Green is Her Name
Ashantae Green has an extremely fitting last name. In fact, people sometimes ask her if it’s her real one, given her line of work. It is, albeit her married one. Green, a two-time elected member of the Duval Soil and Water Conservation District, educator and community activist, also owns Green Legacy Farm and The Farmery along with her family. Oh, and she recently turned 30.
Green attributes her deep reverence for fresh food and the desire to improve equitable access to it to her upbringing. “My great-grandmother Wilhimena was Gullah Geechee. She grew up on a farm in South Carolina, and I grew up in the home she built in 1950 in Oakland, a historic neighborhood in Eastside Jacksonville ('Out East'), she says. “I enjoyed helping care for plants in the house’s indoor foyer and garden and harvesting fruit from the trees outside it. My mom and grandmother then taught me how to transform this food into traditional southern and Gullah Geechee dishes.”
It was through these activities that she learned about resiliency, sustainability and mindfulness – lessons she now shares with her son 9-year-old Ayden. Green notes that becoming a mother further strengthened her interest in all of these areas. “In 2013, Ayden was born with Sickle Cell Disease,” she says. “Determined to improve his diet, we bought a home and started a garden. Inspired by the resiliency we gained from our garden during the pandemic and the improved health outcomes of Ayden, I began to study [sustainable agricultural and urban land management at the University of Florida and sustainability management at Louisiana State University] to prepare for a transition from a 10-year career in architecture and construction to a career in agriculture. The pandemic not only brought light to flaws in the food system, but it also helped me realize the power of and need for more community-supported agriculture projects and businesses.”
In 2021, Green and her family started Green Legacy Farm with the mission to share their ethos with the community. Currently, the farm consists of a one-acre plot at the 10-acre Juicy Roots FarmHers Collective in Northwest Jacksonville. Here, they specialize in preserving and cultivating African and Afro-Caribbean heirloom seeds while using sustainable and regenerative farming practices. “We love to grow crops like collard greens, field peas and watermelons, because it connects us to our ancestors and our Gullah Geechee heritage,” Green says. “We also grow roselle hibiscus, ginger and other herbs that we use in products like tea blends, an eco beer and our new line of cocktail bitters, ‘Emerald & Oak.’”
Along with some assistance from two employees and hundreds of volunteers, the Greens also grow more standard crops like seasonal fruits, vegetables and flowers; craft and sell a number of other value-added agricultural products like preserves and skincare products; and host workshops, community farm days and farm-to-fork dinners on the property.
“Although we grow and make amazing things, we like to say that our main commodity is community,” says Green. “Through our educational programming, we are growing a community of other farmers and gardeners.” They currently grow in market garden rows, and “we are working on expanding our farm to add more experiences and different types of demonstration gardens to show people all the ways that they can grow food to sustain their families with whatever resources and space they have available,” says Green.
In 2022 Green partnered with her mother Andrea Bryant-Smith, a long-time pastry chef who worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars and founder of Mena’s Legacy Kitchen, to open The Farmery, a farm-to-fork bakery and bodega in Springfield. They are working to offer farm-to-fork catering for corporate and special events, as well as groceries, beverages, baked goods and pantry staples. The Farmery’s mission, says Green, “is to make quality food and local products sustainable, affordable and accessible.” The business model offers products, subscriptions, catering and classes in collaboration with Green Legacy Farm and Mena’s Legacy Kitchen, as well as with other farms and businesses.
“When we opened the farm, we knew that we desired to have a direct-to-consumer business model that showcased its full potential,” Green says. “We knew that we wanted to create unique value-added agriculture products and opportunities for people to experience farm-fresh produce in new ways.” Success with sales at on-farm events and at various off-site vendor markets led Green and her mother to think bigger, increase profitability and offer greater convenience and access to their customers in food deserts.
Opening their retail store in Jacksonville’s Urban Core allows Green to provide equitable access to fresh food and to create a consistent venue for other small farmers and makers to sell their goods outside of farmers' markets. “We opened on 3rd and Main Streets, because Springfield and East Jacksonville [which is adjacent] are home for us,” says Green. “We are so excited to be among so many other amazing local businesses, and to be adding another source of food resiliency.”
Green says that she loves collaborating with her mother, since she had such a tremendous influence on her love of food and community, as well as her work ethic. In addition to working together at the farm and bodega, they also work together at Circle of Caring, Green’s mother’s nonprofit, which helps combat food insecurity.
Speaking of Green’s work ethic, she has also somehow managed to find the time to further serve her community through politics as she starts a second term as a Supervisor for the Duval Soil and Water Conservation District. In this elected position, Green explains that she and her colleagues “work to deliver natural resources, conservation technology and education to local landowners and users; and promote the wise use of land and best management practices that will conserve, improve and sustain the natural resources of Duval County. We support farmers and ranchers, perform demonstration projects on public lands and secure funding for conservation and educational projects in Duval County.”
Additionally, she has served as a subject matter expert for the Jacksonville City Council’s Subcommittee on Resiliency and has been awarded two Environmental Achievement Awards from the CIty of Jacksonville’s Environmental Protection Board in 2022. One was for her individual work and advocacy surrounding environmental justice, and the other was for her work with the Soil and Water District on Regeneration Park.
Despite all of the projects on Green’s plate, she still manages to get eight hours of sleep almost every night, because it is so important to her creativity and energy level. “I make it a priority, along with eating fresh and local food,” Green says “because of the way it helps the environment, our local economy and our bodies.”
To learn more about Green Legacy Farm and The Farmery, visit greenlegacyfarm.com.
