To Contact Us

Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown

Recipes

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Serve these for breakfast or as a side dish. Small, even tiny, pan- cakes, topped with spicy pineapple salsa or something creative of your choosing, make ideal hors d’oeuvres. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.

Makes about twenty 3 1/2- to 4-inch pancakes

6 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and grated
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced or finely chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Combine the sweet potatoes and onion in a large bowl. Add the flour, eggs, and olive oil; mix well. Stir in the milk, salt, and pepper.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Test the heat by dropping a small amount of batter in the pan— if the oil immediately bubbles up around the batter, it has reached the proper temperature. Be careful not to let the oil overheat and smoke.
3. Using a ladle, 1/2 cup measuring cup, or large spoon, drop the pancake batter into the hot oil and then lightly press it into a pancake shape with a spatula. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes, then flip them and cook until brown on the other side, 5 minutes. Remove pancakes and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately or keep them warm in the oven.

Market News

It was back-to-school week at my house this past week. I think adjusting to the new daily routine is harder on my than my daughter, but we’re getting there. It’s a little extra challenging this year, since the Franklin County school system is doing something novel to save some money. By starting school ten minutes earlier and ending a half hour later each day, they were able to shave two whole weeks off the school year. Unfortunately, that means we need to leave the house to meet the bus at 6:30 in the morning, and she gets less than three hours at home in the evening before bedtime. So, it’s more important than ever that meals are quick to prepare, nutrient dense, and her breakfasts need to be substantial enough to get her through lunch, yet easy enough for me to prepare while half asleep (and for her to eat while half asleep). And of course there’s the matter of lunch. Her school is typical of the American school lunch, and so most of the time she takes her own, which I make for her in the morning.

I feel really lucky to have ingredients purchased through Athens Locally Grown to help make my job easier. Breads made from multiple freshly milled grains make great breakfast toast. She likes hers with cinnamon, so I’ve been able to have the jars of wonderful strawberry jam I made early this summer all to myself. Eggs laid by chickens that have been able to forage for bugs and greens produce eggs I can trust. As the mornings turn cooler, we’ll have porridge and grits milled by ALG’s two mills. We can even get kid-friendly items like hotdogs, chicken drumsticks, yogurt, and fruit. She’s a typical kid when it comes to vegetables, but of course there’s enough variety available at ALG that she’s got plenty of new things to try.

We still mix in a few “kid foods”. For instance, there’s a fruity loop cereal we’ve found that is decent, and she’s no stranger to the powdered cheese packet. But I can relax knowing that she’s getting a mix of foods, mostly locally sourced, that is both good for her and filling enough to get her through the challenging daily schedule of a six year old. And really, I have no idea how I’d do it without all the growers supplying such a great variety of products through Athens Locally Grown.

I hope you’re finding our market to be just as useful a resource for your household. There are literally hundreds of people working to supply the market. Just as I’ve become dependent on them, they are all dependent on us as customers. It’s a virtuous cycle, a race to the top, where we all come out winners.

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With your help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of 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 Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

Farmer for a Day: September 4, Saturday, at Burnell Farm (Hart County)

“Certified Naturally Grown. We are a produce farm in Royston, Ga. One of are goals is to supply our local community with vegetables grown with no herbicides, chemicals are pesticides. We also raise chickens (Cornish X Rocks) and Rainbow Layers using the same standards as we do with our vegetables. We like to say our birds are DRUG free. We currently farm 9 acres and we have a greenhouse and use raised beds. We also have a 91/2 acre pond.” There are slots still available for both our September Farmer for a Day event, and you can find more details on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

Athens Locally Grown Hunter’s Moon Feast: October 23, Saturday, at Boann’s Banks (Royston, Franklin County)

“The October full moon has been known as the “Hunter’s Moon” for millennia, and was a time of feasting throughout the Northern hemisphere. We revive the notion here with a day of feasting at Boann’s Banks (the farm of Athens Locally Grown managers Chris and Eric Wagoner) on the banks of the Broad River outside Royston. It’ll be a low-key affair, without any farm work for you to do. Just good food and drink (Eric will prepare a variety of dishes using locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats, and perhaps brew an adult beverage. There’s also the possibility of home-brewed beer, and the likelihood of good live music. There’ll certainly be good company (all of you), and a river to splash in. There’s even some camping space, for those who really want to enjoy the moon. Come any time, but I’ll be aiming for 2pm to have the BBQ and other dishes ready. Stay as long as you’d like, even into Sunday. Nights are chilly, though, so bring a tent if you’re wanting to do that. There is no charge for Locally Grown members and their families. We do ask that you bring a dish to share, and if it’s made from Locally Grown ingredients, so much the better." You can make your reservations for the feast on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

To Contact Us

Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown

Recipes

Fried Okra and Potatoes

Frying Okra and Potatoes together gives a real taste treat. From www.africhef.com.

