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.
Champaign, OH: Long Monday
Like a honey bee
Buzzin’ ’round a glass of sweet Chablis…
(John Prine-Long Monday)
I can’t think of anyone better to start of a Monday, than the late, great John Prine. Always one of the best…
And, it is Monday, the heat is still strong, and I am willing a whole lot of rain to start happening, soon…
But, the thing that makes this very hot Monday, so very super cool, is that you can do your market shopping from the comfort of your home, office, or even in your car, if you find yourself waiting, and need to make use of your time.
The weekend was a long, busy, crazy, good one for your market managers, and their opening season of Pizza Farm Fridays, and Saturdays On The Farm, and all the while we continued to sing the praises of this market, the amazing vendors, the customer fan base, and the ease of pick up.
Market love in the time of social distancing…
I hope that you all have a lovey start to the week, that your Monday will be long in productivity, and that you can keep cool, kick back, and get your orders in.
Soul to soul
Heart to heart…
XOXO,
Cosmic Pam
Siloam Springs, AR: Online Market is Open - Kids Day To Go Kits Available to Order!
https://siloaomsprings.locallygrown.net
Tajour Specialty Products continues the sale on Gourmet Mustard this week in appreciation of our market customers. Mustard is priced at $5 per jar! They pair well with so many things….especially brats!
This Saturday is Kids a Day at the Market!
Our July Kids Day To Go Kits are now available to order!
If you registered for POP Club last month all you need to do is go to the Online Market website located at https://siloamsprings.locallygrown.net and order a FREE To Go Kit for your children. If this is your first month to participate please register your kiddos here: https://tinyurl.com/ssfmpopclub
You only have to complete one form for all your kids.
This month’s kit has a surprise! Also, we are crediting the POP Bucks to your online market account and the kids can spend what they’ve earned by placing an online order. Our farmers have recently created some great mixed produce baskets so be sure to check them out. Seasonal produce this time of year includes cherry tomatoes, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, green beans, beets, and herbs.
Thanks to our Kids Day Gold sponsors Grand Savings Bank, Sager Creek Pediatrics & Family Care, and our Supporting Sponsor Walmart Siloam Springs
The Power of Produce (POP) Club provides a fun opportunity for children to engage in the local food system through conversations directly with farmers, educational games and demonstrations, and exposure to new fruits and vegetables. In addition to participating in educational activities, POP Club kids receive vouchers to spend at the market, allowing them to make their own shopping decisions at the market.
If you’re looking for a little something extra for the kiddos, the DYI cookie kits from Leah Lou’s Cookies are a fun activity for you and the kids. Leah Lou’s has a variety of kits, dinosaurs to flowers, that include 12 cookies, 2 frosting colors, and sprinkles!
Enjoy shopping and see you Saturday!
Athens Locally Grown: ALG Market Open for July 9
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
Happy Independence Day weekend to everyone out there! Yesterday we celebrated our independence from the tyranny of a king, but it’s also a great occasion to think about our independence from all sorts of things. Your support of Athens Locally Grown greatly helps the cause of food independence for our community, for starters. Did you know that, on average, American farmers receive only nine cents out of every dollar that gets spent on food? By the time you take out the cut of the processors, the distributors, the wholesalers, and so forth, only 9% is left for the farm. And of course, they’ve got to try to meet all of the expenses of running a farm with that money, and pretty much the only way to do that is by consolidating the farmland into huge “corporate” farms that can get by with the economies of scale. The farms might be independent family-owned enterprises on paper, but they’re beholden to all of those other interests that control the other 91% of the food dollar. Here at Athens Locally Grown, the growers keep 90% of every dollar, turning small, truly family owned and operated farms into viable businesses. That fosters variety for you, provides a sustainable use of our community’s green space, and helps in no small way Athens be a more self-reliant community.
We’ve all learned the hard way these last few months that our supply chain is a fragile one, and not just for food. Mountains of potatoes in Idaho are being dumped into pits in the ground because there’s no way to get them to customers. Meat processing plants are getting shut down and industrial pork producers are despising of their animals because their finely tuned system can’t afford to keep them on the farms longer than necessary. It’s a terrible system when you look just under the surface, even in the best of times, and your support of out local growers lets us all become independent of that terrible system.
For you, too, these growers and their products let you become independent from the corporate grocer, who is told by the corporate office in Cincinnati or Bentonville or Asheville what they can and can’t stock and who they can source their produce from. You’re given the freedom to choose who grows and produces your food and how they grow and produce it. If you don’t like one grower’s products or methods, you have a hundred others, all located right here, to choose from.
