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.



 
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Suwanee Whole Life Co-op:  Reminder: Place your order before 6pm today!


Just a friendly reminder that market orders are due online today by 6 pm.

Please remember that we need to hit certain minimums in order for our farmers and vendors to deliver to us.

Thank you for placing your order and supporting local farms and businesses!

See you on Tuesday!

Click Here to Place Your Order

Champaign, OH:  Tighter and Tighter


You know I got to show you…
Nobody else before you…
Ever gave me such a beautiful feelin’…
(Alive N’ Kickin’-Tighter and Tighter)

Dust off your 1970s pop music!! It’s May, it’s fun music time!! And, for your market manager, it’s music festival season!! May kicks it all off!! Months of sun, fun, music, friends!!

This market, festival season…it really does give me just a beautiful feeling!! And, while I watch this market grow and grow, it’s amazing to think that 5 years ago, we were just launching our little local market of love!! That’s right, 5 years ago, in May, we went live with this whole concept. We went against the odds, against the nay sayers, against the opposition, the doubts, the non-believers.

And, look at us, now!! Strong, an umbrella for all local farmers markets, a true force that just gets tighter and tighter!

To celebrate, to kick off our 5th year, to kick off the season of our area farmers markets, and of course, kicking off music festival season for the market manager, I am bringing back the summer market playlist!! We will start building the Summer Market Of Love Soundtrack, again, and each week, we will randomly pick a customer who placed an order for that week, into the drawing for a cd of market songs, to be placed in your order at pick up!!

“Honey don’t a-let go now” Not when we are starting even more fun!!

Let’s get tighter and tighter…let’s see how high we we can get the orders, this week!! Let’s try to blow through our previous record of high orders!! We can do it!! Let’s kick off this amazing season, AND, our anniversary, with mind blowing sales!!

Let’s get that beautiful feeling…

Ok, go, crank up the 1970s pop music, and show us some love!!

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

Stones River Market:  Welcome May!


Stones River Market

How to contact us:
Our Website: stonesriver.locallygrown.net
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/StonesRiverMarket
On Wednesdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

Happy first day of May!

Carol with Rainbow Hill Farm called us this morning letting us know that they are back on the market with lettuce this week AND they are now USDA Certified Organic! Congratulations!!

Linda from Dogwood Valley Greenhouse has added a great hanging basket full of kitchen herb necessities customized by your tastes.

This Hanging Herb Garden is a porch or patio eye-catcher and ingredients for your next gourmet meal, all in one! Made especially for you or your loved one from herbs I have in the greenhouse, this special basket is sure to please gardener and gourmet alike. It’s easy care too – just water frequently and fertilize every two weeks per package directions to keep these herb plants growing strong all summer. The 14" diameter basket pictured contains, from center back, clockwise: Parsley, English Thyme, Variegated Oregano, and Purple Sage. All plants are large enough to begin harvesting. Specify in the comments which four herbs you would like me to use to customize your basket, and add an alternate choice as availability is somewhat limited. Available are the following: Sweet Basil, Lemon Balm, Oregano (Greek or variegated), Sage (Common, Golden, Purple), Thyme (Common, English, Lemon, Lime, or Silver-Edged), Salad Burnet, and Stevia

Double Star Bar Farms spring festival was postponed until May 14 due to forecasted storms. Mark your calendars! They will have items for sale, music, talks on cheesemaking, mushroom logs and more! Entry is just $5! While you are thinking of Double Star, think bagels! We know we do :D and appreciate every effort that Rod and Maura put into all they do! We hope this bit of rain gives them more and more asparagus to enjoy while its season lasts.

Thank you Jenny with Seeds of Success for setting up a sampling table and having plenty of extras to sell. It is always wonderful to meet our producers/growers and most of us enjoy meeting our valued customers.

Jenny has been working hard on new raw/dehydrated items for you. This week she offers decadent, dark chocolate Schatzie bites! (Don’t let the word dark in front of chocolate scare you away… these are DELICIOUS!)

We have eggs, eggs, eggs! Flying S , West Wind Farms , Wedge Oak all offer plenty of eggs right now!

Produce continues to roll in and be incredibly delicious and beautiful. Rocky Glade , Frontier Family and White City Produce are all keeping the produce department stocked very well for early season eating!

There is so much to be thankful for at all times and this is a time of abundance and spring renewal. May your days be abundant and your bodies and minds renewed this week. We thank you for your continued support of our market.

