Northeast Georgia Locally Grown:  Market is open for orders!

Good Evening Locavores, Northeast Georgia Locally Grown is open for orders!
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Fresh Vegetables
Clean Meats
Baked Goods with Organic ingredients
Pastured Eggs
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PICKUP TIME is Wednesday from 5-6:30pm!

Thank you for choosing Northeast Georgia Locally Grown as a way to support your local producers. This online farmers market allows you to buy directly from multiple farms committed to chemical-free and local produce all year long! CHEMICAL-FREE means produce and pastures grown without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides. LOCAL means within 80 miles from the market pickup locations (usually much much closer). Do you know someone who grows chemical-free food in the area? Get them in touch with us. Know someone who wants fresh food? Spread the word. Put the two together, and that’s growing organically!

Statesboro Market2Go:  The Market is Open!

Thanks for shopping with us! Find lots of fresh, delicious, local produce, milk, seafood, and meats. We also have items that are already prepared and ready to eat, made from local ingredients.

You can Pre-order your fresh Gourmet Dipped Strawberries from Hardcore Apples and Sweets for delivery on February 14th! Available by the dozen and half-dozen.

Please read about our exciting changes. Beginning Feb 14th, the new Statesboro pick up location will change from Sugar Magnolia to the Statesboro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Don’t miss the February salsa special from Ma’s Country Pantry. They have seven different flavors to choose from mild to ghost pepper hot as well as other flavors like peaches and bacon salsa.

Dothan, Alabama:  February 2, 2019 M@D Newsletter

This Week’s Newsletter:
A Visit To . . .
Mark Your Calendar
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes

AVALON FARMS

Part 1
Several years back we ran a series of articles written by our growers about the history of their farms. It was most helpful and very informative, and before Avalon Farms rejoined the Market after being away a few years. Recently Wendy shared the history of their farm in the Grower Notes section of our newsletter. We had already scheduled a visit coinciding with my monthly visit to Coffee County Jail. As luck would have it I got out of there a bit early which gave us more time to visit.

There was NO DOUBT I had arrived at a real sustainable farm when the gps told me I had arrived. After driving past miles and miles of traditionally farmed land seeing neatly sectioned beds in various stages of preparation (complete with a movable chicken fence and chickens) was a welcome sight.

From left to right: Sam, Maggie (who was born in a coyote den on the adjacent property), Zoe and Quiggles.

I have to admit being a bit jealous of the the relatively flat land where they are located. Different parts of the farm operation pretty much circled the home making the 100 ft. beds an easy walk in any direction, but possible to get something motorized close enough to assist if needed. Being out in the open with no close forest also meant their main predators came from the sky instead of the woods (like those of us who deal with possums, fox, coyotes, bobcats, etc). Different outbuildings on the backside of the house serve different functions including housing the aquaponics, a walk-in cooler and chicken station.

Lloyd and Wendy wasted no time showing me around and telling me about the various garden beds and what was going on there. The asparagus bed was happily overwintering under a layer of mulch so there wasn’t much to see there. The blackberries looked like . . well, blackberry plants in winter! The egg chickens had recently finished digging up grass and weeds in one area, fertilizing it well in the process, and had started on another. I saw the disked area Wendy wrote about in last week’s newsletter and agree that the space will give them a lot of breathing room in their soil preparation and crop rotations.

This bed featured in our Dec. 8 newsletter“wowed” me. The straight lines and perfect spacing appealed the my little bit of OCD because I’ve never managed to plant even a small bed that neat, let alone 100 ft! The other thing was the nice thick layer of peanut hulls mulching the area. Talk about utilizing sustainable local materials! Once the crop has been harvested the hulls will be tilled into the soil (making it that much richer) then the spot will be planted with a cover crop, then tilled again for additional benefit before hosting a different vegetables crop.

Wendy had shared her planting grid back then with us. It is one of several with varying size grids for even spacing. This like many things on the farm are build from available and recycled materials.

Hate to stop now that I’ve got you good and interested, but don’t despair – more good info to come in Part 2 next week.

Stay Tuned!

HYDROPONICS CLASS

“Smart Doc” Virginia Schafer, along with Chris Judge will be presenting a class on Hydroponics at Dothan Nurseries on Saturday, February 16 at 10am. Many of you have enjoyed their hydroponic greens. This class will cover many aspects of the system including how you can do it at home! The class will take place in the greenhouse. Seating is limited so please arrive early.

