Global Food and Farm Festival

event information

March 7th through March 11th 2023
Tours, Experiences, and Workshops for the whole family!

Festival Location:
17391 Durrance Road, North Fort Myers, FL 33917

Tickets will go on sale in January 2023!

Make time to join us for incredible experiences for all ages on the farm!

Festival Location:
17391 Durrance Road, North Fort Myers, FL 33917

Here’s just a sampling of the fun activities from 2022:

Wednesday

Rosy Tomorrows Cooking Demonstrations – 10:30 am – In Praise of Lard

This is an interactive class taught by Rose O’Dell King of Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm and Phillipe Schroeder, Executive Chef at the farm’s award-winning restaurant.

Attendees will learn about this healthy, economical fat, taste freshly harvested veggies cooked in lard, learn how to make lard butter, and how to use lard in the kitchen instead of expensive olive oils. Each participant will take home a jar of lard from the organically raised pigs at Rosy Tomorrows Heritage Farm.

Philosophy ~ to raise your animals “organically, holistically, sustainably, humanely, and as close to nature as possible” ~

Tropical Tasting Lunch – Enjoy a farm-fresh lunch in our community garden! Offered Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!

At-Home Kombucha – Wednesday 1:30pm –

Fall in love with fermentation! In this workshop, you will learn everything you need to know about how to brew your own kombucha at home. The workshop will include a demonstration of the step-by-step process and a tasting of homemade kombucha. Participants will also take home a kombucha starter kit that includes SCOBY, starter liquid, and everything else that you will need to start making your own kombucha!

Friday

Edible Backyard Design Workshop – Friday 10:30 am – Learn the basics of backyard perennial edible garden design beginning with principles of agroforestry and food forest design. Explore several examples of perennial gardens at ECHO that illustrate various design principles. Guests will have the opportunity to create simple perennial plant arrangements based on design tools learned in the workshop.

Tropical Tasting Lunch – 12:00 – Enjoy a farm-fresh lunch in our community garden! Offered Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!

Cooking With Tropical Plants – Friday – 1:30pm

Saturday

Saturday Farm Day – 9am – 3pm – Spend the day at our 57-acre Global Farm and tour a tropical rainforest demonstration or learn about alternative energies as they are demonstrated in the appropriate technology area! Kids of all ages can taste, touch, and experience their way around the world as they learn about world hunger and ways they can make an impact! We invite you to join us for this festival of fun and unique experiences!

Workshops:

9:30	Edible Landscaping Tour, Candle Making
10:30	Herbal Salve Making
11:00	Gardening through the Three Seasons in SW Florida
11:30	Garden Pest Management, Live Painting in the Garden
1:00	Rain Barreling, Live Music in the Garden
2:00	Aquaponics, Guide to Edible Landscaping

Live-On-Stage Cooking Shows

9:30	Bones Coffee Tasting & Show
10:30	Cooking with Tropical Plants
11:45	The Wok of International Flavors
1:30	Growing and Cooking with Mushrooms

Make it a Getaway!

Thursday

Mason Jar Herbs & Bites – Thursday 10:30 am –

Discover the fun of growing herbs from seed on your kitchen window! In this workshop, you’ll assemble a cute mason jar filled with soil, drainage rocks, seeds, and everything else you need to make your herbs grow right in the mason jar. Just add water! While you work, you’ll learn about how to successfully grow your herbs indoors and taste recipes that use harvested herbs just like what you will be growing. At the end of the workshop, you’ll take home your mason jar ready to grow herbs with your choice of herb seeds.

Tropical Tasting Lunch – Enjoy a farm-fresh lunch in our community garden! Offered Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday!

Hands-On Grafting Workshop – Thursday – 1:30pm

Start your grafting journey with this hands-on workshop that includes a hands-on, step-by-step grafting seminar, root stock, scions, and wrap. Grafting knives will be provided for the workshop or feel free to bring your own. Afterward, you will take home your grafted trees!

Super Foods at Home – Thursday – 1:30pm

Award-winning Chef David Robbins presents sustainable and nutrient-rich foods that can be easy to incorporate into your kitchen. Learn how perennials like moringa, katuk, and cranberry hibiscus can go from landscape-to-plate in a matter of minutes.

About the Chef:

Born and raised in Waimea, Hawaii, Chef David Robbins grew up working on his family’s all-natural produce farm. With over 15 years of professional experience in Bonita Springs, Naples, South Beach, and Miami, Chef David is now the Chef de Cuisine at Harvest & Wisdom at Shangri-La Springs Historic Hotel and Organic Dining. He and his team have won numerous awards over the years. They are excited about sharing creative, healthy, and delicious local food with you fresh from the ECHO farm.