows what. You wonder what’s happened to being civil. We’d like you to meet the Hilliards and the Larsons. Of course, there are other amazing Florida farmers and ranchers, some with the same colorful history. But these two families represent our agricultural past, and both have special places in the Florida Agricultural Hall of
8
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Fame, another story we’ve included in this publication of Florida Country Magazine. We also wanted to recognize Florida’s military veterans. Again, because we are the Sunshine State, there are 2 million veterans living here. That’s a lot of sacrifice. We’d like to introduce the Horses & Heroes program in St. Cloud, helping vets who have gone through hell. This issue of Florida Country Magazine also looks at the people and businesses that make our lives better or inspire us, places such as the First Bank in Clewiston celebrating its 95-year anniversary, or Lisa Thomas, who is fighting cancer, yet wants to barrel race, refusing to allow the disease to control her. This is our third publication. I’d like to pretend that your feedback is not surprising. But it really is. Your messages of support have been great and make me feel so much better about putting it all on the line and “Never give up” as Lisa Thomas would say. And, please, keep sending us your ideas, your stories. We will find places for them. I wanted to present Florida’s country folks. There are plenty of publications looking at the coasts, which is important, especially for tourism. But we wanted to look inside, Florida’s interior counties, the ones keeping food on our tables and doing the hard work, the backbone of America. Country people have been waking up with Florida’s sun much longer than our coastal friends. They seem to come and go with the tide, but deep-seeded roots and family traditions you can always find in the country. SCARLETT REDENIUS, Publisher
PHOTO COURTESY OF UF/IFAS
W
e Floridians are amazing.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
9
VET VIEW
HORSE SENSE SUMMER INTO FALL, DARN BUGS, RARE CONDITIONS STILL EXIST
Sweet Itch
I
t doesn't seem like Florida really has seasons when summer conditions carry over into fall with, unfortunately, the bugs.
We still endure afternoon rains and high humidity. Many Florida horses struggle from April until October with a condition called Sweet Itch, or Summer Itch. It's an allergic response to the bites of Culicoides midges, those obnoxious “no-see-ums� that cause horses to become incredibly itchy. Many will lose
10
17 F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r || NNoovveemmbbeerr 220017
hair by rubbing out their mane and tail, often creating raw spots from scratching on the chest, belly and under the eyes. One of the steps to help your itchy horse stop losing hair is to manage the environment, to reduce contact with the no-see-ums. This includes installing underfans at dusk and dawn (peak insect activity times), and using protective horse clothing such as a fly sheet. There are also fly masks, fly boots, tail wraps and horse socks, all designed to help keep bugs off your horse. Environmental management to reduce exposure to the bugs is key, but sometimes the horse also needs to be put on oral steroid therapy to calm down and break the itching cycle. Emma J. Morse, DVM, Calusa Equine Veterinary Services
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
11
VET VIEW Radial Nerve Paralysis Radial nerve paralysis, fortunately, is a very rare condition. It results in a horse completely unable to use or bear weight on the front limb that is affected. As a result, few horses with the condition survive more than a few days, as they are very likely to develop laminitis (founder) in the other foot that is supporting all the weight. The condition was once more common as a result of a horse being poorly supported during general anesthesia for surgery. As anesthesia techniques and better padding have evolved, it is rare to see this type of complication post-surgery. It is even more rare to see the condition as the result of some sort of traumatic injury, but occasionally it happens. In either event, horses usually do not survive unless the condition resolves very quickly.
There is another condition that may go on for six months or more. It could be suprascapular nerve paralysis, or “Sweeney,� which results in atrophy of the shoulder muscles, yet the horse can stand on the affected leg to some degree. Sweeney can resolve, but it can take up to a year for the nerve to grow back. In these cases, limit the area your horse is turned out in so not to injure itself if it tries to do something more than walk. Over time, many of these horses return to a more normal condition. There are some advanced therapies veterinarians can offer that may speed the process of the nerve regrowth. I have seen many of these cases return to full athletic performance! Hope this helps! Dr. Craig T. Roberts has been in private equine practice for 25 years. His practice is limited to sports medicine and lameness. He has a clinic in Gainesville and makes monthly visits to Calusa Equine Veterinary Services in North Fort Myers.
Radial nerve paralysis is rare and leaves horses unable to use or bear weight on the affected front limb.
Do you want your question answered in our next issue? Email us at customerservice@floridacountrymagazine.com
12
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
13
COUNTRY STYLE
PURSES & ACCESSORIES WESTERN BOUTIQUE CELEBRATING ALL THINGS GIRLS, COWGIRLS, TACK AND FEED ON THE OTHER SIDE
Y
Written by: Jack Collier
ou’re a man. That’s OK. There are things here for you, especially on the other side of the store.
BOTTOM LEFT PHOTO BY JACK COLLIER
But the Purses & Accessories Western Boutique celebrates all things girls, cowgirls, the place wall-to-wall gear mostly for country women, but any woman, really, looking for what Jeany Vought has found in the wide world of fashion and placed before her happy and loyal customers in North Fort Myers. And in many instances, that means purses. A skilled buyer, Jeany Vought wants her customers to see and feel what’s hot in accessory fashion, replacing what sells in her store that day or week with something different, maybe seasonal, maybe not, but always fresh, she says. “One week cactus, and one week feathers,” she says of the trends in womenswear gear and fashion. “And [customers] use me to find it.” Jeany Vought is the classic American merchant, the one working from the ground up and opening a good solid business. She started in rodeo
JEANY VOUGHT IS THE CLASSIC AMERICAN MERCHANT, THE ONE WORKING FROM THE GROUND UP.
Jeany Vought opened Purses & Accessories in North Fort Myers in 2012, a tack-andfeed store next door two years later.
14
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTOS BY SCARLETT REDENIUS
vendor tents, hauling her stuff from show to show, selling women’s purses, adding accessories as her enterprise picked up steam. It is hot, hard work and long hours. But if you do well, it has its moments, she says, smiling. Back up a step. First there was the auto dealership parts counter, and when that seemed pointless, residential cleaning and general maintenance in Kissimmee. That was OK, but “I was always an over-achiever,” says Vought, who today has that raw look of a fighter, the one lifting heavy things, the one not taking vacation because she’s having fun. “My job is the vacation,” she says. And the parts counter thing, she recalls, was like “nah … think I’ll work for myself.” The fun little niche Vought discovered at big rodeos was that many women, the riders, performers and visitors, demanded a purchasing outlet, mostly cowgirl bling, something for dancing or tearing it up. “Those girls,” she remembers, “bought hats and jewelry … and purses.” The art of the deal was setting up shop and digging in. Trial and error in retail teaches one golden rule, Vought says: Understanding what customers want and how much of it to order, a beautiful thing when the timing is perfect. Vought opened her shop on Bayshore Road in North Fort Myers in 2012, added a genuine tack-and-feed store in 2014. The intelligent sideshow merchant came with the store, asking, talking and listening to what exactly her customers wanted, from the westernwear clothing and accessories, the consignment jeans and cowboy/cowgirl boots, a few Americana housewear pieces, the YNOT apparel shelf, the rack positioning and design layout, the blingy belts, purses everywhere, very visual, very personal. “Every hour, every minute of the day, I love it,” she says of her life. Jack Collier is editorial director for Florida Country Magazine. Look for westernwear and accessories, consignment jeans and boots, YNOT apparel, lots of bling and tons of purses.
ROUNDUP Purses & Accessories Western Boutique 9521 Bayshore Road, North Fort Myers 239-543-5877, Facebook.com/Jeany Vought F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
15
FRUITS, VEGGIES AND BEES, OH MY! LEE COUNTY 4-H VEGHEADS, CITIZEN SCIENTISTS, COMMUNITY ADVOCATES
F
Written by: Krista Wyant
lorida 4-H executives each year recommend activities that will further the statewide community service project mandate. Committee members decided that Living In Florida Environments, or LIFE, will be the upcoming theme. This project is focused on creating a greener tomorrow. Participants host beach cleanups, plant trees and join in other citizen-science activities. The 4-H VegHeads club is part of the effort, a group that meets monthly to talk about … plants. Can you tell the
IF THIS GROUP SOUNDS FAMILIAR, IT MAY BE BECAUSE YOU’VE READ ABOUT THEM IN LOCAL MEDIA REPORTS.
16
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
difference between a vegetable and a fruit? Well, these kids sure can with help from their master gardener/leader, Karen Harty. John and Karen Harty, in fact, teach these kids everything about fruits, vegetables, how to grow food, about plants in general. But there’s much more directed to the 4-H mission of learning responsibility, citizenship and life skills that will help now and down the road. If this group sounds familiar, it may be because you’ve read about them in local media reports—the 4-H students and their families in 2016 sorted through 40,000 packets of vegetable seeds as part of their community service project. They put the packets in plastic bags. Based on 20 packets to a bag, that’s 2,000 bags, which are available at no cost at Veterans Park in Lehigh Acres. VegHeads in August again loaded seed packets. If you are looking to learn about your community and where some of your food comes from, you may be interested in the Meet Your Food Ag Bus Tour. Last year the VegHeads 4-H youth hosted this tour as a fundraiser for their club. Proceeds went to a seeds library, community service projects, summer camp, field trips, plants, club costs and college
4-H kids process seed baggies by the thousands for community service projects. Seed packets are donated by the retail giant Rural King.
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF FLORIDA 4-H
FLORIDA 4-H
scholarships. Starting at the North Fort Myers Rec Center, these 4-H members went throughout Lee County to cram in visits to a bee farm, a commercial veggie and citrus farm, time at the ECHO global farm, and a national seed company. In addition to the tour, VegHeads at each stopover were provided a healthy Florida produce snack before re-boarding the bus.
4-H VegHeads are about agricultural, citizenship and life skills. Rewards are ribbons and a peek at our amazing Florida country kids.
For those interested in a fun Florida experience to learn where your food comes from, save the date for Jan. 13. You can find out more information closer to the event on the Lee County/Florida 4-H Facebook page. Krista Wyant is an intern with Lee County 4-H, a Florida Gulf Coast University student and third generation with 4-H. Details are at lee.ifas.ufl.edu.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
17
COUNTRY CALIBER
DR. KATHERINE D. KOENIG FLORIDA PATENT LAWYER, SPECIALIZING IN AGRICULTURE, AN FYI BRIEFING “Patents and Patent Possibilities,” a 72-page treatise sent free upon request; full of valuable and interesting information; tells what to invent and where to sell it. Write today. H.S. Hill, Washington, D.C. —Popular Mechanics, December 1911
technology. She has also authored articles and presented to law organizations about patent protection for plant varieties, including cannabis. Koenig is a Florida graduate.
r. Katherine D. Koenig is a registered patent attorney with Florida-based Christopher & Weisberg, a boutique firm specializing in intellectual property, so-called creations of the mind; patents, copyrights and trademarks, which can be a big thing in Florida agriculture, the secondlargest industry behind tourism. Statewide, some 9 million acres are divided into more than 47,500 commercial farms. Palm Beach County is, in fact, the largest agricultural county east of the Mississippi River.
“I’m not aware of any major new developments or changes in intellectual property laws in the agricultural sector (other than the emerging marijuana industry), but perhaps some basics might be of interest to [Florida Country] readers.”
D
Koenig’s practice is devoted to all areas of patent, trademark and copyright law, with an emphasis on patent matters relating to medical devices, life science, biotechnology, agriculture, plant varieties and plant sciences, turbine engine and energy production technology and marine
Florida Country Magazine asked Katherine Koenig to share more about her profession.
FOR EXAMPLE: Intellectual property (IP) can be found everywhere—and any farm, business or operation should be evaluated regularly for potentially protectable subject matter: • Brand names (trademark). • Instruction manuals, images, graphic designs (copyright). • Agricultural equipment (for example: harvesters, sprayers, micro-irrigation systems, precision agriculture systems and devices, tractors, energy production systems, pesticides/herbicides). • Agricultural methods (for example: harvesting, methods of mechanical or chemical pest control, methods of extraction of plant compounds). • Compositions (extracted plant materials and mixtures containing them, antibacterial compounds for milking operations).
PERHAPS SOME BASICS MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO [FLORIDA COUNTRY] READERS.” —Katherine Koenig, Christopher & Weisberg, Fort Lauderdale
18
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHERINE KOENIG
• Plant varieties (transgenic crops, ornamental and agronomic crops produced through traditional breeding programs).
ROUNDUP Dr. Katherine D. Koenig Christopher & Weisberg, P.A. Fort Lauderdale 954-828-1488, cwiplaw.com
Intellectual property can be found everywhere—and any farm, business or operation should be evaluated regularly for potentially protectable subject matter.
