Agrimag September 2017

Down to Earth in Florida

AgriMag Formerly: The Ag Mag

The Grey Ghosts When is Naturally Grown not Organic Working for Peanuts Attractive Nuisance Buy the Soil!

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Volume II, Issue 7, September 2017 September 2017

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Farming Wonders of the World

Worms (also known as vermiculture)

• Enable a crucial circle of sustainability in the natural world • Compost most organic material including food, grass clippings, manure, and newspaper • Worm compost is called worm castings or vermicompost • Worm castings are nutrient-rich fertilizer and soil conditione.

• Red wiggler or Tiger worms (Eisenia fetida) is the worm of choice for composting, though other worms can be used. Red wigglers may be found in any rich soil, manure piles, bait shops, and many other locations.

• Compost has no or little odor, so can be done inside one’s home • Families may compost their food scraps, and feed their garden

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From the Publisher

AgriMag Volume II, Issue 6 ISSN 2471-3007

The First Americans called the September moon the “harvest moon,” because they knew nearly a half hour more daylight would be available to help harvest their summer bounty.

Florida gardeners might name our September moon the “roll the dice” moon, for it is this month when many folks decide if they will – or will not - plant a fall garden in Florida. Experienced gardeners know that September often will give us marvelous growing weather even unto year’s end, OR just as often icy white frost will fall on grower’s produce as early as October.

Want my advice? I say, “be a gambler.” When you and your family could enjoy sweet, crisp lettuce, crunchy carrots, lovely green Broccoli, hearty cabbage, and marvelous Kale on the dining table until year’s end, going for it seems an- awfully easy decision. Collect your reward of fresh, local produce, healthy food, and taste beyond compare. Roll a winner!

Not a gamble at all are the stories Annabelle Leitner will be filing for AgriMag. A 5th generation Floridian and Marion Countian, Ms. Leitner and her sister, Nancy, work the farm that their great, great Uncle settled in 1857. Not less significant is Ms. Leitner’s writing experience which reaches way back to the days of eighth grade English with Ms. Joyce Crosby at Sparr Junior High School. An excellent historian, we welcome Ms. Leitner’s tales of farming, farmers, and Marion County’s early years to AgriMag.

Publisher Jeri Baldwin Jeri@AgriMag.Press 352-209-3195 Editors Jeri Baldwin 352-209-3195 Marnie Hutcheson 352-207-6520 Contributors William K. Crispin Jan Cross Cubbage David Goodman Anabelle Leitner Melody Murphy Design + Production Marnie Hutcheson Marnie@AgriMag.Press Amy Garone Ad Sales Cindy Baldwin Cindy@AgriMag.Press Distribution Terri Silvola-Finch Founder Carolyn Blakeslee Contact Us & Subscriptions AgriMag Press info@AgriMag.Press 352-209-3195 P.O. Box 635 Orange Springs, Florida 32182

Jeri

Cover Photo: Maizie and Josephine (Maizie was a week old) Photo by Annabelle Leitner

Websites http://AgriMag.Press https://www.facebook.com/ AgriMagPress/ Copyright ©2017 AgriMag Press All rights reserved

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Contents 2 3

| Farming Wonders: Worms | From the Publisher

6 | The Grey Ghosts

by Annabelle Leitner 8 | Working for Peanuts

by Melody Murphy 10

| When is Naturally Grown not Organic?

by Jeri Baldwin

12 | Landowner Liability - Attractive Nusiance

by William Crispin 14

| Fall Planting

16 | Buy the Soil!

by David the Good 18 | Answers to your questions:

Our Pollinators are gone. What now?

by Marnie Hutcheson 20 | In Season Recipes 22 | Florida AG: Tomatoes 23 | Calendar of Events 24 | AgriMag Briefs 28 | From The AgriMag Forum 30 | Hawk’s Eye Journeys

Photo by Jeri Baldwin September 2017

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The Grey Ghosts

by Annabelle Leitner

The first grey ghost came to the Leitner Sisters’ farm in the fall of 2013, a full grown grey donkey.

She did not have a name and we thought that she was pregnant. We asked if she would mind being called Josephine after the first lady to live on the farm (Sarah Josephine “Jo” Hull Geiger 1848-1921). She agreed, and so became Josephine.

Her job on the farm was to be the guardian for our herd of goats. Perhaps she also guarded us as this was one of the “darkest” times that we had as we now tried to work the farm we grew up on.

Coyotes marauded the community’s animals, causing a serious problem by stealing the baby goats, and killing adult goats. Everyone loved seeing Josephine and the goats out grazing in the fields. Soon a neighbor a few miles down the road noticed that Josephine seemed to be lonely out patrolling alone all day. She felt that Josephine needed help. That is how young Sarah came to the farm. Sarah was chosen from the donkey herd of a local horse farm and had been tamed and handled for six weeks before arriving at our farm. Sarah was three years younger than Josephine, but after getting adjusted to each other, they guarded the goats side by side.

In late May, Josephine and Sarah did not come up for their supper and carrots. The goats came.

A goat never misses eating, but still no Josephine or Sarah. It was almost dark and starting to rain.

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They had to be found, so the hunt was on for the grey ghosts. We found them in the bottom field.

We believe that the bottom field is an ancient lake bed that emerged when Florida rose from the ocean. And with them, a cute little grey girl that Josephine delivered. Because she was Amazing, we called her Maizie. Now three years old. It is hard to believe how fast Maizie grew. For sure I can’t pick her up and carry her up the hill anymore like I did when she was a few hours old.

I learned several things really quickly about donkeys. They have a fairly large kicking range when it is time for breakfast and supper if they have not been served on time. They let everyone within hearing range of their bray know they are not getting fed on time! I also soon learned that goats' and donkeys' appetites are much alike.

They seem to need to be eating 'something' at all times. If you are in their way, they will push you aside, but they love to be hugged and have their noses scratched.

They also have something in common with another often used guardian, the Great Pyrenees.

They will hear you and come when you call... If they want to, and if it is convenient.

If the donkeys sense that all is just not right, the three gather the goats and form a semi-circle around them, then herd them to a safer spot. They will do the same with the geese.

Like all animals who are guardians, it is best to raise them from a young age with the herd of animals they are to protect. However, Jennies (female donkeys) and Jacks (gelded males) are thought to be best with the herd if introduced when older. Josephine was introduced to the herd when fully grown. We simply kept her in an area adjacent to where the goats slept at night, so they got used to each other through the fence. Later, when Sarah arrived, we turned her out into the field with Josephine and the goats.

