Crones Cradle Conserve is a privately owned ecological preserve located only 35 miles south of Gainesville in Citra, Marion County. Out of the 756 acres of the conserve, less than 100 are used for human purposes. The Conserve focuses on sustainability and tries to preserve as much of the existing natural area as possible. According to Jeri Baldwin, co-founder of the Conserve, along with Deborah Light, “The ultimate priority of the Conserve is protecting and appreciating the earth before carrying out any of its “people-related” ventures. This approach is the only way to achieve sustainability for farming, for the local community and for the planet.”
To show how much an approach emphasizing sustainability can benefit our world and the people in it, Crones Cradle hosted an event on April 2nd, kicking off Marion County Farmland Preservation month. Our very own Frank Ruffino was a special guest chef at the Crone’s Cradle Conserve during their Spring Gala, where many different people created food items using the ingredients grown on the Conserve. Frank brought along Matt and Anton to help out as Blue Highway created the dishes shown below. (Thank you to Jessica for the amazing pictures) Everything must have been as good as it looks, because the Blue Highway booth was the first to sell out! Frank described the experience as a very enjoyable one and strongly suggested to anyone interested in visiting that they do so, especially for Farm Stead Saturdays (the Farmer’s Market hosted every Saturday from 9:00AM to 3:00PM). Blue Highway is very fortunate to be given the opportunity to participate in events like these, and looks forward to working with Crones Cradle Conserve again in the future.