About

Welcome to The Oviedo Farm website. Today The Oviedo Farm is a work in progress. We are making plans to build a community garden that will grow to serve a multitude of purposes within our community. The Oviedo Farm will be a place where community members can grow their own organic produce, or chose to simply share in the bounty of the harvest. A place where organizations; churches, youth groups or schools can build gardens for sharing, teaching, or for charity. We will be open to the public for classes on organic gardening, job training, and sales. Twice a year we will hold harvest time celebrations with entertainment and fun for all.

Please stay in touch with us as we work to establish and grow The Oviedo Farm. We are currently meeting at The Oviedo Library on a regular basis, and we are always looking for help. Please come join us at our next meeting. See meeting dates posted under “Important Events”.

The Oviedo Farm project is being spearheaded by Ruth Ann “Raz” Begelman,and was inspired by The Talking Farm, located in Evanston IL. We are forming a committee, looking for land, and ready to move forward with great gusto! This website was set up to facilitate communications during the planning phase of this project. Please contact us with your ideas. We would love to hear from you.

“I was born and raised outside of Chicago IL in a farming community. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my connections with farm and the earth; my uncle’s dairy farm, the fields and gardens behind our home, the wonderful aromas wafting in the air from the local Del Monte cannery, and my summers with family in Michigan.

At age 19 I caught the bug to explore city life. I spent the next 32 years in Chicago where I pursued a career in commercial art, married, and raised two children. But after 20 years of sitting in front of a computer, and living the city life I was beginning to yearn for a lifestyle change, to reconnect with the earth.

I was just beginning to get involved with an organization in Evanston IL called The Talking Farmwhen my husband was offered a job in Orlando. We chose to move to Oviedo for the good schools and family oriented community. Since living here I have begun to learn about the rich farming history of Oviedo. I have been volunteering at the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardensunder the direction of Randi Knight, and volunteering at the UCF gardens under the direction of Dr. Martin Haux and Tina Richards. I am now most inspired to build The Oviedo Farm so I can connect with the community and with the earth once again.”