Princeton Farm Fresh:  The Market is Open

I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a big event here. We are so used to just celebrating by ourselves, because we are military and never close to Nevada, where our families live. However, my Aunt and Uncle have moved to Princeton this year, and we were so blessed to have them with us to celebrate. Instead of reminding me that we didn’t have family around, this holiday was a pleasure knowing that we could share it with loved ones. We had a total of 11 folks around our table, which meant that we had to do some rearranging of furniture. The turkey’s were fabulous – Thank you Idle Hours Farm. We had our own sweet potatoes, and milk, cream and eggnog from JD Country Milk. It was simply a fantastic holiday for our family.
See you on Friday,
Angela

United States Virgin Islands:  This Week in VI Locally Grown

Hello Everyone!
The market is now open for orders. Time to get ready for the holidays :). We now have some arts and crafts on the market table, so stop on by for a beautiful calabash bowl by Shelli Brin Olive of Dans Ma Vi
See you Wed!
Blessings,
Your VI Locally Grown Producers

Gwinnett Locally Grown:  Market closes in a few hours!

If you’re back in town, why not order from the market? It’s so easy! Have a nice week!

The market closes at noon today! Click here to order now!

The Market is open Thursday at 9am – Monday at noon.
After Monday at noon, ordering is disabled until Thursday morning.
Pick up your order Tuesday from 4-7pm only at Rancho Alegre Farm at 2225 Givens Road, Dacula, GA 30019. New to The Market? Learn about how it works here.

Interested in learning about natural solutions for health and wellness?
Come and learn at one of our classes!

Bring a friend and receive a free essential oil!

DIY Holiday Gift Making with Essential Oils!
Thurs, December 3rd at 7pm
Come and learn how to make easy and wonderful gifts with essential oils!
Bring a couple small jars to take home samples!

Essential Emotions and Essential Oils!
Tues, December 8th at 7pm
Learn how essential oils can be an important tool to manage mood and emotions naturally!

Essential Oils for New Users!
Thurs, December 17th at 7pm
New to essential oils? Join us as we talk about how essential oils can help you take control of your health!

Natural Solutions for Healthy, Empowered Living!
Tues, December 22nd at 7pm
Come and learn how essential oils provide healthy, natural solutions
in your everyday living!

All classes are hosted at Rancho Alegre Farm

CSA Farmers Market:  OCT 29, 2015 GROWING SEASON UPDATE

• Winter Greens are here, some plants like mustard, pakchoi, turnips, spinach, lettuce and others greens love the cooler temperature fall has to offer. Whetham Organic Farm, Law Family Farm and White Pine Farm are now offering many of these delightful greens.

What is happening as CSA Farmers Market

The market is operated out of a building that was build right after my dad came out of WWII. It is a block building that looks like a barn and was at one time what we used to call “Dads Kingdom”. It has been transformed and still is being transformed. It has a walk in cooler, a green house attached to the front of it, a small ghetto office (that is what my son refers to it as-since it is made up of thrift shop items and pieced together whatever we could find), many upright coolers, freezers, a sink for washing produce and a large area where harvesting and packing occurs.

Slowly we have been patching the cracks between the blocks on the walls and scrubbing and painting the floors. Each year Dale spends about a month cutting wood to heat three buildings of which this is one of them and it uses 3/4 or more of the wood. This year is the last year he will spend that much time cutting wood as we are going to finish insulating and buttoning up many of the air leaks in the building.

Rather than to cut wood we bought wood so we can spend more time working on the building. Once these projects are complete Dale will be putting up another large hoop house for growing all those wonderful winter greens.

The building right next to this one is what was once my studio. It is a small building which is well insulated and has a licensed kitchen which some of the growers use to make their goodies. Our MDA official wanted us to have a small warehouse area next to the kitchen so we are working on that as well. We have a large open area in this building and we hope to have programs in that area and possibly on the farm meals. Three of my printing presses still occupy that area and as soon as the bathroom and the warehouse area is completed we will able to access the open space.

Anyone that wants can come visit us, peak into the hoop houses and take a tour of the farm. CSA Farmers Market is located on White Pine Farm.

Me, My Health & Eyes News will continue to be a pick up location

Me, My Health and Eyes. Patricia Aldrich is heading to to Florida for the winter. Her business will continue to be a pick up even through the winter months.

