FARMER D'S GREEN THUMBPRINT: Atlanta-based organic farm company takes root in community with farmer's market at Baytowne, Longleaf Preserve (PHOTOS)

When Daron Joffe, also known as Farmer D, first started farming 16 years ago, he did it out of curiosity. Much like the food he plants, that curiosity has grown and he is now harvesting the rewards here in Walton County.

Joffe's Atlanta-based farming consultancy agency was approached to develop a centerpiece for a community on 2,443-acres of land out of Freeport two years ago. That land will be part of a planned organic community called Longleaf Preserve, which is protected by the The Nokuse Plantation, a 48,000-acre conservation initiative.

Although the community is still in the planning stages, the farm is up and running. You can pick up any of the farm's goods at various local restaurants in Walton County, as well as every Saturday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Event Lawn in The Village of Baytowne Wharf.

According to Brian Curtis, farm manager at the Freeport farm, the goods include peppers, tomatoes, okra, collard greens, squash and some cucumbers. While he operates throughout the United States, this is the first time Farmer D has built a farm in Florida, and according to Curtis, Florida was a great place to plant.

“Florida has such a wonderful climate and land for agriculture, and it seems as if it has kind of fallen by the wayside,” he said. “What I mean by that, is at the farmer's market we're one of very few farmers. There's a demand here, and it's important to have locally grown stuff here in the community.”

Planting the seed about the benefits of eating organically and locally grown produce is what got Farmer D into the business.

“In college I started learning about how upside down the food industry is. So I would research more and learned about growing organically and biodynamically and I just fell in love with it,” Joffe told The Sun.

He did not suppress his passion for organic farming, either.

“I came home my freshman year from college and told my parents that I wanted to pursue organic farming as a career,” he said. “My mom just joked with me and said, 'OK. Whatever you say Farmer D.' The name has just kind of stuck.”

Now doing farm consulting, like the project in Freeport, Farmer D works with youth prisons, boy's homes, summer camps, and now residential communities to promote and implement organic farming practices. With the company's roots now planted in Freeport and South Walton, Farmer D is excited to offer his fresh, farm-to-table food to the area.

"The principles behind Longleaf Preserve wanted the community's vision to be rooted in agriculture, and the project became an opportunity to demonstrate on a massive scale conservation, sustainability, agriculture, preservation of the land and wildlife, and ultimately a way of life," Joffe said in a press release announcing the development.

To peruse the Freeport farm's produce visit The Village of Baytowne Wharf Saturdays from 9-11 a.m. or visit www.farmerd.com.