See you all Wednesday,

Ashleigh & Tracey
Market Managers
(931)952-1224
stonesrivermarket@gmail.com

Recipes

Please, share your recipes with us on the Recipes tab. We’d all love to know how you use your Stones River Market products, so we can try it too!

I am taking a break from recipes. Look for them to return soon.

See the complete list of products at http://stonesriver.locallygrown.net/

ALFN Local Food Club:  The Market Is Open


Dear ALFN Members,

What a beautiful weekend! The spring rains are recharging our aquifers while our regional growers are recharging our bodies with energy from the sun transformed into leaf, fruit, meat and sweet. Get a taste of the sun…the ALFN market is open!

This week look out for fun new plants, new veggies and more strawberries!

Permanent Agriculture

Have you every noticed how the word culture is embedded in agriculture? When we hear the word culture, we often are reminded of high culture such as the opera and poetry, or we are reminded of foreign culture such as different African or Asian peoples. At first glance, it may seem strange to combine culture with the field (agri). Culture cultivates people. We are cultivated, like plants, into a home culture and taught the traditions, behaviors and values of a group of people. The growing of food is also full of traditions and values. The way a field is used reflects the values and traditions of the people who work it. This would suggest that agriculture isn’t just about the cultivation of food, but the cultivation of people. Masanobu Fukuoka, a great farmer and activist for agriculture renewal once said, “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.”

A healthy culture must have permanence. Though cultures adapt with the changing of time, there are integral elements or processes in a culture that remain fixed. Similarly, permanent agriculture is stabilized by integrated elements and processes that sustain the practice of growing food and resource. In the West, the emphasis upon stable, permanent agriculture has taken a few forms. One of the popular global forms is called permaculture. Over the next few weeks, at the request of an ALFN member (I love to get weblog ideas that interest you), I plan to discuss backyard permaculture. For today, let’s simply introduce it. Modern agriculture has tended to simplify all the parts of growing food and focused only on single pieces. Permaculture tries to look at the relationship of all the parts and how they function as a whole. For this reason, permaculture design promotes the joining of biodiversity with food production. The design strategy can be used on large acreage farms to small patio gardens. Over the next few weeks, I will focus on using permaculture for city-sized plots.

Permaculture is an ecological approach to growing food. Ecology studies the movement of energy through systems. Light energy passes down into a food web until it drives complex forms such as predatory birds. From algae to bison, energy moves through a system. Permaculture attempts to design webs of energy that capture, store and circulate energy. The strategy works with nature and its application shifts the way we look at the world and our own needs. Instead of mono-cropped yards of bermuda, permaculture designs for a bio-diverse array of parts building fertility, enhancing water quality, promoting wildlife and yielding valuable sources of food, fuel, fiber and medicine for humans. Stay tuned for more…

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Siloam Springs, AR:  Online Market is Open!


We had a great start with the outdoor market this week despite the threat of severe weather Tuesday and the drizzle on Saturday. The support of our community is truly appreciated!

You can continue to order yur favorite products online and pick them up at the outdoor market each Saturday.

Have a great weekend!

Middle Tennessee Locally Grown:  Time to Order Local Farm Products!


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.


Good morning!

The market is open this morning as usual, and will remain open for your orders till Tuesday evening at 10 pm, so come see what we have to offer this week. Also be sure to read the section of this message entitled “Important Ordering and Pickup Information.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————
NEWS AND NOTES

Frontier Family Farm has added heads of Red Leaf Lettuce to the market.



Dogwood Valley Greenhouse has added some new hanging baskets – flowering and herb baskets – to our market. We also have a selection of herb plants available at Square Books. If you’d like to see something special before purchase, please drop us a note. Also check out the vegetable and flowering plants from White City Produce & Greenhouses.



Remember to look for wonderful early spring vegetables, delicious pork and beef cuts, fresh and dried herbs, rich creamline milk, organic free-range eggs, jams and jellies. Please take note of our great selection of hand crafted farm products, candles, essential oils, bath & beauty products, and house & garden plants.



Stop by Square Books soon and see our MLG Table, with lots of non-perishable farm products for sale. Pick up some jam or jelly, hand lotion or soap, herbal tea, a candle, or a basket of herb plants to enjoy or to give as a gift.


(L to R) Red Leaf Lettuce from Frontier Family Farms, Hanging Herb Garden and mixed Calibrachoa Basket from Dogwood Valley Greenhouse, Creamline Milk from Casey Family Farm, Crocheted Butterfly Doily from CnG Outdoors & More.