• Product designs (the appearance of a variety of items: equipment, tack/ saddles, hand tools, nozzles, etc.). • Trade secrets (can’t be registered by the government—should be protected as a secret and not publicly disclosed). • In some situations, if you don’t file for IP (patent, design patent) protection before making a public disclosure, you could lose your right to protect the idea. • IP is important—licensing, joint research programs, breeding programs, adds value to a business that’s attractive to investors and buyers, establishes consumer loyalty and recognition of products and services.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
19
HODGEPODGE OF GROWERS, TEACHERS, ADVOCATES, INSPIRING SUNSHINE STATE’S FUTURE
M
Written by: Walter Burns
ajor sports Halls of Fame across America receive enormous amounts of media attention with lavish coverage on television and elsewhere.
The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame honors men and women, however, who do things far more important than bash home runs or sling touchdowns or shoot jumpers. The Agricultural Hall of Fame, which was established in 1980, honors farmers, researchers and others who bring the bounty of Florida farms and groves to kitchens. These men and women don’t receive nearly the attention as do big-time athletes. But what they do is, of course, far more important. That’s been the case since the inaugural class was inducted nearly 40 years
ago. The first batch of Hall of Famers included Nathan Mayo, who served as the state’s commissioner of agriculture from 1923 to 1960. Also in the 1980 class was a man named Hoyle Pounds, who invented rubber tires in the 1920s for use on farm equipment. He became known as Mr. Tractor. “They’re trailblazers,” Hall of Fame president Ray Hodge says of inductees. The same can be said of so many of the inductees, including a 2016 honoree with a sports connection. That would be Dr. Charles F. (Chip) Hinton, who was on the University of Florida football team in the 1960s that tasted and tested a new sports drink that would become known as Gatorade. He went on from football to earn bachelor and post-graduate degrees in agriculture, a doctorate in poultry products at the University of Florida. He would become executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.
IT’S NOT EASY EARNING A SPOT IN THIS HALL OF FAME. 20
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHERINE KOENIG
FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL HALL OF FAME
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF FLORIDA AGIRCULTURAL HALL OF FAME
COUNTRY CALIBER
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam (above, second from right), will help honor those outstanding scientists, farmers, growers, inventors and others in annual Hall of Fame inductions. Our state's Agricultural Hall of Fame is at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Hillsborough County.
The honorees come from various disciplines within agriculture. “It’s a really a hodgepodge,” Hodge says. “ … excuse the pun.” One of the early inductees was a man named Pliny Reasoner. He arrived in Florida in either 1881 or 1882, depending on which historical resource one consults. He was only 25 when he died of yellow fever about seven years after arriving in the Sunshine State. In his short life, Reasoner brought numerous tropical plants to his adopted state. It’s not easy earning a spot in this Hall of Fame, which is located at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Hillsborough County. Hodge says potential inductees are on the ballot for only three years. Nominees are vetted carefully. Earlier this year these four men were inducted as the class of 2017: Eugene Badger, William Cook, Joe Marlin Hilliard and Dr. W. Bernard Lester. Although most inductees are men, Hall authorities have also honored women such as Ruth Wedgworth, inducted in 1988, becoming the first female member. And the Ag Hall of Fame and its induction ceremony are not focused solely on the past, Hodge points out. Every year young people interested in agriculture attend the induction ceremony. “We want to inspire young people who come to see the banquet,” Hodge says. Each Hall of Famer has his or her own inspirational story.
ROUNDUP
Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame 100 South Mulrennan Road Valrico, Florida 813-230-1918, floridaaghalloffame.org
Veteran Florida journalist Walter Burns grew up in one of Florida’s largest cities.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
21
HORSIN' AROUND
WHISPERING PINES CLYDESDALES STARTED AS THERAPY HORSES, NOW APPEARING AT A VENUE NEAR YOU
“Parents As Mentors encouraged me to invite an amazing gentleman and his organization to visit Riley’s Functional Skills classroom. I am grateful that she did. Ken Craft kindly brought Tally of Whispering Pines Clydesdales to visit the five ESE classes of Rayma C. Page Elementary [Fort Myers]. It was an amazing morning.” —Stacie Wiesenbaugh, Riley’s Smile
K
en Craft’s life has been about giving, first as a firefighter, and in the last years with Whispering Pines Clydesdales, a North Fort Myers nonprofit bringing these large draft horses to special events, raising charitable
money, to provide therapy to kids and adults with disabilities or with special needs, to those simply needing the spiritual lift of such a beautiful and majestic animal. Craft, who has overcome health setbacks yet pushes forward with Whispering Pines, paying much of the costs to feed and house his horses, will take them to parades, to help kids discover the grace of caring for others, will visit senior living centers to strike memories for those with a farming history. Craft, in fact, will show a tender photo of a Clydesdale resting its head in a senior’s lap. “That’s what it’s about,” says Craft, an entirely upbeat former assistant fire chief with Bonita Springs Fire Rescue.
WE’RE FOREVER CURIOUS ABOUT CLYDESDALES.
Clydesdale draft horses are noted for grace and the nobility they bring to any parade or holiday event.
22
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WHISPERING PINES CLYDESDALES
Written by: Jack Collier
TOP RIGHT PHOTO BY JACK COLLIER
Katelyn Chadwick (above) volunteers at Whispering Pines under the guidance of Ken Craft, the nonprofit's founder and its driving force. The farm will rotate up to 28 such volunteers.
Budweiser’s draft teams equate to Clydesdales, a freight-train of huge, jingly battle horses dragging a beerwagon and its teamsters at the Edison Parade of Light or appearing in Super Bowl promotions. These giant horses he had known from childhood also gave Ken Craft an idea, he says. So, in 2003 he and his four kids started Whispering Pines in Bonita, at first as therapy for children with special needs. His first animals were 1,800 and 1,700 pounds, both bays and both mares, gender being the difference between Whispering Pines and Budweiser, he says, a mature male running upwards of 2,500 pounds.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
23
HORSIN' AROUND
Whispering Pines Clydesdales will appear at venues such as the Arcadia Rodeo (above), but the heart of the mission is ministering to challenged kids and adults.
Craft has since moved Whispering Pines to North Fort Myers. Probably because of the beer horses, we’re forever curious about Clydesdales. Visitors, for instance, regularly arrive for a peek inside the Whispering Pines barn, says Craft, who posts hours but will accommodate when there’s time between feeding, watering and tidying up after a horse buzzing through 30 gallons of water, 9 quarts of special feed and a half bale of hay per day. And a mature Clydesdale will give 50 pounds from the opposite end, he adds, per day. And the horses also attract volunteers, lots of them, which Craft needs to manage his farm. Some 28 volunteers from all walks are at Whispering Pines, wait staff, teachers, doctors and children, “anybody who supports our mission,” Craft say. Added 12-year-old volunteer Katelyn Chadwick: “I wanted to help. I’m in awe of these gentle giants.” Note: Plan a holiday visit to Whispering Pines. Kids meet the horses and Santa in an authentic sleigh. Also check for field trips, other special events. whisperingpinesclydesdales.com Jack Collier is editorial director for Florida Country Magazine.
24
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WHISPERING PINES CLYDESDALES
His Kit and Tally were immediate favorites, and “before you know it, we were everywhere,” Craft says of his draft team.
HORSIN' AROUND
WILD HORSES RUNNING FREE AT FLORIDA PARK MUSTANGS IN DISTRESS GET A SECOND CHANCE AT MIMS RESCUE
Y
Written by: Ava Isabel Grace
ou likely know of wild horses on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Cumberland Island in south Georgia, on Sable Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, those still ranging parts of the American West.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOVISA GÖRANSSON
But Florida has its own wild horses. There’s a small herd at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park in Micanopy, south of Gainesville. This 21,000-acre parcel is a perfect place for hiking, biking, camping … a chance to see these beautiful horses, one of which gained notoriety this year disciplining an alligator. There are about 50,000 wild horses left in
America, down from some 2 million at one point. Florida’s are among the oldest herds roaming the country. “The 30 or so horses we have are Florida cracker horses, descendants of Spanish horses,” says Amber Roux, a park services specialist. These wonderful creatures can be spotted from the preserve’s visitor center and an observation tower. Any route leading to the prairie—the La Chula Trail, the Bolen Bluff Trail and the Cones Dike Trail—however, provides an opportunity to see the animals. Although the wild horses at Paynes Prairie Preserve run freely and appear healthy, some in Florida aren’t doing as
A small mustang herd roams Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park in Micanopy, south of Gainesville. Rescued animals get top care from staff, volunteers, farriers and veterinarians.
ALTHOUGH THE WILD HORSES AT PAYNES PRESERVE RUN FREELY AND APPEAR HEALTHY, SOME IN FLORIDA AREN’T DOING AS WELL. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
25
HORSIN' AROUND
well, needing the kindness of the nonprofit Wild Horse Rescue Center. The rescue is in Mims on the state’s east coast. Founded in 2007 by Diane Delano, the rescue salvages American wild horses, or mustangs. Delano has worked as a volunteer compliance officer with the Florida Bureau of Land Management since 1998. She gets called when there’s a mustang in need, which may be at a home where the animal has suffered abuse or neglect. “Sometimes it takes a long time for the horses to trust people again. Once they’re comfortable, they get trained,” explains Delano, adding that during rehabilitation horses learn basics such as saddle training and being ridden. Success will depend on the horse’s demeanor, its age and physical ability. Wild Horse Rescue Center will house up to 50 horses. Its survival relies on event proceeds, adoption fees, donations and sponsorships, as well as volunteers such as 22-year-old Mathilda Theorén, who came to Florida from Sweden in 2014, part of the center’s international volunteer program. “I teach volunteers the [WHRC] way of working with the mustangs,” explains Theorén. “I love when we find the perfect person for the horse,” adds Theorén. Great care is taken when Wild Horse Rescue Center places one of its horses in a new home. The fit must work for both personality and needs on either side of the adoption. The process may take several visits, Delano says. “Horses have been successfully adopted all over the United States, and in Germany, France and Canada,” she says. Adoption fees vary according to the horse’s level of training and whether it is titled. Some horses are unadoptable and become “sanctuary horses.” For these horses, Wild Horse Rescue Center is their forever home, “a place of hope, kindness and unconditional love,” Delano says. Ava Isabel Grace is a Florida writer and loves the outdoors.
WILD HORSE RESCUE CENTER ROUNDUP Florida Agriculture Resources Matter: Oct. 4-5 Archaeologists for Autism: Oct. 21 Native Rhythms Festival: Nov. 10-12 Benefit Gala, Winter Solstice: Dec. 16 For More Information: Bureau of Land Management, Internet Adoption Program blm.gov/adoptahorse
26
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Wild Horse Rescue Center Mims, Florida 321-427-1523, wildhorserescuecenter.org Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Micanopy, Florida 352-466-3397, floridastateparks.org
LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF KADRI NICOLA; RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF LOVISA GÖRANSSON
Adoption fees vary according to the horse’s level of training and whether it is titled. Some remain as sanctuary horses. Diane Delano (left) is founder of Wild Horse Rescue Center.
ContactUs@potteryexpress.com
TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF LOVISA GÖRANSSON; BOTTOM PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMINICK MARTINO
Wild Horse Rescue Center will house up to 50 horses. Its survival relies on event proceeds, adoption fees, donations and sponsorships.
