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.

Market News

Well, here it is. The very last week of ordering through Athens Locally Grown. I’m the one who decided it was time, and I can’t believe it either. If you’re only just hearing about this for the first time, you can read my initial announcement here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/weblog/view/45988.

I can’t tell you how much all the kind words y’all have said in emails and in person mean to me. It’s been an amazing twenty years, and I’ll miss you! I’ll be spending time at all the many other farmers markets in the area, and I’m sure I’ll run across many of you there. I’ll sure to tell you where you can find all of our wonderful growers after this week in one final email.

Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown over the years, 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.

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.

Market News

What with the warm, balmy air and violent storm fronts, you’d be hard pressed to know winter officially starts next week. But, it does and so the days will soon start getting longer once again. There are plenty of holidays these next few weeks, and I hope whichever ones you celebrate are as joyful as they can be.

We’ll be celebrating winding down our twentieth year while sadly winding down the market altogether. It’s certainly bittersweet. If you missed my big announcement that ALG is closing down for good next week, on December 23, you can read all about it here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/weblog/view/45988.

I can’t tell you how much all the kind words y’all have said in emails and in person mean to me. It’s been an amazing twenty years, and I’ll miss you all after these three weeks! I’ll be sure to tell you where you can find all of our wonderful growers after next week.

Thank you 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 at our market’s home on Tallassee Road!

We are still getting new customers every week (and even now we love seeing new faces!) so for all of you you can find a detailed run-down of how Thursdays go on our website here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/faq#7

Other Area Farmers Markets

If ALG doesn’t have everything you need, please support our growers at the other markets that are now back up and running, or at their own locations. The Comerian takes online orders for Saturday pickup at the bakery here: https://www.thecomerian.com/online-ordering. The Athens Farmers Market is holding their Saturday market once again in Bishop Park and Wednesdays at Creature Comforts.They’re still operating under pandemic rules, so you’ll want to read up on all the changes on their website, http://athensfarmersmarket.net. The West Broad Farmers Market is back, holding a drive through market just like us (and using my software too, so it’ll be nice and familiar). You can join them at https://wbfm.locallygrown.net. The Saturday market in Comer has also returned. They’re small, but sometimes an early Saturday drive to Comer is just what the soul needs. And of course Collective Harvest is going strong over at https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com.

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!

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.

Market News

Holiday markets are starting to pop up around town, and Flagpole has released their market roundup here: https://flagpole.com/topstory/2021/12/01/flagpoles-2021-holiday-market-roundup-find-local-artists-at-over-40-craft-fairs-and-studio-sales/. You’ve already demonstrated your commitment to buy some of your food from local farmers. Giving gifts made from local artisans is just as important, and can be even more rewarding!

If you missed my big announcement that ALG is closing down for good on December 23, you can read all about it here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/weblog/view/45988. I really appreciate all the kind words y’all have said in emails and in person. It’s been an amazing twenty years, and I’ll miss you all after these three weeks!

Thank you 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 at our market’s home on Tallassee Road!

We are still getting new customers every week (and we love seeing new faces!) so for all of you you can find a detailed run-down of how Thursdays go on our website here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/faq#7

Other Area Farmers Markets

If ALG doesn’t have everything you need, please support our growers at the other markets that are now back up and running, or at their own locations. The Comerian takes online orders for Saturday pickup at the bakery here: https://www.thecomerian.com/online-ordering. The Athens Farmers Market is holding their Saturday market once again in Bishop Park and Wednesdays at Creature Comforts.They’re still operating under pandemic rules, so you’ll want to read up on all the changes on their website, http://athensfarmersmarket.net. The West Broad Farmers Market is back, holding a drive through market just like us (and using my software too, so it’ll be nice and familiar). You can join them at https://wbfm.locallygrown.net. The Saturday market in Comer has also returned. They’re small, but sometimes an early Saturday drive to Comer is just what the soul needs. And of course Collective Harvest is going strong over at https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com.

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!

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.

Market News

The Athens Christmas parade will be held this Thursday night, and it will be impossible to get through downtown. If you come to us from that direction, plan your travel accordingly!

I don’t really have anything new for you this week. Holiday markets are starting to pop up around town, and when I hear of some featuring our ALG vendors, I’ll pass them along to you. I expect to have some links and such on those next week.

If you missed my big announcement that ALG is closing down for good on December 23, you can read all about it here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/weblog/view/45988.

Thank you 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 at our market’s home on Tallassee Road!