During kidding season I sometimes hear a screaming mama goat and a screaming donkey. I run out and find that one of the kids (baby goat) has crawled out of the pen and now can't get back to mama. One of the grey ghosts will be standing protectively over the kid. I pick the baby up and put her back with her mama and all is right in the world again.

The donkeys often graze among the goats, but are always on alert with their large ears and wide range of vision. A donkey can rotate their ears in almost a full circle.

Although I have never seen one of our guardians go after a coyote, we have fewer coyote sightings since they arrived, and not as many goats disappear into thin air now.

Donkeys were first domesticated around 3,000 BC in either Egypt or Mesopotamia. The first donkeys arrived in the Americas with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the new world in 1495. There are now 185 breeds with an estimated 41 million donkeys worldwide. Our donkeys are commonly called Jerusalem Donkeys, because they have a cross on their back.

Donkeys are intelligent, interesting, humorous, hardworking and yes, Amazing! ~ Annabelle Leitner

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Working for Peanuts

by Melody Murphy

Recently I visited a friend who lives in Live Oak. Heading west on U.S. 90 toward the Suwannee River State Park, we glimpsed a flashing streak of brilliant yellow through the pines. We thought it was a field of wildflowers, maybe coreopsis, and stopped to take a picture.

But when her truck pulled off the highway and the dirt road curved around, we saw a field of what was not Florida’s state wildflower, but: “Peanuts,” said Shelly. “It’s a field of peanuts.”

If you don’t know what a peanut field in bloom looks like, it is one of the prettiest sights you can imagine: acres of bright golden-yellow little blossoms tinged with orange, beside a vivid green swath of grass dotted with dandelions and pale moths flitting about, under a wide blue sky and fluffy white clouds on a warm summer day.

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I knew peanuts are grown abundantly in Florida, as they thrive on warm weather, sunshine, and sandy soil. But I did not know that a whole field of them can rival wildflowers for beauty.

There are four varieties of peanuts grown in the United States:

(1)Runner, (2)Virginia, (3)Spanish, and (4)Valencia.

The sweet-flavored, redskinned, three-kerneled Valencia is grown in New Mexico and accounts for less than one percent of U.S. production, according to the Florida Peanut Producers Association. Only four percent of U.S. peanuts are the red-skinned, small-kerneled Spanish peanuts, grown in Oklahoma and Texas. The large, “ballpark” Virginia peanut is grown in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, accounting for 15 percent of total U.S. production.

And then there are runner peanuts, which are what we grow here in Florida. (Like me, they were introduced in the 1970s.)

They are also grown in Georgia, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. A whopping 80 percent of the peanuts grown in the U.S. are runners, as their uniform kernel size allows for even roasting, which is ideal for peanut butter.

Peanut butter and childhood go hand in hand to me, so I’m terribly sorry about the mysterious increase in peanut allergies among today’s children. It’s awful to think how dangerous something so innocent can be, but I also can’t imagine life without peanuts. Only George Washington Carver had greater affection for the lovable legume.

I can eat peanut butter by the spoonful, and I keep a can of honey-roasted peanuts in my desk for emergency fuel. I have a deep weakness for Nutter Butters and have sneaked them into movie theaters in my purse. I once concocted a banana pudding with Nutter Butters instead of vanilla wafers, which remains the finest banana pudding I ever made. Peanut butter ice cream is hard to find, but it is glorious.

Reese’s peanut butter cups were the treat to get while trick-ortreating on Halloween. E.T. came out when I was six, and Reese’s pieces exploded in

popularity. There was even a peanut butter and chocolate E.T. cereal, which was delicious as well as surprisingly healthy enough for my mother to allow it. Childhood without PB&J sandwiches of Peter Pan creamy peanut butter and strawberry preserves on whole-wheat bread? Inconceivable. Also, put the same on waffles for breakfast, and that’s the taste of my childhood.

I mean, honestly: Speaking of my early years, the first president I remember was a former

peanut farmer, and I’d say Jimmy Carter has done a lot to raise peanut farmers in the public estimation.

I am not, however, such a fan of boiled peanuts – but my father sure was. He could not pass a roadside sign advertising “BOILED PEANUTS” without pulling over. If the car happened to pass one, we knew we would be turning around shortly. The annual peanut festival in Williston is the first Saturday of October, which was right around his birthday. We often left it with a

massive sack of peanuts to boil.

He once went on a quest across Marion County in search of the absolute largest pot he could find in which to boil peanuts, as well as to make chili and jambalaya once the weather got cold.

He finally found one, a pot so large that it looks like the old tin tubs in which ladies used to do their wash in the 1800s. I appropriated it after he died. I did not have a cabinet large enough to store it in my kitchen, so I hung it on a nail on the porch.

My friend Laura is another fan of boiled peanuts, as well as a purist. “Boiled peanuts should not be flavored with any spice but God’s pure salt,” she says.

She disdains the notion of a Cajun or otherwise flavored peanut. My father agreed.

I may not love boiled peanuts as several of my loved ones do, but I suppose I could bust out that pot again. It is time for the local peanut harvest, and there is the nostalgia factor. One boiled peanut and I am in the backseat of a 1970s station wagon on a country road, when a peanut farmer was president and my father was at the wheel… I wonder where it would take me, these days.

Melody Murphy may or may not have had a dish of chocolatecovered peanuts next to her computer when she wrote this column.

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When is Naturally Grown Not Organic Part II

by Jeri Baldwin From The Gift of Good Land, Wendell Berry shares his definition of an organic farm:

use genetically modified organisms in food production.

“An organic farm, properly speaking, is not one that uses certain methods and substances and avoids others; it is a farm whose structure is formed in imitation of the structure of a natural system that has the integrity, the independence, and the benign dependence of an organism.”

Two organizations in the United States offer certification in national programs. One is “Organic,” represented by the National Organic Standards, NOS, an arm of the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA. The other is “Certified Naturally Grown”, CNG, part of an international group called Participatory Guarantee Systems, PGS.

The words “…whose structure is formed in imitation of the structure of a natural system…” and other words found in Google, “…occurring in conformity with the ordinary course of nature…” give us a hint of the meaning that has been crafted for organic.

So a definition of organic tells us “…yielding or involving the use of food without employment of chemically formulated fertilizers.”

We can conclude from the references that when someone speaks of organic, they speak of a process which is patterned after the eco-systems that grew as an original part of the planet.

We might decide then, that organic and natural growing are identical as each seeks to provide food as it originally grew on the earth. While those two styles practice virtually the same methods, styles, and approaches, the major factor that each of the two systems reject is applying chemically formulated fertilizers to encourage growth and repel diseases and insects.

