The Weblog
This weblog contains LocallyGrown.net news and the weblog entries from all the markets currently using the system.
To visit the authoring market’s website, click on the market name located in the entry’s title.
Middle Tennessee Locally Grown: Manchester Locally Grown Online Farmer's Market - It's Time to Order
Manchester Locally Grown Farmers’ Market
How to contact us:
Our Website: manchester.locallygrown.net
On Facebook: Manchester Locally Grown Online Farmers’ Market
By e-mail: tnhomeschooler@yahoo.com
By phone: (931) 273-9708
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.
Hello, friends,
Welcome to another week of shopping at Manchester Locally Grown online farmers’ market. The market will be open for ordering until Tuesday at 10 pm, and pickup will be on Thursday from 3:00 till 4:30.
This year-round online farmers’ market offers several types of winter vegetables, as well as other foods and herbal products produced on local farms. Support your friends and neighbors who have grown and produced these items. Don’t forget to check out the indoor plant offerings from Dogwood Valley Greenhouse. Check back in a couple of days to see the succulent dish gardens which will be added soon.
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A sampling of items available from our local farmers: (L to R) Honey from Steve’s Bees, Mini Cinnamon Amish Bread from Basically Breads, Sleeping Cat Lotion Bar from Solace Farm, Green Oakleaf Lettuce from Frontier Family Farm, and Aloe Vera Plant from Dogwood Valley Greenhouse.
Ordering will be open until Tuesday at 10 p.m., and your order will be available for pickup on Thursday between 3:00 and 4:30 at Square Books, 113 E Main, Manchester. We can also hold your order in the refrigerator till Friday, if that’s more convenient for you. Just call (931) 273-9708 if you prefer to utilize this free service.
Thanks so much for your support of Manchester Locally Grown Market, all of our growers, local food, and our right to eat it. Please encourage our local farmers by helping to spread the word about our wonderful market to everyone you know. Nothing makes a farmer more excited than seeing new customers on the market!
Blessings,
Linda
Siloam Springs, AR: Online Market is Open!
www.siloamsprings.locallygrown.net
All this cold weather and hearing about the colds and flu that are affecting our community has me thinking about nutrient rich bone broth. I make and freeze bone broth to drink, and use in soups or stews. The Nourished Kitchen blog is a great source for information and recipes about making and using bone broths. (http://nourishedkitchen.com/bone-broth/)
Here is an excerpt from the blog:
What’s the difference between broth, stock and bone broth?
In traditional foods circles you’ll hear a lot about broth, stock and bone broth – and they’re typically used interchangeably. Bone broth, broth and stock are built on the same basic foundation: water, meat or bones (or both), vegetables and seasonings. As it cooks, the liquid is typically skimmed (although this is not necessary since the scum that rises to the top of the stock pot – off-putting as it is – is a rich source of amino acids) and eventually the solids are removed by straining the stock with a fine-mesh sieve or reusable coffee filter.
Broth is typically made with meat and can contain a small amount of bones (think of the bones in a fresh whole chicken). Broth is typically simmered for a short period of time (45 minutes to 2 hours). It is very light in flavor, thin in texture and rich in protein.
Stock is typically made with bones and can contain a small amount of meat (think of the meat that adheres to a beef neck bone). Often the bones are roasted before simmering them as this simple technique greatly improves the flavor. Beef stocks, for example, can present a faint acrid flavor if the bones aren’t first roasted. Stock is typically simmered for a moderate amount of time (3 to 4 hours). Stock is rich in minerals and gelatin.
Bone Broth is typically made with bones and can contain a small amount of meat adhering to the bones. As with stock, bones are typically roasted first to improve the flavor of the bone broth. Bone broths are typically simmered for a very long period of time (often in excess of 24 hours). This long cooking time helps to remove as many minerals and nutrients as possible from the bones. At the end of cooking, so many minerals have leached from the bones and into the broth that the bones crumble when pressed lightly between your thumb and forefinger.
Why bone broths are good for you
Bone broths are extraordinarily rich in nutrients – particularly minerals and amino acids. Bone broths are a good source of amino acids – particularly arginine, glycine and proline. Glycine supports the bodies detoxification process and is used in the synthesis of hemoglobin, bile salts and other naturally-occurring chemicals within the body. Glycine also supports digestion and the secretion of gastric acids. Proline, especially when paired with vitamin C, supports good skin health. Bone broths are also rich in gelatin which improves collagen status, thus supporting skin health. Gelatin also support digestive health which is why it plays a critical role in the GAPS diet. And, lastly, if you’ve ever wondering why chicken soup is good for a cold, there’s science behind that, too. Chicken stock inhibits neutrophil migration; that is, it helps mitigate the side effects of colds, flus and upper respiratory infections. Pretty cool, huh?
