Fresh, Local, & Homemade – Why Neighbors Love This St. Pete Farm Stand (Florida Farm Stand Series)

We’re excited to feature this inspiring guest post from TheSunnyPelican, who shares their journey of connecting with nature, growing food, and building community through a local farm stand. 🌱

Connecting with Nature

My ache to connect with nature by spending more time outside, sowing and growing my own food, and sharing experiences with the wildlife around me continues to grow each day. I joined a local seed club created by The Urban Harvest, and each quarter I receive several packets of seeds to plant with care instructions. It is a huge time-saver to be told what to plant and when to plant it! The seed club, combined with some of our staple plants we have in our little urban farm (katuk, strawberry tree, Okinawa spinach, cranberry hibiscus, moringa, sweet potato vines) has been incredible! I haven’t had to purchase vegetables in a year and a half, and that feels fantastic!

Teaching and Inspiring Kids

I am an elementary school teacher, and while the majority of our day is spent indoors, I am able to add outdoor experiences through building and observing compost bins in science, taking gardening classes with the local nonprofit The Edible Peace Patch Project, and going on nature walks to collect specimens to use for science, math, writing, and art projects. Kids are the future and I can see the thirst they have to connect with the natural world. I want to feed that and help nurture it.

As I learn more about our food systems, I am determined to grow as much of my own food as I can.

Backyard Chickens and the Joy of Harvest

My fiancé and I adopted several backyard chickens which, along with joining the seed club, had a profound impact on my view of nature and food. I love the natural, healthy, wholesome feeling of plucking a fresh tomato off the vine, harvesting spinach leaves for a salad, and picking up a warm, freshly-laid egg and thanking the chicken that laid it. Sharing this feeling with others makes me feel alive and connected in a way I hadn’t previously experienced!

The Birth of the Farm Stand

Thus the farm stand was born. In an effort to supplement my income (teachers in Florida are paid 50th in the USA) and connect with my community, I decided to open a farm stand. Sowing, growing, and harvesting my own fruits and veggies has had such a positive impact on my mental health; the more I do it, the more I want to do it.

Sourdough and Community

The same goes for making things with my hands. I think we all have a primal need to dig in the soil, to nurture plants, and to prepare food.
Baking sourdough has been surprisingly fun, relaxing, and incredibly rewarding for me. It takes a lot of time but I genuinely enjoy it!

The way sourdough is alive, the community that exists because of it, and the beneficial health effects it has excites me and makes me eager to get in the kitchen! Sharing bread with family, friends, neighbors, and my local community through my farm stand inspires me to keep learning, growing, and getting better. I feel humbled to prepare food, especially organic loaves with only 3 ingredients, and share something delicious that is actually GOOD for my loved ones!

Building Neighborhood Connections

Through my farm stand, I have met so many neighbors that I wouldn’t know otherwise. For the last several years I’ve lived in my home, I’ve lamented the fact that my neighborhood doesn’t seem to have a super strong sense of community. Rather than continue wishing it were otherwise, I have decided to take action and ownership and be a small part of the change I wish to see here.
I hope my farm stand can be one way to help connect us all in a positive way.

My farm stand has also connected me with other Florida farm stand and flower stand owners, who inspire me on the daily.

What I Sell and Where to Find Me

The main items I sell at my farm stand are sourdough bread loaves, sourdough cookies, and other baked goods. The jalapeño cheddar sourdough is my most popular item (and my personal favorite, too!).
My farm stand is located at 736 88th Ave N in St. Pete. I have it open on Saturdays each week.
I accept cash and digital payments.

Guest post by TheSunnyPelican.