A question for you in Kelly’s Kitchen today…is the family farm an endangered species? I’ve wondered about that lately. I tend to take long drives to relax and see farms that seem to be thriving and those that are not. There’s a web site called Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org) that notes we have somewhere close to two million farms in the US, 80% of those small farms who survive by selling what they grow directly to the public. Statewide, Local Harvest lists 454 family farms, 7 in the Tampa Bay area that include Sweetwater Organic Community Farm. We see them at the farmer’s markets, at food co-ops and the roadside stands. But it makes a tremendous difference when you meet the families and see what they’ve accomplished through generations of hard work.

I’d seen an events listing for Long and Scott Farms in Mt Dora that talked about a corn maze, which I thought would be a great thing to check out for Kelly’s Kitchen. Hank Scott is a third generation farmer, and I had the great luck to actually meet his father Frank, and go along for a hay ride and tour the farm! Frank and Billy Long go back to their childhood as friends from Virginia, and in 1963 created Long and Scott Farms, starting with 100 acres that has grown to 1,200. Billy retired in ’98, and Frank says he’s semi-retired but keeps a close eye on Hank!

What’s on the farm? Those wonderful Kirby Cucumbers that Claussen, Mt  Olive and others use for their crunchy pickle products. Scott’s Zellwood Sweet Corn that’s always the highlight of the Spring Corn Fest every Saturday in May, and cabbage you can wrap your arms around!  But the seven acre corn maze is what draws so many families to Scott and Long Farms every season in October and November, along with lots of fun for everyone that includes a 60 foot slide, a water balloon fling, and that all too memorable hay ride that I took with Frank.  See how my visit went, and check out these photos! Don't forget to stop in at their market and take home some delicious memories as well.

It’s worth the trip it. If you’re heading over to Orlando it’s an easy side trip up 429, and their website has easy to follow directions. My thanks to Anna Sciarrino, the director of sales and marketing on the farm, and to Frank’s daughter Rebecca who was very generous with her own time on a busy Saturday afternoon. And to Frank. A gentleman and a farmer who has a proud heritage with Scott and Long Farms. For maze hours and more on Long and Scott Farms, visit their web site at www.longandscottfarms.com.

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM KELLY’S KITCHEN:

Let us not forget that the cultivation of the earth is the most important labor of man. When tillage begins, other arts will follow. The farmers, therefore, are the founders of civilization. Daniel Webster