Serves 4 to 6

1 lb young Okra pods
2 large potatoes
1 Onion
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp Salt.
2 pints ice water
oil for frying
salt and pepper for seasoning, to taste

1. Top and tail the Okra pods (cut off the ends). Cut the pods into approximately 1/4 inch rounds. Peel and dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Peel the onions and chop finely.
2. Place the sliced Okra into a glass or stainless steel bowl and sprinkle the salt liberally over the pods. Cover the pods with the iced water, making sure that all the slices are under water. Place the bowl containing the Okra and water in a refrigerator and leave for 2 or more hours.
3. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and drain off the salt water. Place the Okra in a bowl and add the potatoes and chopped onion. Season the cornmeal with the salt and pepper. Place the sliced Okra potato and onion mixture together with the seasoned cornmeal in a large plastic bag and shake until the vegetables are well coated with the cornmeal.
4. Heat some oil (1/2 inch deep) in a frying pan until it begins to shimmer. Place the vegetables in the pan and fry until the potatoes are done and the mixture has browned nicely. Remove the Okra and potato mixture from the oil, using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve hot as a side dish

Coming Events

Farmer for a Day: September 4, Saturday, at Burnell Farm (Hart County)

“Certified Naturally Grown. We are a produce farm in Royston, Ga. One of are goals is to supply our local community with vegetables grown with no herbicides, chemicals are pesticides. We also raise chickens (Cornish X Rocks) and Rainbow Layers using the same standards as we do with our vegetables. We like to say our birds are DRUG free. We currently farm 9 acres and we have a greenhouse and use raised beds. We also have a 91/2 acre pond.” There are slots still available for both our September Farmer for a Day event, and you can find more details on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

Athens Locally Grown Hunter’s Moon Feast: October 23, Saturday, at Boann’s Banks (Royston, Franklin County)

“The October full moon has been known as the “Hunter’s Moon” for millennia, and was a time of feasting throughout the Northern hemisphere. We revive the notion here with a day of feasting at Boann’s Banks (the farm of Athens Locally Grown managers Chris and Eric Wagoner) on the banks of the Broad River outside Royston. It’ll be a low-key affair, without any farm work for you to do. Just good food and drink (Eric will prepare a variety of dishes using locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats, and perhaps brew an adult beverage. There’s also the possibility of home-brewed beer, and the likelihood of good live music. There’ll certainly be good company (all of you), and a river to splash in. There’s even some camping space, for those who really want to enjoy the moon. Come any time, but I’ll be aiming for 2pm to have the BBQ and other dishes ready. Stay as long as you’d like, even into Sunday. Nights are chilly, though, so bring a tent if you’re wanting to do that. There is no charge for Locally Grown members and their families. We do ask that you bring a dish to share, and if it’s made from Locally Grown ingredients, so much the better." You can make your reservations for the feast on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

Market News

Last week’s all-paperless order pickup went really smoothly. I can’t begin to tell you how great it felt to not print out the giant stack of paper, as we had every week for the past nine years. I’ve long had a vision of being able to coordinate the food from getting from the growers to you all without the paperwork, but it took this long for technology to be both available and affordable. Being able to work directly off the website live as we fill orders also greatly cuts down on the “back office” work. As you might imagine, the logistics behind getting the right items from the growers to the the right customer while getting the right amount of money from the customer back to the growers, all while accounting for missing items, packing mistakes, and so forth, is quite daunting. It all just got considerably easier, though, which is good news for everyone.

Now that that project is mostly behind me, I’d like to turn my efforts to another thing that’s been bothering me (and some of you, too): all the little plastic bags that get used to package most of the items going out to you all. It’s a tricky problem, for a number of reasons:

• The items must be pre-packaged by the grower, because we are not licensed as food handlers, nor do we have the facilities to re-package anything
• Paper bags are still environmentally costly to make, and having a bunch of paper bags all the same, even with our stickers on them, makes it very hard to find the right items as we fill orders
• Plastic produce bags are both inexpensive and readily available, so whatever replaces them must be as well

There are a lot of specifics wrapped up in those general statements, but you get the idea. It turns out, though, that again technology has found an answer, and it’s very close to being affordable as well. There is a new 100% compostable produce bag being made by BioBag that contains no GMO starches, and composts back into soil (not CO2 gas, like many compostable plastics do). It’s even nearly transparent, so it won’t slow up order packing. I can get almost a year’s supply delivered to us for about $6000, which comes out to about 6 cents a bag. If we got an outside funding source, I could give them out to the growers and require them to use the bags to pack their produce, eliminating almost all of the plastic that goes out (the meat and dairy can’t use these bags). If we got about half of it paid for from outside sources, I could offer them to the growers at half price, which would be in line with what they’re paying now for plastic.

So, that’s what it comes down to: $6000 to eliminate almost all of the plastic used by the growers at our market for a year. Sounds like a great deal, and if I (or the market) had the cash, I’d order the delivery today. But I don’t, so I’ll need to see if there is any funding sources around that would sponsor something like this for us. If you have any ideas, let me know.