I LOVE WHEN WE FIND THE PERFECT PERSON FOR THE HORSE.” —Mathilda Theorén, Wild Horse Rescue Center, Mims, Florida
& Bamboo Farm 25370 Zemel Road, Punta Gorda, FL 33955
(941) 505-8400
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
27
HORSIN' AROUND
VETERANS DAY TRIBUTE
W
Written by: Kelli Pharo
alk through the 14-stall, double-aisle barn on a Wednesday morning and the chatter and laughter of 10 or so veterans mixes with the clip-clopping hooves and snorting of horses. This group is the Horses & Heroes Drill Team of McCormick Research Institute in Saint Cloud, Florida. And according to drill team member and armed services veteran Kelly Smith, this group “is family.” Smith served from 1996 to 2015 as a U.S Navy hospital corpsman, petty officer first class, completing multiple tours in Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), Iraq, Afghanistan, Crete (Greece) and the U.S. Deployed to Iraq in 2007, Smith was injured in a blast and underwent multiple reconstructive
surgeries, ultimately resulting in an amputated left arm. “When I first got home I was angry,” Smith recalls. “I didn’t go anywhere—I just stayed home. I couldn’t talk to anyone without getting angry. I thought I could handle things myself, but that wasn’t the case. “I realized I needed help. So, I came to McCormick, reluctantly. But after just a short time here, I knew it was what I needed.” Smith explains that through the Horses & Heroes program at McCormick, which combines group therapy sessions and horseback riding, she found healing. Being a part of McCormick is personal, she says. “Lots of places like for me to make appearances. And I do a lot of
THE DRILL TEAM IS A GREAT WAY TO KEEP OUR VETERANS ENGAGED AND PARTICIPATING IN LIFE OUTSIDE THEIR HOMES.” —Caity Wall, Horses & Heroes
ROUNDUP 28
McCormick Research Institute Osceola Therapeutic Equestrian Center 4651 Rummell Road, St. Cloud, Florida 407-933-7433 (RIDE), mccormick.us F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCCORMICK RESEARCH INSTITUTE
HORSES & HEROES, HELPING SERVICE MEMBERS GET BACK IN THE SADDLE
TOP AND BOTTOM PHOTOS COURTESY OF MCCORMICK RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Horses & Heroes Drill Team members (above) performed at the Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Kissimmee.
them. But often they just want the publicity. But I always like to do whatever I can to help out here [at McCormick], because this is family.” Horses & Heroes is a research partnership between McCormick and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine. The program is free to participating veterans. The drill team is made up of six to eight veterans—all having completed the Horses & Heroes program. Led by program manager Caity Wall, the drill team practices routines Wednesday mornings for several weeks prior to performances at local rodeos and events. “The drill team is a great way to keep our veterans engaged and participating in life outside their homes,” Wall says. “Many of our veterans find it difficult to relate to people and once they form relationships here with other veterans, they want to keep engaged and involved. Plus, the community just loves seeing them perform.” And when the Horses & Heroes Drill Team performs at local rodeos and events, this family of veterans puts on quite
the show. The display of uniformity and comradery, the measured steps and patterns, the precision and teamwork of equestrian drill, beautifully displays what this veteran program is about. It’s the bringing together of individuals of different colors, sizes, backgrounds and challenges, working for a singular purpose—to march in harmonious step, displaying brother and sisterhood under the banner of red, white and blue. Kelli Pharo is the chief of operations at McCormick Research Institute, a Florida native, lifelong equestrian and a soon-to-be certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health & Learning, and a riding instructor.
Dr. Manette Monroe (left) of the UCF College of Medicine works with McCormick Research Institute to treat stress-related disorders. Former Navy corpsman Kelly Smith (right) uses horses such as Willie to help heal from service-related trauma.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
29
ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE
FLORIDA FRIENDLY FARMS MINIMIZING WATER USE AND LIMITING POLLUTION USING BEST PRACTICES lorida’s farmers play a significant role in conserving water, since agriculture is one of Florida’s largest water users. In addition, runoff from Florida’s farms can pollute our groundwater, springs, wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries with animal waste, fertilizer and pesticides. Therefore, farm management practices determine the effects of agriculture on Florida’s precious water resources. The good news is that best management practices, or BMP, protect Florida water. These practical, cost-effective methods conserve water and reduce pollutants; they can also be used to manage nutrients and irrigation. Nutrient and bacterial pollution from livestock is dependent on stocking rate, grazing period length, season of use, concentrated manure disposal sites and distance from nearest water resource.
Nutrient management BMP establish nutrient availability, needs and sources, and manage nutrient applications, including manure, to minimize impacts to Florida’s waters. Simple manure management options for livestock include managing in concentrated areas, dragging pastures and excluding livestock from wetlands, rivers, streams and lakes. Management options for horses include: on-site storage and handling facilities, on-site composting, land application of fresh and composted manure, disposal and energy conversion. Storage facilities should be located where there is little runoff potential and be covered. Using a manure spreader to apply fresh or composted manure to crops or pastures is also a good option. Buffers, filter strips, setbacks and swales, as well as prescribed and rotational grazing, are excellent BMP to prevent the transport of sediment, nutrients and bacteria from agricultural areas to Florida’s aquatic systems; they also protect water
If land is available, using a manure spreader (left) to apply fresh or composted manure to pastures is a good nutrient management BMP for horse farms. Tailwater recovery ponds (from above), wastewater reservoirs and moisture sensors are good best-practice tools.
FARM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURE ON FLORIDA’S PRECIOUS WATER RESOURCES. 30
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
LEFT PHOTO BY KYM ROUSE HOLZWART; OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF SWFWMD FARMS PROGRAM
F
Written by: Kym Rouse Holzwart
ROUNDUP
Southwest Florida Water Management District 800-423-1476, watermatters.org/agriculture or watermatters.org/FARMS
Applying manure to resting pastures, rotation, dragging and mowing, and solar irrigation control systems (pictured) at Florida's Spotted Dance Ranch save money and precious water.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 850-617-1727, freshfromflorida.com/Business-Services/Water/ Agricultural-Best-Management-Practices
PHOTO COURTESY OF SWFWMD FARMS PROGRAM
University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences 239-658-3413, bmp.ifas.ufl.edu
resources and reduce erosion. In addition, the proper storage, use and disposal of chemicals and fuels are important. Sustainable management of pasture grazing/browsing minimizes the effects of Florida’s farms. Good pasture management includes proper stocking rates, rotation and rest periods, mowing, livestock sacrifice areas and managing manure. If pastures are managed poorly (overstocked and overgrazed), not only is there little to no ground cover, eroded soil and increased pesticide use, but our water resources are also harmed. Best management practices for irrigation modify methods and scheduling to reduce water use and nutrient loss. By using weather stations and soil moisture sensors, irrigation can be scheduled according to needs. Irrigation systems can be converted to low-volume, saving water and energy. Tailwater recovery systems, which are ponds that collect and reuse water from agriculture, conserve and protect water. Cost-sharing is available. For example, the Facilitating Agricultural Resource Management Systems, or FARMS, program was established by the Southwest Florida Water Management District to reduce groundwater withdrawals through conservation and alternative water supply best practices. Cost reimbursements can be as much as 50 to 75 percent for BMP-eligible farms. The Mini-FARMS program is a cost-share protecting and conserving water for eligible agricultural operations within the district that are 100 acres or less. Best practices adopted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are implemented in MiniFARMS, and 75 percent of costs up to $5,000 per project are reimbursed. There are Florida Agadopted best practices for citrus, cow/calf, dairy, equine, nursery, poultry and sod operations, fruit/ nut, row and field crops. Ultimately, in watersheds with adopted Basin Management Action Plans, agricultural operations may implement Florida Ag-adopted best management practices or conduct expensive water quality monitoring. Formally trained as an ecologist, Kym Rouse Holzwart is a multi-generational native Floridian and co-proprietor of Spotted Dance Ranch, riding horses for more than 50 years. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
31
FLORIDA HARVEST
31 PRODUCE & MINING CO. FARM-TO-TABLE, OCTOBER PUMPKINS, FALL BARREL RACING SERIES
M
Written by: Jack Collier
ike Greenwell swings, the ball goes over the fence.
When the former Boston Red Sox left fielder played big league baseball, he was always a stand-out. When opening Mike Greenwell’s Bat-A-Ball & Family Fun Park in Cape Coral, that was a home run. And when Greenwell decided to grow and sell vegetables at the side of the road, that hobby farm became 31 Produce & Mining Co., a hit to the bleachers with country folks chasing after fresh produce (u-pick/we-pick) and a bit of family fun in an authentic country-store climate. There’s an on-site rodeo arena, a petting zoo, bakery and café, a nursey and greenhouse, even a place for kids to root around (mine) for stones and fossils. “It started with a little yellow tent and grew from there,” says Paige Greenwell, Mike Greenwell’s daughter-in-law and director of the property. 31 Produce & Mining Co. is interesting, if only because so little is visible from Florida State Road 31 as you zip by … other than an 8-foot strawberry in sunglasses that’s got to be hot in the morning sun. So, you’ve heard about the place and you slip in behind split-rail fencing, grab the family and head for the shade. It can be tough anymore to be impressed, but 31 Produce is refreshing, open and airy, lots of fresh food and things for the garden and home, a farm-to-table stand that is u-pick/we-pick friendly, Paige Greenwell says. The Cracker Shack Café serves breakfast and lunch and there are
jams and keepsakes in the diner that’s cooled, which is nice for breaks, grabbing a snack and thinking back to what a country store once was. And if you’re a horse person, check the Buckle Series barrel racing events on first Wednesdays at the PG Performance Horses Arena that runs through December. At the 31 Produce & Mining Co. farm, says Paige Greenwell, “there’s a little bit of everything.” October is also Halloween and 31 Produce & Mining Co. opens a weekend pumpkin patch, which is when you could glimpse a man who has only swung for the fences since attending North Fort Myers High School and then entering Major League Baseball in 1985. And ask him how he acquired his nickname The Gator. 31produce.com. Jack Collier is editorial director for Florida Country Magazine
31 Produce & Mining Co. is seasonal u-pick/we-pick, meaning fresh farm-totable veggies, fruit, herbs, eggs and other healthy goods straight from the farm.
32
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
TOP RIGHT PHOTOS COURTESY OF 31 PRODUCE & MINING CO.
IT STARTED WITH A LITTLE YELLOW TENT AND GREW FROM THERE.” —Paige Greenwell, director 31 Produce & Mining Co.
Check for pumpkins in October, exciting barrel racing through December, a little bit of something for everyone.
FLORIDA ROUNDUP
What to expect at 31 Produce & Mining Co. (seasonal u-pick/we-pick)
Strawberries, late November-March Herb garden Tomatoes (Beefsteak, cherry and grape, yellow) Greens (Kale, mustard and collards, Swiss chard, bib lettuce and cabbage, turnip greens) Squash (Patty pan, acorn, yellow and butternut squash) Eggplant (White, purple and Chinese) Cucumbers and pickles Melons
Cracker Shack Café
Breakfast 7:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., lunch is 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., open 7 days
Petting zoo
Mini donkeys, Nigerian dwarf goats, baby-doll sheep, chickens, Guinea pigs, rabbits, a wallaroo and African spur tortoise. Price $4 per family/small group, cup of veggies/fruit to feed critters.
Field trips and tours
Based on 15 participants or more, call in advance. Educational tours, appointment during harvest season. Best booking December-March.
Mining
Sharks teeth, petrified wood, fossils, turquoise, amethyst, fool’s gold, etc. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
33
BUCKINGHAM FARMS FARM TO TABLE COUNTRY-STYLE, A HIDDEN GEM, MEET BOOGER THE TORTOISE Written by: Paige Jardin
We get more crops from less space, so we’re able to harvest more with a smaller impact on the planet. We only practice responsible farming and pledge a commitment to our local community and economy. —Buckingham Farms
B
uckingham Farms is about fresh fruits and vegetables, grass-fed meats, a country market and destination with counter service and super tasty, ready-for-pickup Friday dinners.
At this working farm in Fort Myers you’ll meet Booger, a 110-pound tortoise—the name chosen by local schoolkids in a contest—and the many regulars arriving from everywhere for breakfast on the porch, lunch on the inside high-top tables … or to fill a basket of goodies for home. That takeaway bounty may include fresh strawberries, honey, wild-hog sausage, bison, or even FROG jam, or figs, raspberries, orange and ginger. And what isn’t grown on the property in Fort Myers on its nearly 50-acre hydroponic farm comes from specialty vendors such as Old Florida Farms, Naples-based Ella’s Flats, Alyssa’s Cookies from Jupiter in east Florida, and from Pennsylvania, where Amish jams, peanut butters, dressings and fruits/veggies products from Jake & Amos are produced. The boutique company, fittingly, still handles it wholesale business by telephone, says Buckingham owner T.J. Cannamela. While some products have an Amish label, the wares from Jake & Amos are genuine Amish-style recipes, he adds. Cannamela is proud of the farm’s Friday-night dinner takeout, which started out a couple of years back at about 20 or so orders. Most Fridays now 150 or so dinners go out the door. Word gets around quickly when something is tasty and fresh and good. We place our orders on the Buckingham Farms’ website or with a mobile app, pick up our dinners between 5 and 6 that evening when the kitchen closes. Recent menu goodies have included barbecued Danish baby-back ribs with country green beans and macaroni and cheese, or gumbo with braised alligator, spicy sausage and stewed vegetables, plus white rice and an available side salad. Desserts options were peanut butter pie and Key lime pie.