We are still getting new customers every week (and we love seeing new faces!) so for all of you you can find a detailed run-down of how Thursdays go on our website here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/faq#7

Other Area Farmers Markets

If ALG doesn’t have everything you need, please support our growers at the other markets that are now back up and running, or at their own locations. The Comerian takes online orders for Saturday pickup at the bakery here: https://www.thecomerian.com/online-ordering. The Athens Farmers Market is holding their Saturday market once again in Bishop Park and Wednesdays at Creature Comforts.They’re still operating under pandemic rules, so you’ll want to read up on all the changes on their website, http://athensfarmersmarket.net. The West Broad Farmers Market is back, holding a drive through market just like us (and using my software too, so it’ll be nice and familiar). You can join them at https://wbfm.locallygrown.net. The Saturday market in Comer has also returned. They’re small, but sometimes an early Saturday drive to Comer is just what the soul needs. And of course Collective Harvest is going strong over at https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com.

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!

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.

Market News

Here’s a reminder that we’ll be taking next week, the week of Thanksgiving off, as we do every year. We will be open as usual this week, so if there are things you’d like for your Thanksgiving meals, you’ll need to plan ahead and order them early. If you need local produce next week, Collective Harvest CSA is doing a special pre-order market (much like ALG) with pickups at their Baxter Street office. You can find info here: https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com/thanksgivingmarket. I think Heirloom Cafe is also holding their traditional mini farmers market in their parking lot on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, from 11am until 2pm. I’ve not seen any confirmation of that as I type this, but I can’t imagine they’ll skip it this year. Meanwhile, stock up from us this week!

And now, some bittersweet news…

When we started Athens Locally Grown twenty years ago, local food availability was very different than it is today. Besides a small Saturday market on the patio of Big City Bread and stalls around city hall Saturday morning, both only open about half the year, there was no where else for farmers to directly sell their products and no where else you could go to find their fresh, clean food. (Ok, Daily Grocery, sometimes.) We accidentally invented the world’s first online farmers market in the spring of 2002 to give people a mid-week option for local food.

And when both of those Saturday markets closed down, we were the only place in town. For a while, we had customers drive to Athens from Atlanta and other far-off places every Thursday and we briefly became, amazingly, the largest farmers market in the southeast United States!

Now, thanks to the hard work of so many people, there are many markets and many places to buy your awesome food. I know of at least six weekly markets in Clarke County alone besides ALG, and there are thriving markets in most every county surrounding us. I’ve never seen those as competition — ALG isn’t a business for me, and I’ve never made any money from it. I’ve always seen my work here as a public service, something I was happy to put my time and money into because access to the kind of food at our market is something I strongly believe in.

I feel like I (and all of us together) have achieved my goals, and ALG is simply no longer a sustainable way to use my resources. I was contemplating this at the beginning of 2020, but then the pandemic showed that there was still more work to do, and I was glad we were still here to bear the load for the community while those other markets scrambled to adapt. I can’t even begin to describe how stressful and exhausting it was to keep ALG going these last two years. All of our market volunteers worked long and hard, and we made it through.

But now it’s time to wind down for good. Our last market will be December 23. I quietly stopped charging memberships a few months ago, so no one has recently paid the yearly fee. If you paid before I stopped charging and think it isn’t fair, email me and we’ll work it out. I don’t think there are any outstanding gift certificates out there, but if you have one you haven’t redeemed, please do so.

I know many of you already shop at multiple markets, but if you’re looking for a new market to call home, may I suggest the West Broad Farmers Market? They host a weekly drive-through market powered by the same software we use here, so it’ll be nice and easy for you to transition over. Sadly, they just held their last pre-order market until after the holidays, but you can still go to their website and set up an account so you’re ready when they return. And in the meantime they’re still hosting their Saturday in-person farmers market. Here’s their website: https://wbfm.locallygrown.net.

It’s possible ALG will re-appear in some form in the future. A special event pop-up market, maybe? I’ll be keeping the website around, even if it’s dormant, so if we return you’ll be the first to know. Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown these last twenty years (some of you have been with us this whole time!), 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 at our market’s home on Tallassee Road for five more markets!