Another long-standing project I’ve been working on is accepting EBT (“food stamps”) at our market. Several of you have asked about this, and unfortunately, these days EBT is the only way a growing number of families can put food on the table. The Athens Farmers Market, both the Saturday and Tuesday versions, started accepting EBT this year. Athens Locally Grown, though, does not. The biggest problem is the EBT program is extremely bureaucratic. The rules in place are rather straightforward, but are also very rigid. ALG is a new kind of business, not quite a farmers market and not quite a grocery store, and so we don’t really fit in any of the boxes. It also requires approval at the Federal, the state, and the local levels, and at each I’ve gotten “wait, you do what now?” as responses. It’s been a little dangerous. It seems regulatory authorities, at any level, have a universal response to something they’ve never seen before: “You can’t do that.” If I’m not careful, it’s not out of the question that ALG itself would get shut down for a while while we run around assuring people we’re not doing something we’re not supposed to be doing. I’m still progressing, though, and have hope that in the near future we’ll be able to accept EBT.

Just a reminder: due to some logistical conflicts, both Split Creek Farm has gone to an every-other-week schedule through the end of August. They’re here this week, but will be gone again next week.

We’ve re-instated our regular “Meet the Grower” table during the Thursday pickups. This week the table will be hosted by Tim & Liz Young from Nature’s Harmony Farm. They’ll be talking about their farming practices and cheese making, so be sure to stop by and say hello while you’re waiting for us to put your order together. They’d love to meet you!

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With you’re help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of 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 Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

To Contact Us

Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown

Recipes

Baked Zucchini Halves Stuffed with Wild Rice and Quinoa

In this hearty recipe the classic combination of onion, celery, and cheese give plenty of robust flavor to the mixed grains, while zucchini provides the perfect juicy-firm base. This satisfying dish is an excellent accompaniment to roasted chicken or grilled fish. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.

Serves 4 to 6

1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup cooked wild rice
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 ounce)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
1 rib celery, chopped
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
butter (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Cut out the center from each half of the zucchini with a paring knife, being careful not to puncture the bottom or the sides; reserve the centers. Transfer the hollow halves, cut-side up, to a baking dish.
3. Coarsely chop the zucchini centers and put them in a large bowl. Add the quinoa, wild rice, and Parmesan. Stir until well combined.
4. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the bread crumbs and salt. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the bread crumbs are well mixed in and heated through, about 1 minute.
5. Add the bread crumb mixture to the quinoa/rice mixture and combine well.
6. Stuff hollow zucchini halves with the quinoa/rice mixture. Cover with aluminum foil; bake for 40 minutes.
7. Remove the foil. If you wish, dot each half with a pat of butter. Continue baking until zucchini is very tender and the filling is gold- en brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Coming Events

Farmer for a Day: August 7, Saturday, at Flatwoods Farm (Elbert County)

“USDA Certified Organic. We are located in the Flatwoods area of south Elbert County. One of the goals of local sustainable agriculture is to grow crops befitting the culture, the land and the nature of a given area. We specialize in growing organic fruits and vegetables that are best suited for the consumers, retail outlets, markets and restaurants of northeast Georgia and the surrounding area. We concentrate when possible on producing heirloom varieties and raise all our crops in the ground, no hydroponics or container produce.” There are slots still available for both our August and September Farmer for a Day events, and you can find more details on all of them on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

Athens Locally Grown Hunter’s Moon Feast: October 23, Saturday, at Boann’s Banks (Royston, Franklin County)

“The October full moon has been known as the “Hunter’s Moon” for millennia, and was a time of feasting throughout the Northern hemisphere. We revive the notion here with a day of feasting at Boann’s Banks (the farm of Athens Locally Grown managers Chris and Eric Wagoner) on the banks of the Broad River outside Royston. It’ll be a low-key affair, without any farm work for you to do. Just good food and drink (Eric will prepare a variety of dishes using locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats, and perhaps brew an adult beverage. There’s also the possibility of home-brewed beer, and the likelihood of good live music. There’ll certainly be good company (all of you), and a river to splash in. There’s even some camping space, for those who really want to enjoy the moon. Come any time, but I’ll be aiming for 2pm to have the BBQ and other dishes ready. Stay as long as you’d like, even into Sunday. Nights are chilly, though, so bring a tent if you’re wanting to do that. There is no charge for Locally Grown members and their families. We do ask that you bring a dish to share, and if it’s made from Locally Grown ingredients, so much the better." You can make your reservations for the feast on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

Market News

Last week I gave you a heads up about the paperwork we’ve been printing out each week, and this week it’s official: starting this week, Athens Locally Grown pickups will be completely paperless. In case you missed it last week, I’ll just repeat everything here (if you read last week’s email, skip down below the pictures):

I’ve been working over the past several months on an electronic system that our volunteers can use to fill orders so we wouldn’t have to print so much paper. During our last record week, back in early May, we printed almost 750 pages, all of which we sent straight to the recycling bin at the end of the day. We’ve been doing that week in, week out for years, and it added up to far more paper than I even want to think about. Not only did we print your invoices, which we used to pack the order, but we also had a condensed version of them all for the payment table and another report with much of the same information we used to check in the growers.

The folks at Ben’s Bikes let us use their internet service, so the first thing I did was add a grower check-in system to the website’s back end. Then, using some iPads that I borrowed (and one the market bought), we were able to get the payment table using the website as well. In the process, we were able to add a second cashier, eliminating our biggest bottleneck. We were donated some old iPhones to help us test filling the orders electronically, and that has worked really well. I found a great deal on some refurbished iPod Touches a couple weeks ago, and so now we’ll be able to go 100% paperless. It’s a huge relief for me to get us to that point. I just hated to see all that paper going into the recycle bin every single week.