Another Friday menu was prime rib or crab cakes, either super delicious. Others want lighter plates. Buckingham’s house salad is a big draw for Susie Riffe of Fort Myers, for instance, on a recent afternoon lunching with Steve, her husband. He prefers the prime rib. “We come here every day, almost,” Susie Riffe says. “I like it because you can eat healthy here.” Others agree. “I love that I can come and get the local food I want and support a local business,” says Jill Passarella, another happy Buckingham diner. “I can have a great meal, too, and sit outside.” Cannamela cautions there’s more to the term “local” than many of us may think. “[People] need to do their homework,” he says. “Just because you buy it off the back of a truck under a bridge, doesn’t mean it’s local.” The freshest food is what you get seasonally, he stresses, which is the concept underlying the seed-to-table movement, a family philosophy that is not new— Cannamela’s grandfather was an area farmer who fed the neighborhood. It wasn’t a commercial business back then, but rather a “big, big, big hobby,” T.J. says, smiling. Now, about 15 staffers work at Buckingham Farms, including a chef and sous chef. They’re responsible for the “Farm Fresh Fast” prepared foods that include meatloaf, Salisbury steak, pasta primavera with chicken, chicken parmesan and others. Facebook followers will call Buckingham Farms a “hidden gem.” But, perhaps, not so hidden for long. Paige Jardin moved to rural Florida about 10 years ago. She is a poet and a storyteller.
Buckingham Farms in Fort Myers is surrounded by greenery, both decorative and functional. Try outdoor dining (right) for a true country experience.
34
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTO BY DAYNA HARPSTER
FLORIDA HARVEST
MIDDLE PHOTO BY MARSAY JOHNSON; OTHER PHOTOS BY PAIGE JARDIN
JUST BECAUSE YOU BUY IT OFF THE BACK OF A TRUCK UNDER A BRIDGE, DOESN’T MEAN IT’S LOCAL.” —T.J. Cannamela owner Buckingham Farms, Fort Myers
Buckingham Farms owner T.J. Cannamela (above) brings menu favorites such as chef's salad, stocks Amish country apple butter and other goodies from Pennsylvania's Jake & Amos.
ROUNDUP
Buckingham Farms 12931 Orange River Blvd. Fort Myers 239-203-2303, buckinghamfarmsonline.com
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
35
FLORIDA HARVEST
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK FLORIDA FARMERS SUPPORTING OUR QUALITY OF LIFE, FEEDING THE WORLD
A
Written by: John L. Hoblick
16th-century visitor encountering Florida for the first time described it as “a fruitful and most pleasant place … lacking nothing at all that may seem necessary for man’s food.”
Agricultural production is a year-round responsibility. Gathering a crop in the fall is just one stage in the process for certain commodities. Florida farm families grow more than 300 different products. Each one of the products requires a range of tasks at various times throughout the year. While some of our farmers are now busy with harvesting, a number of south Florida growers are still cultivating vegetables for the winter season. Still others are preparing the ground for the spring season. Our dairy producers collect a harvest every day. According to the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, agriculture and related enterprises generate an economic impact of more than $127 billion annually, supporting 2 million jobs. But agricultural operations offer more than the value of a harvest. One of the most important tasks farm families embrace is the conservation of natural resources. Most of them have reduced their water use by more than 50 percent in the past decade. Field monitoring data reported by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services show that farmers and ranchers each year conserve more than 12 billion gallons of fresh water. Their efforts stand in sharp contrast to urban demand. Florida’s steadily increasing population is placing enormous pressure upon all resources. Fewer than 3 million people lived here in 1950. More than 20 million were counted in the last federal census. Officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection report that since 2010 urban residents have become the largest group of water consumers in the state, while farm families continue to reduce their use of it.
Farmers are original conservationists, protecting their most vital resource (left), conserving water in dry season for citrus, Florida's signature crop. Agriculture generates some $127 billion annually in the Sunshine State.
36
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF FLORIDA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
Travelers in our own era find a far richer bounty here. The sources of our food abundance are 21st-century farmers and ranchers. They provide vital nutrition for people in our state, our nation and the world, not just for an isolated group in the corner of a wilderness.
Agricultural producers also help improve water quality. Many of them have established systems that either prevent nutrient releases into the surrounding environment or filter water so that it is cleaner than rainfall. The South Florida Water Management District has announced that last year growers in the Everglades Agricultural Area slashed the phosphorus content of water leaving their properties by 70 percent. This accomplishment follows two decades of outstanding water quality improvement in the region. Farm families support their communities. They recognize that not all Floridians have access to food abundance, so they share the bounty at hand. In the past year, for example, Florida Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers donated 20 million pounds of fruits and vegetables to food banks and other charitable organizations across the state. The contributions farm families provide for our society extend far beyond pastures and planted rows at harvest time. They make our good quality of life in Florida possible in all seasons. John L. Hoblick is president of Florida Farm Bureau.
Florida crop farmers (above) are now in fall harvest. Dairy producers will milk livestock every day over the year. Both products are vital to the state's agriculture economy,
FLORIDA FARMERS AND RANCHERS EACH YEAR CONSERVE MORE THAN 12 BILLION GALLONS OF FRESH WATER. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
37
FLORIDA HARVEST
ROSY TOMORROWS HERITAGE FARM THE PROMISE OF A QUALITY EXPERIENCE, PART OF THE SLOW-FOOD MOVEMENT Written by: Jacob Ogles
F
ood is far more than keeping your belly full, says Rose O’Dell King, a French Culinary Institute-trained chef and certified sommelier. Perhaps as a result, Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm—100 acres in North Fort Myers that she runs with her husband, Gary—seems more focused on fine cuisine and local sourcing than practicing mass production. Whether visiting for Friday night Sunset Celebration or to see the small operation at work, the promise of a quality experience and product permeates every nook of the farmstead. “We’re concerned about the food system in this country, and concerned about its dietary needs,” King says. “And since I started this farm, things have only gotten worse,” adding that she laments the number of additives and antibiotics fed to livestock today, along with the lack of country-of-origin labeling requirements. Who knows if the beef in a grocery store comes from Florida or Chile—or if it’s even beef, she asks. Such questions don’t linger when enjoying dishes served at Rosy Tomorrows restaurant or in its orders to eager consumers. Food served at dinners or at Saturday brunches comes from livestock
38
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
The promise of a quality experience and product permeates every nook of the farmstead.
raised on the farm … grass-fed cattle produce 100-percent certified organic beef, pork and poultry, likewise.
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY ROSY TOMORROWS HERITAGE FARM
The small farm feeds its livestock Serengeti-style, meaning grasspasture nutrition straight from the earth, and the herds moved in and out of the space in shifts. This not only makes economic use of the land, but produces a picturesque greenery to make Rosy Tomorrows as visually enchanting as the savory meat is enticing. The Kings, who raised sheep in England for six years before resettling in Southwest Florida, came to farming through the slow-food movement and the couple remain an active part of Slow Food Southwest Florida, where Rose currently serves as president of the affiliate. The philosophy centers on properly produced, locally sourced ingredients, which in turn requires a solid supply chain of agriculture producing goods to eat. The issue of fair labor practices is a third leg of the movement. Rosy Tomorrows sells directly to consumers, providing the inventory of ingredients at an on-site restaurant serving foods produced at the farm. The garden also produces vegetables, including watercress, peppercress, sweet potatoes, D’Avignon radishes, baby greens, carrots and heirloom tomatoes. The farm itself works with about five regular staffers, including the Kings. “This is a life that chooses you,” she says. “When you really care about land and nutrition, as I do and my husband does, you are really motivated to raise animals in a more natural environment.” In the bigger picture, Rose King hopes that as we savor the taste of farm-raised livestock, it will open our eyes. “We need to get away from an industrialized food system, which stresses animals out,” she says. “If it’s more humane, the food is healthier for you. “Not being able to get healthy meat is something that should be of more concern [to people] than it is. When you bring it back to the food you eat, of course you want to have a healthy food system.” Jacob Ogles is a Florida freelance writer.
Livestock of most descriptions can be found in the pastures at Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm.
ROUNDUP Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm
8250 Nalle Grade Road, North Fort Myers 239-567-6000, rosy-tomorrows.com
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
39
Written by: Jack Collier
F
OR LONGER THAN ANYONE CAN THINK BACK OR IMAGINE, A HILLIARD HAS OWNED RANCHLAND IN FLORIDA.
And lots of it.
is roughly 12 square miles of grasslands, cypress and drainage culverts where herds of red and black cattle rest under dense trees from midday heat, snow-white egrets like Christmas ornaments in the branches above them, as if the pastures, including the wind, are on noon siesta.
For more than 100 years, in fact, Hilliards have run some detail or feature of an agribusiness enterprise that’s based in Clewiston but today ranges across states. A huge operation in Glades and Hendry counties includes beef cattle, citrus groves, vegetables, sod and thousands of acres in leased tracts for sugarcane. One fenced multi-section stand of Hilliard property in Hendry County, for instance,
But Hilliard Brothers owns stakes in other commerce, such as timber, livestock auctioning and sections along the Atlantic coast for farming. The family has also partnered in the Airglades International Airport project, a giant cargo hub that at buildout would bring jetloads of perishable goods such as flowers, seafood and other items from South America, returning with goods from Florida. The cargo center is estimated to bring 1,000 jobs to the 2,800-acre
Think that Orville had only just flown the Wright Flyer, that the Ford Motor Co was new when Will Hilliard in 1906 first ran beef cattle from central Florida to the Gulf Coast.
40
Historic ranch family, more than 100 years, the continuing legacy
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF THE HILLIARD BROTHERS
Hilliard Brothers of Florida
MY FAMILY BUILT AN EMPIRE OUT OF THOSE DAMN WOODS OUT THERE.” Joe Marlin Hilliard, rancher
For more than 100 years, Hilliards have run some detail or feature of an agribusiness enterprise that’s based in Clewiston but today ranges across states.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
41
Marlin and Joe A. Hilliard (left) formed a partnership in the 1930s that placed the cattle family on a much larger map. Joe A. Hilliard’s son, Joe Marlin (bottom right), joined in 1961.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE HILLIARD BROTHERS
THE HILLIARDS WORK FROM A CLEWISTON COMPOUND CALLED THE RANCH, A GIANT PROPERTY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARM EQUIPMENT—AND WHERE JOE MARLIN’S HALL OF FAME AWARD HANGS IN THE FAMILY’S CABIN RETREAT.
42
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTOS BY SCARLETT REDENIUS
The Hilliards work from a Clewiston compound called The Ranch, a giant property of agriculture and farm equipment.
airport in Hendry County, which sits now as the countyowned Airglades Airport and the former Riddle Field used for British pilots in the 1940s. If finalized, the $460-million project would be funded in part by federal dollars for aviation and private money for the rest. It is hoped by 2020 or so to be operational, cargo jets streaming in and out on a 2-mile runway, diverting dollars from the Miami-Dade area to Hendry, the last underdeveloped county in rural Florida. When months literally slip by in a blink, the Hilliards running cattle a century ago may seem quaint, time lost in smoke. Which, in a sense, it is. Think that Orville had only just flown the Wright Flyer, that the Ford Motor Co. was new when Will Hilliard in 1906 first ran beef cattle from central Florida to the Gulf Coast. He was the el patrơn, the dreamer in wild and unvarnished Florida. The land was spongy in summer, abused by flies, ticks, mosquitoes and predators. To ease dry winters and drain the saturation, a cooperative headed by Hilliards would later dig a huge culvert system that did and does run for miles … with no tax dollars. Despite the odds, Will Hilliard would survive, at an early dogleg driving domesticated and wild cattle to Fort Myers. Paid in gold, he and his cowboys hightailed it to a bank. That was a first step in becoming a rich cattleman. His sons, Marlin and Joe A. Hilliard, later formed a partnership in the 1930s that placed the cattle family on a much larger map. Joe A. Hilliard’s son, Joe Marlin, joined in 1961. When Joe. A. died in 1999, the family was running a 50,000-acre, multimillion-dollar enterprise. He was an innovator and one tough hombre, a true cattleman. An obituary noted: "His contributions to the crossbreeding of beef and cattle gained national and
international recognition for the [FL] cattle industry. He was also a pioneer in designing and building early water control structures that paved the way for farming and ranching activities in the area.” “My family built an empire out of those damn woods out there,” says Joe Marlin Hilliard, a rancher at birth now in semi-retirement, his two sons and a daughter running Hilliard Brothers of Florida. And like his father and uncle, Joe Marlin Hilliard’s leadership skills have provided major advances in cattle, citrus and sugarcane industries, having served with the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, as a member of the Florida Citrus Commission, and the Florida Game and Freshwater Fish Commission. He was this year inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. His lifelong friend, Dallas Townsend, accepted the award from Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam. The Hilliards work from a Clewiston compound called The Ranch, a giant property of agriculture and farm equipment—and where Joe Marlin’s Hall of Fame Award hangs in the family’s cabin retreat. The Ranch received some celebrity when Joe Marlin published a family history in 2005. The book, The Ranch: Hilliard Brothers of Florida, was compiled by the biographer Barbara Oehlbeck. In it are photos and a narrative of the Hilliards and their working staff over the years. It is in Joe Marlin’s voice, “that it needed to be told,” he says, although asked about his time in ranching, Mr. Hilliard wished to glimpse ahead. “Looking back,” he says, “you’re kind of standing still.” Jack Collier is editorial director for Florida Country Magazine. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
43
Some 12,000 Larson dairy cows produce about 100,000 gallons of milk per day. The seven-farm enterprise in Florida's central farmlands is managed by Red Larson, his sons and their families. Pictured below are Woody Larson (left), Red Larson and John Larson.