Perpetual Soup or Bone Broth the Easy Way
YIELD: As much or as little broth as you want, my family consumes about 2 to 3 quarts of broth each day.
Perpetual soup: Bone broth can be made in a slow cooker using this simple technique.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (or the frame of a roasted chicken)
2 sweet bay leaves
1 tbsp black peppercorns
any vegetable scraps you have on hand or a whole onion, several carrots, 2-3 stalks celery, a head of garlic, thyme or parsley(optional)
filtered water
Instructions
Place one whole chicken or the frame of a roasted chicken into your slow cooker with sweet bay, black peppercorns and any vegetable scraps you have on hand. Cover with filtered water and cook on low for one week.
After twenty-four hours, you may begin using the broth. As you need broth or stock, simply dip a ladle or measuring cup into the slow cooker to remove the amount of stock you need. Pour it through a fine-mesh sieve or, preferably, a reusable coffee filter which will help to clarify the broth. Replace the broth you remove from the slow cooker with an equivalent amount of filtered water. If you’re using a whole, fresh chicken, you may also remove chicken meat from the slow cooker as desired for stir-fries, in soups or in casseroles.
At the end of the week, strain off any remaining broth and discard or compost the bones. The bones from your chicken should crumble when pressed between your thumb and forefinger. Their softness is an indication that much of the nourishment from the bones – minerals, amino acids – have leached from the bones and into the broth you’ve enjoyed all week long. Wash the insert of your slow cooker and start again.
I encourage you to visit the page at the link provided for additional information and more recipes. Beef soup bones, marrow bones, chicken frames, and whole chickens are available to order via the online market.
Link for bone broth recipe: http://nourishedkitchen.com/perpetual-soup-the-easiest-bone-broth-youll-make/
Link for blog article: http://nourishedkitchen.com/bone-broth/
Northeast Georgia Locally Grown: Northeast Georgia Locallygrown Availability list for Jan. 9
Good Evening Locavores,
One more cold night and we can look forward to some warmer days ahead.
The frigid temps and especially cold wind we experienced this week have set back some of the vegetables outside but, it also makes some of the root crops sweeter.
Many of your farmers are also growing vegetables in hoophouses and their value for providing wintergrown vegetables is now paying off with winter vegetables.
Now is also a good time to enjoy extra dishes of grassfed meats and eggs.
The delicious baked goods will top off a hearty hot winter meal.
This is a good time to stock up on the all natural skin care products to relieve chapped lips or hands.
Thanks for supporting your local farmers through the bitter cold this past week.
Keep warm, safe and enjoy local food.
South Cumberland Farmer's Market: Time to Order Local Food!
It’s time to order from the Cumberland Farmers’ Market
click here to go directly to the marketpage
To Contact Us
Cumberland ’s Market
cumberlandfm@gmail.com
931-592-3399 (no voice mail)
Recipes
Market News
DEAR GROWERS/ARTISANS
Tuesday is the annual CFM Board meeting, Jan. 13th, 1:30 p.m., at the Sewanee Community Center.
We hope you will all be there whether you are a voting member or not. You can also join if you would like to vote!
BEGINNING FEBRUARY 1st
If you come to market and forget your check book, credit card, or cash, we will give you an addressed envelope to take with you. Your payment should be mailed within 24 hours of market closing so it will arrive in time to post to your account before the next market.
THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE will be presenting the following workshops:
Farmers Market Boot Camp
Fruit Production and Direct Marketing
Locally Raised Beef
Poultry Workshop
The only workshop that doesn’t have a fee appears to be the Locally Raised Beef Workshop. Send us a (new) e-mail to cumberlandfm@gmail.com if you would like to see the information on these workshops. (Do NOT Reply to this e-mail.)-————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
MARCELLA FROM FOX FARM has let us know that her pork chops and breakfast sausage are on sale this week.
She has just accepted a teaching job that will not allow her to continue selling on the CFM market. Fox Farm will continue to sell whole and half hogs and lambs on a limited basis however. Check back weekly.
She says further, “I want to thank all our faithful customers and I look forward to rejoining the market during summer vacation.”
