Have you been to The Farm at South Mountain? It has 3 restaurants, a big grassy field with pecan trees and picnic tables, a handful of shops, a crepe truck on the weekends, and, yes, a small organic farm. It’s a delightful place to spend the day. Phillip and I like to get breakfast from Morning Glory Cafe, or a picnic basket or cup of coffee from The Farm Kitchen, and then wander around.
The Botanica shop has unique garden and gifty things. On Saturdays, they set up a table in front of their chalk art wall and sell various local foodstuffs, like salsa and honey.
Maya’s Farm has an organic produce stand and its own CSA. Last time we were there, they were demonstrating simple ways to use more vegetables with samples of this amazing salad and sauteed breakfast radishes.
About 20 years ago (yikes), my family briefly lived at the base of South Mountain. On the way to school, we would drive down Baseline Road past all these beautiful fields of greens and flowers with little roadside stores selling local produce, sweets, nuts, and flowers. There are still a few left, but most have been replaced by stuccoed condos and strip malls.
The Farm is a way to preserve some of that open space, to keep the land viable and beautiful, to nourish the community in a way that asphalt and stucco simply can’t.
