by Christine Baker
With 2021 marching on, I must say, my heart has longed for this Louisiana spring like never before. Budding flowers, trees with new green leaves and the fresh scent of tilled garden soil wafting through the air all point to my heart to new life budding in my little world and heart.
As the world spins and I age, simple things bring me joy and so does buying LOCAL. Why? Probably because once upon a time, long ago, growing up in a little town in south Louisiana, this once wide-eyed, little Cajun French girl watched her parents, Mom and Dad both alike, function as local business owners. That’s right, they made a living from people next-door and across town, people like you and me supporting local businesses.
One mouth-watering local business I‘ve come to love here in Cenla is Gray-Walk Farms. It’s a local hydroponic farm located at 90 Harold Miles Park Road near the Conference Center at the Greens. If you’re anything like me, I bet you’re wondering just exactly what is a hydroponic farm. Well, it’s a farm that grows various plants in fertilized water with little to no soil involved. One of the benefits of Hydroponic Farming is that it allows growth of plants year round due to the controlled climate; the produce stays fresher longer, plus it’s grown locally which means it’s delivered fresh from the Farm to the store, restaurant or table in a short amount of time.
At Gray-Walk Farms, you’ll find different varieties of greens, such as mustard greens, different types of lettuce, various herbs and fresh tomatoes. Although they are a wholesale distributor, you can purchase and taste for yourself the mouth-watering difference that hydroponic farming makes in fresh, local produce by buying from them at one of these convenient local pop-up sales: on Tuesdays at the Alexandria Farmers Market on Jackson Street, on Saturday mornings from 8-10 a.m. at Beans and Cream in Alexandria and the Montgomery Animal Hospital in Pineville.
For further information about Gray-Walk Farms, a local hydroponic farm here in Cenla, check them out on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/graywalkfarms) where they have numerous videos and information about who they are, what they do and how you can purchase their delicious, fresh produce locally or give them a call at 318.880.0120.
As always, Good eating, Good loving and … Buy Local!
Visit Gray-Walk Farms on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graywalkfarms