So, what does that mean for you? First of all, we won’t have a paper receipt for you take home with you. Few of you asked for it, but I know for those of you who did it was very important. Those invoices have always been available to you on the website, and they will still be there. These are the exact same things we printed out Thursday afternoon. You’ll find them on the Your Account page of the site, under “Your Order History”. There, you’ll see you can generate an invoice for every order you’ve ever placed. The growers are adjusting orders throughout the week to account for things they couldn’t fill, but they are done by 2pm on Thursday. Any time after that, your invoice is pretty much final, and reflect what we expect you to get when you arrive that afternoon. You can view or print that any time you need to.

There are occasionally adjustments we need to make on the spot, however, so that’s the second thing. Since our volunteers will be filling your order electronically, and since the cashiers will be seeing that same information, we’re going to ask that you not pay until after you’ve received your items. That way, if we need to make any adjustments on the spot (usually either due to the grower accidentally leaving something out or us making a mistake getting the right items to the right people), the cashiers will already have that info on their screen when they give you your total. Paying first, then getting your items, and then making refunds/credits has been a bit confusing for everyone.

Another exciting development this week is the arrival of aged raw milk cheeses from Greendale Farm. With them and Nature’s Harmony Farm, our community now has two sources for traditional raw milk cheeses, both made from milk from their own pastured cows. Add to that Split Creek Farm’s goat milk cheeses from up the road in South Carolina and the various products from AtlantaFresh Artisan Creamery (made with Johnston Family Farm’s milk), we’ve gone from having nothing available a year ago to suddenly having a range of locally made dairy products that would make even a town in Wisconsin or Vermont proud. And not one of them is made using milk from confined, grain fed cows. Even if you’re not as big a fan of traditional cheese as I am, it’s still a fantastic thing for our community.

We’ve got two more “Farmer for a Day” events scheduled for the summer, with the next one this coming Saturday. There are still plenty of slots open, and you can find more details over on the sidebar to the left, and on the website.

Due to some logistical conflicts, both Split Creek Farm and Mac’s Eggs will be going to an every-other-week schedule through the end of August. This is an off-week for them, so they’ll return next week.

We’ve re-instated our regular “Meet the Grower” table during the Thursday pickups. There’s not currently a grower signed up for this week, but I hope to have the table claimed by Thursday.

I feel like I’m forgetting something, but can’t for the life of me figure out what it is. Might as well open the market, then. Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With you’re help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of 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 Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

To Contact Us

Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown

Recipes

Broiled Eggplant with Crunchy Parmesan Crust

This is such an easy way to make a crunchy-crusted eggplant appetizer that you may even feel guilty about the raves it receives. Top with tomato sauce for an extra layer of flavor. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.

oil for greasing the baking sheet
mayonnaise
eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)

1. Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. Spread mayonnaise sparingly on both sides of each eggplant slice, then dip the slices in the grated Parmesan cheese, thoroughly coating both sides.
3. Arrange the slices in a single layer on the oiled baking sheet and place under the broiler until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the slices and broil until golden brown and crunchy on top and the eggplant is soft, about 3 minutes more

Coming Events

Farmer for a Day: August 7, Saturday, at Flatwoods Farm (Elbert County)

“USDA Certified Organic. We are located in the Flatwoods area of south Elbert County. One of the goals of local sustainable agriculture is to grow crops befitting the culture, the land and the nature of a given area. We specialize in growing organic fruits and vegetables that are best suited for the consumers, retail outlets, markets and restaurants of northeast Georgia and the surrounding area. We concentrate when possible on producing heirloom varieties and raise all our crops in the ground, no hydroponics or container produce.” There are slots still available for both our August and September Farmer for a Day events, and you can find more details on all of them on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

Athens Locally Grown Hunter’s Moon Feast: October 23, Saturday, at Boann’s Banks (Royston, Franklin County)

“The October full moon has been known as the “Hunter’s Moon” for millennia, and was a time of feasting throughout the Northern hemisphere. We revive the notion here with a day of feasting at Boann’s Banks (the farm of Athens Locally Grown managers Chris and Eric Wagoner) on the banks of the Broad River outside Royston. It’ll be a low-key affair, without any farm work for you to do. Just good food and drink (Eric will prepare a variety of dishes using locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats, and perhaps brew an adult beverage. There’s also the possibility of home-brewed beer, and the likelihood of good live music. There’ll certainly be good company (all of you), and a river to splash in. There’s even some camping space, for those who really want to enjoy the moon. Come any time, but I’ll be aiming for 2pm to have the BBQ and other dishes ready. Stay as long as you’d like, even into Sunday. Nights are chilly, though, so bring a tent if you’re wanting to do that. There is no charge for Locally Grown members and their families. We do ask that you bring a dish to share, and if it’s made from Locally Grown ingredients, so much the better." You can make your reservations for the feast on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

Market News

First off this week I wanted to give you a heads up about the paperwork we’ve been printing out each week. I’ve been working over the past several months on an electronic system that our volunteers can use to fill orders so we wouldn’t have to print so much paper. During our last record week, back in early May, we printed almost 750 pages, all of which we sent straight to the recycling bin at the end of the day. We’ve been doing that week in, week out for years, and it added up to far more paper than I even want to think about. Not only did we print your invoices, which we used to pack the order, but we also had a condensed version of them all for the payment table and another report with much of the same information we used to check in the growers.

