|
|
The Tampa Tribune
January 22, 2000
Home-grown Harvest
Author: JANIS D. FROELICH; The Tampa Tribune
Edition: FINAL
Section: SOUTH TAMPA
Page: 1
Index Terms:
MARION LAMBERT
HONEY
HILLSBROUGH GROWN
AGRICULTURE TPH
Estimated printed pages: 5
Article Text:
There are plenty of surprises in the Hillsborough Grown directory, a
treasure map to an eclectic assortment of farms.
Marion Lambert IV has always considered his self-serve honey stand a
public service.
Containers of his citrus honey line handmade shelves in front of his house
at 6101 S. Second St., in the Interbay neighborhood.
Lambert's 5-acre, 140-hive business is the only commercial agriculture
operation in South Tampa listed with the county.
Leasing the land for 30 years, Lambert says 90 percent of his business is
selling 55-gallon drums of honey. Those end up at bakeries and the like.
But Lambert likes the idea of the honor stand, where customers are trusted
to drop their $6 per quart in a wooden box.
And he likes keeping his city farm "an enclave in the middle of a suburb."
But the South Tampa bee man hopes the county's directory will lead more
customers to his "pocket-change business."
"It's nice to meet people," says Lambert. "What I'm doing here is a
throwback to when people were basically honest."
He's not starry-eyed about the directory's drawing power, though.
"I don't know that any advertising does a whole lot of good. Honey isn't a
mainstay on most tables in Florida," he says.
"But there is a select group who do care that what they're buying come! s
from Hillsborough bees."
Caption:
(2C) Marion Lambert IV checks out a bee cell at his home and honey farm.
Lambert's hive business is the only commercial agriculture operation in
South Tampa listed with the county. VICTOR JUNCO/Tribune photos
(4C) Customers use the honor system at Lambert's self-serve hone stand,
above left. Lambert, left, fires up a smoker to distract bees. His 5-acre
site, above right, is one of 2,600-plus farms found in a new county
agriculture directory called Hillsborough Grown, far left.PHOTO (6C)
Memo:
For a home-grown guide, visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org/econdev/ aedp/home.html
on the Web or call the Agriculture Economic Development Program office at
(813) 272-5506.
Janis Froelich covers Hillsborough County and can be reached at (813)
885-5437 or jfroelich@tampatrib.com
Copyright 2000 The Tribune Co.
Record Number: 012200016
|
