The 13th Annual Farm Tour 2020 recently took place and there was so much to see. The tour featured more than 30 farms, orchards, ranches and nurseries in North Florida and South Georgia and it serves as a reminder that we have these wonderful resources right here.
There are farms that make ice cream and dairy products; grow crops, flowers and fruit trees, care for rescue animals; make their own wine; specialize in eggs and honey.
My husband and I drove to Thomasville and visited Yoche and Israel Artzi’s two-acre organic farm. There was a line of fans waiting for Israel’s terrific falafel sandwiches and the produce grown right here on the premises. The crops are meticulously laid out and they also have several fruit trees — and check out the lovely flowers of the okra plant (who knew?).
Yoche makes pita bread, hummus and baked goods in their commercial kitchen here. You can also find these items at their Pita Queen, LLC stand from 11 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays at Lake Ella Growers’ Market and at a few markets.
We also got to see a baby camel named Humphrey, llamas, chickens, horses, pot-belly pigs, pet mini cows and lots more critters at the family-run Redemptive Love Farm, a 12 acre Tallahassee property that’s a permanent home to more than 100 animals and foster home animals. They also have a petting zoo and pony rides. It’s a great stop for kids — you can pay a slight cost to get feed for the animals.
If you go on the tour next year, or plan to visit any farms, here are a few tips.
* First read over their guide and pay close attention to the days and hours the farms are open for visitors. It sounds obvious, but if you’re going tomorrow, make sure the farms you pick are open on Sundays. Keep in mind some farms offer demonstrations.
*Map out your route. Many of these farms are far apart so you’ll likely want to concentrate on a certain area.
*If you can, stop at the Millstone Institute Of Preservation, host of the event, where you’ll find animals, craftsmen, food and a superb climbing tree for kids.
*Don’t bring pets but carry suntan lotion, bug spray, water and a tote bag.
* Consider bringing a cooler if you intend to buy meat or produce.
* Bring some cash in case the farm doesn’t take credit cards.
* For the info on the individual farms, take a look at the full brochure here: https://drive.google.com/…/1-I-5zjjzkE4TNf0z6yCONdf63c…/view
It’s a lot of fun to meet such dedicated local farmers, many running small family operations.
Here’s a gallery of pictures from our farm tours.
