The Journey to Your Table

But all of these fruits and vegetables, and many others we grow in South Florida, originally came from Africa, Asia, Central and South America and Europe. When you sit down at the table, consider what you’re eating. What does our food tell us about our community and ourselves? Find out more in The Journey to Your Table.

South Florida is well known as a melting pot for people and plants. Just as many of us – parents and grandparents, co-workers and neighbors, friends and spouses – came here from somewhere else, so do plants and crops that grow here. Some of their origins may surprise you. Italian pizza with tomato sauce? Tomatoes first grew in the Andes in South America. Potatoes – think fries, potato salad, stew – also came from South America. Black-eyed peas, coffee and okra arrived from Africa. Tropical fruits we love, like bananas and plantains, citrus, coconut, ginger and mango, originated in Asia. Lettuce, carrots, fennel, beets, cabbage, all popular winter crops grown here by farmers and backyard gardeners, first grew in Europe and the Mediterranean. And pumpkin, strawberries and sunflowers that make visits to our farmers markets and farmstands so delightful are all native to North America.

Join us on a journey across the globe to your table. Our voyage takes us to the parts of the world where fruits and vegetables were originally grown before they made their way to South Florida. We’ll explore where you can find dishes in the community and provide healthy recipes with produce grown here. Try something new. Share with your neighbors! These pages will help you celebrate South Florida’s vast cultural and culinary diversity through something we all love: delicious food!

Welcome to Grow2Heal

Our Baptist Health family proudly represents dozens of countries across the globe. Through our Grow2Heal gardens, launched in 2014 at Homestead Hospital, Baptist Health has found common ground with our diverse population by growing an assorted collection of produce from around the world – beets, boniato, mango, okra, pineapple, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini and many more. By showcasing preventive health through nutrition and sharing the abundance of flavors from around the world, we find ways to connect and heal. Today, in addition to Homestead Hospital, there are Grow2Heal gardens at West Kendall, South Miami and Doctors Hospitals, with more Baptist Health locations to follow. To find out more, email us.