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

Our third free Farmer for a Day event was this past Saturday at Covenant Valley Farm. Cathy Payne, our event coordinator, had this report:

The third Farmer for a Day event of 2013 began at 2 p.m. after many of us had already had a busy Saturday that started with rain. Six volunteers joined 3 members of the Kennedy family in Colbert at Covenant Family Farm & Gifts. We shared a bit about our interest in sustainable and local food systems before starting our work projects. In less than two hours, the team had built and mulched two new raised beds for melons, installed panels and cage supports for 50 tomato plants, and done a bit of weeding. Annie and Nolan are very appreciative! The volunteers developed some new skills in the process, and learned a lot about livestock during the walking farm tour. By then everyone had worked up an appetite and enjoyed a delicious meal provided by Covenant Family Farm and Athens Locally Grown. This included local food such as grass fed Angus sliders and pecan butter from Covenant Family Farm, pickled carrots and cinnamon pecan bread from Lazy Willow Farm, and a mesclun salad mix from Broad River Pastures. Photos of the day can be found at http://tinyurl.com/aq68tks.

If you haven’t been to one of our Farmer for a Day events over the years, you’ve missed out on some really lovely experiences. We have two more scheduled for this summer, including a visit on June 22nd to the always popular Dragonfly Farm.

My house got more than a few inches of rain this weekend. We’ll certainly be happy to have that in the ground later in the year, and I had just managed to get the rest of my seedlings and ready seeds planted before the deluge. I’ve only got six more 4×4 beds to clean out and get planted, and I’m eager to get out there and do it. If you’ve got any gardening stories you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them!

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!

Upcoming Local Food Events

June 22nd: Be a Farmer For A Day at Dragonfly Farm in Nicholson, Georgia This is the fourth FREE event in the Farmer for a Day Tour Series of 2013. We arranged five tours this year, scheduled around the needs of various small farms. Each one is unique. Be sure to get your event ticket today! Each event will offer you a chance to experience real work on the farm, so come prepared to work! The work session will last for two hours. You may want to bring your own work gloves, weeding or digging tools, etc. if you have them. Be sure to prepare for the weather appropriately and dress for getting dirty or muddy. You will be in an agricultural setting and can expect sun, rain, bugs, wildlife, dogs, electric fences, pets, and farm animals to be part of the experience. Do not bring your dog with you for an “outing” as this would stress the livestock and disrupt work. Please plan to closely supervise your children during all activities. Water will be provided during the work session and a nutritious lunch is also provided. Farmers will have products available for purchase at the event, so you may want to bring cash/checks and a cooler with you. If you have special dietary needs, plan accordingly to bring those with you. To save resources, feel free to bring your own water bottle and dishes. David Hoescht is the farmer at Dragonfly Farm. He performs miracles- transforming areas of his property into fertile landscapes of flowers, fruits, and vegetables. These are all fed with his own home made compost and vermicompost. Come see how he does it, and help harvest berries and vegetables. Hands-on composting demonstrations! Meet new people, and purchase flowers and other farm products. A Local lunch will include products from Dragonfly Farm such as greens, field peas, and fruit cobbler. To sweeten the pot, thousands of day lilies of wide variety will be in full bloom that weekend! Bring a fishing pole if you’d like to stay a while after we work. We hope you can join us for a fun day of volunteering, meeting new friends, delicious food, and fresh farm air! This is a free event! You will be contacted to confirm registration and be given the address and directions. You will be asked for a phone number in case of emergency cancellation. If you do not get a confirmation, please email Cathy Payne. For questions, contact Cathy Payne, event coordinator, at broadriverpastures@gmail.com or 706-283-7946.

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market on Saturday has opened for the season on Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons (see their website for info). The Watkinsville market has opened as well. 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. Most of the other area markets are preparing to open back up as well very soon!

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (even 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!