IMPORTANT ORDERING AND PICKUP INFORMATION

Ordering will be open until TUESDAY at 10 p.m., and your order will be available for pickup on THURSDAY between 4:00 and 5:30 at Square Books, 113 East Main Street, Manchester. We can also hold your order in the refrigerator till Friday, if it’s more convenient for you to pick it up between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. If you prefer to utilize this free service, please make a note on your order or call my cell at (931) 273-9708. If neither of those pickup times works for you, please make a note on the order, and we will work out an alternative arrangement.



Thanks so much for your support of Manchester Locally Grown Market, and your friends and neighbors who have grown and produced these items. Please encourage our local farmers by helping to spread the word about our wonderful market to everyone you know. We offer a great variety of local farm products, and our items will be in your hands in time to plan for the weekend. Although the Saturday markets are closed for the season, wonderful local products are available for ordering from the comfort of your own computer.



More new farmers are considering joining our market, if they can expect enough sales to help pay their transportation costs. Please help us grow the market by sharing this e-mail with your friends, calling their attention to the later pickup hours, which may be more convenient for them. And if you haven’t ordered from Manchester Locally Grown for a while, please check out our wide variety of offerings this week. Also please let us know if we can improve our selection or scheduling in any way to better suit your needs.



Blessings,
Linda


Here is the complete list for this week.

Dothan, Alabama:  Snadspur Farms Mini Market Announcement


By now we hope you have Thursday, May 5, on your calendar for Dothan Nursery’s Open House. For those of you who LOVE Sandspur Farm’s meats, please make special note that they will be selling ALL cuts of beef and pork for $7 a pound.

Yes, you read that right, ALL beef and pork!

Hope to see you Thursday!

Ros

Dawson Local Harvest:  Fresh Shrimp (I PROMISE), Carrots, and more!


Dawson Local Harvest for May 6

HI EVERYONE!

FRESH SHRIMP This Week. I promise! And lots of fresh Produce, too, including the first Carrots of the Spring, red Turnips, Collards, Swiss Chard, Kale, and lots and lots of Lettuce, all from Leilani’s. Check out The Market for other delicious Meats, Eggs, Baked Goods, and more!

THE MARKET WILL OPEN Sunday night at 8pm!

REMEMBER! You can order until Tuesday night at 9 pm. Pick up your order at Leilani’s Gardens Friday afternoons from 4 to 7pm.

You’ll find the DAWSON LOCAL HARVEST at http://dawsonville.locallygrown.net

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! We guarantee your satisfaction with all products in the DAWSON LOCAL HARVEST.

Have a happy and healthy week!

Alan Vining
Market Manager

Dothan, Alabama:  Market is OPEN! and OPEN HOUSE IS THIS THURSDAY


Where to Find Us:

You’ll Find Us . . .

Our Website: marketatdothan.locallygrown.net

Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarketatDothan

Normal Friday Pickup: Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303




Pickup is at Open House this Thursday!


SPRING 2016 ORDERING SCHEDULE
Order April 30 – May 3 for Pickup at
SPRING OPEN HOUSETHURSDAY MAY 5, 3-7pm!
Join us for Door Prizes, Fun, Samples and Making New Friends! Meet your Growers and Producers!


Regular Order Schedule will Resume on Saturday, May 7 2016.



OPEN HOUSE SPECIALS ARE INCLUDED WITH THIS WEEK’S VENDORS LISTINGS


Welcome Back CASABLANCA RANCH!
Casablanca’s Open house special is sirloin steak at $7 per lb.


AUGHTMON – “Select soaps will be $3 each and I have over 8 different scented lotions in my 2 ounce bottles and I will have them for $1.50 each and lip balm for $1 and the all natural insect repellent for $4. There will be a limited supply so they will want to get there early.” 


Exquisite Greens from DAVIS FARMS


HORTON’S FARM – “Rich Rosemary Lip Balm available at Open House for $1 per tube! We hope to have a few strawberries on site. If you’re not familiar with our all natural bath and body products come and check them out!” Don’t forget to order greens, honey, etc.


JUST GOT LAID EGGS – The name says it all – Rehobeth fresh eggs from fresh chickens. Online Orders Only


KATHY’S CHURPERS fresh eggs from the happiest chickens in Henry County! Online Orders Only


MARY’S PEEPS – Farm Fresh herbs, eggs, jams, jellies and home made goodness. Be sure to check Mary’s listings. Online Orders Only


RICHTER FARMS – Local, Fresh, Sustainable Pork – check them out at http://richterfarmspork.com/


SMITH FARMS – Online orders only this week. Ground Lamb and Dexter Beef


SPRING HILL FARM is open for orders and will be at Open House with their wonderful breads, nut butters, soup mixes and more.


