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.
McColloms Market: March FFFN Order is Closed
Hi All:
The March FFFN Order is now closed.
Unless you’ve made other arrangements with me, the pick up will be Wed., March 7 from 5 – 7 at 103 Helen St., which is on the corner of Helen and Pine.
If you are delayed for some reason, please call me on my cell phone that afternoon at: 518-418-9236.
Thanks!
Melinda
StPete.LocallyGrown.Net: Market Now OPEN - March 5, 2012
Market opens Mondays @ 5 PM and closes Wednesdays @ NOON. We deliver on Fridays.
Due to rising fuel costs, The Dancing Goat products are available on our Market during the 1st & 3rd weeks of each month.
Please stock up on eggs & dairy during those weeks.
Organically Inclined is a co-op provider of ALL ORGANIC high quality nuts & seeds, berries and fruits. We are still assessing whether or not they will be on the Market weekly. So far they have been with us every week!
The Acres Chicken Ranch will be back on the Market next week with Jackie’s fresh eggs.
Where to Find Us
VISIT OUR HOMEPAGE: stpete.locallygrown.net
CHECK OUT the new design of our Market Community Blog: stpetelocallygrownnet.blogspot.com Learn to cook the familiar AND unfamiliar; want to write on our blog? send your request to tlevy@tampabay.rr.com.
Please LIKE US… On Facebook and tell your friends about us!
Message from Market Manager
NON-LOCAL PRODUCTS
In our last customer survey, many of you asked for fruits and nuts that are not locally grown. We have been told by the national network locallygrown.net that as long as the majority of our items are locally produced we can balance out our Market to provide more variety and customer convenience. That’s why you now able to buy dried fruits, nuts, legumes, and even huge sea scallops (from Massachusetts) for your culinary pleasure, among other things! Stay tuned…
CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS NOW ACCEPTED ONLINE
If you pay in person, we accept cash or checks. Please read this update from our Q&A page on payment options.
SUNDAY LECTURE
Sincere thanks to Kay Renshaw of JJA Wellness for her heartfelt presentation on the “Sugar Blues”. What an outstanding subject and how relevant it was to all who attended. Kudos to our new Health Coach! You can contact Kay for consultation through her website at www.jjawellness.com. Next Sunday at 2:30pm hear Diane Weigandt speak on “Raw Feeding your Cat & Dog: Why & How to Feed a Species Appropriate Diet”. All details below.
MORE BEEF SALES THIS WEEK
We have 8 more packages of 100% grass-fed ground beef available for sale this week, to be sold on a first come first served basis. Each package weighs between 1 and 1.5 pounds. When you order, we will charge your account $7 and then, prior to delivery, we will adjust your invoice for the remainder of the weight once we know the exact weight. Just a heads up that these packages cost somewhere between $7 and 10.50 each.
INVOICES PROVIDED ONLY ON REQUEST
Read about it here If you “must have” a printed invoice then please tell us—in the comment area—each time you place your order.
STPETE.LOCALLYGROWN.NET PARTNERS IN FUNDRAISING EFFORTS
Since its inception four years ago, Eric Stewart’s Code Green Community website has expanded to form an online bio-regional community of like minded folk. Eric’s website has been instrumental in promoting our online Market’s Sunday Lecture Series. So we are happy to be included with a dozen or so organizations who are partnering with Eric to spread the news about raising funds to enhance the website with a new documentary to promote a more sustainable, resilient, and abundant Tampa Bay Area. Please read about Eric’s “Tampa Bay Green Living Economy Documentary/Web Series” project on Kickstart, email the link to your friends, and give serious consideration to contributing funds yourself. When this project gets funding, the organizations partnering with Eric will be included in a documentary focusing on the development of Tampa bay as a emerging green living economy. StPete.LocallyGrown.Net is honored to participate as a fundraising partner and to be included as a documentary subject.
New Growers
HELP US FIND GROWERS FOR THIS MARKET Grower Qualifications: We want both large scale growers and backyard gardeners who use only organic methods in their farming process: composting, etc. They also do not use synthetic chemicals to either fertilize or to control pests in their garden. Our range of search is currently within Pinellas & Manatee Counties but we will consider other areas. This is needed to meet current customer demands UNTIL St. Petersburg growers are more able to subsidize Market needs. Local growers (St. Petersburg) are still our main priority and highest preference.
