Nature’s Health Food Store in downtown Defuniak Springs has partnered with Essentially Blessed Produce to offer shares of fresh, organic produce to residents of north Walton County. Shares will be offered every other week via Facebook and will contain a seasonal, ever-changing variety of fruits and vegetables. Pickup will be at Nature’s Health Food Store. 

Modeled after Pereira Produce & Health in Navarre, the program is designed as a flexible, less expensive way to buy fresh, organic produce than what is offered by the standard supermarket. What sets this program apart from most co-ops, says owner Kristen Davis, is that there are no long-term commitments—shares can be reserved a week at a time—and no required volunteer hours. Typical shares will include four or five varieties of fruit and six to eight varieties of vegetables for $50, approximately half the cost of other local options. 

“We wanted to provide a way for every family, regardless of size or income, to have access to fresh, organic produce,” Davis says. “It is so important for our minds and bodies that our foods be free from chemicals, herbicides and pesticides, but we found that the average family we spoke with thought that organics were simply too expensive to incorporate into their daily diet.” 

Variety and pickup dates will be listed via Facebook @dfsorganics. For more information, email [email protected] or call 386-479-7632, or click “Reserve” on the program’s Facebook page to guarantee a share.