SANDSPUR FARMS – “Beef is RESTOCKED! Some pork cuts still available too. 
This beef was able to enjoy the sweetness of winter grazing
so the taste may be a little different, but in a good way. I hope 
everyone enjoys their purchases from us and if there is ever 
a problem, please be sure and let me know. 
Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction! Thanks, Jen”


Your SUSTAINABLE Market

Where’s the Beef?



As Americans become more knowledgeable about the the health benefits of eating healthy, non processed food, there is still a lot of misunderstanding about beef. More and more people are understanding that conventional beef is not as healthy as organic, pastured or grass fed. With various healthy diet plans recommending different types of healthy beef it can become confusing!


WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GRASS-FED AND ORGANIC BEEF?
There is a lot of overlap between organic and Grass Fed beef, because both practices represent a dedication to raising healthier, less chemically-contaminated cows. However, not every cow raised on the pasture is USDA Certified Organic, and not every organic cow is fed a 100% grass diet or allowed unlimited access to the range. If you have to choose between one or the other, it’s important to understand what each label means, and how they each impact the health of your family.

WHAT GRASS FED BEEF MEANS:
Grass fed beef simply means that the cattle were allowed to forage and graze for their own fresh food. They may be given close substitutes like alfalfa during the winter, but unlike grain-fed animals, the emphasis is still on providing the closest thing to a natural diet as possible. Grains are higher in calories, and encourage the cows to grow much faster and cheaper, but grass is much higher in key nutrients like Omega-3s and B vitamins, and result in steaks that are leaner, healthier, and much more flavorful. This is why grass-fed meats are strongly recommended by the Paleo Diet.

WHAT ORGANIC BEEF MEANS
The organic label doesn’t so much describe how the cattle was raised as list all the ways that they can’t be raised. The cows cannot be confined in a feed lot for any extended period of time, cannot be over-crowded or kept in unsanitary conditions, and cannot be directly or indirectly exposed to artificial pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, hormones, GMOs, or other synthetic contaminants.

THE OVERLAP-SOME OF THE BENEFITS WITHOUT THE LABEL
Certified organic beef can be raised on a diet of corn or grain, but they must have at least some access to a pasture, so at least some of their nutrition will probably come from grass. However, unless you talk to the farmer directly or do your own laboratory analysis, it’s impossible to say how much. USDA Certified Organic guarantees that the beef will be free from artificial contaminants, and suggests that it might be higher in nutrition as well.
Grass fed beef  does have many of the benefits of organic beef, simply as side effects to raising their cattle on a pasture.  Because the cows are in their natural habitat, with access to all of the open space you need to support a herd of cattle, their lives are more humane, less stressful, and much more sanitary, which means their immune systems are under less pressure, don’t require artificial assistance, and their meat is much less likely to be contaminated with diseases like E. Coli. If antibiotics are used on grass-fed cattle, it’s only in rare cases when the animals are actually sick, not constantly like feed-lots have to use them. Why pay for gallons of antibiotics if your animals are healthy and clean all on their own? Cows eat all kinds of plants on the pasture, including weeds, so it doesn’t make sense to spray their pastures full of herbicides. Pastures are essentially wild, with their own balanced ecosystem and plenty of help from cow manure, so pesticides and artificial fertilizers are really unnecessary. While grass-fed, non-organic beef may be exposed to more chemicals than organic, it’s certainly cleaner than conventional beef.

adapted from toplinefoods.com

Footnotes

Market At Dothan is a small group of niche growers and producers promoting sustainable agriculture and supporting our local economy. Each grower/producer is dedicated to providing the freshest, highest quality products to their customers. Our growers use natural growing principles without synthetic chemicals. Local products available include: fruits, vegetables, herbs, eggs, beef, chicken, lamb, honey, baked goods, jams, jellies, goat cheese, frozen casseroles, pottery, nuts.
All growers /producers believe in providing locally grown foods and goods seasonally to promote a strong, local community and economy. Our goal is 100% Customer Satisfaction…comments, questions or concerns are welcome!

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!

United States Virgin Islands:  Locally Grown Market Cancelled This week


Good Afternoon,
The VI Locally Grown Market will be closed this week because of a VI Farm to School meeting occurring at the same time. See you the following Wed!
Best,
Your VI Locally Grown Growers