Sally Scalera

Brevard County Horticulture Extension Agent
3695 Lake Drive -- Cocoa FL 32926 -- 321-633-1702

Local produce growers sought after

February 12, 2005

Periodically I get calls from residents who are interested in buying locally grown produce, herbs, eggs, etc. I have never been aware of a of list Brevard County producers or a list of people who have extra produce for sale so I thought it would be interesting to try and create such a list. So, that is the subject of this article.

The information that I am trying to collect is pretty large and would result in a list of producers (both large and small) of all the different products. I would like to hear from everyone that is already growing excess food that they are selling and anyone interested in purchasing locally grown and food.

The term food here is also very broad and includes vegetables, fruit, honey and herbs as well as fish, shrimp, eggs, chickens and I’m sure you get the idea. More than likely there are a number of residents who are already growing or raising a large variety of food but there is no system to get the word out to the interested buyers. These lists could be a way to bring the producers and consumers together.

Now, I am requesting that everyone and anyone who is growing or raising food or buying the same will get in contact with me. If you are already have excess food (including both plant or animal) we need to know what you have available, the months it is available and your name, address, phone number and e-mail if you have it.

For anyone interested in purchasing these items I just need to know your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. I hope to be able to come up with a list of producers that could not only be posted on our website but also mailed out to interested residents who do not have web access.

Brevard County is on the Southern end of many temperate fruit crops like blueberries, apples, peaches, grapes, etc. and on the Northern end of many tropical fruits such as pineapples, mangoes, avocadoes, carambola, etc.

It would be exciting to have a large list of producers of all sizes and crops to pass on to the residents of Brevard County. To reduce mistakes it will be best if I receive all of the information in writing. Just to make sure that we get the word out to as many people as possible, please pass this information on to any friends, co-workers or family members that you think might be interested!