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ALG Market Open for August 27


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

We’ve reached that part of the season I warned about a few weeks ago, where the heat and humidity have taken their toll on the plants and they just stop producing for a while. The end of August is a pretty miserable time to be a veggie grower. All of the weeds seem to soak of the heat and grow faster than you can pull them (especially the grasses), and nothing you want to produce fruit will. On top of that, if you want to have a lush fall garden, you have to be starting seeds and getting transplants ready to get put out in the garden. They, however, tend to want cold, wet weather (most of what we plant in the fall are actually spring veggies, and they come to life expecting the end of winter, not full-on summer), and it takes a lot of trickery to get them established before they realize what’s really going on. It’s a lot of hot, sweaty work, and I know quite a few growers who just pack it all in during August and take their yearly break then. Northern growers might take the winters off, but down here, it makes a lot of sense to take the summer off instead.

Slowdown or not, there are still many, many items available from our growers this week. Quite often, the summer plants revive themselves in September and through October until the frosts arrive, so we don’t have to say goodbye to them quite yet. And soon the fall produce will arrive! We’re already seeing a preview of that from growers a bit north of Athens with cooler micro-climates, such as the asparagus from Green Acres.

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 Creature Comforts. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market from the Athens Land Trust is open Saturday mornings and their farm stand is open Tuesday afternoons. They have a website too. A new Athens Sunday market has opened up at the Classic Center, every Sunday from 11 to 4 now through October. They have a website here: http://www.sundaycentermarket.com. The Comer Farmers Market is open in downtown Comer on Saturday mornings. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse in Watkinsville. The Shields Ethridge Cultivator Market is held monthly in Jefferson. If you know of any markets operating, please let me 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!