Organic and natural growers also refuse to

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Farmers who wish to gain Organic or Naturally Grown certification, which carry some advantage for marketing their products, can certify with either or both of these organizations.

Both Naturally Grown and NOS use a detailed checklist for certifying farms. The list used by Certified Naturally Grown is comparable to the NOS list.

National Organic Standards requires that a certified inspector visit the farm and inspect it, certifying that it complies with the items listed.

Certified Naturally Grown requires that its own members perform inspections on farms seeking certification. These inspections, conducted by peers, verify compliance and non compliance with the listed items. In addition discussion and knowledge sharing is encouraged.

References: https://www.usda.gov/topics/organic http://www.cngfarming.org/

Items included in both lists are similar: •Record keeping, including o seed and transplant orders o soil amendment purchases o biological pesticides o organic fertilizers •Fertility of the soil o Tillage practices o Erosion control •Acreage in production •How long has the farmer managed the farm •Chemical fertilizer used in last 36 months •Pesticides or herbicides used in last 36 months •Is manure used composted or green •Does compost look and smell finished •Any crops/livestock to be excluded from inspection •Analysis (soil testing) of the soil •Watering and Irrigation o Source of water o Water tested? o Methods of conservation

•Insect Pest and disease control •Facilities maintenance •Facilities efficiency •Adequate buffer protection from adjacent pesticides •Biodiversity conservation o Woodlands on property o Wetlands or waterways protection o Habitat for birds and other wildlife o Habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators •Food safety •Source of seeds and transplants o What are transplants grown in? o Marketing farm products •Market only farm grown produce o If marketing outside products, is other farm certified o Are farm products kept separate?

•Farm equipment o Use own equipment?

•Storage of fuel and vehicle fluids •Renewable energy use

The major differences in certification between NOS Organic and Naturally Grown are in the inspection of the farm seeking certification and the costs.

USDA National Organic Standards - Organic

Certified Naturally Grown

Organic certified inspection requires a professional USDA certified inspector to visit the farm and verify compliance with the list of standards.

Certified Naturally Grown inspection prefers a CNG farmer to visit and inspect the farm.

Each CNG farmer is requested to perform one inspection each year. The farms cannot trade inspections with each other.

Certified Naturally Grown members inspect farms that are seeking certification with no inspection fee and there is a nominal anual membership fee based on the financial ability of the farmer. Networking, trading suggestions and encouragement is suggested.

Organic certified inspectors charge between $650-2500 for each annual Inspection, plus there are additional annual fees based on the size of the farm.

The notable difference between Organic Certification and Certified Naturally Grown certification is the status of the inspector, and the cost. Though there are likely proponents for each approach, farms can choose with whom they want to certify. They also may choose to network and learn, even on an inspection for certification.

Ultimately, farmers and ranchers will be constrained to choose between a natural process or, a chemically embellished one. The effectiveness of a long view in working soil and seeking a product from it will depend on a

commitment to nurture and care for the soil. That commitment rises from each farmer who chooses to either drown their farm in chemicals, or use best management practices to insure the health of their land, its wildlife, and the humans who inhabit this planet.

Naturally grown is not organic when/if either the two approaches deviates to include un-natural or un-original features of an eco-system. ~ Jeri Baldwin

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Landowner Liability Attractive Nusiance

by William K. Crispin, Attorney At Law

My article in the Agri-Mag’s July issue focused on general principles of landowner liability toward persons on the owner’s property. Florida law calls those folks Invitees, Licensees or Trespassers. In Florida, trespassers generally have few remedies for injuries received on another’s land.

The property owner has the duty to avoid willful and wanton harm to the trespasser upon discovery of his presence and to warn him of known dangers not open to ordinary observation. The Attractive Nuisance Doctrine is an exception to this general rule.

The attractive nuisance rule was established primarily to preserve the safety of children. It permits trespassing children to recover against landowners in certain instances.

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In this article, I will provide some guidelines that may help landowners to be aware of special conditions that could be considered attractive to the extent of drawing a child on to the property. The following discussion offers a subjective evaluation and common sense with respect to this topic. It should not be accepted as advise, the reader should consult his or her attorney for legal advice.

The relentless expansion of urban boundaries toward farming areas means landowners must be ever vigilant in assessing potential attractions on their land that require proper warning signs, appropriate caretaking of the area of concern and children roaming in the area.

In general, the same standard of care applies to child trespassers:

landowners are not liable for injuries not caused by willful or wanton actions of the property owner. A special type of liability may be imposed, however, when the property owner did not guard against a dangerous condition that attracted a child onto the property.

In applying the Attractive Nuisance Doctrine, the courts look to see whether or not the child realized the nuisance’s danger. Although no specific age limit exists, the courts look to each child’s ability to appreciate the danger by considering factors such as age, intelligence, knowledge, and experience. The age and capacity of the child is also considered in determining whether a property owner must warn the child verbally or in writing The clearest examples of what might be an attractive nuisance are specified by law; any abandoned icebox, refrigerator, clothes washer or dryer, deepfreeze locker, or other airtight unit, the doors of which have not been removed, are labelled as an attractive nuisance to children, Florida Statutes § 823.08.

The Attractive Nuisance Doctrine will not apply unless there is a hidden danger contained within the reason the child was attracted onto the property.

The property owner is liable for child trespasser injuries when there are no safeguards where there should be safeguards.

The property owner may not be liable for a child trespassers’ injuries when safeguards are unnecessary. See [1] for a more

in depth discussion of the underlying facts that may trigger liability, or not.

Florida courts have generally not recognized drowning in artificial lakes, fishponds, millponds gin ponds, and other pools, streams, and similar bodies of water as actionable negligence by trespassers. However, if the court finds a drowning resulted from an unusual element of danger or trap around the body of water, or if there is some unusual element of danger around it that does not exist in ponds generally, it may find the landowner liable for the drowning.

A landowner is responsible for drowning when there is an unusual danger. The test applied in these situations is whether a reasonably prudent person should have anticipated the presence of children or other persons at the place where the landowner created a condition that a jury could find was an inherently dangerous condition.

