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.
Athens Locally Grown: ALG Market Open for April 30
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
I’m not gonna lie: last week was a challenge. Between the new location, record sales, curbside delivery, and the thunderstorms, we really had our work cut out for us. I know there was some frustration for you as we struggled to manage traffic and keep up with everyone, but at the end of the night everyone got everything they were supposed to except for two items. Two months ago misplacing only two items would have been a celebration. Now? Seems miraculous.
We’re going to do the same system this Thursday, with a few modifications on our end to (hopefully) make it easier on you. I’ve brought in several more workers to help us organize and fill orders in the back. I made some software changes that will help us better consolidate orders before you arrive. We’re going to try to manage traffic in that pickup loop better. And I did what I could to keep the rain away. Granted, that last one wasn’t much.
The main bottleneck for us is the cold and frozen items. The veggies are easy, and we can usually get those together well in advance of your arrival. The cold stuff sits in the many giant coolers we have, and we can’t really pull things out of there until you arrive. So, last week when we took your name, that got radio’d to the back where we got your pre-packed veggie bag, and then went around collecting the cold items out of the various coolers. When you had to wait, it was generally for that. At the end of the night that’s much easier because there’s simply fewer items t look through but at 5pm, the growers have packed our coolers full and we have to hunt through piles to find the ones with your name on them. Perhaps with the extra hands this week we’ll be able to start organizing those by name before you get there, and I’ve made a few tweaks to the software to help that out.
A few things you can do:
- Don’t arrive at the beginning of your pickup window if you’ve got that flexibility. Last week we had record sales, as I mentioned, and about a third of you showed up right at 5pm. That swamped us, and we really didn’t recover until almost seven. The time you arrive has no bearing on what items you get, so 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. Several of you had papers with your name written in big letters we could read through the window, and that was wonderful. If you think to do that same, it’ll make things even smoother.
- The Y’s pickup loop is a little odd, and when I pick my kids up from camp there (remember camps? Those were nice.) it can be a zoo. We don’t want you backing up into Hawthorne, so if you arrive faster than we can deliver orders, we may ask you to pull ahead into look and circle around. You’ll have to merge back into the line, but I promise you we’ll get everyone as fast as you can and if someone happened to arrive after you but didn’t need to make the loop so got in the line ahead of you, that won’t cause you to get fewer items than you ordered. My ask here is to be patient with us and keep in mind we’re doing what we can to keep everyone safe from both viruses and distracted drivers speeding down Hawthorne.
Finally, the Y has been holding an ongoing food drive for their pantry for members in need. If you have canned or packaged food you don’t need, feel free to bring it and we’ll give it to them.
That’s about it, really. We have had to continually adapt to changing conditions and increasing demand, and every week is better than the last. I know this week will be better yet.
Some reminders:
- If you arrive by bike or on foot, or just want to park in the lot and get out of your car, we’ll have a place for you to walk up.
- We’ve still got three pickup windows, and it’s totally ok if you come later than the slot you chose
- 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. That last option has a 3% fee, and Venmo is free.
- We can not accept any recycling
- 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 on Thursday at the YMCA!
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!
Foothills Market: The Market is Open!
Foothills Market is open for your shopping convenience!
Browse the market between now and Wednesday at 5:00 p.m., fill your cart, and click the “Place your order” button. We’ll have it ready for pickup on Thursday afternoon between 4:30-5:30 at the courthouse square.
Eat something fresh this week! Stay well!
Wholesome Harvest Farm WV: Weblog Entry
Hope you enjoyed the veggies you got last week! This week we are adding a new variety of lettuce in addition to what was available last week. Looking forward to seeing you at pickup on Wednesday!
Berea Gardens: Market is open
This cool, damp April is certainly putting the brakes on the growth and ripening of our high tunnel crops and is making it all but impossible to work ground for the things we want to get planted outside. Still, we have some superb lettuce again this week and with promises of warmer temperatures (at least above freezing) coming, we are hopeful that we can add some more variety in the next week or two.
Broccoli in the high tunnel is starting to form heads and the Culiflower won’t be far behind.
Tom McColley and Kenny Point will join us again this week and I hope to see you all on Wednesday!
Blessings,
Bob
Locally Grown STT: Market is open! Last week of April 2020
Farmers Market is open! Thanks for buying local. We hope you have a beautiful Sunday and remember to get your local produce order in for the week ahead.
Here’s a list of some yummy buys. Welcome to the new growers and new customers this week.
Growing for you,
Your Market Coordinators
Magney Legacy Ridge Farm: CSA #9
Dear CSA-ers,
This week’s Preassembled Bag will contain Spring Mix, Lovelock Head Lettuce, 2 bundles of Kale, Spring Carrots, and Spring Garlic. Orders may now be placed on the online market at: https://magneyfarm.locallygrown.net/market
It seems we are having one of those rare, long, cool Springs that Kentucky only experiences every once in a blue moon. It’s made for some absolutely beautiful days do be outside planting, tending, and harvesting crops. This week’s triumphant accomplishment has been completing planting in the tomato tunnel, with a row of heirloom slicers and setting all the zucchini in the ground outside. Early Spring plantings are starting to come into their own as the warm sunlight hours and favorable rains boost the crops along.