Thanks again,
Marcella-————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
WHITE CITY PRODUCE AND GREENHOUSES reminds us that, while their growing season has ended for the winter, their CSA’s are still on the market and available for ordering. The deadline will be here before you know it, so please order soon so you will not be disappointed.-————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
EXTENDING YOUR GROWING SEASON
There will be six webinars, each 75 minutes long, in February and March of 2015. All webinars will be broadcast from 6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. EST.
Webinar Schedule
• February 17 — Season Extension Opportunities & EQIP Funding
• February 24 — Structure Options, Construction, Ventilation & Temperature Control
• March 3 — Organic Certification & Marketing High Tunnel Crops
• March 10 — Crop, Irrigation & Equipment Options
• March 17 — Insect, Weed & Disease Control
• March 24 — Producer Views & Series Wrap-up
For more information, and to register, please contact Miranda at 859-218-4384 or miranda. hileman@uky.edu.-————————————————————————————————————————————————————
EBT CAPABILITY IS BACK!
We are pleased to announce that the CFM is once again able to process EBT cards.-————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
REQUESTING DELIVERY
If you would like your market order delivered, please contact Rachel Lynch. E-mail: radelo50@yahoo.com or phone 931-598-0774.
Payment of all CFM orders MUST be made in advance of Tuesday’s delivery. Checks must be mailed in time to be posted to customer accounts before closing of market ordering on Monday. Mail checks made out to CFM to Kir Strobel, 744 Timberwood Trace, Monteagle, TN 37356.-———————————————————————————————————————————————————
PLACING AN ORDER
Before you order, be sure you see the little shopping cart. If you do not, log out and log in again. If this fails, turn off your computer completely and start again. This includes ordering from smart phones.
If you want to leave a comment for a grower, be sure to put it in the “Leave comment for grower” area in RED beneath the item you’re ordering. Placing comments in the market manager section will not be seen by the growers.-————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Don’t forget…
If you do not receive an order confirmation within 5 minutes, your order has NOT been placed in the system. E-MAIL OR CALL US to get the problem solved so you will not be disappointed on market day.
Please remember the market closes at 10 a.m. on Monday; therefore, your order must be completed and placed, and you should be signed out of the software.-————————————————————————————————————————————————————
If you have any questions, please call (931.592.3399, no voice mail) or e-mail (cumberlandfm@gmail.com) us.
Kir Strobel & Linda Boynton
Market Co-Managers
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There is plenty more available so take your time and check out the whole list.
Coming Events
Keep up to date with the CFM by visiting our organization’s blog. or our Facebook Page .
We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!
Athens Locally Grown: Availability for October 14
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It’ll be just a quick “opening bell” email from me tonight. The biggest news of the week is that Athens Locally Grown has finally been approved to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program EBT cards! I say “finally” because I’ve been trying for almost five years, as soon as the USDA approved EBT use at farmers markets, to get ALG accepted into the program. I could go on at length about the bureaucratic odyssey I’ve undergone, but the important thing is we have been accepted. We can’t yet accept EBT payments, however! We still have to get the accounts set up and the equipment in place. I’m hopeful that we’ll have everything we need by the time the Athens Farmers Market (both locations began accepting EBT payments this season) closes for the year next month. If I can make that happen, then there will be an uninterrupted opportunity for those needing EBT to obtain fresh, locally grown food. Athens Locally Grown is not yet part of the Wholesome Wave program (a non-profit that doubles the value of SNAP money spent at farmers markets), but I’ve enquired about becoming a part of it in 2011. I’ll keep you all informed!
Athens Locally Grown Hunter’s Moon Feast: October 23, Saturday, at Boann’s Banks (Royston, Franklin County)
“The October full moon has been known as the “Hunter’s Moon” for millennia, and was a time of feasting throughout the Northern hemisphere. We revive the notion here with a day of feasting at Boann’s Banks (the farm of Athens Locally Grown managers Chris and Eric Wagoner) on the banks of the Broad River outside Royston. It’ll be a low-key affair, without any farm work for you to do. Just good food and drink (Eric will prepare a variety of dishes using locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats, and perhaps brew an adult beverage. There’s also the likelihood of home-brewed beer, and the possibility of good live music. There’ll certainly be good company (all of you), and a river to splash in. There’s even some camping space, for those who really want to enjoy the moon. Come any time, but I’ll be aiming for 2pm to have the BBQ and other dishes ready. Stay as long as you’d like, even into Sunday. Nights are chilly, though, so bring a tent if you’re wanting to do that. There is no charge for Locally Grown members and their families. We do ask that you bring a dish to share, and if it’s made from Locally Grown ingredients, so much the better." You can make your reservations for the feast on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.
