At This Sarasota Farm Stand, Your Lettuce Was in the Ground When You Parked

Most produce has seen more of Florida than I have by the time it hits my fridge. A truck, a warehouse, a cooler, another truck, a misting machine that makes it look dewy and surprised.

The lettuce at Jessica's Organic Farm skips all of that! On market days, the farm says produce is "harvested continuously right before your eyes" and goes on sale "within hours, or even minutes of being picked." Minutes! Your salad was literally in the dirt while you were circling for a parking spot.

Five acres, since the '70s

This is not a pop-up. Per the farm's own history, Bill and Pam Pischer started leasing the five-acre property in 1978, and the farm has been growing organically since 1979, which it says makes it one of the original organic growers in all of Florida. It's certified organic by QCS, and the growing season runs September to June, so we are right at the start of the good part.

My favorite detail: it began as a strawberry U-pick where customers picked their own berries, weighed them and left the money in a cash box. Florida in the '70s had trust.

The farmstand now lives in a pole barn built on the property, and the farm says it's pet-friendly and that people like to pose in front of the fields. So yes, you can bring the dog and get a photo with the kale.

What's growing right now

The homepage keeps a running list for the weekend. The Jessica's-grown, good-supply stars this weekend are:

• Peppers, peppers, peppers: Red Rocket, poblano, cayenne and jalapeño. Taco night just planned itself.
• Sunflower microgreens, which the online store lists at $12.89 a tray.
• Moringa, listed online at $4.89 a pound.

Then comes the list that matters if you sleep in: red oakleaf, Bibb and romaine lettuce, escarole, arugula, basil, lemongrass and roselle are marked "limited supply, not guaranteed, early AM only." The greens are basically a brunch reservation. Show up at 11 and you're on the waitlist.

There's also a small run of local tropical fruit (Thai bananas, star fruit, eggfruit, achacha and Black Prince avocados), plus eggs and Sarasota local honey. Not everything comes from these five acres: the farm says it also brings in produce from other farms, and that nearly everything it sells is certified organic, grown using organic methods or made with organic ingredients.

The bakery corner is sneaky good

Look for Catherine's breads and muffins made with organic ingredients, including a Baked Pumpkin Swirl Cozy Bread and Pumpkin Date Millet Muffins, plus her no-wheat, no-gluten loaves, home-milled wheat bread, breadcrumbs and croutons. The farm says she's there Fridays from 10 to 2.

Chef Corrinne's vegan specials are in a small chest freezer to the left of the dairy cooler: raw cakes, vegan quiches and fermented buckwheat bagels. A treasure map, but the X is a freezer.

How to go

• Where: 4180 47th St, Sarasota
• When: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Monday through Thursday)
• Pay with: cash, check, credit/debit or EBT
• Pro tip from the farm itself: "We are less crowded after 3pm." Fewer people, fewer greens. Choose your fighter.
• Can't make it? They take orders for pickup and delivery through the online store.

Leaving with a basket of peppers and no plan? Brooke has the week outdoors, Sandy has the week ahead and the meetups, and the costumes are in the Halloween Finder.

Go early, grab the lettuce, wave at the spot it came from.

— Marina