Food for Thought

Lately, astronauts at the International Space Station have been discovering their green thumbs, taking turns watering their mini farm in space. Fresh food grown in the microgravity environment of space officially is on the menu for the first time for NASA astronauts—thanks to a Sarasota man’s fertilizer. Who knew a family-run, Sarasota-based business would be responsible for feeding this crop of the future? Abby Weingarten introduces you to Ed Rosenthal in her “Interstellar Sustainability” piece. It’s far out….

Back here on Earth, we introduce you to a Myakka City farm that’s filling British grocery shelves with hundreds of tons of precision-grown watercress. Guy Averill takes us for a ride around his 500-acre Watercress Farm and explains why almost all of the greens end up on English dinner plates.

Then we introduce you to John Soles, a third-generation farmer who once had a 10-acre organic tangerine grove until citrus greening wiped it out. His acres are now home to 2,500 chickens, which eat a soy-free diet that produce the richest-tasting eggs around. Make sure you look out for that tie-dye-covered carton of eggs.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live and work on a farm? Sarasota and Bradenton areas are rich with groves, ranches, dairies, gardens—and friendly farmers who welcome you to visit and learn about what they do and why. You can find our annual Farm Guide in this issue and discover out how you can visit a local farm and see what they have growing on. Thank you to our partners Visit Sarasota County and The Bradenton Area CVB.

Slowly but surely, chillier weather is coming our way. In this issue of Edible Sarasota you will find seasonal recipes that take advantage of the fall harvest. Our Edible Anatomy feature showcases a modernized version of the Southern classic dish chicken and dumplings. I think you might just make this regardless of the time of the year.

If you’re enjoying lettuce in space or here on Earth, I wish you all a bountiful harvest season. Nanu Nanu.