The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.
Also, Watkinsville has a thriving farmers market every Saturday morning, behind the Eagle Tavern. And further east, Comer has a nice little market Saturday mornings as well. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!
We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!
Athens Locally Grown: Availability for September 16
To Contact Us
Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
Recipes
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Served hot or cold, this soup is packed with a savory-sweet roasted pepper flavor that might have you skipping the main course and opting for a second bowl of soup instead. It’s preferable to use home-made roasted red bell peppers in this soup. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.
Serves 4 to 6
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 small potato, quartered
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons)
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or thyme, or 1/2 tablespoon dried, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 large red bell peppers, roasted, skinned, chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
salt
freshly grated Parmesan cheese croutons (optional)
1. Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, potato, garlic, bay leaf, and herbs; sauté until potato and onion begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the roasted peppers, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt; cook for 30 seconds.
2. Pour in stock or water and scrape up any of the flavorful caramelized pieces stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer; cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
3. Purée soup in a blender or food processor or run it through a food mill. Return it to the pot and heat until warmed through. Add the balsamic vinegar and a few grindings of fresh black pepper. Taste; add salt if desired.
4. Garnish each serving with some Parmesan, a little fresh herb, and croutons if desired.
Coming Events
Athens Locally Grown Hunter’s Moon Feast: October 23, Saturday, at Boann’s Banks (Royston, Franklin County)
“The October full moon has been known as the “Hunter’s Moon” for millennia, and was a time of feasting throughout the Northern hemisphere. We revive the notion here with a day of feasting at Boann’s Banks (the farm of Athens Locally Grown managers Chris and Eric Wagoner) on the banks of the Broad River outside Royston. It’ll be a low-key affair, without any farm work for you to do. Just good food and drink (Eric will prepare a variety of dishes using locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats, and perhaps brew an adult beverage. There’s also the possibility of home-brewed beer, and the likelihood of good live music. There’ll certainly be good company (all of you), and a river to splash in. There’s even some camping space, for those who really want to enjoy the moon. Come any time, but I’ll be aiming for 2pm to have the BBQ and other dishes ready. Stay as long as you’d like, even into Sunday. Nights are chilly, though, so bring a tent if you’re wanting to do that. There is no charge for Locally Grown members and their families. We do ask that you bring a dish to share, and if it’s made from Locally Grown ingredients, so much the better." You can make your reservations for the feast on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.
The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.
Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so! We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!
Market News
August and September bring many new people to Athens, and many new people to Athens Locally Grown, so I thought this week I’d give a brief primer on how ALG works. Those of you who have been with us during these last nine years probably already know all this, but I’ll try to keep it interesting for you too.
First off, ALG is best thought of like a traditional farmers market, because except for the lack of tents and tables, that’s very much how we operate. The growers are putting their own items up for sale directly to you, at prices and quantities they have set. The market volunteers and I are here to make sure it all happens smoothly, but the growers are all selling their products directly to you. GRowers do have to apply to sell through the market, and I personally approve each of them before they list their products. Here’s a summary of the standards we have set:
- All growers must use sustainable practices and never use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
- All growers can only sell what they themselves have grown
- All growers must be from the greater Athens area. Right now, this means within about 75 miles
- All animals raised for meat or eggs must be pastured
- Handicrafts must be made primarily from items produced or gathered on the farm
- Prepared foods must use organic ingredients if at all possible, and locally grown ingredients if at all possible
- All proper licenses, when required by law, must be obtained
When I’ve turned down requests to sell through ALG (and I have turned down many), the items clearly broke one or more of those standards. There are a few edge cases that I take on a case by case basis, such as coffee. In cases like that, we set the standards as strict as we can. With coffee, for example, the beans must be sustainably grown, they must be roasted locally, and the roaster must have a direct business relationship with the farm that grew the beans.
So, the growers list their available products and set their prices. For most all of the products, they do this before they’ve harvested the items, so they have to estimate how much they will actually have. They’ve gotten pretty good at this guess, but it is a guess, and the unpredictable nature of farming means they may have far less than they thought (thanks to deer, a hail storm, etc.) or they may have far more than they thought (a nice rain can double the growth of lettuce overnight, for example). Most of them are conservative with their estimates, and so they let you continue to order, even if they’ve already sold more than they guessed they’d have. That’s why popular items may have a quantity in the negatives when you look at the listings. The system will still let you order, on the chance that they’ll actually have enough, but you’ll get warnings along the way that you’re taking a gamble.
