Local Farms First:  LFF Service Update

Greetings,

Market Update
Local Farms First (LFF) announces that it is indefinitely delaying the start of its 2015 operations while it works to improve its business model. At this time, the organization that oversees the LFF program, the newly merged ORE/Coldharbour organization, is undergoing a period of strategic visioning in order to best serve the needs of the region. While we see tremendous potential in LFF, the program has been losing money in recent years. ORE/Coldharbour is working to recruit additional wholesale customers, write grants, and otherwise build capacity to allow the program to continue. We are sorry for the impact this has on our extremely loyal producer and customer base. We will continue to provide updates throughout this growing season. Please contact info@resourceefficiency.org for more information.

Happy Spring!
Erin Griffin
ORE/Coldharbour Office and Communications Manager

The Wednesday Market:  Time to Order; Has Spring Finally Sprung?; And More

Good afternoon on this sunny Sunday!

The Wednesday Market is open for orders. Please place your order by 10 p.m. Monday. Orders are ready for pick up Wednesday between 3 and 6 p.m. Please see the website for all of this week’s product listings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market

What a week of weather we just had! So strange that we get a taste of all four seasons in the span of a few days. I truly hope that Spring has finally sprung upon us! If you are wondering when the average last frost occurs, you can check the statistics at www.GeorgiaWeather.net by looking at the data collected at various weather stations around the state. Griffin and Williamson are the two closest stations near us.

I looked at 21 years of data recorded by the Williamson station, from 1993 to 2013, and learned that the last frost date has been as early as February 20 (in 2012) and as late as April 19 (2001). Furthermore, the last frost date has occurred 10 times each in March and April, but only once in February.

What does all of this data mean? I think it means that we should be cautiously optimistic that Spring is here. I am not ready to plant anything yet, and I’ll be keeping my jacket and umbrella handy! In the meantime, today is to be enjoyed.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, March 17, here is my favorite Irish blessing:

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.

I encourage each of you to join the “Pick Up Pike” or PUP Facebook page to follow efforts to improve the countryside by picking up litter along our roadways. Find out what you can do to get involved! It takes all of us to keep Pike clean.

Thank you for supporting locally grown agriculture and for choosing to purchase locally! We’ll see you Wednesday.

Thanks,

Beverly

Stones River Market:  The Market is Closed This Week

Gwinnett Locally Grown:  Sunday Market Reminder! We're having workshops!

The Market is open Thursday at 9 – Monday at noon After that, ordering is disabled until Thursday morning. Pick up your order Tuesday from 4:00-7:00 p.m. only at Rancho Alegre Farm at 2225 Givens Road, Dacula, GA 30019. New to The Market? Learn about how it works here.

MARKET NEWS

Workshops
Join us for a workshop! You’ll be amazed by the plethora of information and lessons offered by our fantastic workshop instructors. Our workshops cover subjects such as gardening, nutrition, nutrient dense foods, natural remedies, essential oils, and much more!
Our goal is to host one workshop a week which will always be on Tuesday. The workshop schedule will rotate from 10:30 AM, 6:00 PM and 7:00 PM for the community’s convenience. The farm brings workshops to the community as an outreach to share the wealth of knowledge we have attained over the years. We do not charge for these events but allow the speakers to charge a fee to cover their time and supplies. We hope everyone will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
Please share this with all your friends and family and RSVP via FB Eventsand/or Meet-Up.

Workshops @ the Farm

Mozzarella Cheese Making Class – With Operation Homebrew – Next Tue. Mar. 17, @ 7:00 PM_*
This workshop is 60 minutes, includes a mozzerella cheese sampling once finished and wine tasting which leads into the next class. $5 per person. RSVP at Meetup.com

Build a Rain Barrel Workshop with Ken
Tue. Mar. 24, 2015 @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Building a rain barrel for your garden helps with water conservation. Each person will build their own rain barrel with Ken’s help. RSVP on facebook or meetup.

Nutrient Dense Food with Dr. Tara Miller: Healthy Diets Your Family and Children – Tue. Mar. 31, @ 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Dr. Tara Miller will cover the importance of nutrient dense foods and how she improved the health of her two young children who were born prematurely but now live healthy and productive lives without sickness. RSVP for this fascinating lecture on facebook or meetup.com. Suggested donation is $5.

Remember, we have items like dog treats, wonderful raw honey and our pork farmer, Brady who came on with more items a couple weeks ago! We are working to get more jams, freshly canned items and more dry goods, so stay tuned!

_As Always….
_Please share with friends and family about us so that we can give more people the opportunity to buy and eat healthy! Local farmers need our support to keep providing us with all the fresh foods! If we don’t give them enough business, it’s hard for them to continue to deliver to us. Please let’s not let that happen! Tell your friends about us so we can keep the Growers supported as this is how they make their living. *_

Thank you to all of you who support Gwinnett Locally Grown!

If there is something you’d like to see in the Market, please let me know! I would love your imput!

Remember…
The Market is extending their hours! The Market will now be open from 4:00 to 7:00pm!
Having said that, if you place an order with us, PLEASE remember to pick it up on Tuesday. As I am so grateful for your orders, I also have a family at home waiting on me too! We cannot hold orders, especially cold items due to limited refrigeration space, so please be courteous and come for your order.

CLICK HERE NOW to Shop Gwinnett Locally Grown!

Thanks for all your support!

Shop often and eat well!

Cheryl Gelatt
Market Manager
grow@ranchoalegrefarm.com

Fresh Wishes,
Pilar Quintero
Market Host
Rancho Alegre Farm

Please email grow@ranchoalegrefarm.com for questions pertaining to Market or Raw Milk. It is very difficult to return phone calls. Remember to interact with us on Facebook and follow us on Meetup to get notification on all our wonderful events and news.

