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

My family and I returned this afternoon from this year’s annual Georgia Organics conference, held this time next door to Atlanta Airport. Yeah, they can’t always be held at beautiful scenic locations. Truth is, though, there are many wonderful farming and food stories going on right in the big city, and it was nice to be right in there with them. Farming is still though of as a rural pastoral activity, but there is a lot of vacant land in the city, and even more when you count the roof tops. And an awful lot of food can be grown on even a small city lot.

Like in Athens, there are a lot of regulatory and zoning hurdles that most be navigated to grow and sell food in Atlanta. Athens has recently re-examined the rules on the books and has decided that small-scale production inside city limits is ok, within reason. Atlanta is poised to take it a step further and give a blanket approval to market gardens within the city. If that does go through, we can expect to see a lot more urban farming going on here in Georgia, much like is being seen in cities elsewhere across the country. I always get the Talking Heads’ “Nothing But Flowers” going through my head when I talk with urban farmers (“This was a discount store / now it’s turned into a cornfield”), but it’s really been transformative in places from Minneapolis to Houston.

For me, one of the most inspirational things every year at the conference is the spectacular “Farmers’ Feast” on Saturday night. It consistently rates as one of my best meals of the year, and it’s prepared by the state’s finest chef’s using the state’s finest sustainably grown produce and meat. I can’t afford to eat at most of their restaurants, but thanks to Athens Locally Grown, I have access to ingredients just as good as what they use, and I can practice and learn the skills required to cook dishes that tastes as good as theirs. But I’m constantly reminded that not everyone lives near a market as great as ours, and not everyone who does can afford to regularly shop there. So, that’s where I get inspired throughout the year as I think back to the great feast at the GO conference: what can I do to help everyone who wants it to have access to food like this and the knowledge to use it, so that meals like that don’t have to be a special once-a-year thing? This has what has kept me moving forward these past twelve years.

And with that, I’ll open market. There is nearly 1000 items available this week, and that number is likely to grow from here on out. The spring peepers are loud, and warm weather is right around the corner!

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 has closed for the winter. You can watch for news during the offseason on their website. Most of the other area markets are also all closed for the season too. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse, and several ALG vendors also sell there.

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!