After 15 years of fresh fruits, vegetables, and honey to the Saint Leo, San Ann, and Dade City communities, the Fruit Stand near the corner of State Road 52 and Pompamic has closed.
Eating healthy is not the easiest thing to do on a college campus, so finding a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, jellies, and jams at the Lake Jovita Fruit & Produce Market, just past the Marmion-Snyder dorms was great.
Managed for the past four years by Saint Leo local Brenda Finkelstein, the market had provided locally grown produce to students and faculty for the past 15 years. The Schrader family, who dealt with lumber and peaches, owned the land until they sold it last year to the Saint Leo University. The University has begun construction on parts of the land, but serves as Finkelstein’s landlord.
“When they have figured out something to do with the land they will let me know with enough time,” Finkelstein said. “They have been very good landlords; they have been very kind.”
Finkelstein ran the stand by herself. She bought most of her produce from local growers, such as Schrader, but when she could not find certain goods she bought from the Plant City farmers market. One of her products, Doti’s Jellies, was produced locally and all of the proceeds were donated.
“Doti’s Jellies was a fundraiser for making strides against breast cancer,” said Finkelstein. “This is real jelly. This is how jelly is supposed to be.”
Other popular canned goods were the fruit butters made by another partner. These butters are made with only real fruit, sugar, and water. The same partner also sewed handmade aprons, purses, and sundresses for girls.
One of the store’s hottest commodities was the Queen Kathleen honey. This honey was produced in Dade City by a local beekeeper and is very popular in this area, but most of what Finkelstein sold was locally grown, vine-ripened tomatoes.
“Often when you go to a supermarket you get a beautiful red tomato that looks perfect,” she said. “Essentially, that is a tomato that is picked green.”
“All fruits and vegetables have a natural decay process, they put off a gas. That gas, if it’s around other fruits and vegetables, helps ripen it. It’s part of the decaying process, it’s normal.”
She explained that vine-ripened tomatoes mature naturally and are picked only when red. They sell so quickly that she has to pick up more from her supplier every day.
Finkelstein said most of her business came from snowbirds and students.
“When you go and they go, I feel it,” she said.
One such student is Senior Caite Graves. Graves visited the produce market once a month and bought avocados.
“One time, I really needed something fast between class and she had these already ripened avocados ready for me and she actually had some plastic silverware to give to me so I could eat it,” said Graves.
Finkelstein offered a ten percent discount on purchases of all produce and honey to students, faculty, and staff from Saint Leo University. The fruit stand accepted cash, but credit and debit purchases had to exceed five dollars. The market was open from 10a.m.—6p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11a.m.—5p.m. on Sunday. Finkelstein closed the stand on Christmas, New Year’s Day, and Thanksgiving.
With help from Amber Fink, Advertising Manager
