BENZONIA — Launching their weekly farmers market June 9, Grow Benzie is sharing just one facet of the up-and-coming community farmstead.
Situated on M-115 just outside Benzonia, Grow Benzie's multi-faceted mission is both ambitious and innovative. Founders envision everything from community gardening — this year there will be 14 plots, last year the site had eight — to training in gardening, culinary arts and food preservation. Additional benefits of the various and growing collaborations and partnerships with community organizations will boost the county's economic prospects.
The sky's the limit at the 3.7-acre property, where founders and volunteers plan to foster self-reliance by teaching agricultural, nutrition and life and job skills.
"We're just ecstatic about what we can do here," said Cheryl Roth, a co-founder of the nonprofit, which last year designated output from four garden plots to local food banks.
One of Roth's special interests is to leverage the property's potential to help combat childhood obesity. Grow Benzie designated one of the plots this year for the local school districts, where Roth envisions students learning about food from farm to table. By helping with planting, cultivating, harvesting, processing and preserving and then preparing fresh produce, students will learn about options to fast or highly-processed foods abundant in typical youth diets.
"The whole idea is to slowly introduce things," said Roth of the freshness, flavors and educational potential she sees from the gardens.
"Big Blue" plays an integral role in Grow Benzie's strategic plan. Since it began in the fall of 2008, the group realized they needed to extensively renovate this affectionately-named, 5,000-square-foot building. Big Blue is one of multiple structures on the property, which also includes a former residence now zoned for offices as well as three greenhouses.
Fundraising, navigating permits and renovations over many months have made the building ready for occupancy, with plans for classes, meetings and other projects on tap. Future plans include a certified kitchen that can be used for demonstrations, classes or to process and assemble produce from the gardens.
"The building's been totally renovated over the winter, it's really kind of amazing," said Grow Benzie board member Deb Query.
The economic potential of farming in the community is also key, Query noted, and Grow Benzie can help promote this.
"That's something I'm interested in: teaching the kids about the food that comes from Benzie County," she said. "I think that's one thing Benzie has, there's a lot of unemployment but there's also a lot of independent farms."
The Grow Benzie site's greenhouses feature technology from the 1970s. Translation: They need a lot of work but their potential is huge. The initial plan is to get running as a greenhouse and then use the second and third ones as garden space. A hoop house to extend the growing season or other uses will be evaluated in the future.
Typical of the organization's successful outreach, another Grow Benzie collaboration will be showcased this fall.
"A neighbor to the west of us is loaning us an acre of land so we can have a pumpkin patch," Roth said.
As with any nonprofit, new or not, finding funds is a challenge. To provide a much-needed boost, Grow Benzie has a Ho-Down event on tap for July.
Query, a seasonal resident who calls Benzie home, has family roots in the region stretching five generations. A sixth generation connection, her son Dave, owns seven restaurants in Colorado. Grow Benzie will tap him and his renowned chef from a Boulder restaurant — Hosea (Ho) Rosenberg, Bravo's season five Top Chef winner — for the fundraiser.
The Grow Benzie Ho-Down will feature a gallery opening on July 23 at the site, showcasing local artists Melanie Parke and Richard Kooyman. A dinner the next evening will also include a live and silent auction.
For more information on Grow Benzie, located at 5885 M-115 in Benzonia, e-mail growbenzie@gmail.com or see www.growbenzie.org. For more information, or to reserve a $65 ticket for the Grow Benzie Ho-Down, e-mail growbenzie@gtmail.com or call 352-4487.
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