We are starting to notice some real dividends on the gentle management of our soil and plant life that comes from growing organically. To start with the number of earthworms we see in and around the plots is spectacular. Earthworms help decompose plant roots from previous season’s crops, turning them into rich nutrition, while their tunnels provide drainage and healthy airflow to the soil. Another animal we have noticed for the first time this year is the Eastern Phoebe, an endearing little bird in the ‘flycatcher’ family. A pair has made a cute little mud-and-moss nest under the eave of the house. We see them flitting in and out of the tunnels catching moths and flies that get stuck at the top. They are charming and clever birds; we are glad to have them helping us to manage insects on the farm.
This week’s highlighted vegetable is carrots. The carrots on the market this week were started late last year and overwintered in one of our tunnels. They grew very slowly from the winter months but are looking quite healthy now. This variety is ‘Starlight’ which will have a mix of colors. We find the flavor of our local carrots to be deeper and more complex than what is found in groceries, even compared to the organic carrots from California. This batch has been frost kissed many times and should be extra sweet. They will have their beautiful tops included, so consider recipes that utilize this portion. We hope you enjoy them!
Our employee Patrick has forayed into growing Oyster Mushrooms through his small business, Prescience Produce LLC. He grows the mushrooms on local straw in his family’s greenhouse. There is a chance that there will be some Fawn Oyster Mushrooms available this week. As this is a fledgling endeavor the amount and timing of their availability is not yet certain. If you would like Oyster Mushroom, please request them in your note. Should they be available on Thursday, they will be billed to your account and included in your bag on a first come first serve basis. Their price is $4.00 for a 5 oz. portion. In coming weeks, we expect to list them on the main site like the rest of our items.
As always, we thank you for your support of our growing farm. We are all striving to make our CSA the best it can be for you, our West Kentucky community.
Sincerely,
The Magney Legacy Ridge Farm Team
Independence,VA: Glitch is fixed, schedule away!
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The glitch is fixed thanks to Michelle’s quick work! You all can schedule your pickup time with this link Calendy whenever you have a chance.
Thank you!
Abby
Independence,VA: Scheduling Glitch
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Hey guys!
We had a small glitch with our appointment setting software. Working to get it back up and running by this evening. If you haven’t signed up for your pickup time for this Friday, just wait, and try again tomorrow.
Thank you for bearing with us!
Abby
The Wednesday Market: We Are Open! Welcome Back!
Good morning.
Great news! 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. Wednesday. See the website for this week’s product offerings. Here is the link: https://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
Please note that we are still observing our “social distancing” protocol. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Wednesday Market is making some important changes to our order pick up procedures.
The health and well-being of our customers and volunteers are of our utmost concern. To minimize risk of spreading the virus, we ask that you follow these steps when you come to the Market.
1. Call or text us when you are about 5 minutes from arriving at the Market. Sharon (404) 569-0582; Irma (770) 584-0432.
2. We will place your order outside on the porch at the Market, along with a note showing the total of your order.
3. Please pay by CHECK ONLY and leave payment on the desk outside the front door.
4. After you have picked up your order, we will retrieve your payment from the desk.
If you will be late picking up your order, you may use the key from the lock box on the porch. Call or text Sharon or Irma at the numbers listed above if you need the lock box access code. Orders for late pickup will be in the refrigerator along with an envelope for you to provide payment.
Thank you for your support of Georgia Grown products. We’ll see you at the Market!
Thanks,
Beverly
Champaign, OH: Part Three-Market Vendors
Today, we feature Heidi, from Hickory Acres Farms…
Welcome to all the new market customers! It’s so exciting to see all this growth and so wonderful that Pam & Mark are taking on all this responsibility. Thank you!
We moved to Champaign County over 20 years ago and after living in Mechanicsburg for 8 years found a beautiful plot of land and built a house to raise our family and have some horses and chickens.
I worked for a couple years on a CSA farm in Springfield and helped plant seeds, transplant to the field and harvest, wash and pack.
I love growing things and no matter how many times I plant seeds, some no more than a speck, it never ceases to amaze me that that one tiny seed can become a beautiful flower or delicious fruit or vegetable.
If you could see inside my house right now you would either laugh or call me crazy. My small greenhouse is filled with tomato and pepper plants so the overflow of flats of flowers for my cutting garden is now covering my living room, dining room and entry way floors. Hopefully the weather will improve and I can get them planted and soon have bouquets for you. Until then I am enjoying providing plants for your gardens.
Heidi Lyons from Hickory Acres Farm