The folks at Ben’s Bikes let us use their internet service, so the first thing I did was add a grower check-in system to the website’s back end. Then, using some iPads that I borrowed (and one the market bought), we were able to get the payment table using the website as well. In the process, we were able to add a second cashier, eliminating our biggest bottleneck. We were donated some old iPhones to help us test filling the orders electronically, and that has worked really well. I found a great deal on some refurbished iPod Touches a couple days ago, so when those arrive we’ll be able to go 100% paperless. It’s a huge relief for me to get us to that point. I just hated to see all that paper going into the recycle bin every single week.

So, what does that mean for you? First of all, we won’t have a paper receipt for you take home with you. FEw of you asked for it, but I know for those of you who did it was very important. Those invoices have always been available to you on the website, and they will still be there. These are the exact same things we printed out Thursday afternoon. You’ll find them on the Your Account page of the site, under “Your Order History”. There, you’ll see you can generate an invoice for every order you’ve ever placed. The growers are adjusting orders throughout the week to account for things they couldn’t fill, but they are done by 2pm on Thursday. Any time after that, your invoice is pretty much final, and reflect what we expect you to get when you arrive that afternoon. You can view or print that any time you need to.

There are occasionally adjustments we need to make on the spot, however, so that’s the second thing. Since our volunteers will be filling your order electronically, and since the cashiers will be seeing that same information, we’re going to ask that you not pay until after you’ve received your items. That way, if we need to make any adjustments on the spot (usually either due to the grower accidentally leaving something out or us making a mistake getting the right items to the right people), the cashiers will already have that info on their screen when they give you your total. Paying first, then getting your items, and then making refunds/credits has been a bit confusing for everyone.

We’ll still have the paperwork for another week or two, but it will soon be a thing of the past.

The two week long “Taste Your Place” celebration of Athens’ thriving local food system organized by P.L.A.C.E. culminated yesterday with the awarding of the Athens Local Food Awards. The Athens Local Food Awards are an acknowledgement of those who are working hard to create a strong, accessible local food culture in Athens. The awards are presented in four categories.

The first award is the “Excellence on the Farm” Award. We love all the farms we have around Athens. But for this category we want to acknowledge the farms that go the extra mile by raising the standard of farms in our area, reaching out to individuals to teach them about farming, and/or developing innovative farming techniques or business models.

The 2010 Excellence on the Farm Award was presented to Backyard Harvest. Backyard Harvest has been providing Athens with sustainably grown produce on an 18 acre farm in Oglethrope County since 1995. Boo and Becky have over 25 years farming experience between them and have been mentors to many a local farmer. Anyone who knows local food in Athens knows Boo.

The second award is the “Excellence in Education” Award. All educators work hard balancing teaching requirements with the individual needs of their students. Below is a short list of educators who have caught out attention as seeing the need to get their students outside of the standard classroom environment to learn about protecting our natural world, serving our community, and growing food. If you know of an educator who should be on this list, please write in their name to cast a vote for them.

The 2010 Excellence in Education Award was presented to David Berle. Berle is a UGA Horticulturalist who brings a wealth of knowledge to his classroom from his experiences as a county extension agent, nursery grower, landscape contractor and horticulturist for both the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and the UGA Grounds Department.

The third award is the “Excellence in Business” Award. With the local food scene booming in Athens, a few local businesses have helped raised the awareness of local food and/or increased the availability of local food to the Athens community.

The 2010 Excellence in Business Award was presented to Daily Groceries Co-op. Open to all, this Athens staple helps shoppers looking to buy high-quality, organic groceries, produce, supplements and lots more since 1992. Daily tries to keep locally grown goods stocked when possible but always lets you know where their food is coming from.

The final award is the “Excellence in Advocacy” Award. Building a local food culture requires the dedication of many people working hard at many levels. The individuals below are a few of the early advocates and movers-and-shakers of Athens burgeoning local food scene.

The 2010 Excellence in Advocacy Award was presented to Hugh Acheson. Hugh cooks contemporary American soul food as executive chef at Five & Ten in Athens, Georgia. In 2004 he also opened Gosford Wine, and in August 2007 he added the National, a restaurant serving a Mediterranean menu. Hugh is one of the local food pioneers in Athens, supporting local farmers who showed up on his doorstep looking to sell produce and serving local food to his customer, before almost anyone else in Athens.

It is important to state that the Athens Local Food Awards are not a competition. There is no best farm, educator, business, or advocate. The vibrant local food scene that Athens enjoys today is due to countless people working on many levels over the course of many years. It is impossible to recognize everyone, but we feel that it is important to create a space where we can recognize a few outstanding individuals each year.

In other news, several of you noticed the return of raw milk to Athens Locally Grown last week. No, we haven’t yet won our lawsuit against the FDA. Gooneybush Dairy is an Athens (very) small goat dairy, licensed by the state of Georgia to sell raw milk for pet food. So, if your pets have been needing raw goat’s milk from a good, clean local source, you can now order that through Athens Locally Grown.