44
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Larson Dairy, Inc. 70 years in South Florida, Red Larson still working the farm Written by: JACK COLLIER
T
Delivering wholesome dairy products from our farms to your table. —Florida Dairy Farmers
HE NEXT TIME YOU’RE IN THE GROCERY STORE, SCAN THE DAIRY SHELVES.
Seriously, stop and look at all these wonderful things, taking up an entire section of the big megachains such as a Walmart or a Publix, the cheeses, the creams, butter, yogurts, literally hundreds of products, most made from one origin—milk. The lowly (and lowing) heifer, in Florida likely the Holstein, is giving her milk to nourish millions of us in Florida, billions around the world.
PHOTOS ON OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF RED LARSON
But these Holsteins don’t milk themselves, it’s Florida’s farmers doing the work, many of them on the job a lifetime, a week off here and there, because a good heifer in Florida delivers up to eight gallons of milk per day. “Dairy never closes, someone’s always there,” says Woody Larson, a member of Larson dairies of Okeechobee, Florida’s largest milk producer and one of its oldest. Woody Larson’s father is Louis “Red” Larson, a South Florida dairyman of the highest stature who began in the 1940s as a two-dollar-a-day farm laborer. Red Larson today heads Larson dairies, a series of seven dairy farms he either owns or has fostered through his children, who include Woody, Woody’s wife, Grace, and their sons, Jacob and Travis, Red Larson’s younger son, John, and his family. Red Larson’s two daughters, Kathy and Barbara, have limited involvement. Woody Larson is also a cattleman and former president of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and remains an advocate for state cattle ranchers. The University of Florida also named a building in his father’s honor, the L.E. “Red” Larson Dairy Science Building in Gainesville. Larson dairy cows, some 12,000 of them, produce about 100,000 gallons of milk … each day. What seems like high rewards in farming includes regulation, taxes, feed, medical care, maintenance, labor, machines and fuel. Even with milk and farm subsidies, producers work on thin lines of profits, according to agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Red Larson’s rise brought him to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1981, at points in his F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
45
And this dairy pioneer now into his nineties still checks up. “My dad is the youngest thinking old man I know,” Woody Larson told an interviewer. Some successful people glide into their place at the top. Woody Larson argues, however, that he knows few such, especially his father, a large and hardy man who worked for his affluence. Instead, Red Larson and wife, Reda, began their dairy business in 1947 outside Fort Lauderdale, later moving the farm to Palm Beach County and then to Okeechobee County in the 1960s, it is said because Red Larson wanted his family in a true farming community. The oldest of Red Larson’s four children, Woody Larson recalls driving with his father from one farm to another until the consolidation in Okeechobee, up before the sun, hard physical labor, the truck ride back, zonked and back at it the next day. “There’s no trouble sleeping … you sleep,” says Woody Larson, smiling at the memory, sharing a selection of the bag of stories that he has of his father. Red Larson is clearly from a last generation of Florida farmers, tough characters with thick, strong hands, a school of stars who didn’t have the machines, genetics and science in today’s agribusiness. Yet, among Red Larson’s contributions across time, he held that hired hands should have stable work and enough pay to raise a family, Woody Larson says, the dialect of a true Florida dairyman. “And that always stuck with me. As a young man, I became part of the [farm] crew. But I didn’t lead it … I had to earn that.”
AS A YOUNG MAN, I BECAME PART OF THE [FARM] CREW. BUT I DIDN’T LEAD IT … I HAD TO EARN THAT.”
Jack Collier is editorial director for Florida Country Magazine.
—Woody Larson
46
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Core leadership has been son John Larson (top left, pictured 1980s), Red Larson, Mrs. Reda Larson and oldest son Woody Larson. Grandson Travis Larson (second photo from top) meets with his grandfather to discuss dairy production. Machines (below) in the early 1960s streamlined the process of getting milk to market.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RED LARSON
long career serving with the USDA Dairy Advisory Committee during presidential administrations in the 1960s, developing milk marketing methods that benefit both the dairy industry and consumers, it is noted in his Hall of Fame induction statement.
TOP AND MIDDLE LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF RED LARSON; OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF UF/IFAS
Roundup
Most Florida dairy cows are Holsteins (black and white). Lafayette and Okeechobee are Florida’s leading dairy counties. There are about 123,000 dairy cows in Florida that collectively produce about 2.34 billion pounds of milk a year. The total represents 277 million gallons of Florida-produced milk in the grocery store. Source: Florida Dairy Farmers Opening day of a new barn (below left) takes all hands on deck. Red Larson's children endowed the L.E. “Red” Larson Dairy Science Building (top right, bottom left and right) at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Gainesville.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
47
TRACTOR TALK
FLORIDA FLYWHEELERS ANTIQUE ENGINE CLUB, INC. PASSION FOR MACHINES, APPRECIATING WORKMANSHIP, LOVING THE HUM AND ROAR
T
Written by: Walter Burns / Photos by: Lori Pascal
he hum and roar, the thrumming and purring of old engines from the past echo through a patch of central Florida every fall and winter.
It’s here at the Florida Flywheelers Antique Engine Club, Inc., that children of the 21st century can see, hear and appreciate the amazing devices that helped create the modern Industrial Age, certainly eased the workload on farms. For older folks, it’s also a chance to relive their youth at the organization’s 374-acre spread in Fort Meade, which is roughly between Tampa and Orlando. Some of the engines and tractors are so old nobody today can remember when the machines first worked a farm or rumbled down a highway. It’s in the southeast corner of Polk
SOME OF THE ENGINES AND TRACTORS ARE SO OLD NOBODY TODAY CAN REMEMBER WHEN THE MACHINES FIRST WORKED A FARM OR RUMBLED DOWN A HIGHWAY.
The club started with 14 members, all from Florida. By 1990, just 18 years later, membership had zoomed to 800. There are now 1,500.
48
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
County that volunteers lovingly preserve, restore and display old internal combustion engines, steam engines, antique tractors and cars. The Flywheelers’ season is held when Florida’s weather is pleasant and the threat of thunderstorms is practically nonexistent. The first show of the season will be the 22nd annual Fall Fuel Up, scheduled for Nov. 8-11. The season concludes next Feb. 21-24 with the 26th annual Antique Engine & Tractor Show. The Flywheelers have a membership of roughly 1,500, according to Jane Portier, editor of its newsletter Engine Exhaust. She says the club has members from 31 states, from Canada and England. “This is a big hobby,” Portier says. In fact, it’s much bigger than most of us on the outside likely suspect. But to fans of old cars, tractors and engines, the popularity isn’t a surprise. It might explain how the group grew from its formation in 1972, when the club started with 14 members, all from Florida. By 1990, just 18 years later, membership had zoomed to 800. Flywheelers' president Tom Simco has been part of the group for roughly 30 years. He became interested
The first show of the season will be the annual Fall Fuel Up, Nov. 8-11. The season concludes next Feb. 21-24 with the Antique Engine & Tractor Show. Expect to see anything from classic iron to tractor pulls.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
49
TRACTOR TALK for a simple reason. “I had some antique tractors,” says Simco, who lives in Punta Gorda. Through the Flywheelers he found others sharing his appreciation for the history of the tractors and the genius and craftsmanship that went into the design. Simco has about 20 tractors he keeps in Fort Meade. His collection includes a 1925 Fordson tractor, the brand name of Ford Motor Company’s farm vehicles and trucks. The name Fordson is a contraction of Henry Ford and his son, Edsel. Nearly from the beginning, the club’s sense of community and camaraderie has been enhanced by the newsletter. It's where members learn about each other and upcoming events, look at photos of friends and the tractors, autos and engines that have introduced them to one another and bonded many in enduring friendships. It connects members throughout the world, even when they can’t get to Fort Meade for shows, to hear and feel that throaty rumbling. “It’s nice, family oriented shows,” Portier says. That’s what Florida Flywheelers Antique Engine Club is about— families and those amazing machines. Walter Burns is a veteran Florida journalist who has resided in the state since 1961.
ROUNDUP Florida Flywheelers Antique Engine Club, Inc. 7000 Avon Park Cutoff Road, Fort Meade, Florida 863-285-9121, floridaflywheelers.org
The Florida Flywheelers' sense of community and camaraderie has been enhanced by its newsletter, Engine Exhaust. The club has 100 engines in its Big Engine Building.
50
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HISTORIC HAILE HOMESTEAD; RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
FLORIDA CHARM
OUR STATE'S ODDITIES VISITING THE SUNSHINE STATE’S UNUSUAL PLACES
O
Written by: Ava Isabel Grace
dd, off the beaten track and some downright
inspiring, Florida is home to a number of strange and unusual places, volumes of interesting people. It’s suggested that you pack along a camera, a sketchpad or a pair of binoculars for a visit to one of these interesting spots.
IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK The Historic Haile Homestead in Gainesville was built in the 1850s for Thomas Evans Haile and Serena Chesnut Haile. The structure remains standing. But what makes the homestead so unique are the so-called talking walls. “There are over 12,500 words in nearly every room and [the] closets,” explains Historic Haile Homestead president and historian Karen Kirkman. The Haile family and their friends wrote personal observations, growth charts, inventory, business records, random thoughts, visitor names and recipes on
the walls. The first documented observation dates to 1859. You’re left to guess why anyone would write on a wall. The homestead, built by slaves, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
SKUNK APE RESEARCH HEADQUARTERS A skunk ape is Florida’s Sasquatch, a huge and hairy creature that, according to Dave and Jack Shealy, founders of the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters, resides in the Florida Everglades. Dave Shealy has appeared on television and radio attesting to his skunk ape sightings, along with explaining his collected data and his research on the apes. At the research center, safari eco-tours are offered and there is a gift shop. Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (Call to verify hours) OCHOPEE POST OFFICE Drive by too quickly and you just might miss it. This little
Historic Haile Homestead's "talking walls" opened to public tours in 2001. As unusual, the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters (right) is about Florida's cousin to Sasquatch or Bigfoot.
IT’S SUGGESTED THAT YOU PACK ALONG A CAMERA, A SKETCHPAD OR A PAIR OF BINOCULARS FOR A VISIT TO ONE OF THESE INTERESTING SPOTS. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
51
located, the shed was converted to a post office. Today it is fully functional, serving Miccosukee and Seminole Indians. Its fame is that the clerk is often asked to supply an Ochopee postmark that reads: “Smallest Post Office Building in the U.S.A.” The post office is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m-10 a.m. and 12 p.m.-4 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-11 a.m. (Call to verify hours: 239-695-4131)
structure (7 feet by 8 feet) is actually the smallest post office in the United States. And it stands proudly in the little town of Ochopee, right on the edge of the Everglades. It was at first a shed for a tomato farm. When a fire burned the town’s general store in 1953, where the post office was
HARVEY’S FORD TRUCK COLLECTION At first glance, it may look like a line of rust buckets long awaiting a tow truck. On second glance these vehicles have a few things in common—they’re all Fords, they’re all trucks and they’re all full of opportunities to reflect back to yesteryear and snap a few cool pics. The trucks were placed off Crawfordville Highway by Pat Harvey, whose dad once owned and drove each one on the nearby Harvey farm, located south of Tallahassee. While it may seem odd to save old trucks, they were actually saved for a purpose: parts. Today they stand in perfect formation for the next thunderstorm to add a little bit more weathering to this Florida oddity.
Pat Harvey’s oddly aligned truck collection (below) near Tallahassee brings the curious (and photographers). The Ochopee Post Office (above) is the smallest such facility in the United States. It was a farm shed until 1953.