Upcoming Events
SATURDAY WORKSHOP – March 10th, 2012 from 1 pm – 3 pm. “Successful Urban Farming in St. Petersburg” with Nathan Levy. Cost is $35 per individual OR pay $25 EACH when you bring a friend. (price includes copy of “What We’ve Learned”) Do you want to become more independent and self-sustaining? Then grow your own food! Nathan will speed up your learning curve by sharing his experience with:
- Growing vegetables year round regardless of temperature,
- Using free materials for most all of your garden needs,
- Harvesting weeds and seeds for extra bounty,
- Winning the “battle of the bugs”
A great refresher for garden veterans and solid advice for beginners! This 2-hour workshop is jam-packed with information for you to apply in your backyard vegetable patch as you plant and maintain your fall garden and consider growing next summer. LOCATION: Nathan’s Backyard Garden, 5305 20th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33714
QUESTIONS: Call Nathan at 727-403-1655
SUNDAY LECTURE SERIES – March 11th, 2012 from 2:30 – 3:30 pm. “Raw Feeding your Cat & Dog: Why & How to Feed a Species Appropriate Diet ” with Diane Weigandt. This FREE lecture will focus on the benefits of feeding a true species appropriate diet to our dogs and cats. Topics to be discussed will include how various diseases are caused by feeding an inappropriate diet, what is a “balanced” diet comprised of, the health benefits of feeding a raw diet and how to prepare your own raw food. Diane has been feeding a raw diet to her cats and dogs for the last 6 years, in conjunction with researching this subject in detail. She is currently pursuing her DVetHom diploma from the British Institute of Homeopathy. LOCATION: Nathan’s Backyard Garden, 5305 20th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL.
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!
ASN Little Rock Local Food Club Midweek: Sharea Soup available and reminder to order before 5:30 this evening
Sharea Soups has listed soups and salads for this week. Grab a batch to share with a friend at the office on Thursday. Sharea’s food is available along with Ratchford meats, a variety of garden plants, broccoli, eggs and more.
Visit www.lrmidweek.locallygrown.net and order before 5:30 for pick up Wednesday after work.
See ya then!
McMinnville Locally Grown: A Note from Dogwood Valley Greenhouse
This will be the last week for daffodil bouquets , and I will have only a limited number available this week. Sorry, the season was shortened a bit by the crazy weather. But on a brighter note, the perennials are growing like crazy & some are beginning to bloom. In bloom this week: candytuft, Pulmonaria, coreopsis, Astrantia, red carnation, and catchfly, with more to come shortly.
Farm2Work: WELCOME NEW GROWER: Kent Walker Artisan Cheese
WELCOME NEW GROWER: Kent Walker Artisan Cheese
Kent is still in the process of getting his pictures loaded onto the site, but we wanted to make his cheese available to you before the market closes this evening – just a taste for now! I am going for the Habanero Cheddar myself. Here is the write up he has in our “Growers” section:
“Making homemade, artisan cheese has been a passion of mine for quite a while. I first got into it while working at Montinore Estate Winery. It was a fun passtime that lead to some wonderful results. In the summer of 2011 I decided to make it a career. Luckily, I was living in SoMa (Southside Mainstreet) at the time. The support from everyone here has been amazing!
Kent Walker Artisan Cheese is currently in full production. The cheese is produced at the Trinity Cathedral in Little Rock, Arkansas. We pride ourselves on making delicious artisan cheese from all Arkansas Ingredients."
Thank you, again, and see you on Wednesday!
Go here to place your order: http://www.farm2work.locallygrown.net
Make it a great day!
Farm2Work
Market Managers
info@farm2work.com
501-412-9493
Farm2Work: Reminder: The Market is open until 7:00!
“I think it’s one of the most important battles for consumers to fight: the right to know what’s in their food, and how it was grown.” Joel Salatin
For me, it was a matter of getting into the habit of reading the ingredients in the very small fonts on the back of the box rather than just the labels in the very large fonts on the front of the packages!
Added since Friday: Organic Broccoli by North Pulaski Farm & Prepared Soups by Sharea Soup & Salad!
Finally, thank you for your business and for helping us spread the word! The idea is simple: to provide busy people in the office with access to fresh food grown locally.
Go here to place your order: http://www.farm2work.locallygrown.net
Make it a great day!
Farm2Work
Market Managers
info@farm2work.com
501-412-9493
We Are One Farmers Market: Pre-Order Open, Raw Milk Debut, Sticky Piggies back... Apple Pie
Pre-order is open please welcome
Thyng Farm from Deering with their ORGANIC RAW MILK.
Also, Simply Made Treats is offering apple pie, orange sesame scones, and STICKY PIGGIES are back this week.
Also check out Sweet Heart Treats HOMEMADE HUMMUS, raw honey, chocolate hazelnut pie and more.
Have you tried Contoocook Creamery’s butter yet? Plus we’ve got 2012 MAPLE SYRUP for sale from Gage Hill Sugar Shack.
And how about a nice Easter Ham… so much to choose from.
And of course the greens are here in abundance we’ll see you Friday.
Athens Locally Grown: Availability for March 8
Athens Locally Grown
How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.
