Robert Is Here Fruit Stand

My darling husband has the best ideas! When he's in the mood to "go somewhere," he comes up with the best places to visit.  Robert Is Here Fruit Stand was no exception! We visited on a Sunday afternoon not too long ago, intending to buy a few tomatoes for dinner that night. We left with bags full of stuff, including the tomatoes, some of the prettiest cabbage I've ever seen, some preserves and a jar of bee pollen.

When we went to check out, a very nice guy about our age helped us. Turns out it was Robert Himself!  We asked him about the place, how it started and he told us he started out with a little card table on the corner and a few cucumbers.  It seems it was his mother's way of keeping him "busy."  When he didn't sell anything that first day, his dad made a sign reading "Robert Is Here."  Now, some 40+ years later, the world has beat a path to Robert Moehling’s door, including us!

Robert told us he expected the purple martins to arrive any day and that they had been coming since he was a boy.  You can be sure we'll be making another visit one Sunday real soon to have a look-see at the birds!

 Being a graphic nut, I was struck by the colorfulness of the place. The signs are bright and fresh and draw you in with their messages.

 There are a number of tractors located in front of the store and around the property. There are a couple of "horseless carriages," too. However, I was mad for the bright red pickup truck!

 Inside the fruit stand is an abundance of local produce, some I'd never seen before. There is an entire wall covered with preserves and jellies and, of course, we had to take some of those home!

 I have to admit that the petting zoo is my favorite part of Robert Is Here Fruit Stand. There are goats who love tomatoes almost as much as my darling husband, along with turtles and tortoises, geese and ducks, turkeys and ostriches and a couple of watch dogs.

 As we were leaving the petting zoo, heading back into the fruit stand, I spotted Mama Turkey and her three little babes. They were just too cute, chasing after mom who was running away from the madness of all the tourists!

 When we got home and began preparing dinner, dh created a beautiful plate of tomatoes seasoned with fresh chives. My mouth waters seeing the photo and remembering how tasty they were!

 Robert suggested the cabbage, saying it was absolutely fresh and some of the best he'd seen in a long while. He suggested we clean the leaves and stash them in the freezer overnight before cooking to get the tenderest possible cabbage, and he was right! We had some Smithfield ham, potatoes and carrots and Tuesday night's dinner (with some very nice white wine) was out of this world!

 Many thanks to Robert and his fruit stand for making our little adventure so much fun!
Located at 19200 Southwest 344th Street
Homestead, Florida