52
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
BOTTOM PHOTO COURTESY OF SHERRY STIMPSON FROST PHOTOGRAPHY; TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
FLORIDA CHARM
PHOTO COURTESY OF VIZCAYA MUSEUM AND GARDENS
INDUSTRIALIST’S LEGACY IN SOUTH FLORIDA Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami is a National Historic Landmark, a rare designation. Built as a summer retreat between 1914 and 1922 by the industrialist James Deering, co-founder of International Harvester, Vizcaya is an accredited museum featuring a main house with a decorative art collection, along with 10 acres of formal gardens, a rockland hammock (native forest), a mangrove shore and an historic village that is currently being restored. Opened to the public in 1953, Vizcaya welcomes about 275,000 annual visitors. “August and September are great months to visit the iconic Vizcaya, as it’s just ahead of season in Miami,” says Charlotte Donn, marketing and public affairs director, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Open Wednesday-Monday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Ava Isabel Grace is a Southwest Florida resident who loves the country.
ROUNDUP Historic Haile Homestead, Gainesville 352-336-9096, hailehomestead.org
Harvey’s Ford Truck Collection Located south on Highway 319, between Crawfordville and Medart, and right before the intersection of 319 and 98. Ochopee Post Office, Ochopee 239-695-4131 Skunk Ape Research, Ochopee 239-695-2275, skunkape.biz Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, Miami 305-250-9133, vizcaya.org F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
53
FLORIDA CHARM
LABELLE’S ARTISTIC AWAKENING Written by: Val White
L
aBelle has long been known for its breathtaking oak-lined streets, Southern charm and the Swamp Cabbage Festival. What may, however, come as a surprise is the emergence of artistry in this community situated on the winding Caloosahatchee River. Raised in LaBelle in the 1980s and 1990s, I was an underdeveloped skinny boy with no athletic prowess. Instead, my interests leaned toward art, theater and music. Unfortunately, the offerings of such explorations in those days were slim. When introduced to the new community theater in 1992, my pulse raced with excitement … I had finally found a place where I could express my talents and be accepted, nay, excel! Firehouse Community Theatre, Inc., gave me wings to fly into worlds of fictitious fancy and offered a refuge to the outcast that I was. This theater will always hold a special place in my heart—it gave me the confidence to step out,
Gallery 101 (below) boasts a unique atmosphere designed to make even a novice comfortable. LaBelle is long known for its graceful oak-lined streets (above), an added attraction.
LABELLE OFFERS A HAVEN OF CREATIVE INCLUSION WHICH WILL FOSTER A NEW GENERATION OF LITTLE ARTISTS.
54
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF LABELLE DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION CORPORATION
THE THRIVING COMMUNITY THAT HAD GROWN IN HIS ABSENCE
I HAD FINALLY FOUND A PLACE WHERE I COULD EXPRESS MY TALENTS AND BE ACCEPTED, NAY, EXCEL!
not only onto the stage of this repurposed firehouse, but onto the stage of life, confidence that carried me across the country to Los Angeles. There I worked as an acting teacher to children mirroring the boy I once was, the one longing to swim in the current of artistry. Upon returning to my hometown years later, I was elated to witness a thriving artistic community that had grown in my absence. My beloved Firehouse Theatre was still going strong (now boasting its own children’s program). I was now introduced to the Barron Park House Gallery & Gift Shop operated by Arts of the Inland in collaboration with the city of LaBelle and the LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corp., or LDRC. This picturesque gallery in the historic Christie House at the far northeast corner of Barron Park offers stunning exhibits by local artists, also events and art classes.
Marcos Ruiz and Carlos Innocente (above left) have created a mural in the downtown district. Murals (below) are part of the city's revitalization. Barron Park House Gallery and Gift Shop (above) shows its civic pride during 4th of July celebrations.
Moreover, LaBelle welcomed its second venue. Gallery 101 is a labor of love by artist Marcos Ruiz and Humberto Maseda. This exquisite center turns the artistry of Ruiz into a display that strums the senses of those walking through its doors. Ruiz also teamed with LDRC in its efforts to improve and revitalize the appearance of downtown LaBelle with a mural on the exterior of the LDRC office, a mural of a waving American flag in Barron Park and painted angel wings formed by branches of LaBelle’s iconic oaks. These join the roster begun by artist Matt Willey, who painted the Harold P. Curtis Honey Co. mural in 2015, raising awareness of Florida’s declining bee colonies. The LDRC also helps bring the tight-knit community together with events such as the annual Wharf Walk that promotes local musicians, artisans and restaurateurs.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
55
FLORIDA CHARM LaBelle’s rich history, charm and development of the arts has set itself on a path to make its mark in artistic circles of neighboring communities. Most satisfying for me is knowing that with this evergrowing artistic platform, LaBelle offers a haven for creative inclusion that will foster a new generation of little artists
who may find themselves looking for outlets to discover the masterpieces that they are destined to become. Val White is a self-help author, motivational speaker and certified life coach. You can also find featured articles and his weekly column “Hunting Happiness with Val White” in LaBelle’s Caloosa Belle newspaper. val@valwhite.com
ROUNDUP
Firehouse Community Theatre, Inc. 241 N. Bridge St., LaBelle firehousecommunitytheatre.com Barron House Park Gallery & Gift Shop 471 N. Lee St., LaBelle Facebook Gallery 101 95 E. Fort Thompson Ave., LaBelle Facebook
The Firehouse Community Theatre (left) this year celebrates its 25th anniversary. Marcos Ruiz and Humberto Maseda have opened Gallery 101 (right) in downtown LaBelle. PHOTOS COURTESY OF LABELLE DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION CORPORATION
LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corp. 8 Park Ave., LaBelle downtownlabelle.com
56
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
57
FLORIDA MEMORIES
FIRST BANK IN CLEWISTON 95 YEARS AND RUNNING, OPENED AS OTHERS CLOSED, FUTURE LOOKING BRIGHT
M
Written by: Jack Collier
iller Couse has been with First Bank in Clewiston for nearly half of its existence.
Which is saying plenty, as the bank was established in 1922. First Bank, says Mr. Couse, who started as a loan officer in 1974 and is today the bank’s board chairman and CEO, “has been a stable force helping the community.”
While First Bank is healthy with about $350 million in holdings, a big jump from $19 million in 1974 when Miller Couse signed on, the number of small or independent Marian Newhall Horowitz O’Brien (left) was Moore Haven's first mayor and an investor who met to form First Bank at the Clewiston Supply Store. Her father was a Philadelphia railroad executive, her brother a partner with J.P. Morgan.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FIRST BANK OF CLEWISTON
To put things in even more perspective, First Bank at its start was funded with $15,000 from a handful of investors, money harder to find in 1922, according to a 1972 newspaper story celebrating the bank’s first 50 years. With a hard “wet cycle which covered the earth with water,” farmers in central Florida in 1922 were unable to harvest, making it “impossible to even consider planting 1923 crops,” a reporter with the The Clewiston News wrote in 1972, continuing, “Many farmers left the area. Others were unable to pay their debts or finance other ventures. The Moore Haven banks closed because of general business conditions. Prospects were dismal indeed.”
So, First Bank began in 1922 on wobbly legs. It’s certification that November as a general banking and trust was signed by Florida Secretary of State H. Clay Crawford and Florida Gov. Cary A. Hardee, himself a banker introducing no state income tax, which remains today. Hardee County east of Bradenton is named in his honor.
F LO RA I DCAOCUONTRY U NTRY 1058F LO RID
O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
TOP LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HILLIARD BROTHERS; OTHER PHOTOS COURTESY OF FIRST BANK OF CLEWISTON
Miller Couse (top and above right) started with First Bank in Clewiston as a loan officer in 1974. Today he is the bank's board chairman and chief executive officer. He is pictured with Richard C. Wilson (left) and Howard E. Kurtz.
I HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN PART OF [THIS] BANK.” —Miller Couse, First Bank in Clewiston, chairman and CEO
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
59
FLORIDA MEMORIES
SIXTY DAYS LATER THE GROUP OF STOCKHOLDERS, THEIR MONEY READY, AND A FEW PIECES OF FURNITURE IN THE BANKING ROOM, OPENED THE BANK DOORS FOR BUSINESS ON NOVEMBER 8, 1922.
Florida banks is shrinking, Couse says. And several years ago Florida banking was shredded with closings, including one in Clewiston. Between 2008 and 2012, about 465 American banks closed. But First Bank survived and thrives today with the historic main office in Clewiston and five branches within a central Florida radius, Couse says. Ultimately, any local business is about people, about greeting one another as old friends, not necessarily as products. “I have been very fortunate to have been part of [this] bank,” Couse says. Florida’s history stretches back centuries. St. Augustine is more than 500 years old, meaning relationships in country settings in central towns such as Clewiston can go back generations, also meaning there are stories to be told. Dipping back into the 1920s, for instance, it was noted at the formation of First Bank that its stockholders had gathered at the Clewiston Supply Store run by C.V. Parkinson and Tom O’Brien. “There amidst the beans, bacon, hammers, nails, cloth, notions and patent medicines,” a newspaper reporter wrote, “bank stock certificates were signed and distributed and the first stockholders meeting held … sixty days later the group of stockholders, their money ready, and a few pieces of furniture in the banking room, opened the bank doors for business on November 8, 1922.” Jack Collier is editorial director for Florida Country Magazine.
First Bank started with spare furniture and the lone Clewiston branch, is today a significant presence in central Florida, has a large staff (above) and about $350 million in holdings.
60
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF THE HILLIARD BROTHERS; BOTTOM PHOTO BY RENE MALBOG
First Bank is a leading Ag Lender in South Florida based on our lending team’s agriculture expertise. Since 1922 First Bank has realized that agriculture is the lifeblood of our area so we have focused on providing financing and support to our local farmers and ranchers. While other area banks have sold or merged with nonlocal financial institutions, our independent status has allowed us to stay true to our agricultural roots.
FALL FESTIVITIES
IS IT OCTOBER YET? NOT A FAMILY GATHERING WITHOUT PUMPKINS; A FRUIT, REALLY?
W
hen you think of Halloween and Thanksgiving, there’s no doubt this orange fruit (yes, fruit) that we call a pumpkin will pop into your brain.
Pumpkins are very nutritious and versatile. Harvested in October, flowers, seeds and flesh are
edible and super rich in vitamins. We love making pumpkin soups, desserts, breads, lattes … and what’s a fall festival or family gathering without a warm slice of spiced pumpkin pie? Yummy! Family fun is gathering to carve pumpkins into Halloween jack-o’-lanterns, the more creative the better, a tradition
THE LARGEST PUMPKIN PIE EVER BAKED WAS IN 2010 IN NEW BREMEN, OHIO, 20 FEET IN DIAMETER AND WEIGHING 3,699 POUNDS!
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
61
FALL FESTIVITIES from hundreds of years ago in Ireland. In those times, Irish families used turnips and potatoes to carve out their jack-o’-lanterns. A new Halloween tradition was born using pumpkins as Irish immigrants came to America and discovered the little orange fellows in pumpkin patches.
PUMPKIN FACTS
IN THOSE TIMES, IRISH FAMILIES USED TURNIPS AND POTATOES TO CARVE OUT THEIR JACK-O’-LANTERNS.
Pumpkins are members of the gourd family that includes cucumbers, honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelons and zucchini. These plants are native to Central America and Mexico, but now grow on six continents. The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was in 2010 in New Bremen, Ohio, 20 feet in diameter and weighing 3,699 pounds! Pumpkins have reportedly grown in North America for 5,000 years. They are indigenous to the Western Hemisphere. In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region of North America, he reported finding “gros melons.” The name was translated into English as “pompions,” which has since evolved into the modern “pumpkin.” Low in calories, fat and sodium, and high in fiber, pumpkins are good sources of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, potassium, protein and iron. In 2016, the heaviest pumpkin in the United States weighed 2,261.5 pounds and was presented by grower Richard Wallace of Greene, Rhode Island. Richard took the title away from his son, Ron Wallace, whose 2,230-pound fruit set the world record in 2015! Pumpkin seeds should be planted from the last week of May to midJune. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow and are picked in October when they are bright orange in color. You can save their seeds and grow new pumpkins the next year.