Chris tending some of Smart Doc’s delectable hydroponic greens

THIS WEEK’S GROWER NOTES

We have the best Growers in the Wiregrass! Please learn more about them on our Grower Page.

MARTIN TEAS: Martin Teas on vacation February 1,2019 through February 12, 2019. No online orders February  5th. You may order again on February 12th. Thanks Birdie 

AVALON FARMS: Taking advantage of these cold days to get my seed orders done. Then I have to work out the when, where and how of planting them. How many succession plantings? Row feet needed? Seeds per row? Direct seed or transplants? It’s sort of like a puzzle or playing tetris.

I’ve also started a bunch of cool weather transplants; kales, cabbages, broccoli, tatsoi, senposai and spinach. The fall spinach was a dismal failure, hoping these do better.

In the warmer afternoons I’ve been working on incorporating my “cover crop” of winter weeds. LOL It’s actually a thing, really. Kill them before they make seed and till them in as green manure. They’ve been using the soil’s nutrients to grow and I don’t want to lose those nutrients by throwing them out, so back into the soil they go.

There will be some kale available this week. At this writing I’m not sure how much.

EGGS….in an effort to “share the love” I’m going to stop offering 18 count eggs and add more dozens. This will allow more people the opportunity to get some farm fresh eggs. Thank you for your understanding. Hopefully everyone’s egg production will be up soon. Go, Chickens! Go!

HORTONS FARM: Today I’m at the 24th Annual Alabama Cooperative Extension System Beekeeping Symposium in Clanton. This is one of two annual statewide educational events for both new and experienced beekeepers. I must say I’m thankful to be attending as a participant and not a teacher this year!

20th Annual Symposium in 2015.

CLG:  CLG Pickup TODAY 3:30-6pm. Bring eggshells, glass jars, & egg cartons please.

Good afternoon,
There will be lots of goodies on the Extras table so come early.

This is a pickup reminder for those of you who ordered this week. Thank you for your order! You can pick up your order from 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. today at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at 925 Mitchell Street in Conway.

Usually our awesome volunteers have the market ready for customers to pick up before 4pm. If you are out and about and want to know if we are ready, just text me to see: 501-339-1039.

If something comes up that you cannot personally pick up your order today, please contact someone to pick up for you.

Remember to bring your EGGSHELLS, glass jars for recycling, egg cartons, and bags for ordered items. Reduce, reuse, recycle! See you this afternoon.

Come early for the best selection from the EXTRAS table! Even if you didn’t make an order, you can come by to shop the EXTRAS table.
Steve

Augusta Locally Grown:  THE ON-LINE MARKET IS OPEN AT AUGUSTA LOCALLY GROWN

Sending gratitude this cold winter week to our farmers who spend time and expertise caring for plants, animals and soil, in all kinds of weather, no matter how harsh.

Thank you for spending your food dollars to support their work and dedication.

Kim

Russellville Community Market:  The Market Opens at Noon!

To ensure your order is placed, make sure you click the “Place My Order” button once you have completed your shopping. You will receive a confirmation email.

Orders will be ready for pick from 4PM – 6:30PM this Tuesday at the Downtown Russellville Train Depot!

It’s the best time of the week once more – the Market Opens at Noon! Just a few of the local foods up for grabs this week are Kale, Purple Top Rutabaga, Keto friendly Cheesecake, Free Range Eggs, Beef Chuck Roast, and Raw River Valley Honey. Thank you for choosing to support local farms and families!
-

Russellville Community Market

FRESH.LOCAL.ONLINE

Suwanee Whole Life Co-op:  It's time to order your market items!

Happy Friday! It’s time to order for this week’s market! Order before 6pm on Sunday.

Click link to order: suwanee.locallygrown.net

ORDER CONFIRMATION:
If you don’t get an email right after you order then your order is NOT complete. Log back in and your order will still be there waiting for you to check out.

PICK UP:
Pick up is on ***WEDNESDAY*** at 1300 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. Suite 1104, Suwanee at Cultured Traditions from 1 pm to 6:30 pm.

PAYMENT:
We take checks, cash, Zelle, PayPal, and credit cards online. Credit cards can not be swiped at pick up location b/c there is no Wi-Fi.

To pay by credit card on file click “Pay Now” button at the bottom of the check out page. I don’t run credit cards until after pick up on Wednesdays.

If paying by DWOLLA or PayPal, please pay by Wednesday! I pay our vendors on your behalf before you pick up so I need all payments initiated by Wednesdays.