Due to some logistical conflicts, both Split Creek Farm and Mac’s Eggs will be going to an every-other-week schedule through the end of August. They are listing this week, so if you’re a regular customer of either farm, get two week’s worth now, because they’ll be unavailable again next week.

We’ve re-instated our regular “Meet the Grower” table during the Thursday pickups. This week Blackbriar Farm will be manning the table. Blackbriar sells an eclectic mix of products including dog treats, worm composting bins, fruitfly traps, firewood, and other products made or grown on their farm. While you’re waiting for us to fill your order, step up to the table and say hi!

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With you’re help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of 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 Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

To Contact Us

Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown

Recipes

Homemade Refrigerator Pickles

“Just pickles!!! These are easy to make, and are a great way to use vegetables from the garden.” From allrecipes.com

Makes 8 Cups

1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups white sugar
6 cups sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced green bell peppers

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.
2. Place the cucumbers, onions and green bell peppers in a large bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Transfer to sterile containers and store in the refrigerator.

Market News

Right now we’re at the peak of the summer season. In a few weeks, it’ll probably be too hot for most flowers to set fruit, cutting down on the availability for a while. But for now, we’re awash in summer flavors. I see 95 listings for tomatoes, 50 for peppers, 27 of garlic, and even 11 of okra. The blueberries will be gone in a week or two, but for now there are plenty. And on and on, down the list. So much variety, so many things to try. If you’re like me, you can’t help but to gorge on your favorites and try as many different things as you can, before they’re gone. Eating locally grown foods means for the most part eating with the seasons, and when the seasons change, our available foods do too.

That doesn’t mean when the weather turns cool we have to go without, though. I’ve been enjoying the bicolor corn from McMullan Family Farm so much, for example, that last week, for the first time, I canned about a bushel of corn. Turns out it was really easy (well, once I bought an OXO corn stripper for under $10), and it’s probably something I’ll be doing every summer now. Yesterday I turned about ten pounds of Roots Farm cucumbers and Sundance Farm onions into a bunch of jars of bread and butter pickles. That took no time at all (other than waiting along the various steps), and the hardest part was slicing all the cucumbers. Today I froze a gallon or more of Jim’s Farm blueberries. Next month I’ll can a bunch of Mills Farm roma tomatoes. As soon as my favorite poblano peppers from Backyard Harvest are ready, I’ll roast and freeze as many as I can afford. I know it sounds like I must have a root cellar full of shelves of jars, but really it’s not like that at all. I don’t try to put enough food away to be able to live off of it all winter, but instead just enough of my favorites to be able to break open a jar now and again when I get a craving for sweet corn, or blueberry crisp, or strawberries. By spending a few hours here and a few hours there throughout the summer, I can enjoy the labors of my farmers even if their fields are fallow.

Most home canners know this already, but it might be surprising to you: UGA is recognized as being the expert on home food preservation. Pretty much every canning recipe has its roots in the National Center for Home Food Preservation, located on campus. If you’ve heard old stories about jars exploding, or making people ill, or whatever, well, the folks at UGA have made that a thing of the past through scientific testing and the development of easy to follow fool-proof recipes for preserving pretty much anything that can be preserved, whether you’re canning, smoking, freezing, fermenting, or what have you.

Building on that knowledge, people have written many cookbooks that take the functional recipes from UGA and embellish them in ways that transform an ordinary jar of pickles (for example) into something really quite special. One of those books is “Canning for a New Generation” written by Athens author Lianna Krissoff. She had a book signing at Gosford Wine (former home to Athens Locally Grown) last Thursday. Of course I was at ALG instead, but I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy and try some of her recipes out. If you’ve never tried preserving some of our locally grown bounty, don’t be intimidated. Start small, and you’ll see how great it is to have a taste of summer in December.

And now, on to other news…

Due to some logistical conflicts, both Split Creek Farm and Mac’s Eggs will be going to an every-other-week schedule through the end of August. This is an off-week for both of them, but they’ll return next week.

If you’ve got an old iPhone or iPod touch lying around you don’t need, would you consider donating it to us? With the two iPads we have at the pay table and if each of the six volunteers filling orders had an iPhone or iPod touch, we will save a ream of paper a week. That’s a lot of paper, and it adds up fast. Not only that, but doing everything live on the website has really helped us cut down on the errors that we sometimes make filling orders, and at the very least makes sure you get a proper refund when we do leave something out. It’s also greatly cut down on the behind-the-scenes work I do keeping all the books in order. It doesn’t matter how old it is. We’ve been given three of them, one of each model Apple of iPhone has made, and all three do exactly what we need. One even has a cracked screen! Only three more, and we can go entirely paperless. Thanks!

We’ve re-instated our regular “Meet the Grower” table during the Thursday pickups. There’s not currently a grower signed up for this week, but we’ll try to get somebody there on Thursday. While you’re waiting for us to fill your order, step up to the table and say hi!

