Articles written by Darryl McCullough (unless otherwise noted)

Sunday, October 18, 2015

A Walk In The (Palma Sola) Park

Last week we learned about some of the benefits of a “nature experience” such as a walk through a park. One of the best places for such an experience is, of course, our own Palma Sola Botanical Park. And a great time for it would be 11:00 a. m. on Sunday, October 25.

That's when the MRFC is hosting an educational tour through our fruit tree collection as part of the fifth annual Eat Local Week for our two-county area. Here is our event's description page at the website of Transition Sarasota, the organizer of Eat Local Week. Please spread the word to promote our event, and if you can copy and distribute some flyers, they are available on the description page.

Details of all the Eat Local Week events can be found here.

In addition to our Palma Sola tour, two other Eat Local Week events concern fruit tree horticulture in our area. The Tropical Fruit Society of Sarasota will have a fruit tree mini-sale at the downtown Sarasota Farmer's Market on Saturday, October 24. Vendor Steve Cucura will have the new SuperHass avocado, said to be just like the Hass but highly productive in our climate. On Tuesday night, October 27, the TFSS monthly meeting will feature Noris Ledesma speaking on jakfruit. I expect that her presentation will be similar to the one she gave to the MRFC some months ago, but if you missed that one, or just want a refresher, this is the opportunity.

Many other Eat Local Week events are of interest to plant lovers. Geraldson Community Farm--- which adjoins Palma Sola Park to the south--- holds its Fall Harvest Fest on October 24. There will be not just one, but three plant walks to learn about wild native plants, including this one directed by clinical herbalist Bob Linde at Palmetto's Emerson Point Preserve on Thursday, October 29. The plant walks require pre-registration for a limited number of openings, so don't wait until the last minute.

With a diverse slate of 28 events, Eat Local Week has something for everyone: fruit trees, school gardens, cooking, aquaculture at Mote Aquarium, charity harvesting for the food bank, tasting local craft beers, and more. It's yet another benefit of living here on Florida's Suncoast.

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