Champaign, OH:  January

January…
sick and tired you’ve been hanging on me…
(January-Pilot)

Blow dry those feathered bangs, put on that Bonne Bell Lipsmacker, grab your bell bottoms, your lounge like wear, and uncover this little song of the 70s…

And, let’s reflect, and bid goodbye to the longest year, err, month, that I truly have ever encountered. It just greeted us with such fierce, and apparently is leaving us with the same fierce…

We survived…and, we are happy to say hello to a new month!! And, the first market to kick off the new month!!

Goodbye to the ice, snow, polar vortex loving January…you have been a cruel mistress. Even, ending my evening, last night, with busted pipes, a crashing garage ceiling, and my car getting the brunt of the action…and, a huge thank you to all of my Cosmic customers/Hippie and the Farmer customers, for being so understanding with my need to get your orders to you, tomorrow!!

It’s been a month of months, and with February ready to usher us in, let’s all just hope it’s a smoother ride.

The market is now open, and we welcome you back to the greatest market in the county…your year round, locally enforced, lovely little market…

Let’s all say hello to the new month, with a whole batch of orders!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Statesboro Market2Go:  Market2Go Changes

We’ve got two exciting changes coming up in the next month for Market2Go.

The venue. Market2Go is moving! Starting Thursday, February 14, Market2Go order pickups will be at the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau at 222 South Main Street. We’re not moving far — the SCVB is on South Main Street, diagonally across from Queensborough Bank in what some people remember as the old Shoney’s building.

Hours will remain the same with order pick up between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. every Thursday.

Sugar Magnolia Bakery has been our operations base for Market2Go since the very beginning. The owners past and present have been very generous and gracious through every kind of transition of the building. We’re grateful to Steve Jones for helping us get started, Barry Turner for letting us use the building even when the business was closed, and especially to Caroline Joyner and the current management team for making room for us — and making us feel welcome — even as they worked around us to do renovations and open their beautiful new restaurant.

At our new location at the SCVB, we will have a dedicated cooler and freezer to improve efficiency, food safety and customer service. We also expect that the generous parking area will make order pickup more convenient for our customers.

The cost structure. We are eliminating the annual membership fee and in its place — because we have to maintain support for the market — we’re instituting a surcharge of 7% on each order.

Our analysis, as well as comments from vendors and would-be customers, suggest that our annual membership fee of $25 remains a barrier to market participation for some customers, especially for customers at lower incomes. At the same time, we know we need to maintain our income to cover market expenses. We think that this new structure will allow us to do both — to bring in new customers to the market and also produce income to keep the market going.

Effective immediately, market membership fees will no longer be charged — anyone can make purchases on the market, simply by signing up. We will contact customers who have paid a membership fee recently, to offer some compensation alternatives.

Beginning March 1, your Market2Go orders will include a 7% market-support fee to maintain income for Market2Go.

For questions, please contact :
[email protected]
Relinda 912-481-2263
Michele 912-601-9252

Miami County Locally Grown:  Benefit for Violet TOMORROW!

The list of auction items is incredible – check out the Facebook page @VioletBensman for more info!

Long-time Market supporter Katie Bensman was known to most of you as popular vendor Mother Suds Soap Company until last summer when she walked away from the business to focus on her and husband Matt’s growing family of three beautiful, spunky girls.

The family’s lives were forever changed last October when eldest daughter, 5 year old Violet, was diagnosed with High-Grade Astrocytoma, an aggressive brain cancer.

As you can read on the flyer posted on our Facebook page, and for those of you privileged to know this lovely family, Violet is a fighter with a vivacious spirit!

Their families have put together a Benefit Dance and Auction for Friday, February 1st, where all proceeds will go to help Violet and her family in their on-going journey with cancer.

Located at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Versailles, Ohio, the event schedule is as follows:

7:00pm – Doors Open

7:30pm – Opening Prayer for Violet

8:00pm – Live Music by the Demange Brothers

9:30pm – Live Auction begins (large items)

10:30pm – Silent Auction closes

11:00pm – Silent Auction winners announced

11:30pm – 50/50 cash drawing (need not be present to win)

With appetizers and a cash bar, the night’s Live Auction items include a 5 night trip to Myrtle Beach, 1/2 of a Beef, and much more.

For more information, to volunteer, or to donate, please contact Elly Puthoff (419)733-5501 or Connie Brunswick (937)623-3865.