Eat Fresh, Buy Local - A Farmer's Directory
ARTfarm, LLC - 514-4873
Saturdays, 9-11am (beginning Jan. 2)
St. Croix Map #11
Organically grown fresh, sweet local tomatoes, salads, herbs, veggies and a new farm are sprouting in 2010 at ARTfarm. After eight years at Southgate, Luca is closing the location in November 2009 and moving the farm over the hills to the south shore! A new farm stand is being built from old greenhouses, old sheds recycled for art gallery space, and operations expanding to eventually include livestock and sculpture gardens. During construction we'll have less food to sell. But farmer/artist Luca Gasperi plans to continue supplying customers with the highest quality fresh produce, and to give volunteers a beautiful place to get their hands in the soil.
Creque Dam Farm - 473-3155
St. Croix Map #17
Home to the Virgin Islands Sustainable Farm Institute, Creque Dam Farm is doing its part to keep local farmers off the virtual endangered species list with farming courses for school children and adults. They also offer VI Locally Grown, a Wednesday produce pick-up system where you can purchase directly from chemicalfree and organic farmers through www.vi.locallygrown.net. Growers post their ripening produce to the site on Sunday then you can buy online Monday and Tuesday. The produce is picked only after it is sold to ensure freshness for the customer and reliability for the farmer.
La Reine Farmers' Market - 778-0998
7-3pm every Saturday
St. Croix Map #20
Up to 45 farmers rise early to meet the early crowds at this colorful marketplace run by the Department of Agriculture. Stock up on potted and dried herbs, carrots, yams, collard greens, lettuce, beets, thyme, parsley, chives, mango, avocado, eggfruit, guava, okra, pumpkin, arugula, Chinese cabbage, and Soursop and more. Look for homemade jams, jellies, chutney tarts, pies, cakes, and local juices plus potted plants and fruit trees.
Tropics Hydroponics Farm - 227-5546
Monday-Friday, 8-12 noon Saturday mornings, La Reine Market
St.Croix Map #13
Owned and run by Brian and Linda McCulough, this farm specializes in growing high quality Bib lettuce as well as beefsteak and cluster vine ripened tomatoes. They use no soil - only hydroponics feeding well water nutrition to all of their plants...well water that has been purified through reverse osmosis, ph balanced and enriched with a special blend of nutrients and micro-nutrients! In addition to serving the public, the Hospitality industry is their primary market delivering local produce to fine restaurants on St. Croix.
VI Farmers' Cooperative - 643-4354
7-3pm every Saturday
St. Croix Map #12
The goal of this 78-member Cooperative is to revive the agriculture industry and begin pooling farmers' produce in hope of getting a more consistent supply of locally grown food. You can check out their market every Saturday at Estate Grange across from the VI Health & Fitness Center. They plan to create a permanent farmers' market here to stay open six days a week giving the community and the farmers a steady headquarters for the buying and selling of local produce helping to promote the resurgence of St. Croix's agricultural industry.