And of course by sourcing your food so close to home, you don’t have to be reliant on an overtaxed and under-vigilant inspection system to make sure your food is safe. The government at all levels actively tries to reduce your ability to choose where your food comes from in the name of safety, so not everything is rosy. Sometimes the regulations are warranted, but often the rules put in place are easy for corporate farms but extremely difficult for small farmers to meet. Our fight for independence is an ongoing one, and your voice in support of the small local producer does get heard.
Finally, one last note before you all get to ordering. The Comedian took advantage of our downtime to renovate their bakery, and they are now back in full operation. If you’ve missed them (and lord knows I have), you’ll be pleased to see their products back on the website this week!
We’re getting new customers every week (and we love seeing new faces!) so here’s a quick run-down on how Thursdays go:
- Don’t arrive at the beginning of your pickup window if you’ve got that flexibility. We fill the bags alphabetically (because it’s easier on us that way), but your arrival time or last name has no bearing on what items you get. The growers fill orders based solely on the time you placed your order, so that’s all been long decided by Thursday. Take your time getting there and that’ll naturally spread things out a bit. Flatten the curve, if you will.
- I’m bad with faces as it is, and masks make it even harder to recognize you and even hear you when you give your name. Many of you had papers with your name written in big letters we could read through the window, and that is wonderful. If you think to do that same, it’ll make things even smoother.
- The pickup loop does have a fair bit of room, but we don’t want you backing up into Tallassee. If you arrive faster than we can deliver orders, we may ask you to pull ahead into the loop and circle around. That may mean that some people who arrived after you may get their food before you, but as I said above, that doesn’t affect at all what items you get when things run short.
- We’ve still got three pickup windows, and it’s totally ok if you come later than the slot you chose. If you come early, odds are high that we haven’t filled your bags yet and we may ask you to come back. Tallassee is a pretty drive, and I recommend taking it to the county line and back, just for the scenery.
- We’re not accepting in-person payments unless absolutely necessary. We’ll have a drop box for checks or labelled envelopes of cash, but we greatly prefer Venmo payments to @athenslocallygrown or online payments through a card tied to your account. Venmo is free, and card payments have a 3% processing fee.
- We can not accept any recycling just yet, though that may change once we get settled.
- We cannot take your own bags or bins out of your car and fill them up
- If you’d like to go through your items before you leave to make sure you’ve got everything, or that we didn’t mix up people’s items, feel free to pull into the lot and have a look.
Thank you 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 at our brand new home on Tallassee Road!
Other Area Farmers Markets
If ALG doesn’t have everything you need, please support our growers at the other markets that are now back up and running, or at their own locations. The Comedian takes online orders for Saturday pickup at the bakery here: https://www.thecomerian.com/online-ordering. The Athens Farmers Market is holding their Saturday market once again in Bishop Park. It’s not anything like it was before, so you’ll want to read up on all the changes on their website, http://athensfarmersmarket.net. The West Broad Farmers Market is back too, holding a drive through market just like us (and using my software too, so it’ll be nice and familiar). You can join them at https://wbfm.locallygrown.net. And of course Collective Harvest is going strong over at https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com.
All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. 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!
Dawson Local Harvest: It's Sunday night, the Dawson Market is OPEN!
FREE-RANGE BEEF, CHICKEN & EGGS, WHOLE-GRAIN BREADS AND BAKED GOODS, LOCALLY-GROWN ORGANIC VEGETABLES AND MORE!
PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW!
Wholesome Harvest Farm WV: Wholesome Harvest Farm online market is open!
Our online market is open for the week.
Orders need to be in by 10:00 AM on Tuesday, so make sure to order in time.
Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday!
Foothills Market: The Market is Open!
Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend! As the holiday draws to a close, Foothills Market is ready for another week of bringing you fresh, local produce!
This week we want to feature our newest growers on the market, T’s Garden.
Amanda (on the left) and Elizabeth Yang are part of the T’s Garden family located in Lamar. They have several summer favorites, including a variety of yellow zucchini, Gold Rush. We had a little mix-up last week about delivery of their first orders, but we think we have the process straightened out for future orders.
Shop our listings between now and Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Be sure to click the “Place your order” button to get the order into the the system. We’ll get the order together and have it ready for pick-up Thursday from 4:30-5:30 at the Johnson County courthouse.
Eat something fresh this week.
Russellville Community Market: The Market Closes at 10 Tonight!
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-up from 4PM – 8:00PM this Tuesday outside the Downtown Russellville Train Depot. Your order will be brought to your car in full-service fashion!
