Priceless Health Hydroponics provides produce for many Seaside restaurants, and offers its food directly to customers at the farmers market weekly. Photos by Sarah Murphy Robertson
Beautiful, healthful, certified all-organic produce is ready for you at the Seaside Farmers Market By Sarah Murphy Robertson
A dozen farm fresh organic eggs, $6. One bunch of tender hydroponic lettuces, $4. Your good health? Priceless.
Priceless Health Hydroponics has been a favorite staple at the Seaside Farmers Market for four years now. Shawn and Patsy Alloway run their farm up in Marianna and without fail make the 90-minute journey each week. Priceless Health Hydroponics uses only recycled water, natural plant food without pesticides and hybrid seeds. All this effort results in the beautiful, healthful, certified all-organic produce they offer.
The Alloways grow their pristine products in a 5,000-square-foot climate-controlled greenhouse, as well as on a 20-acre farm. The family-owned farm is a hydroponic operation. Using hydroponic methods means the farm is environmentally friendly and free of the harmful toxins so often found in the soil. This also means their produce is able to retain even more nutrients and vital minerals.
Priceless Health Hydroponics Farm includes 28 beehives providing four varieties of honey, including Tupelo. They are the only local producer for this kind of honey. They also have 240 chickens, fed non-soy organic feed, making the eggs they sell some of the highest quality (and tastiest) around.
For 18 years the Alloways were involved in another botanical industry — installing Palmetto trees throughout our area. Patsy admits that Shawn really is the family member with the expert green thumb. She lets him take the lead on the growing practices. And she enjoys the weekly experience of selling their bounty at the market. Watching the reactions of their customers is the best part, she says.
This winter they will have plenty of fresh produce at the Seaside Farmers Market. Eager customers will line up early to get everything needed to make healthful homemade food at home. Be on the lookout for kale, arugula, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, jalapeno and bell peppers, a variety of herbs and heirloom tomatoes, among others. Patsy and Shawn also sell freshly made pico de gallo and pesto. These zesty condiments are favorites among loyal market goers.
Priceless Health Hydroponics is an important member of the local community. They are thrilled to help support the nonprofit Food for Thought, and also provide Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes filled with their certified organic gems to loyal customers. And often, their delicious produce is utilized by Seaside restaurants, including Great Southern Café.
Priceless Health Hydroponics’ fresh produce, eggs, honey and more can be found at the Seaside Farmers Market each Saturday. Their farm is located at 5392 NW Twin Ponds Road in Marianna, Fla. You can follow them on Facebook by searching for Priceless Health Hydroponics.
Visit Seaside Farmers Market online.