Jacksonville, Florida

Abstract

"The farm is just blowing up!" "Our food scene is blowing up, man!" "This farmers' market—just look around—it's blowing up!" How many times during my visits to Jacksonville, Florida, did I hear about something related to food or farming detonating? "Blowing up" has at least two definitions, of course, especially in a city known for its major military presence, a 1901 fire that destroyed over two thousand houses, and recent hurricanes (Matthew in 2016, Irma in 2017) that placed many of the city's neighborhoods underwater.