ALVA, Fla. (Oct. 13, 2015) – Beginning its second season, Rooster’s Farm Fresh Market will kick off its re-opening with gardening classes and a pumpkin patch on Oct. 24.
The Intro to Gardening class will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The cost is $20 per person, and each registrant will receive $20 in “Rooster Bucks” to be used on the market’s fresh produce.
“There’s nothing better to get us in the mood for fall than a pumpkin patch,” said Jean Baer who owns Rooster’s with her husband Denny. “We look forward to welcoming our friends, neighbors and their families to our enhanced market this season.”
In addition to the new gardening workshops, Rooster’s will also offer new fruit trees, fruit plants, and composting equipment.
Managed by Steve Sanderson, the market is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on Wednesdays, and features a variety of Florida vegetables, produce and citrus as well as locally made honey, jams, jellies, ice cream, sauces, apple cider, Granny Ella’s pumpkin pies, popcorn, soaps, dog treats and more.
The property also includes a large greenhouse and garden, managed by Prita Lal, that is currently producing fresh herbs, and demonstration garden beds used during Rooster’s gardening workshops.
Demonstration garden beds are meant to inspire future gardeners and educate current ones about how to grow substantial quantities of food naturally, even in small spaces, during the market’s interactive gardening workshops. Lal will host regular classes on seed starting, soil fertility, companion planting, irrigation, plant health and pest management, and food preservation.
Lal is a small-scale farmer, educator and environmentalist with a passion for ecologically sustainable agriculture. She has a certificate in urban agriculture from Farm School NYC, which was the first program of its kind in the U.S. and was initially funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Beginning Farmers and Rancher Development Program. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. in sociology from State University of New York Stony Brook, where she is focusing on community gardening and food justice. Lal has been teaching for the past 10 years in a variety of settings with community organizations as well as in public and private universities.
Located at 15500 Palm Beach Boulevard, off State Road 80 in Alva, Rooster’s Farm Fresh Market opened February 2015 after the Baers purchased and refurbished the former Ritchey’s Fresh Produce property in summer of 2014.
To reserve a spot for the gardening workshop, email steve@roostersonroute80.com.
Volunteer and apprenticeship opportunities are also available.
For more information about Rooster’s Farm Fresh Market, call 239-691-9249 or visit www.roostersonroute80.com.
