PLANT CITY, Fla. — You may notice more produce stands around Hillsborough County.
The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) says more people are showing an interest in growing their own food and are winding up with plenty to sell, too.
What You Need To Know
UF/IFAS Extension offers course through its Homegrown program
More produce stands are popping up, giving more people access to fresh produce
One produce stand in Plant City has been providing fresh produce for three years now
The fruit stand is located off of County Line and East State Road 60
Francisco Manzano prides himself on selling fresh produce.
“These are from here, Plant City, they’ve recently been picked,” Manzano said.
He opened his produce stand on County Line Road in Plant City about three years ago. Before that, he used to work on farms, traveling from state to state for work.
From strawberries, onions to tomatoes, everything is locally sourced.
And he says that while it’s his main source of income, he can provide fresh produce at a much lower cost. “It’s a bit cheaper and fresher, and we try to sell things that the community is asking or looking for,” he said.
Manzano says his produce stand has grown to include several varieties of fruits and vegetables, and it’s been a benefit to the people who stop by.
“I believe the people that come here are people with little or low resources, but those clients are the ones that are helping us to thrive,” Manzano said.
Monica Petrella is the food system program coordinator with UF/IFAS extension. She says they have seen more people interested in growing their own food and others growing a surplus, leading to more growers opening produce stands.
Petrella believes it’s a process that brings benefits to the community.
“When we have the community capacity to grow, sell and distribute our own food, I always think that is a good thing,” she said. “Because it allows us to be more nimble and flexible and less dependent on these systems that we might not have control over.”
Manzano hopes his produce stand becomes a local hub for all things local. “This is food that we live from, and this is something that is good,” he said.
It’s a growing trend that’s putting fresh food within reach of more families.
UF/IFAS extension also offers programs to teach people how to harvest their own food.