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With you’re help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of 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 Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

Farmer for a Day: August 7, Saturday, at Flatwoods Farm (Elbert County)

“USDA Certified Organic. We are located in the Flatwoods area of south Elbert County. One of the goals of local sustainable agriculture is to grow crops befitting the culture, the land and the nature of a given area. We specialize in growing organic fruits and vegetables that are best suited for the consumers, retail outlets, markets and restaurants of northeast Georgia and the surrounding area. We concentrate when possible on producing heirloom varieties and raise all our crops in the ground, no hydroponics or container produce.” There are slots still available for both our August and September Farmer for a Day events, and you can find more details on all of them on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

• Athens Locally Grown Hunter’s Moon Feast*: October 23, Saturday, at Boann’s Banks (Royston, Franklin County)

“The October full moon has been known as the “Hunter’s Moon” for millennia, and was a time of feasting throughout the Northern hemisphere. We revive the notion here with a day of feasting at Boann’s Banks (the farm of Athens Locally Grown managers Chris and Eric Wagoner) on the banks of the Broad River outside Royston. It’ll be a low-key affair, without any farm work for you to do. Just good food and drink (Eric will prepare a variety of dishes using locally grown vegetables and locally raised meats, and perhaps brew an adult beverage. There’s also the possibility of home-brewed beer, and the likelihood of good live music. There’ll certainly be good company (all of you), and a river to splash in. There’s even some camping space, for those who really want to enjoy the moon. Come any time, but I’ll be aiming for 2pm to have the BBQ and other dishes ready. Stay as long as you’d like, even into Sunday. Nights are chilly, though, so bring a tent if you’re wanting to do that. There is no charge for Locally Grown members and their families. We do ask that you bring a dish to share, and if it’s made from Locally Grown ingredients, so much the better." You can make your reservations for the feast on the Market page of the website, under the Event Reservations category.

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

To Contact Us

Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown

Recipes

Tacos de Quelites — Tacos of Garlicky Greens

There are lots of recipes out there for “authentic” Mexican spinach quesadillas and similar dishes out there. Few of them will tell you, however, that none of those dishes were traditionally made with spinach. It’s a cool weather crop that has trouble growing here in Georgia, much less in the more arid and hot climates further south. What does grow well, both here and there, is the even more nutritious Lamb’s Quarter, and this is what modern recipes replace with spinach.

Makes 8 Tacos

8 to 10 corn tortillas
9 cups (about 1 pound) loosely packed, stemmed lambs’ quarters?
1 tablespoon olive oil?
1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick?
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped?
Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon?
1/4 cup finely crumbled cheese
About 3/4 cup salsa

1. Warm tortillas in steamer, oven, or microwave.
2. Boil greens in salted water until barely tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, cool, and roughly chop.
3. Sear onions in oil until golden brown (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and salt and stir for one minute. Add greens and stir for one minute more. Season to taste.
4. Sprinkle mixture with cheese.
5. Assemble tacos at the table.

Market News

I’ve gone on and on about the variety of produce you can find at Athens Locally Grown. It really is incredible how many types of tomatoes, the arrays of lettuces, the shapes of squash that our growers are able to bring to market each week. And many of them, the heirlooms especially, each have a story, a place of origin, and a specific reason for being grown. Their seeds were passed down from generation to generation for a reason, and we’re very lucky to live in a time where the best varieties from around the world are available to us, their seeds delivered right to your door for planting in your own garden. Civilization has brought us many amazing things, and this one is often overlooked. I’m able to take a bite of an amazing black tomato that was grown for a couple hundred years only in one little community near the Crimean Sea in Russia, and not even bat an eye.

But the foods that have been grown closer to home for even longer often get overlooked too, to the point that many people don’t even know they exist. Take for example the lowly lamb’s quarter, Chenopodium album. For many, it’s a despised weed. It grows quickly in newly disturbed soil, can reach heights of six feet or more, and its seed heads are full of tiny seeds ready to outgrow everything else the next season. Truth is, however, that this was one of the staple foods for North American natives for thousands of years. Its leaves are more highly nutritious than anything else in the garden, even kale. It contains enough vitamin C to prevent scurvy. It’s seeds can be ground into a flour and baked, boiled whole, or rolled like oats (it’s a close relative to amaranth). And it grows everywhere. I took a cooler full to my very first farmer’s market, on May 4th 2002 at Big City Bread. Everyone, the other growers and the customers alike, wondered why the new guy was trying to sell a weed. I gave a lot away that day, but must have convinced enough people, because in future weeks I had trouble bringing in enough to meet the demand. There are several growers this week listing lamb’s quarters at Athens Locally Grown this week, so if you’ve missed your spring spinach in this heat, give them a try!

There are plenty of other natives that don’t get their due. The fruit of the passion flower, known around here as a “may pop”, are starting to ripen. These little guys look like limes, and grow on a low vine with the most beautiful purple flowers. There are some growing and flowering right now at the courtyard at Farm 255 downtown. They easily open up to reveal individual seed clusters, kind of like a pomegranate. You can suck on the little fruitlets and get a nice sweet citrusy treat. Like real citrus, it’s rich in vitamin C, but it grows right here. Another good source of vitamin C is sumac berries, which are just now turning red. These can be used to make a pink “lemonade”, or ground and used as a tangy meat rub.

These native foods are hard to come by unless you know what you’re looking for, but keep your eyes open! You’ll see them now and again both here and at the other farmers markets.