62
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Pumpkin Roll W ith Cream Cheese F illing Ingredients
¾ cup all-purpose flo ur ½ tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder 2 tsp pumpkin pie sp ice ¼ tsp salt 3 eggs, room tempera ture 1 cup granulated suga r 2/ 3 cup pumpkin pu ree 1 tsp vanilla extract ¼ cup powdered suga r (to sprinkle on towe l) plus more for garnish, if desired 8 oz. cream cheese, so ftened 1 cup powdered suga r, sifted 6 Tbsp. butter, softe ned 1 tsp vanilla extract Directions Heat oven to 375 de grees. Line a 15x10 in ch pan with baking and spray it with co paper oking spray. Put cotto n kitchen cloth or to on the table and sprin wel kle it with powdered sugar. Mix the flour, baking powder, baki ng soda, pumpkin pi e spice and salt in a bowl. In a large bowl, mix the eggs and sugar un til they blend. Add vanilla and pumpkin in puree and mix until well combined. Add flour mixture, blend and spread evenly in to the prepared pan. Bake for 11 to 13 min utes, or until top of cake springs back wh touched. Roll over th en e cake on the kitche n cloth and peel off the baking paper. Ca refully roll the cake with the cloth/towe starting with narrow l, end and leave it to co ol. During this time, in a large mixer bowl , whisk cream cheese , powdered sugar, butter and vanilla ex tract until it becom es smooth. Carefully unroll the cake. Spre ad the filling over an d roll the cake again Wrap it in a plastic . foil and leave it in th e fridge for 1 hour. Garnish with powd ered sugar. Slice to serve.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
63
A-MAZING! FLORIDA FUN FROM INSIDE THE TALL STALKS, GRINNING FROM EAR TO EAR
F
Written by: Ava Isabel Grace
rom an overhead perspective, they’re beautiful works of art, delicate geometric lines cut into a field of green.
Inside a corn maze, however, the impression is quite different. You’re seeing tall stalks of corn on either side of winding pathways that invite, or dare, us to find our way from entrance to exit. Working through a maze dates to ancient times when labyrinths were created in Egyptian tombs to confuse thieves or for secret places to hold meetings. Lab mice are quite familiar with the art of navigating a maze to gain that hunk of cheese. Although England has long had its hedge mazes, corn mazes are considered an American twist. The first modern corn maze in 1993 was buzzed into a crop field. The Amazing Maize Maze was to help raise funds for farmers victimized by flooding. This 3-acre maze attracted 11,000 visitors in a few days, raising $55,000. The American Maze Co. has since built several large field mazes in the eastern U.S. Corn mazes are as different as the designers, sometimes shaped as people or characters, sometimes to tell stories, and sometimes just for fun—reportedly some left by aliens erecting their strange (and mostly unexplained) crop circles. In Florida, corn is a $100 million industry, with tens of thousands of acres used to grow sweet and feed corn, so naturally there are mazes to visit in the Sunshine State. HEARTLAND MAZE, BOWLING GREEN This 5-acre maze is in Hardee County, the heart of central Florida. What’s great about the venue is that families also get a roster of other activities, a jumbo jumper, a playground, a blast zone, even a haunted house. Also, for some old-fashioned fun there are a hayride, a kid “cow”
64
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Devised for every age, corn mazes are super fun for kids. The Heartland Maze (below) is in Bowling Green, Florida. Long & Scott Farms in Mount Dora has two mazes.
TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF LONG & SCOTT FARMS; BOTTOM PHOTO COURTESY OF HEARTLAND MAZE
FALL FESTIVITIES
CORN MAZES ARE AS DIFFERENT AS THE DESIGNERS, SOMETIMES SHAPED AS PEOPLE OR CHARACTERS.
ROUNDUP train, a live nativity and Christmas trees. In addition to all of this and more, Heartland Maze will be adding a few new games this year, including a human foosball. “Many of our visitors come back every year to make it a family tradition,” spokeswoman Erica Scheipsmeier says. What to Expect: Open Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 7-Nov. 5. Other dates and other seasonal events are in store through the holidays. Packages start at $11.95 (plus tax) for unlimited access to most activities. Season passes, bounce-back passes for second visits. LONG & SCOTT FARMS, MOUNT DORA Lake County’s Long & Scott Farms in Mount Dora offers two corn mazes with twisting pathways and a great chance to get lost (and found). One maze is a half-acre, the other is 6.5 acres. Game sheets are available. “This will be our 15th year of offering a corn maze,” says Rebecca Scott Ryan, daughter of co-founding farmer Frank Scott.
Heartland Maze 3350 U.S. Highway 17 N. Bowling Green, Florida 888-576-6293 theheartlandmaze.com Long & Scott Farms 26216 County Road 448a Mount Dora, Florida 352-383-6900 longandscottfarms.com
In addition to corn mazes, there is an aMazing giant playground, a jumping pillow, zip-lining, hayrides, a super slide and more. There are also a market and café serving breakfast and lunch, daily specials made from seasonal fare. What to Expect: Open Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 30-Dec. 10. Other dates and seasonal events are in store through the holidays. Admission starts at $12 (ages 4+), children under 3, free. Hayrides, $4 per, kid-only fishing, $2. Ava Isabel Grace is a country-loving Florida resident. F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
65
FALL FESTIVITIES
MAKING DESSERT FUN GET YOUR HORSIN AROUND DELI HOLIDAY ORDERS IN EARLY; HELLO, CHOCOHOLICS! Written by: Ava Isabel Grace
Pecan-Topped Carrot Cake
IT IS SUCH AN HONOR TO HAVE SOMEONE ORDER FROM US FOR THEIR MOST IMPORTANT AND MEMORABLE MOMENTS, INCLUDING THE HOLIDAYS.”
T
he Horsin Around Deli is a Florida favorite— thanks to delicious home-cooked meals, friendly service and the super fun atmosphere.
And then there’re the pies … Key lime, peanut butter, banana cream, Oreo overload, name it and the deli has likely presented one of the delicacies to its loyal patrons. Jo Ehrmantraut, of North Fort Myers, for instance, is a Horsin Around Deli regular. Her favorite treat is apple caramel pie. “We buy a whole pie at a time, especially during the holiday season,” says Ehrmantraut, smiling. Other holiday favorites at the North Fort Myers diner include coconut cream, pecan, pumpkin, chocolate truffle, and pumpkin streusel pie. And cheesecake lovers won’t be disappointed, either. “We have patrons who love a dessert after a meal, while others just come in for desserts,” says Tiffany Ogden, Horsin Around Deli’s owner.
66
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Here are a few suggestions to go with your holiday spread:
CAKE
Carrot Cake Five-layer carrot cake loaded with carrots and
pineapple. Layered with fresh cream cheese icing and topped with Georgia pecans. Yummy, yummy!
PIES
Apple Caramel Mounded high with cinnamon apples, topped with a crisp crumble topping and generously drizzled with caramel. Knock-knock, I’m there!
Coconut Cream Creamy custard filling loaded with
coconut. Atop, there’s vanilla whipped cream and toasted coconut. Dishin’ delish!
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE COURTESY OF HORSIN AROUND DELI
—Tiffany Ogden, Horsin Around Deli owner
Coconut Cream Pie
Apple Caramel Pie
Chocolate Chunk Cheesecake
Pecan Pie
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
Pumpkin Streusel Pie
67
FALL FESTIVITIES Pecan Loaded with fresh Georgia
pecans. Also available in chocolate pecan and butterscotch pecan, so it may be hard to decide. All tasty, tasty, tasty!
Pumpkin or Pumpkin Streusel Hard to beat this traditional favorite. It’s delectable!
CHEESECAKES
Pumpkin Just the right amount of
fresh pumpkin and spices that make this irresistible. Plus, it can be topped with vanilla whipped or pralines. Hello!
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Turtle Vanilla/chocolate cream crust
and a creamy vanilla and chocolate-swirl filling, topped with fresh pecans, caramel and chocolate chips. Seriously? cookie crust filled with a creamy chocolate truffle, topped with chocolate ganache, drizzled with a white-chocolate drizzle. Twelve-step chocoholic!
Chocolate Chunk Vanilla cheesecake
loaded with Oreos and chocolate chunks, topped with chocolate ganache and white-chocolate drizzle. Heavenly! Ava Isabel Grace is a Florida resident who loves the country.
Turtle Cheesecake
ROUNDUP Horsin Around Deli 10440 Bayshore Road, North Fort Myers 239-567-4663, Facebook Pies, cheesecake, cookies, cutie pie, truffles and brownies available yearround (excep seasonal fruit pies). Pie slices $3.50, $18 whole pies. Cheesecake slices $4.50, $25 whole. Available dessert platters, cakes (starting at $25). All desserts are available gluten-free.
68
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake
Remember to order your holiday desserts early. The deli will not take orders for Thanksgiving after (Wednesday) Nov. 15, due to the high volume of orders. All individual orders should be placed 48 hours before pickup. Event and party orders should be placed at least two weeks in advance. Call for platter pricing and event catering.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF HORSINN AROUND DELI
Chocolate Truffle Chocolate cream
FALL FESTIVITIES
HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS FLAVOR BURSTS TO YOUR NEXT-DAYS, HORSIN AROUND DELI TIPS Written by: Tiffany Ogden
Ultimat Leftove e Turkey r Sandw Ingredie ich nts
5-grain b read Turkey Cornbre ad Cranber stuffing ry relish Cranber ry 1 orange Relish Ingredien into segm t ents, 2 te s 1/2 cup s ugar aspoons zest 1 bag (12 -ounce) f r e 1/2 teasp oon cinn sh cranberries amon Directio ns Boil dow n processo for 10 minutes. A r and pu dd to foo lse Refrigera d te for 3 h to a fine relish. ours befo re servin g.
Turkey Sal ad
Ingredients 4 cups shredd ed or diced tu rkey 3 stalks celery rib 1/2 cup craisin s, diced s 1 1/2 cups may o 1/3 cup honey 1/2 cup chopp ed pecans (op tional) Mix together
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
69
FALL FESTIVITIES
Turkey Enchiladas
Serves 6 Ingredients 2 cups shredded turkey 1 cup of your favorite salsa al) 4 ounces green chilies (option or cheddar cheese k Jac rey nte Mo 1 cup shredded 2 cups heavy whipping cream 6-8-inch flour tortillas Directions on lies in a bowl. Lay one tortilla Mix turkey, salsa and green chi ing leav , dle mid the n ture dow a flat surface and put turkey mix ng up in the tortilla and place filli the ll . Ro an inch on each end you 9 x13 baking dish. Repeat until opening side down. Place in a ing ipp wh r Pou e. tur turkey mix have used all the tortillas and Bake il all but the tops are covered. unt das hila cream over the enc er Remove from the oven and cov at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. is melted. with cheese. Bake until cheese
MY FAMILY TRADITION IS TO HAVE EVERYONE'S FAVORITE FOOD ON THE TABLE. I ASK EVERY YEAR WHAT DESSERT EACH PERSON IN OUR FAMILY WANTS AND MAKE SURE THAT'S ON THE DESSERT BUFFET. IT ALWAYS AMAZES ME HOW MANY EXTRA PEOPLE SEEM TO MAKE IT TO MY HOUSE JUST IN TIME FOR DESSERT. —Tiffany Ogden, Horsin Around Deli owner
70
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Turkey Pot Pie With Puff Pastry Crust
PHOTOS ON THIS AND OPPOSITE PAGE BY TIFFANY OGDEN
Ingredients 3 cups shredded turkey 2 cups fresh vegetables, your choice (use frozen to save time) 1 1/2 cups potatoes, diced 1 small onion, chopped 10 1/2 ounces cream of chicken soup 32 ounces turkey stock 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1/4 cup flour Salt and pepper, to taste 6 individual crockpots (pie pan or casserole dish would work well, too) 3 boxes frozen puff pastry sheets (for pie pan you need only one box and maybe 2 boxes for casserole dishes) *Take your puff pastry sheets out of the freezer and out of the box 40 minutes before using them Directions In a large stock pot, add turkey and cover with water. Add 32 ounces turkey stock and vegetables, bring to a rapid boil, stirring occasionally. In a separate sauce pan, bring diced potatoes to a boil, stirring frequently until tender. Once potatoes are tender, drain excess water and add to stock pot. Add onions, boil together for 10 minutes. Add cream of chicken soup and stir. Combine whipping cream and flour until there are no lumps, then add to the stock pot, stirring until well mixed. Boil to desired thickness, then take off heat to cool down (it will thicken more). Salt and pepper to taste. Once it’s cooled down, start filling your crocks (or baking dishes). For crocks, cut the puff pastry in a circle slightly larger than the crock dish. Roll out a little and drape over the dish opening, slightly pinching the rim of the bowl to secure the dough. For baking dishes, combine sheets of pastry with a little water, roll out to slightly larger than your dish and drape over your baking dish. Pinch edges of your dish and dough to secure. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and browned.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
71
COUNTRY SPOTLIGHT
AN AMAZING COWGIRL OKEECHOBEE’S LISA THOMAS, FIGHTING CANCER, FRIENDS STEP UP TO SUPPORT HER
L
Written by: Jack Collier
isa Thomas was humming along in a happy groove when cancer struck. Wyatt, her husband, succumbed in May 2011. And then in 2014 the disease came knocking at her door. She licked that first round, but it has returned, this time with a vengeance.