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I do not collect items from the farm, and do not know myself until Thursday afternoon what the growers were able to harvest and bring in to town. The growers do have each other’s contact information, so if one grower is short and another has a surplus, they may arrange with each other to get all the orders filled, but in general, if a grower cannot fill an order for something, they’ll remove that ordered item, and you’ll see a comment on your invoice indicating that. Since i’m not a middle-man, I can’t arrange for substitutions myself.
When the growers bring in the items you ordered on Thursday afternoon, packaged and labelled with your name, I pay them on your behalf out of our shared cash box during the hour before we open the market. Then, you arrive and pay into the cashbox for your order. We then rush to the bank to deposit the money to cover the checks we just wrote to the growers. As explained elsewhere on the website, you are really ordering directly from and paying the growers yourself, but our shared cashbox system makes things convenient for you and them. (Imagine if you ordered from ten growers having to write ten checks when you picked up your items!) This shared cashbox system does mean that if you place an order and then never arrive to pick it up, we’re left holding the bag. For that reason, you are responsible for paying for orders not picked up, and that amount is automatically added on to your next order for your convenience.
For a number of legal reasons, ALG never takes possession of your ordered items. We don’t buy them from the growers and resell them to you, nor do we repackage them in any way. The growers drop off your items for you, and you arrive and pick them up. The market volunteers facilitate that happening. Because of the need to maintain that separation, we cannot deliver, nor can we generally hold your items later than 8pm on Thursday if you fail to come pick them up. We start calling those who haven’t arrived by 7:30, but most of the time we just get answering machines and voice mail. Anything still at our pickup location at 8pm will get divided up among those there at the time, primarily our volunteers, and then we finish loading up the truck and leave. There are some things you can do to insure you won’t get charged for things you didn’t come get:
1. If you know prior to Tuesday at 8pm that you won’t be able to come get your order, send me an email and I will cancel your order.
2. If you find out later that you can’t come, send me an email. So long as I know before market begins, I can put the things you ordered on the “extras” table, and your fellow customers will almost certainly buy them for you.
3. If you discover Thursday while we’re at market that you can’t arrive, give me a call at 706-248-1860. I’ll put your items on the “extras” table, and if they sell, you’ll be off the hook.
4. If you have a cell phone, make sure that number is the number on your account. You can go to the “Your Account” page on the website to be sure. If you’re out and about and I get your home phone or your work phone, no one gets helped.
There’s often a sizable pile of things up for grabs at 8pm. If you’re in the area and want to do a little extra shopping, swing by at about ten til (or wait until then to come get your own order). There may be things for sale you want, and you can save a fellow customer a charge to their account. Our volunteer workers get to split things up as a benefit of working, but paying customers do come first. And it usually seems there are several things sitting there that were in high demand that week.
Finally, we have recently switched to a paperless system, so we do not have paper receipts for you when you pick up your order. An electronic receipt is generated, though, and can be found on the website. Go to the “Your Account” page, view your order history, and you’ll see an invoice for each order. By 2pm on Thursday, it will show what we expect to have for you that evening. After we fill your order, it will show exactly what we packed for you, and what, if anything, was missing. You can view that at any time, even years from now. If we didn’t get you something we should have, or if anything you got was of unacceptable quality, please contact me ASAP. I’ll share the problem with the grower so we can insure it won’t happen again. If you’re logged into the site, most of the growers have their contact info on their profile page (off the “Our Growers” page), so you can contact them directly if you choose.
So, that’s ALG in a nutshell. If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, or even complements, please send them my way!
Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With your help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!
Athens Locally Grown: Availability for September 2
To Contact Us
Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
Recipes
Sweet Potato Pancakes
Serve these for breakfast or as a side dish. Small, even tiny, pan- cakes, topped with spicy pineapple salsa or something creative of your choosing, make ideal hors d’oeuvres. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.
Makes about twenty 3 1/2- to 4-inch pancakes
6 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and grated
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced or finely chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1. Combine the sweet potatoes and onion in a large bowl. Add the flour, eggs, and olive oil; mix well. Stir in the milk, salt, and pepper.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Test the heat by dropping a small amount of batter in the pan— if the oil immediately bubbles up around the batter, it has reached the proper temperature. Be careful not to let the oil overheat and smoke.
3. Using a ladle, 1/2 cup measuring cup, or large spoon, drop the pancake batter into the hot oil and then lightly press it into a pancake shape with a spatula. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes, then flip them and cook until brown on the other side, 5 minutes. Remove pancakes and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or keep them warm in the oven.