Market News
With this weather, it’s hard to tell what we’re supposed to be doing out in the garden. Seventies one day and freezes the next, with gale force winds in between… there’s not many plants worth eating that like that sort of thing. It is time to be out getting the beds ready, though, if you didn’t grow right on through winter. Our growers are all out working their fields (holding onto their hats with one hand, no doubt), and if you’ve got a home garden, don’t be afraid to get out there too. And if you don’t have a home garden, I’d love for you to consider trying one. Even a few clay pots on your doorstep filled with lettuce or herbs can be incredibly rewarding!
There are several events listed below that can help aspiring gardeners and farmers. Almost all of us that have grown for market have started this way, by going to farm tours, work events, and networking sessions. We learn from and teach each other, and through that cooperation the Athens area has gone from next to no truly local food sources to the vibrant food system, one that’s the envy of communities across the USA, in only 15 years. The network of sharing experience an knowledge is stronger than ever, and you can tap into it, no matter how ambitious your desire to grow may be.
You can even bring that pool of knowledge right to your home if you wish! I’ve put in a blurb down below about Hungry Gnome, a small edible landscape company headed up by Kevin Yates, formerly of Roots Farm. You’d be surprise how much food your home can produce, even if you don’t have a square inch of dirt at your disposal. I used to grow salad in windowboxes I installed in my dorm room, and the little balcony of the apartment I used to rent on Baxter street was filled with pots of every little thing I could try. Start small (with or without Hungry Gnome’s help) and who knows — ten years later you might be a regular seller through our local farmers markets!
Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, 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!
Upcoming Local Food Events
March 5th: Young and Beginning Farmer Mixer Farm 255, along with Georgia Organics & Slow Food, is organizing an event to gather emerging farmers in our region. Their goal is to help young and beginning farmers across various communities connect with peers, learn from each other, and create momentum in developing the voice of the new farmer in the southeast. They are kicking off the initiative with a good old fashioned party on March 5th from 5-7p.m. at Farm 255 in Athens.
March 10th, 2pm-5pm: Crop Mob Athens at Blackbriar Farm The March Crop Mob is here! John and Leslie Lawson of Blackbriar Farms will be hosting our mobbers and giving us a look into local pastured meat. The Lawsons raise pastured heritage breeds for meat and eggs (beef, lamb, eggs & chicken) as well as maintaining an orchard and vegetable production. We will be preparing for spring planting on the farm that includes working in the orchard, berry bushes, flower area, and vegetable patch. As always, grub (dinner) will be provided after the work featuring food from Blackbriar. P.L.A.C.E., Daily Groceries and Earth Fare will also lend a hand. Following the food we’ll have an end-of-winter bonfire with ’smores as well as a special treat for everyone. We will be capping this at 40 participants, so if you want to get in on this awesome mob, RSVP to Kate Munden-Dixon (katemundendixon@gmail.com) fast! For more information on Blackbriar, see their description on Athens Locally Grown: http://athens.locallygrown.net/growers/show/1066.
March 31st: Athens Food Cart Festival On Saturday, March 31st, 2012, students from the UGA College of Environment and Design (CED) will stage a Food Cart Festival celebrating local and regional food production. An outgrowth of the CED’s CounterSPACE project, the street food festival is designed to raise awareness of the many benefits of mobile food vending for the Athens community. The event will feature food trucks from Atlanta as well as Athens food vendors, including FarmCart, La Fonda Dawgs, an empanada cart, and King of Pops. The festival will be on College Avenue between Washington and Hancock Streets from 12:00-6:00 p.m., in correlation with the CED’s annual Alumni Weekend campus activities. The public is invited.
Other Area Farmers Markets
The Athens Farmers Market has closed for the winter. You can watch for news during the offseason on their website. The other area markets are also all closed for the season too. All but Athens Locally Grown, that is.
Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!
Garden With Gnomes!
Hungry Gnome Gardenscapes is a small design/build/maintain firm located in Athens, GA. We specialize in edible landscaping, empowering people to grow their own food! We are passionate about teaching and we encourage all our clients to work and learn with us in the garden. We are also available for tree and shrub pruning, fence installation and repair, hardscaping, consulting and master planning.
New this year, we are offering a range of support programs for vegetable gardens. All support programs include:
- regular visits from a Gnome (the number of visits is program specific)
- 1 soil prep to start the year off right
- a soil test to check fertility
- all the seeds and starts needed for a bountiful garden
- a scale drawn map of your vegetable garden
- a monthly email newsletter with info on harvesting, pest control, planting, garden techniques and recipes
- thorough and complete weeding and pest management
Whether you are an experienced gardener or a back porch container pro, it’s not that easy to get your seeds and starts in the ground at the right time. We have done all the planning and we can set you easily on the path to a bountiful harvest. Check out our website – www.hungrygnome.org – for more information about our business and details on the support programs.
