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

Financing is a tricky issue for small-scale farmers, both beginners and those who have done it for a while. Even if you have a great business plan, banks will laugh you out of the building. Specialty “Ag Credit” companies who are used to seeing chicken houses that cost $250,000 don’t know what to do with a $15,000 idea. Most of the farmers I know self-funded everything they’ve done by starting very small, making everything themselves and doing as much by hand as possible. CSAs and subscription faming are another approach, where the farmer collects money up front at the beginning of the season to fund the farm and shares the harvest (and risk) throughout the year with their subscribers.

I’ve started seeing farmers tapping a new source of funding known as “crowd sourcing”. Sites like Kickstarter make it easy for people with a great idea to pitch that idea to individuals who can chip in a couple bucks or a couple hundred bucks and get rewards ranging from token items like PBS-style totebags up to pre-orders for the product or service being proposed. I’m a big fan of Kickstarter, and have funded a number of great projects. A friend I met online started a handmade marshmallow kitchen in Orlando, and I helped. A group of authors wanted to publish a series of single-topic cookbooks, and I’m looking forward to receiving my copies. An Athens artist created beeswax candles and travelled the country taking pictures of his candles floating in rivers to raise awareness of the intricate connections between honeybees, humans and clean water. And they were beautiful. And now I’m a proud supporter of a project by Athens Locally Grown member grower Natures Harmony Farm.

Nature’s Harmony is trying to raise money to expand their cheese cave, to better separate the blue cheese (which needs a specific environment) from the rest, to build an on-farm store, and to upgrade their cheesemaking equipment. They only need about $27,000 to make this happen, and so far people have pledged over half that amount. They have only eight days to raise the rest, and the way Kickstarter works, if the goal is not met, the project gets nothing. They’ve made quite a few interesting reward levels, and you can see them all here. Be warned, though — you might get addicted to helping fund new projects. There are a lot of great things out there wanting to get made.

This week is “Tomatoes at Terrapin”! July 25th, from 5:30 to 7:30 (yeah, right during ALG pickups, so I won’t be there unfortunately) is a fundraiser for the Athens Nurses Clinic where attendees get to help us continue our cause of providing free medical services by eating deliciously fresh, locally grown tomato sandwiches and drinking refreshing, locally brewed Terrapin Beer! It’s the perfect way to celebrate the amazing tomatoes that local farmers donate to the event and help those who need our services. And did we mention that there is live music? This year we will listen to the musical stylings of MrJordan MrTonks while eating those sandwiches and enjoying a beer. Bring your chairs, blankets, and kids! Tickets are $20 in advance and $24 at the door. (Under 21 $10; Kids under 10 $5) http://athensnursesclinic.org/wp/tomatoes-terrapin/get-tt-tickets/ This year we asked some Athens celebrities their thoughts about the summer tomatoes. This week find out out what Sunny Ortiz of Wide Spread Panic, Mayor Denson, Patterson Hood of The Drive by Truckers, and Peter Dale of the National think is so special about the summer tomatoes in Georgia. Check it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P580TuwVrds

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 Saturday mornings at Bishop Park and Wednesday evenings downtown (see their website for info). The West Broad Farmers Market is open Tuesday afternoons as well as the first Saturday of the month (see their website for info). The Oconee Farmers Market is now open on Tuesdays 4-7pm on Main Street next to the First Christian Church along with their Saturday hours of 8am-1pm in front of the Court House in Watkinsville. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Royston Farmers market is Thursday mornings downtown.

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!