Market News
It was back-to-school week at my house this past week. I think adjusting to the new daily routine is harder on my than my daughter, but we’re getting there. It’s a little extra challenging this year, since the Franklin County school system is doing something novel to save some money. By starting school ten minutes earlier and ending a half hour later each day, they were able to shave two whole weeks off the school year. Unfortunately, that means we need to leave the house to meet the bus at 6:30 in the morning, and she gets less than three hours at home in the evening before bedtime. So, it’s more important than ever that meals are quick to prepare, nutrient dense, and her breakfasts need to be substantial enough to get her through lunch, yet easy enough for me to prepare while half asleep (and for her to eat while half asleep). And of course there’s the matter of lunch. Her school is typical of the American school lunch, and so most of the time she takes her own, which I make for her in the morning.
I feel really lucky to have ingredients purchased through Athens Locally Grown to help make my job easier. Breads made from multiple freshly milled grains make great breakfast toast. She likes hers with cinnamon, so I’ve been able to have the jars of wonderful strawberry jam I made early this summer all to myself. Eggs laid by chickens that have been able to forage for bugs and greens produce eggs I can trust. As the mornings turn cooler, we’ll have porridge and grits milled by ALG’s two mills. We can even get kid-friendly items like hotdogs, chicken drumsticks, yogurt, and fruit. She’s a typical kid when it comes to vegetables, but of course there’s enough variety available at ALG that she’s got plenty of new things to try.
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We still mix in a few “kid foods”. For instance, there’s a fruity loop cereal we’ve found that is decent, and she’s no stranger to the powdered cheese packet. But I can relax knowing that she’s getting a mix of foods, mostly locally sourced, that is both good for her and filling enough to get her through the challenging daily schedule of a six year old. And really, I have no idea how I’d do it without all the growers supplying such a great variety of products through Athens Locally Grown.
I hope you’re finding our market to be just as useful a resource for your household. There are literally hundreds of people working to supply the market. Just as I’ve become dependent on them, they are all dependent on us as customers. It’s a virtuous cycle, a race to the top, where we all come out winners.
Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With your help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!
Coming Events
Farmer for a Day: September 4, Saturday, at Burnell Farm (Hart County)
“Certified Naturally Grown. We are a produce farm in Royston, Ga. One of are goals is to supply our local community with vegetables grown with no herbicides, chemicals are pesticides. We also raise chickens (Cornish X Rocks) and Rainbow Layers using the same standards as we do with our vegetables. We like to say our birds are DRUG free. We currently farm 9 acres and we have a greenhouse and use raised beds. We also have a 91/2 acre pond.” There are slots still available for both our September Farmer for a Day event, and you can find more details on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.
Athens Locally Grown Hunter’s Moon Feast: October 23, Saturday, at Boann’s Banks (Royston, Franklin County)
“The October full moon has been known as the “Hunter’s Moon” for millennia, and was a time of feasting throughout the Northern hemisphere. We revive the notion here with a day of feasting at Boann’s Banks (the farm of Athens Locally Grown managers Chris and Eric Wagoner) on the banks of the Broad River outside Royston. It’ll be a low-key affair, without any farm work for you to do. Just good food and drink (Eric will prepare a variety of dishes using locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats, and perhaps brew an adult beverage. There’s also the possibility of home-brewed beer, and the likelihood of good live music. There’ll certainly be good company (all of you), and a river to splash in. There’s even some camping space, for those who really want to enjoy the moon. Come any time, but I’ll be aiming for 2pm to have the BBQ and other dishes ready. Stay as long as you’d like, even into Sunday. Nights are chilly, though, so bring a tent if you’re wanting to do that. There is no charge for Locally Grown members and their families. We do ask that you bring a dish to share, and if it’s made from Locally Grown ingredients, so much the better." You can make your reservations for the feast on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.
The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.
Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!
We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!
Athens Locally Grown: Availability for August 19
This week’s newsletter comes from Branson, Missouri. We’re there visiting my family, trying to get one last road trip in before Vivian’s school starts back up. If we time things right, we’ll be rolling back into town just in time for “open house” in her 1st grade classroom.
Having a school-aged child changed a lot of things, as you’d expect, but one thing I didn’t think about was how it would effect my garden. I work in town during the day, so evenings and weekends are my gardening times. Now, there’s always a choice: take care of the weeds or fit in one more trip to the museum (or wherever) before the summer’s over. You don’t even need to see the jungle my garden’s become to guess which option won out most very time.
