MRFC Traditional Holiday Potluck Dinner - RSVP Info Included

We hope that you, your friends and family will join us at the traditional Holiday Potluck Dinner with the Manatee Rare Fruit Council!

When and Where: Monday, December 11, in our usual meeting room at the Harlee Center. General arrival time is 6:30 PM. At 7:00, a brief business meeting will precede the potluck dinner.

 If you would like to come a bit earlier to help set up and socialize that would be welcomed.  Please bring a dish to share, and to help save on waste, your own plates and utensils.  We will provide water and some non alcoholic drinks.

If you would like to participate in our white elephant gift exchange, please bring one wrapped gift, value under $10.  Be creative and fun in your gift choice.  We will draw numbers to determine the order and then the fun begins.  The first player picks a gift and shares with the group.  Following players can either pick a new gift or take a previous player’s gift.

We hope to have several other fun activities, and will certainly have great food and companionship.  We hope you can join us.  If you signed up at a meeting you are set and we will see you on the 11th.   If you have not yet signed up and would like to attend, please contact Sarah at 941-725-1568, no later than December 4th, and let her know what you would like to bring and how many will be attending.

We look forward to sharing good times together!

November 2023 Meeting - 2024 Tree Sale Informational Meeting

Join us Monday, November 13th, 2023 at 7pm.  

Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

Our scheduled speaker for November has asked to postpone his visit so that he can focus on some important business opportunities. 

In place of a regular speaker, the Board will present information about the organization of our 2024 tree sale, scheduled for Saturday, March 23. 

This will enable those willing to volunteer to learn about the specific tasks and task areas available. Those willing to volunteer will be able to specify their available time and their task preferences in an online signup in mid-November. A written version of the signup will be available at the November meeting for those who prefer to use it rather than the online form. Volunteers’ responses to the signup will not be shared publicly. They will be used only as needed by organizers. 

We emphasize that attendees at the meeting will not be shamed, pressured, or put on the spot. The sole purpose is to help align volunteers with tasks that are most interesting or convenient for them. On the other hand, sustainability of the tree sale--- and the MRFC in its current form--- require that more of us share in the organizational effort, so the Board dearly hopes that a large number of members will step forward to learn and help out.

Members and visitors are encouraged to bring fruit items for the tasting table and plants/fruit books/etc for the raffle table.

Raffle Table Do’s (and oneDon’t) from the Board

Once in a while we like to remind people about our current raffle table policies and etiquette.

PLEASE DO:

• Label your plants and provide important information. If the common name is well-known, that may be sufficient. Supply the variety name if known; if not, then perhaps some helpful information such as “dwarf banana plant” or “red-flowered hibiscus”. If the plant is non-edible, this should be noted. If it is

a seedling of a fruit like mango or avocado that is usually grafted, label it “seedling for grafting”.

• Make your item easy for the winner to transport. For example, put potted plants in plastic bags so thatthey do not leak during transport (the bag just needs to cover the container, or course). Put soft fruit in an open plastic bag or other leak-proof container so that it does not stain if it breaks open.

• Feel free to put non-plant items on the table. Usually these would be related to horticulture, but other useful items can be considered. If you are unsure whether an item is appropriate, please check with one of the MRFC officers.

Collect a free raffle ticket, if you wish, for each item you bring. These will be entered in all rounds of the raffle

(purchased tickets are entered in all except the first round).

PLEASE DO NOT:

• Bring citrus trees for the table. Florida regulations do not allow distribution (or, actually, even propagation) of citrus trees except by growers registered and approved by the Florida Citrus Nursery Stock Certification Program.