Florida Loquat Festival News – No. 39
March 20, 2020
Celebrating Florida’s Urban Fruit
An Ecology Florida/Friendship Farms & Fare Annual Event
Published by Ecology Florida and Friendship Farms & Fare
http://www.ecologyflorida.org/
Find the Florida Loquat Festival on Facebook
The Newsletter of The Florida Loquat Festival
SPECIAL EDITION
Festival Postponed
Florida Loquat News
The Newsletter of The Florida Loquat Festival
No. 39
March 21, 2020
Celebrating Florida’s Urban Fruit
An Ecology Florida/Friendship Farms & Fare Annual Event
As many readers already know, the 2020 Florida Loquat Festival has been postponed. The official statement will follow shortly in this special edition of the Florida Loquat News. This special edition will also include information on how to acquire loquat products always offered at the festival. Read on a just a bit for information on how to acquire:
Fresh Loquats
Loquat Trees
Loquat Festival T-Shirts
All of us involved in the festival are looking forward to holding the festival later in the year – most likely late summer or early fall.
We’ll have all the features of the festival – except (well) fresh loquats.
By late summer or early fall, we’ll be well past harvest season, which is right now (mid-March to mid-April).
You can look for jellies, jams, cookies and pastries, some incredible muffins (which we’ve all been enjoying at loquat HQ), trees, tea, loquat literature, and (still new this year) the first ever Loquat Art Show.
Please tell everyone in your circle that the festival is still on – a 100% go! We will just do it a bit later than originally planned.
In the meantime, despite the postponement, please know that you can still acquire all loquat products that would have been at the festival. We especially want to get information to you on availability of fresh fruit and trees.
Fresh Fruit Available Now
Contact: Friendship Farms & Fare
For fresh fruit, contact Friendship Farms & Fare ddechant@tampabay.rr.com
In the interest of safety, all fruit is harvested by harvesters wearing protective gloves and N95 respirator masks. Here is an image of two Friendship Farms volunteers (harvesting another spring crop, Collard Greens) wearing the N95 respirator and protective gloves.
Our fruits and vegetables are always grown naturally, and harvested following maximum safety precautions. We will have plenty of loquats available, at $3.00 a pound – just as would be the case at the festival. Contact us for orders.
You can also find our loquats at Wright’s Natural Market, downtown New Port Richey. Wright’s will also has loquat smoothies made with our loquats.
See Wright’s Natural Market 5800 Main St, New Port Richey, FL 34652
(727) 848-5140
Trees Available Now
Contact GreenDreams
https://www.greendreamsfl.com/
A big part of the festival, are beautiful young trees, ready for planting in yards and gardens. If you don’t want to wait until the reschedule of the festival, you can acquire trees directly from the festival’s featured supplier: GreenDreams – A Sustainable Solutions Company.
GreenDreams is a major force in the sustainable food and culture movement, offering a wide assortment of organic fruit trees, suitable for Florida growing To order a tree now, we encourage folks to visit GreenDreams’ website, and see all their offerings https://www.greendreamsfl.com/
GreenDreams’ proprietor, Pete Kanaris, reports that he has an abundant supply of trees – so why wait! All told, GreenDreams likely has the largest collection of loquat trees for sale in the USA – with close to 300 trees – including some well-known favorites:
- Premier
- Golden Nugget
- Bradenton
- Oliver
- Champagne
- Yehuda
Pete will also have some entirely new varieties this year. Of special note, and new this year, will be some of the less common varieties: Novak, Avri, Wolf, and Pelchue. Many of the grafted trees from GreenDreams have fruit on them right now. 3-gallon trees are 3-4 feet tall and slim (for $45). 7-gallon trees are 4-6 feet tall and full (for $65). GreenDreams will also have seedlings (for $5).
Friendship Farms & Fare will also have trees, including several varieties from GreenDreams – so you can also contact Friendship Farms & Fare for trees. ddechant@tampabay.rr.com
Festival T-Shirts Available Now
Contact Friendship Farms & Fare
This year’s shirts are probably the best yet – a dark forest green with bright images of the loquats. We’d love to get a few in circulation now, to help spread the word about the postponement. Suggested dontation: $20. If you’d like a shirt, contact Friendship Farm & Fare ddechant@tampabay.rr.com.
By the next issue, we hope to have images of the shirt – in the meantime, think about getting one for yourself.
We also have a special “I Love Loquat” T-shirt from another supplier. The “Love” on the shirt is a heart in the shape of two loquat halves – very cool.
For the “I Love Loquat” shirt contact Jon Tietz jrtietz@gmail.com.
Next Issue of Florida Loquat News
We plan to have the next issue of FLN out in the next few weeks. Leadership is working affirmatively on the reschedule of the event, and also regular activities around this time of the year, like harvesting, distribution, canning, and preparing baked goods.
We are aiming to have information for the reschedule in the next issue, but we’ll wait for more information on policies on festivals and events.
Find Us On Facebook
You can also get in touch with us about all things loquat and anything you’d like to know about the festival through our facebook page. Here is the web address for our facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/FloridaLoquatFestivalNewPortRichey/
Here is the Official Statement of Postponement
Update Loquat News
Official Statement From the Florida Loquat Festival and Ecology Florida
March 15, 2:40 a.m.
Festival Postponed
Update III
As reported earlier, the 2020 Florida Loquat Festival has been postponed. The Festival will not occur on March 21. The Festival will be rescheduled later this year – most likely in the summer or early fall.
The decision was guided by the identification of an international pandemic, the declaration of a national emergency, recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, and ultimately official directives regarding public events from the City of New Port Richey.
The organizers of the festival are enormously grateful for the support of our sponsor, supporters, patrons, partners, vendors, harvesters, fruit donors, government leaders, and the entire community. Everyone has given so much to the festival (time, energy, mental and emotional support, and financial backing), we know the Seventh Annual Florida Loquat Festival will be a success – just at a later date than originally planned.
Festival organizers are already at work on a reschedule of the event. We will send updates on interim plans as they emerge.
We will notify all patrons, sponsors, partners, vendors, and the general public as soon as details on the reschedule are available.
In the meantime, you can check the Ecology Florida website for issues of Florida Loquat News and the Festival’s Facebook page. News and festival updates will be posted at both sites.
https://www.ecologyflorida.org/
https://www.facebook.com/FloridaLoquatFestivalNewPortRichey/
Above all, don’t lose hope. The Festival will go on – and so will we!
Dell deChant and Jake Pieterse
Co-Curators
Thanks to All For The Sustaining Support
As we look ahead and begin developing plans for the rescheduled 2020 Florida Loquat Festival, we remain most appreciative of all in the community who have supported the mission and vision of the festival. We would not be able to do this without the strong and sustaining support from numerous organizations, businesses and individuals. Special and sincere thanks go to our exclusive sponsor (Suncoast Credit Union), and the many supporting contributors.
Exclusive Sponsor
Founders & Hosts
Premier Supporter
Major Event Supporters
Contributing Supporters
MAHARAJH ACUPUNCTURE & HERB SHOPPE – THE WHITE HERON TEA & GIFTS – NEWSPORTRICHEY.ORG
ROSE’S BISTRO – NEW PORT RICHEY FARMNET – HABITAT FOR HUMANITY PINELLAS AND WEST PASCO
See you later this year at the 7th Annual Florida Loquat Festival
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