Fifth Annual Okra Occasion
New Port Richey
Monday, August 12
Less than a festival but more than an ordinary day!
NEW PORT RICHEY (July 13, 2019) - All are welcome to join the City of New Port Richey’s Environmental Committee and New Port Richey FarmNet for the fifth annual "Okra Occasion...Less than a festival but more than an ordinary day!” to be held at the New Port Richey Public Library (5939 Main Street) in downtown New Port Richey on Monday, August 12 beginning at 6 p.m.
Friendship Farms & Fare, FarmNet, and the gardeners from the Grand Gardens are joining other growers and citizens to share the magic of okra – one of Florida's forgotten vegetable treasures. There will be samples of okra dishes; two short films on urban farming; an okra recipe mini-booklet; and some fresh okra for sale by local growers. A brief presentation on New Port Richey' FarmNet will be included on the program.
This year will again feature prizes for the best okra dishes. Everyone is invited to bring a dish for folks to sample and evaluate. There will be three prizes (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) awarded on the basis of evaluation of the dishes by those in attendance. Awards will be $50 for first prize, $30 for second, and $20 for third. If you desire to have a dish included in the tasting and judging, you must contact the organizers for instructions, bring the dish and 50 copies of the recipe. Deadline for the entering contest is August 9. Up to ten entrees will be accepted - first come first serve.
Fresh, locally-grown okra will be available for donations. We have commitment from Friendship Farms & Fare, Grand Gardens, East Madison Gardens, Habitat for Humanity Gardens, and other farms and gardens in the city. Growers are welcome to bring fresh okra to the event to share with attendees. If you desire to have your fresh locally-grown okra available for donations, you must contact the organizers for instructions, bring your okra to the event and 50 business cards or flyers for your farm or garden.
Assisting at the fifth annual okra occasion are members of the City’s Environmental Committee. It has been through the efforts of this committee that New Port Richey has a progressive agricultural program allowing for residential farms and gardens and micro-urban farms such as those in the East Madison Neighborhood and the city's Agricultural District in the Western portion of Virginia Avenue. The Environmental committee has discovered many residents in the city would like to grow their own organic vegetables.
For more information about this upcoming special “occasion” on August 12, feel free to call Dell deChant at (727) 849-1626, or contact New Port Richey FarmNet through their Facebook page.
The Okra Occasion in one of the four major seasonal agrarian celebrations in New Port Richey. The others are: The Sweet Potato Round-Up (September 28, 2019), The Collards Festival & Winter Greens Expo (January 25, 2019), and The Florida Loquat Festival (March 21, 2020) - the only Loquat Festival in America.
Mission: The mission of New Port Richey FarmNet is to quickening the rise of a resilient and sustainable community in the City of New Port Richey and surrounding areas on the basis of agrarian principles and practices, and a commitment to food sovereignty.