We are still getting new customers every week (and we love seeing new faces!) so for all of you you can find a detailed run-down of how Thursdays go on our website here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/faq#7

Other Area Farmers Markets

If ALG doesn’t have everything you need, please support our growers at the other markets that are now back up and running, or at their own locations. The Comerian takes online orders for Saturday pickup at the bakery here: https://www.thecomerian.com/online-ordering. The Athens Farmers Market is holding their Saturday market once again in Bishop Park and Wednesdays at Creature Comforts.They’re still operating under pandemic rules, so you’ll want to read up on all the changes on their website, http://athensfarmersmarket.net. The West Broad Farmers Market is back, holding a drive through market just like us (and using my software too, so it’ll be nice and familiar). You can join them at https://wbfm.locallygrown.net. The Saturday market in Comer has also returned. They’re small, but sometimes an early Saturday drive to Comer is just what the soul needs. And of course Collective Harvest is going strong over at https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com.

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!

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.

Market News

Many of our outlying farms got hit with several nights of frost this weekend, but Athens proper stayed several degrees above the frost point. I harvested some peppers out of my garden today, and it looks like I might get to keep doing that for a few weeks longer.

Long-time member and volunteer, Amy Trauger, has started a new adventure in publishing. She’s a well deserving recipient of the Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Food Security at the University of Guelph and is writing a book on local livestock production and the problems with plant-based diets when food is sourced internationally. I’m super excited for her and will be following her journey on Twitter, Facebook, and especially her blog:

• https://twitter.com/eponandre
• https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100073764015476
• http://www.amytrauger.org/blog

Thanksgiving is only two short weeks away! ALG operates year-round, even after all of the other area markets close, but there is one week we take off every year: the week of Thanksgiving. We will be open as usual the rest of November, so if there are things you’d like for your Thanksgiving meals, you’ll need to plan ahead and order them early. Naturally, I’ve get asked if I know of any local growers with turkeys available. We have in years past had ALG growers raising turkeys, but most everyone has stopped trying. Domestic turkeys, even heritage breeds, have a really hard time with the heat and humidities of our summers, and so take an enormous amount of labor to raise well. There’s one Georgia farm that raises quite a few, and they’ve still got a few left. They come at a premium, because of the care that goes into raising them, but if you want a local pasture-raised bird, White Oak Pastures has you covered. You can order online here for shipping to your home here: https://whiteoakpastures.com/products/turkey-pre-order?variant=40572933669060 I may get a few leads on just a handful of locally raised heritage turkeys between now and the holiday, so drop me an email if you want the news.

Thank you 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 at our market’s home on Tallassee Road!

We are still getting new customers every week (and we love seeing new faces!) so for all of you you can find a detailed run-down of how Thursdays go on our website here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/faq#7

Other Area Farmers Markets

If ALG doesn’t have everything you need, please support our growers at the other markets that are now back up and running, or at their own locations. The Comerian takes online orders for Saturday pickup at the bakery here: https://www.thecomerian.com/online-ordering. The Athens Farmers Market is holding their Saturday market once again in Bishop Park and Wednesdays at Creature Comforts.They’re still operating under pandemic rules, so you’ll want to read up on all the changes on their website, http://athensfarmersmarket.net. The West Broad Farmers Market is back, holding a drive through market just like us (and using my software too, so it’ll be nice and familiar). You can join them at https://wbfm.locallygrown.net. The Saturday market in Comer has also returned. They’re small, but sometimes an early Saturday drive to Comer is just what the soul needs. And of course Collective Harvest is going strong over at https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com.

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!

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.

Market News

Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful week, just the sort that the cool weather leafy greens love. We’re due for our first frost, and it looks like it’ll be coming next weekend. Many of our growers will spend the week covering their crops and getting their beds ready for a few nights of cold. I’ve still got a few peppers in my garden that needs to be harvested, and that’ll make even more room for kale, chard, broccoli and more. If you’ve got garden space, it’s not too late to get seedlings in the ground for eating all through the winter.

ALG operates year-round, even after all of the other area markets close, but there is one week we take off every year: the week of Thanksgiving. We will be open as usual the rest of November, so if there are things you’d like for your Thanksgiving meals, you’ll need to plan ahead and order them early. Naturally, I’ve get asked if I know of any local growers with turkeys available. We have in years past had ALG growers raising turkeys, but most everyone has stopped trying. Domestic turkeys, even heritage breeds, have a really hard time with the heat and humidities of our summers, and so take an enormous amount of labor to raise well. There’s one Georgia farm that raises quite a few, and they’ve still got a few left. They come at a premium, because of the care that goes into raising them, but if you want a local pasture-raised bird, White Oak Pastures has you covered. You can order online here for shipping to your home here: https://whiteoakpastures.com/products/turkey-pre-order?variant=40572933669060 I may get a few leads on just a handful of locally raised heritage turkeys between now and the holiday, so drop me an email if you want the news.