Even through Patricia will be in Florida during the winter her business practice will continue on every aspect by means of Skype, email, mail and phone. She will also have a biweekly newsletter Via email and a website is under construction. She will have winter visits to Michigan to do in person consults. Because of her seasonal relocation, the CSA is in need of an alternative new delivery/pick up location in the Lake Orion area. If you know of a chiropractor, Natural Practitioner, Storefront that would be willing, please contact the CSA Farmers Market at 810-688-7442 or via email.

Athens Locally Grown:  ALG Market Open for December 3

Conyers Locally Grown:  Available for Friday December 4

Hello, I hope this finds you all doing well! I sure hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. We sure did. The turkey was outstanding. I have lunch for a week. We even made turkey soup.

This week we should have more eggs. With plenty of clear skies this last week my little hens have been basking it us. Hopefully they are all on the mend from the molt. They will be moving in to a brand new house this week. I have been working on one for them. Should be ready Tuesday or Wednesday.

We have a load of pigs ready for the market. I will be delivering some tomorrow morning so order up. What a great gift for the family, a full freezer. We have hog shares from 1/4 pig, 1/2 pig to the whole anchilata! You get some of severe part of the pig. Yum yum.

We are also seeing some great garden goodies.

We will see you on Friday between 5-7 at Copy Central.

Thank you,
Brady

Green Fork Farmers Market:  Weekly product list

Green Fork Farmers Market Customers:

NEW this week! Summer Kitchen Family Farm has purple and green broccoli!

Beyond Organics and Diamond T Meats are taking a break this week, but they will be back next week.

Here’s what’s available this week:

Vegetables—Kale, beet greens, swiss chard, broccoli, turnips, collard greens, bok choy, mixed greens, sweet potatoes, green bell peppers, jalapenos, red Anaheims, green Anaheims, habaneros, tabascos, mixed hot peppers, and sweet banana peppers.

Herbs—Cilantro, sage, rosemary, and mixed herb bunches.

Meat—Pastured beef, chicken, and lamb.

Fermented foods—Sauerkraut and jalapenos.

Salsa—Made with locally grown and organic ingredients.

Olives and Olive Oil—organic and directly from the grower in California.

Plants and Flowers—Culinary, medicinal, pollinator-friendly, and decorative plants and flowers.

Bath and Beauty—Handmade, all natural soaps.

Place your order from now until Tuesday at noon for pickup on Wednesday from 4-7 pm at Nightbird Books in Fayetteville.

If you aren’t able to place an order, stop by to shop with us on Wednesday. We will have a variety of items for sale from the table.

See you on Wednesday,

Green Fork Farmers Market
Wednesdays 4-7 pm
Indoors, Year Round
At Nightbird Books
205 W. Dickson St.
Fayetteville, AR

To place your order, click on the link below to enter the website. Sign in as a customer, then click on the icon next to each product you wish to order. Proceed to checkout, review the list to make sure it’s correct, then scroll to the bottom and click on Place This Order. Make sure you receive a confirmation email—if you don’t, your order was not processed. Payment is at the market pickup with cash, check, debit/credit card, EBT, and Senior FMNP coupons. Ask about our doubling program for EBT and SFweeMNP!

Fresh Harvest, LLC:  Fresh Harvest for November 29th

Market News

Hello!

We hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving week. After the holiday week, maybe some are even thankful to get back to “normal”!

Unfortunately, we have to report to you that there have been two cases in the past two weeks of customer’s bags being taken. These were bags left for customers to pick up after the 6:00 hour, and were left under the porch at the church. After 8 or so years of doing this, we have never had a problem until now! So, unfortunately, we need to remind you that if we leave your bag to be picked up after 6:00 when we leave, we can not guarantee it will not be taken! We certainly understand not everyone can always make it by 6:00, and we are currently brainstorming other options. If you have any input, please let us know!

We do have a amazing selection this week! Lots of great veggies to keep you healthy and strong through these gray days! And salads feel so good after last week’s heavy food. There are many varieties of Asian Greens available, and an easy basic recipe is posted in the recipe column. Bountiful Blessing Farm has celery! This is a real treat, as it is very hard to grow locally and is generally really hard to find! Anticipate this to be a different celery eating experience – the taste will probably be much more robust than you are used to!