ALFN Local Food Club:  The Market is Open!

Good Morning Food Club,

The ice and rain are over, the temperatures are up, and the market is open. Could it be that we’ve made it through this long and dreadful winter? Is it finally time to switch out the winter coats for rain jackets and re-explore our beautiful Arkansas outdoors? Folks, I’m super stoked, because with each passing week the market will be loaded with exciting and delicious new locally-grown goodness. This week we’ve got…

• Home gardeners will rejoice with all of the wonderful plants from A B C Nature Greenhouse & Herb Farm. Grow your own exciting varieties of cabbage, citrus trees, lettuce, medicinal & tea herbs, homegrown spices, and SO much more with the help of A B C.

• It’s not too early to start thinking about dyed Easter eggs from Bluebird Hill Berry Farm. Just send an e-mail to jdjjhm39@gmail.com with the number of half-dozens you’d like, and they’ll deliver these beautifully dyed eggs for you closer to Easter.

• Don’t know what to do with dandelion roots from Arkansas Natural Produce? I love me some roasted dandelion root coffee, a highly medicinal coffee substitute.

• It’s about time to get those grills fired up, and whether it’s pasture-raised beef, buffalo, chicken, elk, lamb, or pork, we’ve got all the cuts you’ll need to make the whole neighborhood jealous.

• And thanks to Homayd Natural Care Products, there’s some amazing new items in our Bath & Beauty section. They’ve got all-natural eye makeup remover, wrinkle-fighting eye serum, and moisturizing facial oil and toner to ensure that what you’re putting on your body is as good as what you’re putting in it.

We’ve heard back from Whole Foods about our 1% Community Giving Day last month and have got some great news: We’re receiving $1,591.43 thanks to your support. A HUGE thank-you goes out to all of our board members, customers, farmers, volunteers, friends, and family for showing up in force, and especially to the new Whole Foods for giving back. I’m so inspired to be part of such a supportive community and for me, that’s what make this place home.

With Unending Gratitude,

- Alex Handfinger
Director of Operations

Do you have questions or comments about this, or any, weblog? Thoughts on local food, goods, or events? Reply to this email and let us know what’s on your mind. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated!

Russellville Community Market:  RCM Opening Bell

Welcome to another RCM Market Week!

Be sure to check out the newly listed items this week! Lots of great, local products to be had!

Happy shopping! Eat Local!

Check out the “Featured Items” section as well as the “What’s New” section at the top of the market page for all the latest products available.

Be sure to “Like” our Facebook page for updates and food-related events in your community!

To ensure your order is placed, make sure you click the “Place My Order” button once you have completed your shopping. Remember, you have until 10:00pm Tuesday evening to place your orders.

Happy Shopping! See you on Thursday!

Russellville Community Market

FRESH.LOCAL.ONLINE.

United States Virgin Islands:  This Week in VI Locally Grown!

Hello VI Locally Grown members!

New crops are coming in and we had a phenomenal market last week. We brought lots of fresh ripe fruits: bananas, mame apples, tamarind, watermelon, papaya, and more! We should have many of these crops again this week. We also will be bringing our homemade salad dressings from our in-house chef Jessica Rockstein. We will have lots of salad green varieties to complement them! Again this week we will bring you lots of heirloom and cherry tomatoes. See you on Wed!

Best,
Castiel

Champaign, OH:  Selection Sunday!

Yes!! The day is here!! It’s Christmas for college basketball fans!! Today we see which teams will pop up where in the bracket!!

And may I just pause for a minute to say…wait for it, wait for it…

Kentucky will be the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament!!!

Okay…now that I have that out of my system, let’s move on with the little local market of love!

I have a great idea for today!! In honor of Selection Sunday (and, this will work even if you are not a college basketball fanatic) why don’t we make this Selection Sunday of Champaign Locally Grown?

What if everyone decided to make one, two, or a HUGE selection of market items, today, on Selection Sunday…

Come on…let’s do it!! We need to pass the time, anyway, until we get to see how the teams all fall into place!!

By the end of the day, I want to see the selections!!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

CLG:  Opening Bell: Salsa, Bok Choy, Eggs...

Good afternoon,
Spring has sprung! Daffodils blooming, trees budding, and farmers with muddy boots: all signs that it’s time to get busy outdoors. Over 500 items available this week, including many plants! Strawberries will be available very soon! Any mushroom lovers? I found a bunch of Auricularia auricula (Jew’s ear) mushrooms at Cedar Rock Ridge in Conway. Email me and I’ll bring you some on Friday, or you can forage your own on Saturday morning.

Check out all the Featured Products and use the SEARCH field on the main Market page to quickly find the items you want.

Come early on Friday for the best selection from the EXTRAS table.

The market is now OPEN for orders. Please check your email about 5 minutes after you place your order to make sure you get an order confirmation. Thank you for being a valuable part of CLG!

Have a great week!
Steve

ONLINE PAYMENT OPTION. When you are done shopping, just hit the “proceed to checkout” button in your cart. You will then see the option to “Pay Now” with credit card near the bottom. Just follow the prompts to add your card. Be sure to read the screen until you see “Thank you for your order” on the top. If you need help, please call 339-7958. A 3% online payment convenience fee will be added when your card is charged.

How to contact us:

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Instead…

Phone or text: Steve – 501-339-1039

Email: Steve – kirp1968@sbcglobal.net

Our Website: www.conway.locallygrown.net

On Twitter: @conwaygrown

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Conway-Locally-Grown/146991555352846

Middle Tennessee Locally Grown:  Manchester