We’ve re-instated our regular “Meet the Grower” table during the Thursday pickups. This Thursday, David Hoechst, owner of Dragonfly Farm, will be back at the table. He took a turn just a few weeks ago, but it ready to share more with you, especially his heirloom tomatoes. While you’re waiting for us to fill your order, step up to her table and say hi!

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With you’re help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of 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 Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

Farmer for a Day: July 11, Sunday, at Veribest Farm (Oglethorpe County)

Certified Naturally Grown. We are pleased and grateful to find ourselves with enough of a patch of soil to participate in Athens Locally Grown and believe in the philosophy of thinking globally and eating locally. We believe in and strive for a sustainable lifestyle that includes growing fine vegetables produced without chemicals while conserving resources. This farm is approximately 33 miles from Athens, and it’ll take 50 minutes to get there. Space is limited, so please make reservations by adding them to your order. You’ll find it under the “Events Reservations” category on the website.

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

To Contact Us

Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: http://facebook.com/athenslocallygrown

Recipes

Calabacitas

This recipe is one of my favorite traditional New Mexican dishes, another I adapted from a restaurant menu. On more than one occasion my friends and I biked a dozen miles across the desert to eat lunch at The Coyote Moon in Lemitar. We told ourselves it was for the great green chile cheeseburgers, but those burgers just wouldn’t have been the same without a side of calabacitas. It can be eaten as is for a side dish, but it also makes a great filling for vegetable tacos or burritos.

Serves 4

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound zucchini (or yellow squash), cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3/4 cup chopped heirloom tomato
1 diced hot pepper (optional)
1 cup corn kernels

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic and cook for three minutes, stirring. Add zucchini and cook three minutes, stirring. Add tomato, pepper, and corn and cook for four minutes, stirring. Serve.

To make a wonderful breakfast, crumble and brown 1 pound sausage. Add sausage and calabacitas to a casserole dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded cheese. Pour two or three beaten eggs over the top of everything. Top with ½ cup bread crumbs and salt & pepper and bake at 325 until bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Market News

This heat has really been something. Every year I seem to get a little less tolerant of it (not a good trait for a veggie grower in the South, I admit), and it seems to have arrived far too early this year. I just took a moment to look back at my records, though, and maybe I’m wrong. Seems to be too much, too soon, either way. We even have okra listed on the website this week, and this has to be the earliest we’ve ever had okra for sale.

So, the Spring greens have just about had it until fall. The tougher cooking greens (made tender via low and slow braising) are plentiful, and the summer crops are all coming quickly. Eggplant has returned, winter squash have come in (so named because they can keep through the winter, but there’s no reason to wait until then to start eating them), and the beans are growing backs just about as fast as they can be picked. I can’t go out to my garden these days without tripping over a five foot long zucchini.

And you know what? I actually prefer them that size. Modern squash varieties, the kind you find in the grocery store, are bred for growing quickly and standing up to shipping stress. That results in a tasteless spongy flesh that has to be eaten when small to get any flavor at all. I’ve noticed just the opposite with many heirloom varieties, however. The Costata Romanesco zucchini I grow develop a fantastic nutty flavor that only gets better the larger they grow. The old Delaware Indian crookneck yellow squash, the kind with the sharp warts, also gets a wonderful complex flavor as it grows. Yes, the area right around the seeds gets spongy and I scoop that out, but the rest of it is fantastic. There is a reason that people have bred them into so many shapes and colors throughout the ages, and it’s not to eat them all when they’re tiny.

Anyway, there is well over a thousand items from our growers available for you to purchase this week. We’ve got some pretty big and fancy grocery stores in Athens, but I can’t think of a single one that can match our variety of fresh food. It really is a testament to all of the hard work our growers have done in the last ten years (many of them for less than that), transforming our landscape both literally and figuratively.

We’ve re-instated our regular “Meet the Grower” table during the Thursday pickups. This Thursday, you’ll get to meet Summer Cordell, owner of Goodness Gracious! Granola. Her profile has this to say: “I started our local granola company in Atlanta, the spring of 2008, and moved the kitchen to Suwanee in 2009. We use local honey, Georgia sorghum, as well as other natural and organic ingredients. This year we began using safflower and/or coconut oil instead of canola.The flavors are amazing. Our granolas are 60-80% organic, no preservatives, no refined sugars, no salt. We also flavorfully roast cinnamon almonds, rosemary pecans and lime-spice cashews, and on occasion, have made the best almond coffee toffee available! We are currently changing our packaging to a compostable package made from recycled material.” While you’re waiting for us to fill your order, step up to her table and say hi!

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With you’re help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of 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 Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

Farmer for a Day: July 11, Sunday, at Veribest Farm (Oglethorpe County)

Certified Naturally Grown. We are pleased and grateful to find ourselves with enough of a patch of soil to participate in Athens Locally Grown and believe in the philosophy of thinking globally and eating locally. We believe in and strive for a sustainable lifestyle that includes growing fine vegetables produced without chemicals while conserving resources. This farm is approximately 33 miles from Athens, and it’ll take 50 minutes to get there. Space is limited, so please make reservations by adding them to your order. You’ll find it under the “Events Reservations” category on the website.

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!