Cerasee Farm
Cerasee Farm at a Glance
Farmers: Roger Horne, Anita Franchetti, Christina Bouza
Where they’re located: Brownsville
Website: Urban GreenWorks Facebook: @uwgmiami Instagram: @urbangreenworks Twitt...
Brownsville Block-to-Block Harvest Party with Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Miami’s Brownsville neighborhood is home to a new urban farm, and that’s cause for celebration: the first Block to Block Harvest Party onsite Nov. 10. Miami-based Urban GreenWorks has teamed up with Tito’s Handmade Vodka to start a new garden, planting more than 150 banana and papaya trees and setting up a three-tiered composting system.
Along with Los Angeles and Houston, Miami is one of three inaugural cities that are part of the Block to Block Program, says Lisa Huddleson, director of strategic philanthropy at Tito’s Handmade Vodka. “With 11.6% of the South Florida population suffering from food insecurity, we joined forces with Urban Greenworks to break ground on a new garden in Brownsville and together committed to granting Community Supported Agriculture memberships to families to empower healthier, more sustainable living,” she says.
Photo 1: Lisa Huddleson of Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Photo 2: Butterfly-attracting plants are part of the garden
Photo 3: Pigeon pea flowers
Photo 4: Natives and butterfly attractors
Huddleson says their local teams work closely with nonprofits and charity organizations that exhibit active engagement for improving their neighborhoods “so we have a good finger on the pulse of what’s needed where and when in regard to community development and charity work.”
Among other projects, Urban GreenWorks launched Cerasee Farm on vacant lots in Brownsville, growing greens, tropical fruits, herbs and other produce for the local community. The site of the block party is the Cerasee Farm Extension Site at the Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall Social and Economic Institute on the site of a closed elementary school, which includes a culinary school and other educational and career-building programs.
The lush garden, planted earlier in the year by Urban GreenWorks staff and volunteers, includes a small papaya grove, bananas, moringa, mulberries, natives and butterfly attractors, plus microgreens, arugula, mesclun, radishes, turnips and kale, says Roger Horne of Urban GreenWorks. The site will serve the community in multiple ways, he says. "We plan to have a farm stand on Saturdays and partner with the culinary arts program." The upcoming harvest event is aimed at engaging the community happily. "Let's let our community have fun again, de-stress for a little bit."
National Block to Block Programs
In 2020, look for Tito’s to expand the Block to Block Program to as many cities as possible. “We see no signs of slowing down,” says Huddleson. “Food scarcity and insecurity affect millions of Americans nationwide, so we encourage everyone to seek out like-minded organizations to assist in solving them both by getting involved through volunteerism, monetary donations or simply by spreading the word.
Block to Block Harvest Party
WHAT: Celebration of the new garden, featuring fresh food and Tito’s Handmade Vodka libations made with ingredients grown on site, plus music from DJ Irie and an interactive art wall. CSA memberships available to families. Admission is free and open to the public
WHEN: Sun., Nov. 10 1-4pm
WHERE: Cerasee Farm Extension Site at the Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall Social & Economic Institute, 5120 NW 24 Ave., Miami
MORE INFO: urbangreenworks.com
Related Stories & Recipes