Crones' Cradle Conserve
On July 13th the Bioenergy School traveled to Marion County to visit Crones’ Cradle Conserve, which is an 800 acre ecological preserve that is part of a private land trust. Lee Solomon, the head gardener at the conserve, was our guide for the day starting off with a historical preface of the property. She then took the Bioenergy School on a tour of the gardens which grow a wide variety of edible vegetation, anything from pineapple to red noodle beans. This farm raises organic produce, but is not a certified organic farm. Due to the fact that most of the property is surrounded by swamp land, most of the land used for raising produce must utilize a raised bed format to account for a lack of drainage. Single V roofing material is used to make planters for the raised beds which are usually composed of Florida soil, composted horse manure, worm castings from any of the 12 on-site worm beds, and dolomite which is used as a calcium supplement. Solar trek solar panels are used to generate power for the on-site house of the property owner Jeri Baldwin and help to power the electric fences used to keep away unwanted animals. This conserve has 10 individuals that run the whole farm including management of the forty beehives that produce their own honey sold at their farm store and care of over 55 cats, rabbits, dogs, chickens, and a pig named lipstick. Most of the garden waste and compost from the kitchen go to feed the chickens, which are solely used for egg production. This farm takes sustainability and public education very seriously. There is a great interest in using an anaerobic digester for waste that cannot be composted such as tomatoes that have blight. Every Saturday Crones’ Cradle hosts a program from 9-3 called Farmstead Saturdays which offers workshops, demonstrations, educates the public about gardening techniques, and offers a wide variety of products for purchase such as their organic produce, farm fresh eggs, and honey. Crones’ Cradle has a native nursery that is dedicated to the sale of native Florida plants that are a more sustainable option due to their natural adaptations to the Floridian environment and the fact that they require less water than traditional ornamental species. Crones’ Cradle also participates in the Farm to Fare Basket Program which provides individuals with fresh organic produce by subscription. Their main objective at this conserve is to spread public awareness about sustainability, how important it is to get engaged with local resources, and to share how exciting and easily achievable a greener lifestyle can be.