Again these are somewhat subjective considerations and one must apply common sense along with a child-like perspective to help in assessing a given terrain circumstance. The court will look for the following criteria to determine the full applicability of the Attractive Nuisance Doctrine •

• That the danger must have attracted the child onto the property • That the property owner knew or should have known that the property poses an unreasonable risk of death or serious bodily harm to children • That the children, because of their age, do not realize the danger of the dangerous instrumentality • That the dangerous instrumentality’s benefit to the property owner is small compared to the risk to young children • That the property owner did not take reasonable steps to remove the danger or protect the child As to what extent landowners may be responsible for recreational visitors, Florida Statutes § 375.251 covers the limitation on liability of persons making available to the public certain areas for recreational purposes without charge.

ing warning of any hazardous conditions, structures, or activities on the property to persons entering or going on that park area or land.

This limitation of liability may not apply if any commercial or other profitable activity is derived from the general public’s patronage on the property.

Also, any person remains liable for deliberate, willful, or malicious injuries.

William K. Crispin Afarmersfriend.com Links: [1] An extensive list of links to multiple topics on Florida fence and property law. http://edis. ifas.ufl.edu/topic_book_florida_ fence_and_property_law The Florida statutes http:// www.leg.state.fl.us/STATUTES/

If a landowner makes a property available to the public for outdoor recreational purposes free of charge, the landowner is not responsible for keeping that park area or land safe for entry or use by others, or for giv-

Whether the dangerous instrumentality was located in a place where the property owner knew or should have known that children are likely to trespass

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Fall Pla

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anting

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Buy The Soil

by David the Good

We buy our houses for a variety of reasons. If you don’t homeschool your children, you might buy for a “good school,” or buy for the neighborhood. You might buy for the beautiful oaks, the close-by shopping, the waterfront or the tennis courts. Maybe you wish to live in an exclusive, gated community.

People buy houses where they do for a lot of reasons. The price and location of a home is most important. However, gardeners and farmers should look for land with different reasons, as well as, for the ones named. The soil is most important if you want to grow your own food. For a gardener, a prepper[1] or a small farmer, pay close attention to the ground beneath the “for sale” sign.

Even though I’ve been an avid gardener since childhood, I learned this lesson the hard way.

My wife and I once bought a home in Tennessee. It was only a few miles from the office where I worked, at the end of a quiet little cul-de-sac. It had plenty of room, a nice kitchen, and a beauti-

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ful sunroom on the back of the house whose yard sloped down to a beautiful sparkling creek.

Yet when I started my gardens, I rapidly discovered that the ground was hard rock and clay. It was almost impossible to work! The good top soil had likely been torn away and eroded during the home’s construction.

To make thing worse, I planned my gardens in the winter after buying the house. When summer came, the beautiful trees in the yard – and the neighbor’s yards – leafed out and only allowed meager sunlight to reach the ground beneath.

I was foolish on multiple levels.

It was a nice place to live but not a good place to grow food. And growing food was what I really loved.

Later, when I sold that place, launched my own business and moved back to my home state of Florida I was ready to do better. The next home I bought in North Florida had quite decent soil. Nearby areas had rough scrubland and pines or swamp or

even thick gumbo clay – but my neighborhood had pretty respectable earth by Florida standards.

With a little compost and amending, I grew beautiful fruit trees and vegetables.

Though you could send soil samples to a lab before buying a home – which is a great idea – there is a pretty easy way to get a rough idea how decent the soil may be without engaging a team of white-coated scientists.

Is there an empty lot or some woodland nearby? Note what’s growing on it. Live oaks, hickory, wild plum, bays and a good assortment of happy and healthy weeds are a good sign. Patchy sand with struggling weeds is not.

Pines and palmettos usually mean the soil is poor and acid. That could be good for blueberries, but you’ll have to work harder to grow productive gardens. If even the palmettos look anemic, you’ll have your work cut out for you.

I once served as a consultant for a neighborhood project where the developers were interested in installing a big community gar-

den and lots of fruit trees. There was a beautiful spring-fed lake on the property and lots of open land, yet as soon as we drove up I knew they were going to have a serious uphill battle.

Twisted scrub oaks and yellow palmettos were mixed in with some sad-looking pines.

I stepped over a pygmy rattler while cataloging the thin selection of scrubland species on the more open ground. The soil was only yellow sand, hot and dry with drainage so high that keeping nutrients and water in the garden would always be a problem. It was a beautiful place to hike, despite the snakes, but it wasn’t a good place to garden.

Don’t even think about the idea that you can just “fix it later” with lots of amendments. Soil mineralization and structure is important and can make or

break your plans. Farmers know that some soil is good for certain things and poor for others.

Sure, you can make up for lessthan-ideal conditions with micronutrients, foliar sprays, piles of compost or a good grazing system that builds organic matter in the soil. There are other properties where you can stick a branch into the ground and almost grow a tree.

I definitely prefer the latter. Add good soil into your home or farm selection plans and you’ll spare yourself a lot of hard work and money. Plus, healthy, mineral-rich soil provides healthier produce. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of fertilizer!

[1] “prepper” is a person who learns survival skills so they can be self sufficient if necessary.

David The Good is a gardening expert and the author of five books available on Amazon, including • Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening, • Compost Everything: The Good Guide to Extreme Composting and • Grow or Die: The Good Guide to Survival Gardening.

Find new inspiration every weekday at http:// TheSurvivalGardener.com and on David’s popular YouTube channel.

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States.

Answers to your questions: Our Pollinators are gone. What now?

Pollinator Abundance

Status Mean of bee abundance

By Marnie Hutcheson

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Thanks to everyone who responded to my article, Our Pollinators Are Gone. What Now? Wow, you are amazing! In all my years of writing I have never had so many readers react to an article. Your responses ranged from: I have plenty of pollinators.

What are you talking about? to I didn’t know.

Maybe I need to watch for them to My pollinators are gone too!

What is going on?

For everyone I spoke with, here is the information that I promised.

Pollinator Abundance For those of you who think that everything is “OK” if you see pol-

0.0

linators in your yard. The map above shows the most recent (2016) Pollinator Abundance studies.

ing crops all over the country, especially the almonds and fruits of California. In August, they came home, so you may be seeing them.

As you can see, large areas of the county, including Florida, show “yellow”; dangerously low pollinator abundance. Further, the pollinator abundance studies showed a 23 percent drop in bee abundance between 2008 and 2013. The studies include both wild and managed bees. [1]

If you are seeing “no pollinators” the burning questions are “WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?”and “WILL THEY COME BACK?”[2]

If you were seeing pollinators in August, Florida’s managed honey bees have been pollinat-

Crops and Their Pollinators (next page) Wild pollinators actually do most of the pollinating. The graph only reports on “crops” not the flowers in the field or your yard. This is another huge hole in our knowledge. Right now, only you know what is pollinating your garden.