Thank you 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 at our market’s home on Tallassee Road!

We are still getting new customers every week (and we love seeing new faces!) so for all of you you can find a detailed run-down of how Thursdays go on our website here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/faq#7

Other Area Farmers Markets

If ALG doesn’t have everything you need, please support our growers at the other markets that are now back up and running, or at their own locations. The Comerian takes online orders for Saturday pickup at the bakery here: https://www.thecomerian.com/online-ordering. The Athens Farmers Market is holding their Saturday market once again in Bishop Park and Wednesdays at Creature Comforts.They’re still operating under pandemic rules, so you’ll want to read up on all the changes on their website, http://athensfarmersmarket.net. The West Broad Farmers Market is back, holding a drive through market just like us (and using my software too, so it’ll be nice and familiar). You can join them at https://wbfm.locallygrown.net. The Saturday market in Comer has also returned. They’re small, but sometimes an early Saturday drive to Comer is just what the soul needs. And of course Collective Harvest is going strong over at https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com.

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!

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.

Market News

Fall seems to be the traditional time for wanting to go visit a farm, maybe to pick apples, or to find a good pumpkin, or to get lost in a corn maze. It’s true that most if not all of the agro-tourism spots nearby are conventional farms, but don’t let that stop you from safely paying them a visit, especially if you have children (or can borrow some for the day). So many kids think that their food supply begins at the grocery store, and farms are just something that they read about in picture books. Take them out and show them that farms are real things, that they’re worth visiting, and that they are near where they live. Farms shouldn’t be exotic places, relegated to storyland places like “The Dell” and “California”.

Thank you 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 at our market’s home on Tallassee Road!

We are still getting new customers every week (and we love seeing new faces!) so for all of you you can find a detailed run-down of how Thursdays go on our website here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/faq#7

Other Area Farmers Markets

If ALG doesn’t have everything you need, please support our growers at the other markets that are now back up and running, or at their own locations. The Comerian takes online orders for Saturday pickup at the bakery here: https://www.thecomerian.com/online-ordering. The Athens Farmers Market is holding their Saturday market once again in Bishop Park and Wednesdays at Creature Comforts.They’re still operating under pandemic rules, so you’ll want to read up on all the changes on their website, http://athensfarmersmarket.net. The West Broad Farmers Market is back, holding a drive through market just like us (and using my software too, so it’ll be nice and familiar). You can join them at https://wbfm.locallygrown.net. The Saturday market in Comer has also returned. They’re small, but sometimes an early Saturday drive to Comer is just what the soul needs. And of course Collective Harvest is going strong over at https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com.

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!

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.

Market News

This is right about when the first frosts come to North Georgia, but it looks like we’ve got a nice warm week ahead of us. Good news for the summer crops, which get to hang on just a little bit longer. I wouldn’t dawdle on snapping up the spicy peppers, okra, and eggplant, because they really won’t be around much longer. Many of our growers produce year-round in greenhouses or high tunnels, but those three things generally don’t do so well in those conditions. Most of the slicing tomatoes left us a few weeks ago, but they’ll get replaced with cherry and salad tomatoes, which do grow fairly well under cover here. And of course those leafy greens will keep right on going through Spring.

Thank you 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 at our market’s home on Tallassee Road!

We are still getting new customers every week (and we love seeing new faces!) so for all of you you can find a detailed run-down of how Thursdays go on our website here: https://athens.locallygrown.net/faq#7

Other Area Farmers Markets

If ALG doesn’t have everything you need, please support our growers at the other markets that are now back up and running, or at their own locations. The Comerian takes online orders for Saturday pickup at the bakery here: https://www.thecomerian.com/online-ordering. The Athens Farmers Market is holding their Saturday market once again in Bishop Park and Wednesdays at Creature Comforts.They’re still operating under pandemic rules, so you’ll want to read up on all the changes on their website, http://athensfarmersmarket.net. The West Broad Farmers Market is back, holding a drive through market just like us (and using my software too, so it’ll be nice and familiar). You can join them at https://wbfm.locallygrown.net. The Saturday market in Comer has also returned. They’re small, but sometimes an early Saturday drive to Comer is just what the soul needs. And of course Collective Harvest is going strong over at https://www.collectiveharvestathens.com.

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!