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!
CAFE: Food and Art
Food and Art
To explain how we got to be producing a Food and Art series, let me give you a brief history of CAFÉ drop/pickup locations. Beginning with about seven farms, Elian and I started out about a year ago with no money, just a website and some flyers. It was our original intention to locate in a commercial zone because of the nature of our enterprise and because we wanted to bring new customers to an enterprise in exchange for the use of space.
Our first drop location was R3MIX3D, a vintage clothing store in the shopping center anchored by Blue Heron in Clemson. We then moved to Hudson Bagel in the shopping center with Gold’s Gym. Both these locations were friendly to us, but we couldn’t synchronize our ours to be indoors, so when the hot weather came last summer, and there not being another commercial venue available, we began looking at municipal location and were warmly welcomed by The Arts Center.
In the early days we managed with one big cooler and a folding table. With the orders growing as they have been, we are fortunate to have the large room and tables to spread out on. Valuable real estate comes with a price, however, and in our case the price has not been in cash but in education. The Arts Center asked us to offer instruction in ways that connect what we do to art.
Food and Art is our first effort in this exchange. It all came about very quickly this year. Fortunately, Emily Avent Havener stepped up to be in charge of organization and the series will begin for real this week. Food and Art includes a lot and there are many possibilities for presentations beyond the six we have scheduled for spring. I had never heard of such a series but when I looked online I found that we are right on par with NYC where the Umami Food and Art Festival (http://www.umamifestival.org/) is preparing for its third year, so it must be a successful combination.
We hope to inspire artists to think about food differently and for foodies to come out as artists. All of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to The Arts Center, so please promote the events and consider attending yourself.
Eat well and stay well! Lance
lance@clemsonareafoodexchange.com
elian@clemsonareafoodexchange.com
renee@clemsonareafoodexchange.com
http://cafe.locallygrown.net/welcome
http://www.facebook.com/ClemsonAreaFoodExchange
Upstate Locally Grown Greenville: This Week's Orders due in before close at 8 AM Monday.
Folks,
Just a little “heads up” to jog your memory if you wish to order this week this is a good time to do it.
Helpful Hints For the Market Page:
Here are a few tips meant to enhance your shopping experience on Upstate Locally Grown….(and you might wish to print these out so you can use them while you order):
1) Typing in a product: While you are in the “All Product” mode (you can tell that by the “all products” name at the top of the list on the left in Market Page.) find the little box where you can type in products, and type in eggs, for instance. You can order your eggs, and then just go right back to the same box and type in “micro” or “greens”, for instance, or even “green”, and you will get a result of everything with “green” in it. “lettuce” will result in anything with the word “lettuce” in its title. “Plant” will pull up everything with “plant” in the name.
This only works if the item you are searching for has the word in its title line. Typing in “Beef”, for instance, will only bring up things with the word “Beef” in the title, and will not bring up “roast” or Fajita strips, unless, of course, the grower has listed their product as “Beef ~ Fajita Strips”. Another example is “Plant ~ Tomato” or Tomato Plant. You can type in either “Plant” or “Tomato” and pull up results which will not only include tomato plant, but anything else with “tomato” in its name; a recipe, maybe, or fresh tomatoes, or “4 cheese Tomato pie” or perhaps a soap called “Hot Tomato” (Ha, Ha, just threw that one in…you’ll neven find it.)
When you type in the products from the “All Products” mode, you don’t have to start all over each time you order something; you can just keep on ordering.
IMPORTANT: Wait for your confirmation email after checking out. Even us seasoned order-ers forget sometimes to complete check-out, and, if we don’t get that confirmation email, it is a “heads up” that we need to go back to the shopping cart on the market page and start again from there.
One of the main reasons that orders don’t complete is that we haven’t selected a default drop-off site. The software is smart enough to know that we can’t deliver to “nowhere”, so-to- speak, and it will abort the order. Unfortunately, you are the only one who can tell whether your products are still in the shopping cart. We are blissfully unaware of the situation until you frantically contact us after you go to retrieve your bounty and it is a “no-show”. I feel real sorry for you at that point, but my sympathy doesn’t make a very tasty dish on the dinner table. So PLEASE :-} go to “your Account”, click on “Edit”, and choose a default drop-off site, so I don’t have to feel so bad because you show up for an order that we don’t have. LOL :0) We like you and we don’t like to leave you disappointed. So, wait for your confirmation before you consider your order completed.
If you aren’t sure, just email the managers and ask if it went through.
Well, there are a lot more handy tips to share with you, but I will save the rest for another time, since it is late, and you need to get your order finished, LOL.
To order: www.upstatesc.locallygrown.net/market
Healthy eating! :0)