[3][4]

Insu Koh et al. PNAS 2016;113:140-145

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©2016

by National Academy of Sciences AgriMag

Crops and Their Pollinators

Other - bats & birds Hemiptera - true bugs Coleoptera - beetles Lepidoptera butterflies and moths Hymenoptera - wasps, sawflies, and ants Diptera - flies Syphidae -flower flies Wild bees - Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble Managed honey bees

References: [1] http://www.pnas.org/content/113/1/140.full.pdf Pollinator Abundance Map : Modeling the status, trends, and impacts of wild bee abundance in the United States from Proceedings National Academy of Science, January 5, 2016. [2] https://www.nap.edu/read/11761/chapter/7#149 [3] http://bugguide.net/node/view/3076 [4] https://plants.usda.gov/pollinators/Native_Pollinators.pdf For more information on the species see: http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

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In Season Recipes

OKRA - love it or hate it

Okra is a late summer vegetable which is green, tender, and grows in pods. The pods may be cooked alone or included with a number of other vegetables.

A real stereotype sentence is, “Most Southerners love okra in any form and most other folks hate it.”

Not true of course, but one certainty is you either love okra or hate it – not much middle ground.

Okra is a good source of Vitamin A, and flavonoid anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene, xanthin, and lutein. It is one of the vegetables with the highest levels of these anti-oxidants.

4 Cups Okra 3 Tablespoons Olive oi 4 Garlic Cloves 1 small onion Salt and pepper to taste Apple Cider Vinegar 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes

Okra with Tomatoes

Saute 4 smashed garlic cloves in 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until golden. Add 4 cups okra (halved lengthwise) and 1 small onion (cut into wedges); season with salt and pepper and cook until the okra is tender and bright, 10 to 12 minutes. Add 1 pint halved cherry tomatoes; cook until just bursting, 3 minutes.

Finish with a splash of cider vinegar.

Crones’ Cradle Conserve Vegetable Okra Patties 3 cups vegetable oil for frying 1 pound okra, finely chopped 1 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup chopped diced peppers 1/2 cup corn kernels 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup water 1 egg 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 cup cornmeal

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1. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, mix together the okra, peppers, corn, onion, salt, pepper, water and egg.

Combine the flour, baking powder and cornmeal; and stir that into the okra mixture.

3. Carefully drop spoonfuls of the okra batter into the hot oil, and fry on each side until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

Remove with a slotted spoon, and drain on paper towels.

In Season Recipes Pickled Okra

1 1/2 pounds fresh okra

3 dried red chile peppers 3 teaspoons dried dill seed 2 cups water 1 cup vinegar 2 tablespoons salt 3 cloves of garlic per jar Divide the fresh okra evenly between 3 sterile (1 pint) jars. Place one dried chile, and one teaspoon of dill into each jar.

In a small saucepan, combine the water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a rolling boil. Pour over the ingredients in the jars, and seal in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Refrigerate jars after opening.

Heirloom Tomato Margaritas 2 tbsp. kosher salt 1/2 tsp. Chipotle Chile Powder 5 lime wedges, divided 6 oz. tequila blanco 4 oz. Cointreau (or triple sec) 1 cup cold Lime Sour or Mama Roses’ Lime 3-4 medium heirloom tomatoes or 1 ½ cups strained cold tomato juice - cherry tomatoes, for garnish Ice

Mix salt and chile powder on a flat rimmed dish. Moisten the rims of 4 margarita or martini glasses with a lime wedge; dip rims in salt mixture.

Squeeze2-3 medium heirloom tomatoes through a mesh sieve, or mash and and strain. You should have 1 1/2 cups juice.

Fill a 2 qt. pitcher with ice; add the rest of the ingredients and whisk briskly to combine. Pour over ice in prepared glasses.

Garnish individual servings with a lime wedge and cherry tomatoes to taste.

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DID YOU KNOW? Florida grows 53% of the US’s Tomatoes A robust, vividly red, warm tomato, twisted gently from its vine, and gulped while standing among the rows of ripe tomatoes, counts among life’s unforgettable pleasures.

Thank you, Florida, for growing 53 per cent of the nation’s tomatoes. It boggles the mind, the tomato. Even as one begins to absorb the amazing number of colors of tomatoes: the reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, whites, and many hues between, another fact; the endless – 7500 varieties of the Solanum lycopersicum.

Just as we grasp colors and varieties, now consider sizes; the tomato features ripe produce from oversized marble to the size of a softball.

Then tomatoes leave many farmers and other folks debating the tomato’s origin: fruit or vegetable? The tomato definitely is a multi-faceted plant to learn about. Many though, concern themselves only with which – and how – to eat them.

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“So, how do you eat them?”

Best is (see line 1 above). The list includes a sandwich with tomato and mayonnaise - with tomato, lettuce, and bacon - with fresh basil in any of the sandwiches. Enjoy sliced tomatoes in a salad - tomatoes and cucumbers - or tomatoes with almost any kind of produce. There is tomato and onion pie – then that southern delicacy, fried green tomatoes: sliced, dipped in egg, lightly dusted with flour, and fried in vegetable oil.

Casseroles with rice, tomatoes, peas, and okra - tomatoes with sausage and lima beans. Many cooks delight to serve slow cooked, thickened tomatoes seasoned with onions, and served as tomato gravy over fresh hot biscuits. Don’t forget salsa, ketchup, sauce, juice, soup, paste, and bloody Marys.

Many farmers don’t bother growing tomatoes because of the endless pests and diseases, that plague their growth into mature produce.

Tomato growers’ summer work under the blazing sun includes planting tiny seeds in a greenhouse flat, constantly

misting them with water, transferring them to a 3 inch pot, then when they reach 10-12 inches, moving them to the long rows of waiting, rich soil, gently setting them into the furrows, and tamping the earth around them. Once the blight, worms, excess water, and relentless sun have been bested by a determined farmer, the succulent orbs ripen in the sun.

The tomato originated in Central and South America about the time of the Aztecs. It began life as a food in Mexico, then migrated into north America with Spanish colonization. Numerous varieties are grown in temperate climates around the world, even in greenhouses to extend the growing season for the delicious, popular vegetable/fruit.

When ripened on the vine, the tomato’s red is unbelievable; the aroma is unbelievable; the taste is unbelievable. Whatever holds first place on your bucket list, kick it down the list, and find a sun warmed, vine ripened, RED tomato. Bite into it, and taste REAL FOOD. FLORIDA – A PROUD AGRICULTURAL STATE!