Thanks so much for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!
John and Tallahassee

Coming Events

Champaign, OH:  Watching The Wheels

People say I’m crazy doin’ what I’m doin’…
Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin…
When I say that I’m OK, well they look at me kind of strange…
Surely you’re not happy now, you no longer play the game…
(Watching The Wheels- John Lennon)

I have had this song on replay, in my head, all day. Whenever I come off of a stress filled week, month, year, whenever, I find great comfort in music by John Lennon, Jerry Garcia, Bryan Ferry, Van Morrison, Neil Young…any voices that speak to me.

The first line of the above lyric pretty much sums up what so many people say to me. Crazy for all that I am involved in, crazy for the hard work, crazy for never ending plans for business expansion, crazy for still being involved in the markets, crazy for all of my volunteer hours/projects. Crazy for it all.

But you know what? It’s my passion, my love, my need for having my hands in projects that bring me great joy, and in turn, bring the community great joy.

This past month or so was a super crazy time. As a board member of Monument Square District, some of my volunteer jobs, along with Art Affair during the summer, are Holiday Open House promotions, I had a ribbon cutting and grand opening thrown into that mix, and then decorating began down in Santa Land. We opened Santa Land to the public, Friday evening, as we welcomed another Santa’s Homecoming.

Just like running this little local market of love, I find great pleasure in my passion for it all, but at times, there are thoughts of why? how? will it al get done?

And then, a light goes on, and it will be small satisfactions like the excitement of opening the doors to Santa Land, seeing the excited faces of kids of all ages, watching the happiness of shoppers, all over downtown, during our Holiday Open House weekend, watching the local love in action at this market.

All of a sudden, when all of the hard work brings such joy to the community, it all makes sense, once again.

I am not satisfied just watching the wheels go round and round. I have to be a part of that wheel, speeding where the action takes me, on each new project.

This coming week, I carry out my last task of 2015. The Monument Square District Christmas Gala. I am in charge of the cocktail portion of that evening (and, what better job), and also will be teaming up with your assistant manager, Mark, of this market, to bring our local goodness as some of the food vendors who will be providing food for the event.

I am happiest when I am juggling everyone, all at once, and so with that, I remind you that this market is open, we hope that you have had an amazing Thanksgiving holiday, and a beautiful Christmas season to begin.

I would like to announce two new vendors who have joined us, and we are so excited to welcome them!

Women That Farm, and GaGa’s Goodies!! Get to know them!! As soon as I each sends me a bio, I will post for you to get to know them!

Have a happy evening…much love to all of you!

Peace, Love, Good Vibes…
Cosmic Pam

StPete.LocallyGrown.Net:  Market NOW Open - Nov. 30, 2015

Message from Your Market Manager

MEMBERSHIP FEES
Effective Fall Season 2015, Membership Fees are NON-refundable but are transferrable. Call your Market Manager for qualifying details.

STILL ON CLEARANCE
Dog shampoo, Pork fat, jowls, and neck bones, and Smoked salmon. Get them while they last! No more salmon coming…

ECONOMY SIZED PACKAGING
Abundance of Lacinato (Tuscan) kale, arugula, collard greens, and tatsoi (see last week’s weblog piece for tatsoi recipes).

PORK SAUSAGE ON SALE THIS WEEK
Locally grown pork sausage produced by the renowned Geiers Sausage Kitchen in Sarasota is what’s on sale THIS WEEK ONLY with intro pricing of $8.99 per one-pound package of 4 links which are MSG and nitrate-free. Bratwurst, Mild Italian, and Chorizo, are LEANER than anything you can imagine with EXCELLENT flavor and just the right amount of spices. So lean that I cook them in coconut oil. Limited to one package per type per customer. In other words you can order all 3 types if you want to try them all—while they last.

SPLG’S FRUIT BASKET
Fresh coconuts, calamondin (aka sour oranges), and papayas (ripe & green!) are both available—all locally grown in St. Pete. Concorde pears from Washington State and Florida tangelos coming as well!

