Lettuce Grow
Homestead Hydroponic Farm Market
Remember that scene in Pulp Fiction when they finally open the suitcase and the golden light of whatever mystery lies inside beams out with the intensity of 1,000 flashlights? That’s how it feels to open up your order of Homestead Hydroponic goodies: strawberries so red, cucumbers so crisp, and bouquets of lettuce so beautiful they’d be wedding worthy—all snuggled up, waiting to be unpacked and devoured.
Listen, I love an Oreo as much as the next guy, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that a shift is happening for humanity—a reminder, really, that in a world that’s become overrun with sickness and synthetic everything, it’s time to return to the root of all things.
For people, square one has always had two basic principles: Live off the land and cultivate your village. Homestead Hydroponics does both with a mix of thoughtfulness and beauty that we’ve sadly stopped expecting from so many of our food sources. Yet owners Sarah Whannel and Mike Baker have practically turned produce into an art form. Their Myakka family farm grows the most beautiful, flavorful, crispest, long-lasting, pesticide- and GMO-free lettuces, greens, veggies, and sinfully sweet strawberries you’re going to find for miles.
“Our strawberries started out with a trial of 3,000 grown hydroponically in coconut fiber grow bags in an elevated system we built ourselves so they can be picked without being bent over,” says Mike. “The quality and the taste are truly outstanding.”
This family farm is focused on quality, stewardship, community, and nature. They used to be a staple at the Saturday market— with folks ooh-ing and ahh-ing over their gorgeous bunches of sorrel, frissego, and butterhead lettuces, as well as nasturtiums, microgreens, and herbs—but the pandemic-that-shall-not-benamed forced them to shift their business model to focus on local pickup and home delivery (though walkups are always welcome). In case you just breezed over that, I said HOME DELIVERY. Move over, Bezos.
It’s also important to note that even if they don’t have it, they do have it. What? Refer to basic principle number two: the village. Homestead Hydroponics continuously nourishes their connections with the community, meaning they offer an abundance of farm-fresh and feel-good items from other local purveyors such as Fermentlicous sauerkraut, Grove Ladder Farm eggs, Blackbeard’s Ranch pork, Pretty Farm Girl’s body butter, Honeyside Organic Farm veggies, and a few other local finds.
“We love to partner with our community,” says Sarah. “We aim to be more convenient and accessible so people can get our produce and other vendors’ products if they aren’t at the market.”
It works like this: Go to their website. Order all the things. Drive and go get it or let them drive it to you. Instructions on pickup times and delivery dates are clearly written online. It’s much easier than pie. Pie takes time. This takes 20 minutes.