But the district manager for three MIDFLORIDA Credit Union branches will not surrender without bar-fighting the disease. And neither will her friends, says the 51-year-old living in Okeechobee. In honor of her fight and Breast Cancer Awareness Month that runs through Oct. 31, Lisa’s friends are stepping up, one painting her horse trailer, others giving resources to comfort her when even Florida sunshine can’t brighten the day, she says. Eddie Lehman in Okeechobee, for instance, found a special pink to paint Lisa’s trailer. “I asked Eddie (Lehman Auto Body), and he just looked at me,” she recalls. "And he said, 'All right. But not a Pepto or a Mary Kay pink.' "
Lisa Thomas has a great outlook on life, considering what she has endured. She and Wyatt had operated a small ranch, a quiet country life. On a first date, Lisa smiles at the memory of Wyatt asking her to help drop barbed-wire fencing ... 2 miles of it. Yet with Wyatt’s early death, Lisa couldn’t imagine the disease doing a double tap; that didn't seem right, she says. Learning of her cancer diagnosis in 2014, she vowed to work through surgery and recovery, back on the horse, back to work. “You wouldn’t have known it looking at me,” she says of cancer treatments. “I mean, I’m working and I’m raising 60 head of beef and, yeah, my back was going to hurt.” It was during Lisa's remission that her mother, Janice Troost, began the basics of barrel racing, a sport in which riders on horseback weave around barrels in a timed race. Janice herself kicked Father Time in the backside, racing her horse in Arcadia and Myakka City. Lisa Thomas in this period also conquered another hang-up: She allowed herself a few tattoos, using body art to sort of flip off the cancer demons, she says, for instance, a “Never Give Up” in scroll, “Strength” and the words “Cowgirl Tough,” one of the tattoos over surgery scars. Then this March the cancer returned. Lisa Thomas says this time it has been tough, yet “I just refuse to give up. My horses, my job, these people, each of them keep me going. I refuse to sit and pout.” Cowgirl tough, no doubt. Jack Collier is editorial director for Florida Country Magazine.
72
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
Lisa Thomas (left) is close with her mother, Janice Troost, and her fraternal twin Lori Smith. The trio together fight Lisa's battle.
BOTTOM PHOTOS COURTESY OF LISA THOMAS
But Lisa Thomas is also pledging something for herself. She wants to win more barrel-racing buckles, she says, perhaps in a rodeo with her 75-year-old mother, a mother-daughter tandem, Lisa imagines. “Patch me, glue me,” she says of recovering from many cancer surgeries, “but I just want buckles.”
TOP PHOTOS COURTESY OF LISA THOMAS
Lisa Thomas's friends have supported her efforts to bring awareness to Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October and to help this tough Florida woman overcome the challenges of cancer. Lisa is cowgirl tough, through and through.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
73
STARS & GUITARS presented by follow in those footsteps. She traded the piano early for a guitar, however, started writing songs at 10 or so, she says. Ell met the legendary Randy Bachman, and at age 15 recorded music that she co-wrote under his guidance. Bachman in the 1960s co-founded The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
LIVING HER LIFE, STEP BY STEP TO THE CLOUDS Written by: Jack Collier
“There’s a lady who’s sure / All that glitters is gold.”
L
— Led Zeppelin, “Stairway to Heaven” indsay Ell remembers her father, Bob, playing “Stairway to Heaven” on the guitar. She was 5 or 6 at that time, she says.
Ell has also found a friend in the radio legend Bobby Bones, iHeart Media’s morning performer appearing on Cat Country 107.1 in Southwest Florida. “The Bobby Bones Show” is top rated, its host will get inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in November, and Ell regularly appears on-air alongside the host and his crew. Which in some dark corners of social media has brought her grief, she says, those critics, perhaps, not understanding that she had performed and succeeded long before hooking up with Bobby (Estell) Bones. “Our lives are public,” she says. “And you are perceived however [they] want. There comes a point where you live your life. Happiness is important to anyone. “And country fans are amazing. Hopefully, I’ll keep traveling around the world and continue touching more fans. I’m ready to perform!” Jack Collier is editorial director for Florida Country Magazine.
Within a few short years, the music prodigy herself would be dancing on clouds, a young star, first a rocker and now a country singer, guitarist and songwriter touring as a headliner or alongside such big-leaguers as Luke Bryan and Toby Keith. Ell’s The Project had occupied the No. 1 spot on the Nielsen Soundscan Current Country Albums Chart. She has been defined as a triplethreat performer, singer, musician, songwriter, and is compared to legends such as Bonnie Raitt and Shania Twain. “The Project,” she said in an interview, “is the record I’ve wanted to release since I was a little girl, but as an artist, sometimes it takes time to figure out what you want to say and how you want to say it.” But even with great success at age 28, when most of us are finding our groove, there were a few speed bumps getting to the special place she holds; traveling between her family’s home in Calgary, Alberta, and Nashville, she says. “It was two weeks at a time,” she says, “watch music and write [in Nashville], go back and waitress [in Calgary]. As a songwriter, you’re shopping your songs. But it was part of my life, wake up do what [you] like. Like Groundhog Day!” Lindsay Elizabeth Ell, apparently, was born to music, to play and sing and write. Though her father did (and does) perform, there are no guarantees a child will
74
LOR RIID DAACC O OU UNTRY NTRY O Occttoobbeerr || N Noovveem mbbeerr 220017 17 FFLO
Lindsay Ell
PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDSAY ELL
MEET LINDSAY ELL
Lindsay Ell has since located to Nashville, spends months touring, time that is quite fun, she says. “We,” she says of her bandmates and the crew, “are the epitome of a road family.”
MEET PARMALEE MIGHT WANNA OPEN YOUR EYES FOR THIS Written by: Jack Collier
“Coming on strong, I’m gonna lay it on your lips. Might wanna close your eyes for this.” —Parmalee, “Close Your Eyes”
M
att Thomas is on his cellie on a dusty patch of a Pennsylvania fairgrounds. It’s summer and things are good for the country music performer.
He’s laughing and talking about his time as a kid, recalling his musical family living near the North Carolina town after which his hot country band is named, a tiny spot on the map of maybe 250 country folks, that had more of them in 1900 than it did this year.
Eyes” and “Already Callin’ You Mine” were also on the album, launching Parmalee into true stardom. The band’s newest album is 27861, which is the zip code for its hometown. But those great moments of realizing a dream were much sweeter than for other performers, only because the band endured so much in 2010. Scott Thomas was shot in a robbery, two men barging into the band’s touring quarters with guns. Scott Thomas shot one of the men, was wounded in the exchange. He was in the hospital for a month, a coma the first 10 days. The man Scott Thomas shot died, the other is in prison, Matt Thomas says, adding that the band had $15 between them. “It was an unfortunate and terrible thing that happened,” he says. “But our fans pulled us through that. I still step back and try to take it all in.” So, everyone goes through bad stretches. Ultimately, most endure, Matt Thomas says. But very few of us stand before an arena of country-loving fans sharing sweet words and sounds. “You make eye contact and connect,” he says of being on stage. And what does Matt Thomas listen to on the radio? “I almost break the dial,” he says, “listening for cool melodies and sounds.” Jack Collier is editorial director for Florida Country Magazine.
Parmalee
That town near Robersonville, North Carolina, is Parmele, which Matt and his bandmates about 16 years ago shape-shifted into Parmalee. The microscopic town consists of a crossroads and flashing light, not much more, he says.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PARMALEE
The four-member Nashville-based group this year will spend 10 months on the road, Matt Thomas says, recharging the batteries December and January. Today he’s on the phone sharing the adventure of being a country music star. “Happy doing what we love to do,” says Thomas, Parmalee’s singer and guitarist, “and making a living doing it.” Brothers Matt Thomas and Scott Thomas (drums), Josh McSwain (guitar) and Barry Knox (bass) are Parmalee, a band with deep roots in country music, the Thomas boys performing with their father as kids in Jerry Thomas and the Thomas Brothers Band. Parmalee’s country rock sound has its roots in bluegrass, traditional country, Southern rock, and blues. The boys knocked around, “always playing music,” Matt Thomas says, and writing songs. Parmalee in 2013 had the breakout hit “Carolina,” a love song. “Close Your LO R R II D DA AC CO OU U NTRYM NTRYM A AG GA A ZZ II N NE E .. C CO OM M FF LO
75
PICTURE PERFECT
PHOTO FINISH CALLY SIMPSON, KEEPING HISTORY ALIVE FOR GENERATIONS Photo by: Cally Simpson
I
got into photography about 10 years ago, when my boss who owned the dog kennel I was working at lent me his old Canon Rebel for a weekend quail hunt in Georgia that I was taking a few dogs to. From there, the hobby grew into a passion. I love to use my passion to preserve our histories and stories. I grew up in south Florida, where there is history around every corner. I want to keep these histories alive for the next generation, so that they can remember where they came from and shape where they’re going. I now split my time between south Florida and central Kentucky, making it possible for me to see a lot of this great country and preserve it through my lens and words. But no matter where I travel to or where I lay my head, I feel the most at home when I am in Florida, surrounded by my memories and the history that I love so much!
The photo was shot with my Canon 7D with a Canon 50mm Prime lens. Every issue of Florida Country Magazine features a winning photo. Check our Facebook page FloridaCountryMagazine for information about the December/January contest.
76
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
LEFT BY DOUGLAS DUPREE; MIDDLE PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHELLE GILL; RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIAN MONTES
MY RIDE
LOVIN’ MY TRUCK FLORIDA COUNTRY AND SAVAGE 4X4 PRESENT FLORIDA’S DEVOTED OWNERS
F
lorida Country Magazine and Savage 4X4 in Fort Myers are teaming up to present My Ride, introducing you to the owners of great trucks cruising our country roads and Florida highways. The rides chosen demonstrate the great passion and detail these owners put into their vehicles.
LOOKING TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR VEHICLE? THEN SAVAGE 4X4 WILL BE GLAD TO HELP.
We encourage you to post photos of your customized truck for our December/January My Ride section on facebook.com/floridacountrymagazine or facebook.com/savage4x4s.
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
77
MY RIDE
FORREST WELLING Lehigh Acres, Florida | Year: 2010 | Make: Dodge | Model: Ram 2500 mega cab Laramie 4x4
M
On 26 x 16 Corleone forged wheels, wrapped on 40x15.50r26 Fury tires. Motor work MBRP 5-inch turbo back exhaust, delete kits, S&B intake, easylink programmer with shift on fly and upgraded transmission tunes and FASS pump (150 hp). Big Mercenary aftermarket front bumper with monster hooks and almost all badges removed, accept front grill, even tailgate Ram logo, shaved flush and clean with a street-scene roll pan. But what I love the most is the paint job, a candy blue with seven coats and three coats of glacier clear coat, it for sure makes the truck stand out and is different!
78
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17
PHOTOS BY OF DOUGLAS DUPREE
Y TRUCK: Custom work done, why I love it! Sitting on 10 ½-inch long arm BDS lift kit. Everything powder-coated, frame down candy blue on chrome including the axles, drive shafts, literally anything frame down was done.
MICHELLE GILL
Lehigh Acres, Florida | Year: 2016 | Make: Ford | Model: F-250 Super Duty
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHELLE GILL
M
Y TRUCK: Six-inch Rough Country lift and shocks, 20x12 Gear alloy big block wheels with 35-inch Atturo tires, white wheel lights (4), red rock lights (8). The vinyl design on my truck is one of a kind. I love it and the truck matches me!
F LO R I D A C O U NTRYM A G A Z I N E . C O M
79
MY RIDE
JULIAN MONTES
LaBelle, Florida | Year: 2015 | Make: Dodge | Model: 2500 Cummins
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIAN MONTES
M
Y TRUCK: Bumpers, mirrors and headlights color matched. Eight-inch color-matched BDS lift, Fox Shox, 24x16 color-matched Specialty forged wheels, 375 Nitto trail grapplers. I love my truck because it’s different!
80
F LO R I D A C O U NTRY O c t o b e r | N o v e m b e r 2 0 17