That’s ok, though, because we have so many growers here at Athens Locally Grown who have been more diligent than I. There are nearly 900 products listed, which is fantastic for mid-August. Right about now, the heat really takes its toll on most everything growing, and the flowers on the plants just refuse to set fruit. Some years, there’s not much of anything other than okra available until things cool off again the first week of September. The last couple years have been better, between the weather cooperating a bit and our growers compensating with variety as best they can. I don’t know what this year will bring, but if you see a lull in a week or two, don’t’ despair. It’ll only be temporary.
One news item before I open market (again I let the time zones trip me up, and I don’t have a full newsletter with recipes and pictures ready to go):
Three celebrated Atlanta chefs will visit Athens to lead a panel discussion on the “Chefs Move to Schools” initiative. Chefs Virginia Willis, Mary Moore, and Amy Ponzoli will lead a panel discussion of the “Chefs Move to Schools” initiative. The three Atlanta chefs recently traveled to the White House for the launch of “Let’s Move!”—First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to end childhood obesity. The panel discussion will occur at 7 PM between showings of the movie “What’s On Your Plate” at Cine on Monday, August 23, 2010. This event is sponsored by Athens-Clarke County Green Schools, Ecofocus, and Athens Slow Food. Light bites will be provided by the National. Admission is a $5 suggested donation to the ACC’s Green Schools program to support school gardens. “Chefs move to schools” calls on chefs and food professionals to get involved in adopting a school to help educate kids about food origins, growing techniques, harvesting, nutrition, and preparing and enjoying healthy meals. The chefs partner with teachers, school nutritionists, food service workers, parents, community leaders, school administrators, and food manufacturers to meet dietary guidelines and budgets and revolutionize school food service. “What’s On Your Plate” was filmed over the course of a year and follows two 11-year-old multi-racial city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. With the camera as their companion, the girls talk to food activists, farmers, new friends, storekeepers, their families, the viewer and each other, in their quest to understand what’s on all of our plates. This film will also be shown in Athens schools during the Ecofocus film festival and will then become a part of the ACC Green School’s library and will be available, along with the companion curriculum, for teacher use. The film will be shown once at 5 p.m. and again at 8 p.m.
Thanks again for all your support of all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!
Athens Locally Grown: Availability for August 12
To Contact Us
Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
Recipes
Fried Okra and Potatoes
Frying Okra and Potatoes together gives a real taste treat. From www.africhef.com.
Serves 4 to 6
1 lb young Okra pods
2 large potatoes
1 Onion
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp Salt.
2 pints ice water
oil for frying
salt and pepper for seasoning, to taste
1. Top and tail the Okra pods (cut off the ends). Cut the pods into approximately 1/4 inch rounds. Peel and dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Peel the onions and chop finely.
2. Place the sliced Okra into a glass or stainless steel bowl and sprinkle the salt liberally over the pods. Cover the pods with the iced water, making sure that all the slices are under water. Place the bowl containing the Okra and water in a refrigerator and leave for 2 or more hours.
3. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and drain off the salt water. Place the Okra in a bowl and add the potatoes and chopped onion. Season the cornmeal with the salt and pepper. Place the sliced Okra potato and onion mixture together with the seasoned cornmeal in a large plastic bag and shake until the vegetables are well coated with the cornmeal.
4. Heat some oil (1/2 inch deep) in a frying pan until it begins to shimmer. Place the vegetables in the pan and fry until the potatoes are done and the mixture has browned nicely. Remove the Okra and potato mixture from the oil, using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot as a side dish
Coming Events
Farmer for a Day: September 4, Saturday, at Burnell Farm (Hart County)
“Certified Naturally Grown. We are a produce farm in Royston, Ga. One of are goals is to supply our local community with vegetables grown with no herbicides, chemicals are pesticides. We also raise chickens (Cornish X Rocks) and Rainbow Layers using the same standards as we do with our vegetables. We like to say our birds are DRUG free. We currently farm 9 acres and we have a greenhouse and use raised beds. We also have a 91/2 acre pond.” There are slots still available for both our September Farmer for a Day event, and you can find more details on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.
