Finding Fresh Food in Tampa

Finding fresh food in Tampa is not an easy task.  People selling fresh produce in many of the local farmer's markets typically buy their produce from the same vendors as the grocery stores and set up shop in the markets.  First thing in the morning on Saturday, it may be fresher than what you might find in the grocery stores but basically it is the same thing.

Tampa does have it's own CSA.
Sweetwater Organic Community Farm sells half-memberships starting at $479 a year- payable up front- if you can get a membership- this year's are sold out.  Even if you could come up with hundreds of dollars for a share- to me the variety doesn't seem to be all that great.  You also have to come to pick up your food in a 4 hour window on Sunday afternoon.  Volunteering is a requirement but one that I would enjoy.

Then there is the Urban Oasis Hydroponic Farm.  This is a farm built on a parking lot.  It is all hydroponic and vertical- which is about the only way to go with the cost of land in Tampa.  They are more of a commercial operation.  They sell both year round and three 8-week seasonal memberships, so getting started is easier.  They also sell a hydroponic system for $500- can grow 90 plants in a 1' by 20' area.  Of course my back porch is 8 by 14- but you have to be able to open and close two doors- so have two 3 by 8 growing areas- so the volume is possible but not the configuration. Have thought about buying a short membership to try it out but the romance of a garden is a little lacking if the whole garden is covered in concrete!

Just found a new link on the CSA site- not there when I started writing this post- Cheyennes Country Things.  They sell $70 memberships for 4 weeks-more my speed.  They also have a variety of growing systems and help people start their own gardens.  Will check this out and do a better post later.  This is technically not in Tampa- but this is closer to me than some of the other places- and it has a delivery service.

Ironically, I found a very exciting farmer's market by doing a search for Christmas Tree Farms.  Somehow or other found myself at the Tampa Bay Farmer's Market.  I am planning to visit this place ASAP.  It is open 7 days a week during the day (close enough and open early enough that I can go without Rob on the weekends.  They have a spreadsheet that tells you where the food is grown- but a lot of food is not grown locally.  They also have a very interesting vendors list.  The vendors list is a post in itself. Found that there is not one but two local coffee roasters: Ybor City Gold and El Molino Coffee.  Amy's Fresh Delivery is also something that I would like to check out.  One of the hard things about buying local is that the best places are an hour away and times available are inconvenient.  Bringing them all together both online and in the store is a really good idea for someone trying to get her feet wet.

That's all for now!