Calendar of Events Events, Workshops, Meetings, Classes, Conferences. Etc September 9, 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. Marion County Extension, Ocala Vegetable Garden Expo Seminars on fall vegetable gardening, More information: 352-671-8400 September 12, 10-11 A.M. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Polk Soil and Water Conservation District, Bartow, Florida, will discuss resource conservation concerns and NRCS programs with local farmers, ranchers and forestland owners.

Contact Ed Sheehan at 863-5332051 Ext. 3.

September 14-16, 8 A.M. daily Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association The Landscape Show – Orlando, Florida Register and Complete Details Online: http://www. thelandscapeshow.org September 19, 2 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. IPM Pest Management, Citrus County Extension Office classroom, Lecanto Class is free, but pre-registration is required Contact: Steven Davis, 352-5275708

September 21, 8 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. Florida Equine Institute and Allied Trade Show Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, Ocala Forage nutrition for horses, behavioral issues in horses, equine neurological disease updates For information contact Mark Shuffit, 352-671-8400 Register at: http://2017feiats. eventbrite.com

and light snacks. Non-refundable.

Register by September 15.

To register: 352-671-8400 September 28, 9 A.M. – 3 P.M. Invasive Exotic Species and Control Workshop Okaloosa County Extension Office, Crestview, Florida Earn pesticide applicator CEUs and forestry CEUs $10 fee covers lunch and materials Register by September 15 at https://fsp-workshop092817. eventbrite.com or 850-689-5850 October 2, 4-7 P.M.

September 23, 9 A.M. – 4 P.M.

September 25-29, 6-8:30 P.M.

Florida Agriculture Network meeting on Agritourism Deep Spring Farm, Alachua, Florida Learn about agritourism considerations as a business opportunity for your farm or wildlands. Refreshments served.

Eventbrite link: http://bit. ly/2wr5k8r Contact Tatiana Sanchez UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County, 352-955-2492 or Tatiana.sanchez@ufl.edu

Marion County Extension Services Auditorium, Ocala

October 15, 2-5 P.M.

Windmill Acres Farm – WELCOME FALL! FREE fall food tasting Outside vendors and crafters 13323 SE 114 Street Road, Ocklawaha For information call 352-812-7013

Florida Gardening 101 New to gardening, this class will teach the basics for successful gardening with about every kind of plant.

Registration is $30 per person or $50 per couple, covers materials

Frog Song Organics Open House with Potluck and Farm Tours Event is Free, RSVP required Details: 352-468-3816 or E-mail frogsongorganics@gmail.com

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AgriMag Briefs Frog Song Organics Open House Frog Song Organics in Hawthorne invites everyone to their annual open house on Sunday, October 15, 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. The event includes a potluck meal. Farm tours will be offered throughout the afternoon. Other entertainment will take place.

Frog Song Organics is at 4317 NE Highway 302, Hawthorne, Florida.

Need further information?

Call 352-468-3816 or e-mail frogsongorganics@gmail.com website http://frogsongorganics. com New Alternative Crops Suggested Most up and coming growers like to search for new growing opportunities for a number of reasons: their crop/s have failed, the market is glutted with their current crops, they want to try something new, or their children or grandchildren are pushing for a new adventure on the farm.

Suggested by several University Research and Extension Centers across America, the new crops include tea. Tea sales are soaring worldwide, mostly because of the health benefits from tea that cannot be realized from coffee.

Also consider, high end loose tea can command $30 to $40 for a few ounces.

Honeyberry, or haskap is another new crop suggested. The fruit ripens so early, even in northern

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states, that it can be harvested before disease or pests invade.

At the University of Florida, Florida growers have begun to get acquainted with blackberries, pomegranates, artichokes, and hops. Two of these, blackberries and pomegranates are considered “super-fruits.” They are so rich in nutrition that consumers have indicated a willingness to pay big bucks for the fruits.

Another possibility for farmers is table grapes. Table grapes fresh from the vine are growing in demand. People are avidly consuming locally grown grapes.

Hardy Kiwi, not to be confused with the traditional Kiwi, is creating a lot of interest for growers interested in new crops .

The interest in locally grown and chemical free crops, especially fruits, is creating an energetic search for the old time fruits, and an interest in developing new alternative crops for farmers.

TED Talks The new generation of farmers, and there are always new farmers, will face big questions through the course of their farming careers. Big issues facing the new growers include, How will agriculture feed a growing population with a growing middle class?

How will very rapid development and deployment

of technology impact farming?

There are many others just as significant.

The popular TED talks are welcoming more and more speakers and presenters who are discussing agriculture and the big issues facing the food producers. This clearinghouse of big thinkers and big ideas regularly present food production issues, agriculture and land use with the onslaught of development claiming more and more farm land.

All agriculture-related TED talks may be found at http://ted.com/ topics/agriculture Tiny Ranch In Clermont, west of Orlando, a retired chemical engineer is taking ‘tiny’ ranching to a profitable level. The rancher, Barry Viljoen manages 14 head of cattle on 14 acres of land.

He plans to raise Wagyu cattle mixed with Brangus. This system works because Viljoen practices sustainability by moving his cattle as many as two to three times a day. This intensive grazing keeps the pasture grass able to renew and refresh quickly.

The ranch operates at a profit, especially because Wagyu beef is quite popular. A mature Wagyu steer grosses about $3,000 per animal after expenses. Because the operation is small, operating expenses are far less than for larger ranches.

AgriMag Briefs

continued

Growers and consultants who wish to maximize their profits in fruit and vegetable production should plan to attend the Florida Ag Expo on November 8, at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research & Education Center, in Wimauma, Florida. The latest information on pest and disease management will be offered in tomatoes, strawberries, and others. The Expo will provide practical solutions you can implement immediately.

antidumping, countervailing dug, and safeguard laws experienced negative impacts • To require NAFTA countries from the trade agreement. to have laws governing acceptable conditions of work Tomato growers took a with respect to minimum particularly hard hit from wages, hours or work, and Mexican imports. Several factors occupational safety and including pricing, subsidies, health. and far cheaper labor gave Mexico an unfair advantage.

Florida Agritourism Network Reggie Brown, of the Florida Tomato Exchange, testified Deep Spring Farm, Alachua, before the US House this Florida will host an agritourism summer. His main point, meeting on October 2, 2017,

“We are not opposed to from 4-7 p.m. The meeting is free trade. However, it must be planned to discuss agritourism/ fair trade.” eco-tourism options as an

Registration is free for growers.