Athens Locally Grown Hunter’s Moon Feast: October 23, Saturday, at Boann’s Banks (Royston, Franklin County)
“The October full moon has been known as the “Hunter’s Moon” for millennia, and was a time of feasting throughout the Northern hemisphere. We revive the notion here with a day of feasting at Boann’s Banks (the farm of Athens Locally Grown managers Chris and Eric Wagoner) on the banks of the Broad River outside Royston. It’ll be a low-key affair, without any farm work for you to do. Just good food and drink (Eric will prepare a variety of dishes using locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats, and perhaps brew an adult beverage. There’s also the possibility of home-brewed beer, and the likelihood of good live music. There’ll certainly be good company (all of you), and a river to splash in. There’s even some camping space, for those who really want to enjoy the moon. Come any time, but I’ll be aiming for 2pm to have the BBQ and other dishes ready. Stay as long as you’d like, even into Sunday. Nights are chilly, though, so bring a tent if you’re wanting to do that. There is no charge for Locally Grown members and their families. We do ask that you bring a dish to share, and if it’s made from Locally Grown ingredients, so much the better." You can make your reservations for the feast on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.
The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.
Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!
Market News
Last week’s all-paperless order pickup went really smoothly. I can’t begin to tell you how great it felt to not print out the giant stack of paper, as we had every week for the past nine years. I’ve long had a vision of being able to coordinate the food from getting from the growers to you all without the paperwork, but it took this long for technology to be both available and affordable. Being able to work directly off the website live as we fill orders also greatly cuts down on the “back office” work. As you might imagine, the logistics behind getting the right items from the growers to the the right customer while getting the right amount of money from the customer back to the growers, all while accounting for missing items, packing mistakes, and so forth, is quite daunting. It all just got considerably easier, though, which is good news for everyone.
Now that that project is mostly behind me, I’d like to turn my efforts to another thing that’s been bothering me (and some of you, too): all the little plastic bags that get used to package most of the items going out to you all. It’s a tricky problem, for a number of reasons:
- The items must be pre-packaged by the grower, because we are not licensed as food handlers, nor do we have the facilities to re-package anything
- Paper bags are still environmentally costly to make, and having a bunch of paper bags all the same, even with our stickers on them, makes it very hard to find the right items as we fill orders
- Plastic produce bags are both inexpensive and readily available, so whatever replaces them must be as well
There are a lot of specifics wrapped up in those general statements, but you get the idea. It turns out, though, that again technology has found an answer, and it’s very close to being affordable as well. There is a new 100% compostable produce bag being made by BioBag that contains no GMO starches, and composts back into soil (not CO2 gas, like many compostable plastics do). It’s even nearly transparent, so it won’t slow up order packing. I can get almost a year’s supply delivered to us for about $6000, which comes out to about 6 cents a bag. If we got an outside funding source, I could give them out to the growers and require them to use the bags to pack their produce, eliminating almost all of the plastic that goes out (the meat and dairy can’t use these bags). If we got about half of it paid for from outside sources, I could offer them to the growers at half price, which would be in line with what they’re paying now for plastic.
So, that’s what it comes down to: $6000 to eliminate almost all of the plastic used by the growers at our market for a year. Sounds like a great deal, and if I (or the market) had the cash, I’d order the delivery today. But I don’t, so I’ll need to see if there is any funding sources around that would sponsor something like this for us. If you have any ideas, let me know.
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Another long-standing project I’ve been working on is accepting EBT (“food stamps”) at our market. Several of you have asked about this, and unfortunately, these days EBT is the only way a growing number of families can put food on the table. The Athens Farmers Market, both the Saturday and Tuesday versions, started accepting EBT this year. Athens Locally Grown, though, does not. The biggest problem is the EBT program is extremely bureaucratic. The rules in place are rather straightforward, but are also very rigid. ALG is a new kind of business, not quite a farmers market and not quite a grocery store, and so we don’t really fit in any of the boxes. It also requires approval at the Federal, the state, and the local levels, and at each I’ve gotten “wait, you do what now?” as responses. It’s been a little dangerous. It seems regulatory authorities, at any level, have a universal response to something they’ve never seen before: “You can’t do that.” If I’m not careful, it’s not out of the question that ALG itself would get shut down for a while while we run around assuring people we’re not doing something we’re not supposed to be doing. I’m still progressing, though, and have hope that in the near future we’ll be able to accept EBT.
Just a reminder: due to some logistical conflicts, both Split Creek Farm has gone to an every-other-week schedule through the end of August. They’re here this week, but will be gone again next week.
We’ve re-instated our regular “Meet the Grower” table during the Thursday pickups. This week the table will be hosted by Tim & Liz Young from Nature’s Harmony Farm. They’ll be talking about their farming practices and cheese making, so be sure to stop by and say hello while you’re waiting for us to put your order together. They’d love to meet you!
Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With you’re help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!
We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!