Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Recipes

Easy Tomato-Malabar Spinach Quiche

“A quick and easy summer brunch or supper dish. Variations: If you don’t have Malabar spinach, you could substitute another type of green leafy vegetable. For an extra hearty dish, layer 1 c. diced pan-fried (hash brown) potatoes on top of the other veggies before adding the egg mixture.”

Source: based on a recipe found at http://blog.charlotefresh.net/2011/008/04 (Entered by Janice Matthews)
Serves: 6-8
Vegetarian!

Ingredients

1 10-inch pie crust
4-5 large tomatoes (or equiv. smaller ones)
1/2 c. chopped malabar spinach leaves
1/2 c. chopped basil
1 small onion cut in rings, or 1/2 c. walking onions, cut crosswise
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup milk or soy milk
6 large eggs, beaten
4 0z. shredded cheddar cheese
to taste salt and pepper

Step by Step Instructions

1. Preliminaries: Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and place pie crust in pan. Slice the tomatoes, squeeze them gently, and let them drain for a few minutes. Mix eggs, milk, and half the cheddar cheese, and add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
2. Place drained tomatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper if desired. Layer sliced onions on top of the tomatoes, and evenly distribute the minced garlic. Top with spinach and half the basil. (If doing variation with hash browns, layer them on top.)
3. Pour egg mixture evenly over the vegetable layers. Layer with remaining basil. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the top.
4. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes until set. Eat and enjoy! (Or let cool, then refrigerate. It’s also good cold!)

Market News

A special hello to all the mothers out there this week! I hope your families treated you to something a little above and beyond this weekend.

This is by far the busiest time of the year for our farmers. They’re out working in the fields weeding and harvesting the delicate spring veggies, trying to protect them from the daytime heat. It’s a challenge to give them enough cool water and shade to keep the greens crisp during the day when it’s nearly 90 degrees in the afternoon. At the same time, they’re putting in all the seedlings and seeds necessary to maintain a steady supply of summer veggies for the months ahead. They’re preparing beds, thinning seeds, watching over starts in the greenhouse, doing their best to keep bugs off the new growth, and doing what they can to shelter them rom the cool night air. While doing all this, they’re going to the many farmers markets that are all now up and running. Some of them attend three or four markets a week, including ALG. Some of them even more.

So, if you bump into a farmer, give them a few extra thanks this time of year. Also, some coffee.

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market is open on Saturdays at Bishop Park and Wednesday afternoons downtown at city hall. You can catch the news on their website. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

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!