We have a fantastic selection of tomatoes, including some old heirloom varieties. (Heirlooms are usually funky-shaped and DELICIOUS!) You can toast a slice of homemade bread, spread on a little mayonnaise, fry up a side of crispy hot bacon, cut up a big, juicy, homegrown tomato, and add some greens, and that is a TASTY MEAL! We also have purple plums, frozen blueberries, and fresh peaches for your fruit cobblers. We have it all at RCM!!
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Check back frequently as our farmers regularly update what they have available.
Russellville Community Market
FRESH.LOCAL.ONLINE
<center/Berea Gardens: Market open
Summer is here and I am excited. I can finally enjoy one of my favorite one-skillet meals. Fresh sliced new potatoes, green beans, onions and garlic. Steamed lightly and drizzled with a little olive oil, this is one of my favorite flavor blends. And this week, you can enjoy it, too !
Blessings,
Bob
Magney Legacy Ridge Farm: CSA #19
Dear CSA-ers,
This week’s Preassembled Bag will contain Malabar Spinach, Fennel, Carrots, Muir Head Lettuce, Mixed Eggplant, Cherry Tomatoes, Oregano and Parsley. Orders may now be placed on the online market at: https://magneyfarm.locallygrown.net/market
On a farm, one comes to know the seasons by their sounds. The sound most iconic to mid-summer is the constant whirring of cicadas. Though we plant by the calendar, it would be just as easy to start fall planting by the arrival of cicada song. Perhaps at one time in human history, people did.
This is a bittersweet time, as some of our long-standing crops that have reached the end of their productivity will have to be turned over to make room for those that will succeed in Fall. As part of our organic and sustainability practices, we return the nutrition of the “crop residue” to the soil by using a special mower that mulches the aboveground portion. The shredded leaves and stems increase the organic matter content of our soil and return any minerals the plant accumulated during its life. Earthworms and beneficial soil microbes turn this mulched “crop residue” back into forms that can be used by the new plantings. The cycle begins again.
This week’s featured vegetable is the eggplant, or “aubergine” as it is known in some parts of the world. Genetic studies of eggplant suggest it originated in South-East Asia, but it was quickly disseminated by trade routes through the Mid-East to Europe, and then later to European colonies. Now the vegetable is popular world over. Eggplant is best eaten cooked, though this business of salting and soaking alluded to in cookbooks is not necessary for the low-bitter varieties that we grow. Eggplant is prized for its ability to absorb and concentrate the flavor of what it is cooked in. Likewise, there are numerous dishes that revolve around the eggplant; ratatouille, moussaka, baba ghanoush, eggplant parmesan, and countless others. Eggplant skeptics are quickly won over with its addition to simple recipes like stir-fries or minestrone soups. We hope you come to enjoy this beautiful vegetable as much as we do.
Garlic Parmesan Baked Eggplant Recipe
Ingredients
• 1 large eggplant
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
1. Start by preparing the eggplant: wash the eggplant and trim off the green end. You can peel the skin if you like. Next, slice eggplant into 1/2" disks. Place all disks in colander or cooling rack set over baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and let sit for at least 30 minutes
2. Next, melt butter in a bowl. Mix breadcrumbs, spices and Parmesan cheese in another bowl.
3. Dip each eggplant disk into butter first, then breading mixture. Place on aluminum foil or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
4. Bake in 400 degrees F oven for 15 minutes, then flip each disk and baked for 7 more minutes. The eggplant should be golden brown and the breading crispy.
5. Serve as side dish, appetizer or use in eggplant Parmesan.
Recipe Notes
Eggplant skin is completely edible. It’s a personal preference, just like zucchini. You can peel the skin off or leave it.
As always, we thank you for being a part of our CSA, and supporting sustainable, organic, and truly local agriculture in Western Kentucky. It’s you who make this possible!
Sincerely,
The Magney Legacy Ridge Farm Team
The Wednesday Market: Place Your Orders Today
Good morning.
The Wednesday Market is open for orders. Please place your order by 10 p.m. Monday. Orders are ready for pick up between 2 and 4 p.m. See the website for this week’s product offerings. Here is the link: https://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
As I mentioned in last week’s blog, we spent Sunday “putting up” some of our garden vegetables. The result: cucumber relish and homemade salsa. Once again this week we have had an abundance of squash and more tomatoes. These blessing have now been converted into squash pickles and more salsa. While canning is hot work, it brings to mind memories made as a teenager when I worked with Mamaw and Papaw helping them harvest and preserve their garden. Back then there was no air conditioning, so the act of pressure canning green beans caused the temperature in Mamaw’s kitchen to be 100+ degrees! Papaw rewarded us with trips to the lake or river for fishing and swimming. Precious memories indeed!
Thank you for supporting Georgia Grown. Have a great day, and we’ll see you at the Market.
Thanks,
Beverly