GCF PURCHASE DEADLINE
Your order for veggies from Geraldson Community Farm must be submitted no later than Monday 8pm TONIGHT. If you’re late then you’ll have to wait two weeks for another chance. I will send you a reminder at 6pm but you should set your own reminder in case I am delayed. You don’t have to submit your entire order by 8pm tonight, just what you want from GCF. For first timers, I suggest you submit your entire order all at once just to avoid the multiple orders. The system will think it’s time to charge a membership fee on your second order. If this should happen to you just call me so I can adjust your invoice.

HOW IS ORGANIC FOOD BETTER FOR US?
This article from Local Harvest’s Newsletter of 4/24/14 explains that a growing body of research demonstrates not only that organic food is better for us, but how. BTW, did you know that SPLG is a proud contributing member of Local Harvest? Please visit our listing and post a review while you’re there.

Grower Jim Kuntzelman of Sunset Ranch, who has supplied the homegrown pork for our sausage products, has recently sold off this portion of his business to Low Hills Cattle Company in Zephyrhills. I am encouraging the new owner to continue production of this incredible product or find someone else who can do it better. (My bet is on Geiers!) Plus, GOOD NEWS if we decide to take advantage of this new service: New Owner Matthew Grisham will soon have USDA Certified processed pork cuts for sale. I would prefer to buy a half or whole pig to get a better price but need to know if you all are interested in paying in advance to make it work. Let me know if you have interest and I’ll get the details I need.

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO DELIVER ON FRIDAY
We promise to make this a fun experience for you. Yes, there are some details to manage on paper but honestly, it isn’t rocket science, and you’ll have a great ride being greeted by grateful customers. Plus you get to see all the beautiful veggies as they get delivered. It’s a great way to get familiar with our Market customers, growers, AND volunteers-by being one! Please call Tina at 727-515-9469 to get on the schedule for this Friday or an upcoming Friday. Your shift will be about 2 1/2 hours long.

SATISFIED CUSTOMERS

• “Everything was wonderful & all went smoothly! We’ll be signing up for a season membership.” Customer Sarah H.
• “Really enjoy the goodies and being part of this wonderful network of local growers. Just had dancing goat scrambled eggs & the best goat yogurt money can buy. Making green papaya salad today with the green beans and cherry tomatoes from our local providers.” – Customer Chana P.

BUSY BEES
Do you have news worthy accomplishments to share with your fellow locavores? Just send a brief email with details to tlevy@tampabay.rr.com.

• Customers—as well as Volunteers—Rita Sewell and Phyllis Hand are members of the choir at Grace Lutheran at 16th St N. and Haines Rd where a choir performance is scheduled for Dec. 13th at 3pm. Several choruses, including “For Unto Us”, “Glory to God”, and “His Yoke is Easy”, are sung between scripture readings. There are also solos ranging from bass to soprano interspersed throughout the choruses. And the “Halleluiah Chorus” is the finale. A chamber orchestra will accompany the interdenominational chorus. I’m going! Meet me there for an inspiring, feel-good Sunday afternoon.

• New customer, Beverly Sweetman, is a poet writing under the name B.J. Lee. She recently contributed to an agricultural anthology called “Dear Tomato: An International Crop of Food and Agriculture Poems” and offered on Amazon since February 2015. For ages 8-12 (though adults will enjoy the anthology as well). Special thanks to Beverly for sharing with us her wondrous vision of a very productive garden.

Contain Your Imagination

Raspberries trellis up old wicker chairs.
Parsley in tea-kettles sits on the stairs.

Blackberries thrive in Dad’s busted-up dinghy.
Pole beans in wash baskets grow tall and stringy.

Cabbages nestle in cracked kiddie pools.
Peppers in wheelbarrows glisten like jewels.

Summer squash tumbles from Mom’s torn rain boots.
Tomatoes in tool boxes show off their fruits.

Cucumbers spill out from watering cans.
Seedlings sprout quickly in used muffin pans.

Strawberries thrive in a little red wagon.
Basil erupts from a porcelain flagon.

Colander, egg-carton, bathtub, or wok?
Containers with whimsy make gardening rock!

~B.J. Lee, 2015, All Rights Reserved

Upcoming Events

All these and more are posted on our Calendar of Events

WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

• *"Monthly Potluck Socials" for November and December are being combined into one festive Holiday event on Dec. 5th, next Saturday! Hope you can make it to this magical evening!

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!