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Local fresh food options bloom in Brevard

Despite the convenience of supermarkets and grocery delivery services, Americans still spend a lot of money on locally-grown foods.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that more than 167,000 U.S. farms locally produced and sold food through direct marketing practices in 2015, resulting in $8.7 billion in revenue.

Local opportunities to buy food directly from the grower abound — and Space Coast consumers benefit.

 

Theresa Riley is the owner and manager of Rockledge Gardens, a 6-acre nursery at 2153 US-1 in Rockledge that has been in business since 1960.

Six years ago, Riley started growing a hydroponic farm just across the street from the main nursery grounds. Hydroponic gardening uses mineral-nutrient solutions to feed plants in water, without the use of soil. It is especially popular in places like the Space Coast where agricultural soil is harder to come by.

So far, the two-acre hydroponic farm grows tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, herbs, blueberries, edible flowers and more produce that is sold daily in the market on the regular Rockledge Gardens grounds.

“People are really becoming health conscious and wanting to know where their food is coming from,” Riley said. “It’s not just about organic foods that you see at a grocery store. People want fresh foods.”

To that end, Rockledge Gardens hosts a bi-weekly Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays and Saturdays to sell its own produce alongside 12 to 15 other local vendors. Dairy products, baked goods, coffee beans, pasta and kombucha are just a few of the items customers can purchase fresh at the Farmer’s Market events.

The second Saturday of every month means even larger festivities, with craft vendors, live music and cooking demonstrations.

“We want these events to be personal and really meet the needs of local consumers,” Riley said.

Food, Not on the Shelf

David Murray is the farm manager at Wichmann Farms, located at 930 South John Rodes Boulevard in Melbourne. The business opened in July and was formerly a you-pick strawberry farm. Wichmann Farms still grows strawberries, but has added lettuce, tomatoes and other crops to the items people can pick themselves or purchase already harvested.

“We have about 40,000 plants and 12,000 of those are strawberries,” Murray said. “People can pick their own items for a little less than buying them from us. But either way, it doesn’t get much fresher than here.”

Murray’s expertise is in hydroponic farming, and in addition to his role on the farm, he helps schools and local nonprofits learn the techniques for growing their own food on site.

“It’s so important for kids to see that food doesn’t come from the back shelf in a grocery store. I like to help them see how it’s grown,” Murray said.

The daily food harvested is plentiful, so Wichmann Farms recently bought a food truck that makes daily lunch specials on the grounds. Patrons visit the food truck to buy the fresh salads at lunchtime.

“We take the food right from the field and get it ready for salads the same day. That’s about as fresh as your lunch can be,” Murray said.

Fresh Food, High Tech

Robert Delgado is the creator of the mobile app Homegrown Market that connects people selling fresh food with people who want to buy it. A software engineer, Delgado created the app when he had more eggs from his backyard ducks than he himself was able to eat.

“I knew there had to be people who wanted what I had to sell. I also knew there were other people looking to buy fresh food from locals without any way of really finding it,” Delgado said.

Released in December, the free Android app has a user base of 250+ from as far north as Titusville to as far south as Vero Beach. Anyone can sign up to sell through the app — from large vendors to individuals with extra homegrown food to sell — and then list their inventory and prices.

Buyers download the app on Android mobile devices, set their location and then start searching for the food they want to purchase. Within a few months’ time, Delgado is hoping to launch the app for iOS devices, too. The app connects buyers and sellers but does not handle transactions. Like any peer-to-peer sales system, Delgado encourages users to put their safety first.

Delgado has advertised the app the old-fashioned way, visiting farmer’s markets on the weekends and passing out flyers to buyers and vendors.

“I want to establish this in Brevard first and really get a strong user base. From there, I hope to expand it to other areas,” Delgado said.

Food as a Service

For certified herbologist Brent Blasz, nutritional food is something all people deserve. He’s a co-owner of A Garden Path in Canaveral Groves.

The food is grown on one acre, with the harvest dubbed “high-end produce” by Blasz. Green bib lettuce, red bib lettuce, arugula, spinach and herbs are among the items grown that are then sold to local restaurants. The produce that is left over is donated to local food banks and organizations that feed those in need. The garden also offers contract growing and certified permaculture design consulting.

“It’s our mission to provide nutritious food for those that really need it. We are able to do that through the business we do,” Blasz said.

 

Want to learn more about the local food options listed in this article?

Rockledge Gardens:

http://www.rockledgegardens.com/

A Garden Path

http://gardenpath.weebly.com/#/

Wichmann Farms

https://wichfarms.com/

Get the app:

Google Play app store: Homegrown Market

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