Locally produced food consumption a healthy and smart choice

Ever wonder why the food always tastes better when you buy it from a local farmer? There are many reasons – one being when you buy local food, you reduce your food miles. The fewer miles your food has to travel, the less environmental damage occurs, and the fresher the product. When you buy at farmers markets, farm stands, or direct from the farm, the food is usually picked that day or the day before.

Purchasing locally grown food also financially supports local farmers. According to sustainabletable.org, when you buy food in a grocery store, about 3.5 cents of each dollar you spend makes it to the farmer. When you buy directly from the farmer, 80-90 cents of each dollar you spend makes it in the farmer’s pocket.

It just makes sense, by keeping your produce purchases local, you are not only providing fresher food for you and your family, you are also helping keep our local farmers sustained.

The following is a list of local area farmers, and where you can purchase the freshest food around.

Adams Farms

David and Leonard Adams have a unique approach to farming on their Century Farm that has been a family business for six generations. Using the philosophies of biological ionization from Dr Carey Reams and Dr Alexander Beddoe, their quest has found them turning away from chemical farming and to a more natural approach. This is not only making the food grown more nutritious but also increase the brix rating showing them scientifically that their produce is better quality and better tasting.

Adams Farms grows a spring, fall and winter garden that includes greens, field peas, watermelon, cantaloupe, squash, green beans, pole beans, new potatoes and red potatoes. Different varieties of produce will be available at different times of the year. The farm also offers fresh eggs and pecans. Call ahead and find out what is available or request to get on their email list to get updates on what is about to ripen.
Call ahead: Tel: 850-978-2747
Directions: From Hwy. 90 in DeFuniak Springs, take Hwy. 83 north. Turn right on Hwy 185 and go approx. 2 miles. Farm is located at 257 T.R. Miller Road. Website: www.adamsfarminc.com

Cypress Cattle Company

Participating in the Panhandle Fresh Marketing Association, a community based food system model that assists farmers in pooling their resources, Cypress sells most of their produce locally.
Cypress now offers the benefits of sharing the farm’s locally grown food directly by offering a buy in of fresh produce for $25/week over a 10-week period. What ever is ready will be a full bushel box available for pick up at the Red Bay Grocery, located at 8704 Hwy. 81 S. in Red Bay or for pick up at Cypress. Luke plans on inserting local recipes with every box of fresh produce. Bread and butter pickles from Cypress Cattle Company are also available at Red Bay Grocery.
For more information, go to www.cypresscattle.com or call Luke Langford at 850-685-5890. They are located at 2890 R. M. Ward Rd., Ponce De Leon, FL.

Dragonfly Fields

Dragonfly Fields is located on 17 acres in Northern Walton County 15 minutes north of downtown Defuniak Springs. Vegetables are their main production with one acre under intensive cultivation. On-farm composting, vermicomposting, cover crops and crop rotation is utilized to promote an environmentally sound, healthy and sustainable approach to growing vegetables. Natural fertilizers and amendments are used to grow, almost year round, major crops such as arugula, salad mix, Asian greens, strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, 5 kinds of potatoes and squash. Currently, most of the production is sold to some of the better restaurants in South Walton County.
Their produce can be found at the Farmers Market at Seaside, or you can contact them direct.
Charles Bush and Shueh-Mei Pong
Address: 1600 County Hwy 192
Defuniak Springs, FL 32433
Call ahead: 850-259-3739 (cell)
850-859-2854 (farm)
Email: dragonfly1600@embarqmail.com

Galloway Gardens

Wheatgrass, sunflower sprouts, and pea shoots are Galloway Garden’s main production since starting their certified organic farm in 2001.
Rusty Galloway
850-862-8994
www.gallowaygreens.com
Regular business hours: 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. closed on Sundays
334 Plymouth Ave. Ft. Walton Beach, Fl. 32547

Ocheesee Creamery

Paul and Mary Lou Wesselhoeft offer local certified pure Jersey products from their 125 happy cows that are pasture fed.  Skim milk, whole milk, cream, and butter. All products come in traditional milk bottles.
Paul and Mary Lou Wesselhoeft
28367 N.W. SR 69
Grand Ridge, Fla. 32442
850-674-8620

Twin Oaks Farm

Twin Oaks Farm is a 94-acre certified organic farm located in Holmes County, Florida. They raise chickens and ducks for egg production, their hens are fed a certified organic feed without soy. They also offer organic chicken broth and a line of all natural preserves – made with blueberry, peach, fig, mandarin, mango fruit and organic sugar.
Contact: Renee Savary
Address: 3207 Creek Rd., Bonifay, FL 32425 (call for appt.)
Phone: 850-547-5636
Website: www.twinoaksfarm.net
Email: renee@twinoaksfarm.net
To learn more about Twin Oaks: Click here

Clear Creek Farms

Local Walton County and surrounding area honey is the mainstay of Clear Creek Farms crop. Gordon and Lois are long time bee farmers in the area and offer a variety of honey including Tupelo from Nokuse Plantation and the Choctawhatchee River basin. There honey can be purchased at the Saturday Farmers Market in Seaside.

Moonlight Microfarm

Moonlight Micro-Farm practices sustainable agriculture on a tiny scale. Owner, Chandra Hartman, doesn’t think in terms of rows of vegetables, she looks at the diversity of her small 1/6 acre. Scattered about the property are clumping bamboo plants, fig trees, natives, a compost bin, and a small worm farm. Many of the plants are grown not just for personal consumption, but also for seed saving. Heirloom seeds (non-hybrids or seeds grown without genetic engineering) that have been saved and passed down for generations are crucial for preserving the best varieties suited for specific growing conditions.

Moonlight Micro-Farm offers heirloom garden seeds saved from the South Walton bioregion, organic sprouting seeds, sprout jars, and an abundance of information on growing food from seed. Permaculture (permanent + agriculture) garden design and consultation are also available. Moonlight Micro-Farm is a regular vendor at the Farmer’s Market in Seaside and can also be contacted at 850-534-4488 or email: chandra@cfhdesignstudio.com for more information.

Where to buy:

For The Health Of It
For The Health Of It has been thinking fresh and local for quite some time. The store features certified organic produce with a large selection of the best tasting fruits and vegetables in the area as most come from local growers Dragonfly Fields and the Wittaker’s farm in DeFuniak Springs. The store also features several varieties of milk – soy, rice, cow, and goat and a large selection of beans, grains, juices, teas and baked goods. The store buys local whenever possible and carries local Ocheesee Creamery dairy products. For The Health Of It also offers fresh fruit smoothies and nutritional supplements.
2217 Scenic Highway 30A
Blue Mountain Beach, Florida 32459
Tel: 850-267-0558
www.shopforthehealthofit.com

Red Bay Grocery
In Spring 2010, Red Bay will be offering Cypress Cattle Company’s fresh produce with a “buy-in” system of fresh produce for $25/week over a 10-week period. What ever is ready will be a full bushel box available for pick up. Red Bay also sells bread and butter pickles from Cypress Cattle Company.
8704 Highway 81 S
Red Bay, Florida 32455
Phone: 850-836-2220
http://www.redbaygrocery.com

Seaside Farmers Market
Downtown Seaside every Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Jenifer Kuntz, owner of Raw & Juicy in Seaside started up the Seaside Farmer’s Market.

Raw & Juicy
Located in Seaside, Raw & Juicy sells locally produced raw foods whenever possible and offer fresh smoothies and raw vegetable delights. They are open 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Jan. 1, then open on weekends until spring when they open up again 7 days a week. Tel: 850-231-0043