Don’t miss a great opportunity to learn the most up-to-date information in your industry. A dynamic tradeshow, field tours, and practical education will be presented by leading experts. The trade show will exhibit the latest product previews, equipment and services available. The field tours will offer a close look at new varieties as well as cutting edge crop protection strategies.

The in-depth education sessions are scheduled to cover a broad range of timely topics.

Mexican growth in specialty crops have had negative impacts on United States growers. Other farmers having trouble keeping up with rising farm costs include growers of Georgia blueberries and broccoli; Texas watermelon; California grapes and asparagus, among others who have suffered.

Mexico’s export of strawberries to the US nearly tripled since 2000, and Mexican bell peppers imports by America has risen by 163 per cent.

Florida Ag Expo

Meals will be provided if you are pre-registered by October 12th.

Florida Farmers waiting for NAFTA Renegotiation Specialty crop growers in Florida wait anxiously to see the form that Trump’s renegotiation of NAFTA will introduce.

Though NAFTA benefitted other agricultural operations as the pact began in 1994, the state’s fruit and vegetable growers

opportunity for farmers who wish to study and consider adding agritourism activities to their farming programs.

The program will also include the topic of collaborating with other farmers to the best advantage of everyone involved to insure a complete experience. The event sponsors want farmers to understand the opportunities, challenges, and liabilities which are part of agritourism.

Speakers will include UF/ IFAS Extension Agents, Florida Agriculture Tourism Florida growers have four goals: Association and local farmers • To improve the US trade with agritourism programs on balance and reduce the their farms. Cost of the event is deficit with NAFTA $10.00 with registration through countries Eventbrite: http:bit.ly/2wr5k8r • To seek a separate domestic industry provision for Deep Spring Farm is as 16419 pesticide and seasonal W County Road 1491, Alachua, products in antidumping/ Florida. For further information, countervailing duty contact Tatiana Sanchez, UF/IFAS proceedings Extension Alachua County, 352• To preserve the ability of 955-2402 or tatiana.sanchez@ufl. the US to vigorously enforce edu. its trade laws, including the continued on page 26

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AgriMag Briefs Financial Troubles on the Farm Farmers in recent years have enjoyed a bit of a financial cushion. However, USDA and other experts are predicting a failing monetary picture within five years. Many farmers have provided for themselves, their families and their farms for the next two to three years Falling commodity prices, the failure of NAFTA to protect American farmers, an increase in interest rates, and a stronger dollar all forecast a different outlook for farmers and ranchers.

Steve Apodaca, senior vice president of the Center for

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continued Agricultural and Rural Banking, a division of the American Banking Association, suggests that one of the most important actions a farmer can take for their financial safety is to keep the lines of communication open with her or his banker.

This should be an immediate action, so that paths have been laid for whatever and whenever the future will be.

The following are suggestions for the agricultural economy.

1.

Cash is king. Carefully examine every purchase that will require additional debt.

2.

Let a farm budget be your financial road map.

Without a budget, financial health is a lost proposition.

3.

Analyze your farm’s

financial position and performance.

4.

Estimate your debt structure.

5.

Prepare for your financial review with your banker. Be able to present fail proof records of all transactions.

6.

Learn about USDA’s guaranteed farm and rural development loan program.

7.

Review your hazard and fire insurance coverage; consider increasing your deductibles, thereby lowering your premiums.

8.

Examine your life insurance policies.

9.

Deal with financial problems immediately.

10.

Keep a clear perspective.

It is important to your balance to shift your focus to other activities, or locations away from your farm.

AgriMag September Ad Special Special ends September 30 2017 - Ads run Oct, Nov, Dec 2017 Buy a 1/3 page ad for 3 months ~total $540 when you place your order ~ AND be featured in our “Meet Our Advertisers” Page for free Call 352-207-6520 for details See September featured advertiser Hawks’ Eye Journeys on page 30

AgriMag Distribution in Print 12,000 copies of AgriMag are printed monthly and distributed in Alachua, Citrus, Levy, and Marion Counties, as well as The Villages and Wildwood.

This magazine can be found in your neighborhood. It’s in feed stores, tack shops, tractor dealers, hardware stores, extension services, farm bureaus, FL Farm Credit offices and other farmfriendly banks, a few vets, UF/IFAS, high school and university agricultural departments, trailer dealers, selected restaurants, farm-oriented real estate offices, Thoroughbred associations, landscape and garden centers, nurseries, libraries, economic development offices/chambers of commerce, wineries, farms with retail outlets, and theatres including The Hippodrome and OCT.

Hey, Advertizers GeT Noticed!

Advertize in Agrimag

Ads@agrimag.press September 2017

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From the

Agrimag Forum

Xin Fox of Gainesville posted

Have you seen me?

I took this photo in Ocala last September. I am hoping to see this type of pollinator again to try for a better picture. At first I thought it was a very small hummingbird, but its an insect. Can anyone tell me what it is? Thanks- Xin Fox

Share your pollinator stories on our Forum:

https://www.agrimagpress.com/forum/have-you-seen-me Thanks for sharing, Zin! and Humphrey.

Humphrey from North West Ocala posted Luffa feed the pollinators in the Fall

In September there are not very many flowers, just the wild ones, especially Tick Seed, and the ones like the luffa that continue to bloom until first frost. The luffa are big enough to share!

Last year I had bumble bees like this one and plenty of little green bees. I am not seeing very many this year. I hope more will appear to take advantage of my luffa this year.

What is this pollinator?

https://www.agrimagpress.com/forum/have-you-seenme/what-is-this-pollinator Editor: This insect has been identified as: Hemaris thysbe, commonly known as the hummingbird clearwing. It is a moth of the Sphingidae (hawkmoth) family. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemaris_thysbe

Grace from Inverness posted the following: I couldn't resist sharing this, I took it in June 2015

.

This little brown butterfly has drilled a hole through the side of the throat of this pigeon wing pea blossom so she/he can reach the nectar. He is sucking it out from the side cause he couldn't reach it from the front of the flower. I don't know what kind of butterfly it is. The pigeon wing pea is a Florida Native Fabaceae. https://www.agrimagpress.com/forum/have-you-seen-me/ how-to-reach-the-nectar-if-you-re-too-small

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From the

Agrimag Forum

Have you seen me?

https://www.agrimagpress.com/forum/have-you-seen-me

Speaking of Hummingbird Moths....

Sharon Ritacco gifted us with a slow motion video of a hummingbird moth in her garden See it at https://www. agrimagpress.com/forum/have-youseen-me

From the Editor: Thanks for your emails Many thanks to all the readers who have sent emails reporting their sightings, non sightings, and concerns for “our” pollinators.

Special thanks to Grace W. for her detailed letter about the challenges of trying to establish a butterfly and pollinator rich garden in the sugar sand of Leesburg. Grace reports that she is not seeing pollinators at her location, and her attempts to plant pollinator attractors in her new garden have been disappointing.

Grace says in her letter that when she moved to Leesburg she, “ ... left behind a bee, butterfly and bird “resort”, cultivated over 15 years. I guess I was expecting a similar environment here. After all, it’s Florida, right?”

She goes on to say, “My expectations were soon squashed flat as I saw none of the usual charactes who populated my former property.”

Also enjoy Sharon’s slow motion bumblebee vido at: https://www. facebook.com/AgriMagPress/

To Grace, and others who have had simular experiences, I would recommend David the Goods’ artcles from Agrimag July 2017, Can Florida “Soil” Be Improved Long-Term? page 1213. You will find it here: https://issuu.com/the-agmag/docs/agrimag_july_2017/12 And, my article Fungus Among Us also from the Agrimag July 2017 https://issuu.com/the-agmag/docs/agrimag_july_2017/10 which discusses the role of mycelium (mushrooms fungus) in your compost pile. Mycelium creates topsoil and attracts and keeps worms in the process.

Also, see Davids article in this issue, Buy the Soil page 16 in this issue, in case you are thinking of buying property in Florida .

Hoping to hear more from you soon! Marnie

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Meet our Advertisers Hawk’s Eye Journeys Lee Solomon retires from her career as a vegetable and herb grower in October. A few weeks after retirement, she dives into her new/old career as a kayak guide. She previously guided kayak trips, but chose farming when it became clear she could not farm and guide simultaneously.

The kayaks – the water – the paddlers – the chance to inspire – and educate - strongly call her again.

The ideal trip for Lee’s paddlers would include inspiration for oneself and the earth. It would offer a departure from people’s everyday frantic pace.

Leisurely, contemplative, and inspiring are results she hopes for her paddlers.

A day in the sun, on water, hearing nature’s voices are also among the goals she holds dear.

A Hawks’ Eye Journeys adventure includes identifying and sampling wild foods. Ms. Solomon and her husband presented wild foods workshops at their Orange Lake property for 20 years.

Ms. Solomon offers journeys in less traveled fresh water rivers and lakes.

Ms. Solomon offers basic fishing instruction, including tips for landing a 23 inch trout in a 13 foot craft while staying afloat. All Gulf trips include the enchanting possibility of seeing dolphins.

Hawks’ Eye Journeys owner Lee Solomon would count your outing a total success if you rediscovered your basic connection with nature, learned new ways to practice that relationship, ate new delicious wild foods, caught your very own Gulf trout, and were never the same again.

Paddlers may enjoy wildlife, fish, and birds. One of a day’s pleasures include identifying birds’ and their behaviors. A day may include lunch with wild foods, and often an introduction to the area’s history and archeology.

In addition to fresh water trips, Hawks’ Eye Journeys also of-

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fers kayak fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Landing salt water fish in a quite small space offers unparalleled excitement and satisfaction. The salt water trips are usually two day adventures, geared for one person.

Trips are modestly priced at $45 per person per day, including kayak and gear. Kayak salt water fishing is a customized trip and priced individually.

Call 352-572-1667 or e-mail Hawkseye.Lee@aol.com to discuss and/or schedule your paddling venture.

Explore springs — coastal estuaries —

Meat Sheep

quiet rivers — and slow floats upon pristine waterways.

ALLIANCE OF FLORIDA

SERVING PRODUCERS IN FLORIDA AND THE SOUTHEAST

http://MeatSheepAllianceOfFlorida.com North Central Florida birding and kayak fishing for 30 years

Hawkseye.lee@aol.com Lee Solomon 352-572-1667

www.superiorlandscape.net FULL SERVICE GARDEN CENTER

LANDSCAPE DESIGN & INSTALLATION

Palms • Shade Trees • Citrus Trees Annuals • Perennials • Shrubbery Pottery • Custom Planters Mulch • Pine Straw • Soil

Ponds • Waterfalls • Fountains Paver Patios • Driveways Landscape Lighting Outdoor Kitchens

SUPERIOR LANDSCAPE & GARDEN CENTER 5300 North US Highway 27, Ocala, FL 34482

352-368-6619

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Crones’ Cradle Conserve Foundation

Ecological Preserve

Retreat Center

Natural Farm

Florida Certified Stewardship Forest

Farm to Fare Subscription Food Basket Are you eating healthy?

Each week your basket will contain: 5-7 vegetables currently in season.

1 culinary herb ½ to 1 dozen eggs 2 recipes using the ingredients in your basket 1 copy of our weekly newsletter The Record

Items are occasionally substituted from the following:

1 pint jam, jelly or pickled vegetables, 1 loaf of bread, 1/2 pint raw honey, 1-3” potted herb, 1 pint fresh fruit in season.

Cost:

Each season for our farm to fare program runs for 13 weeks.

s tart nS 7 o s Sea 201 New y 5th, Jul

$50 Membership fee for each season, which helps cover planting, tending and harvesting vegetables and herbs, seeds, supplies, machinery and labor costs.

Delivery Locations: Ocala: Marion County Library Pickup- Wednesdays, 2:30pm, at the library headquarters parking lot.

Special Delivery- Within Ocala. Must be within our delivery area. $5 per week charge for special deliveries.

Gainesville: Location to be determined.

Farm Pickup - after 1PM on Wednesdays. *Other days may be arranged.

Each basket is $25 each. Contents cannot be altered. Additional items can be added to your basket at regular cost per pound.

Extras need to be ordered before 2:30 on Tuesday prior to your delivery.

Cost of the baskets are prorated if you join midseason.

Full Payment at the start of the season will earn you a 10% discount off of your weekly baskets.

Season Dates for 2017 Season 1 — April 5th 2017 to June 28th 2017 Season2 — July 5th 2017 to September 27th 2017 Season3 — October 4th to December 27th 2017 Season 4 — January 3rd 2018 to March 28th 2018

For more information, please call 352-595-3377, email catcrone@aol.com or visit our website at www.cronescradleconserve.com

6411 NE 217th Pl. Citra, FL 32113 6.4 miles east of 301 on CR 318

352-595-3377 catrone@aol.com FB: Crones’ Cradle Conserve Foundation cronescradleconserve.org No Pets or Smoking Cash or Check Only

Farm Store Open 7 Days a Week Ask about our Certified Kitchen & Honey House

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