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Our Website: http://athens.locallygrown.net
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Recipes

Coleslaw with Cilantro and Chives

There is almost nothing better to do with a young, fresh head of cabbage than to make it into a fluffy slaw. It’s refreshing on a hot summer’s day and pairs nicely with all kinds of fresh raw vegetables. Here we simply accent the cabbage with cilantro and chives, but you can add julienned carrots, bell peppers, celery, or whatever crunchy fresh vegetable you like. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.
Serves 8 to 10

4 to 6 cups shredded cabbage (green, red, or a combination) (2 to 3 small heads)
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1/4 cup chopped chives
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

1. Toss the cabbage, cilantro, and chives in a large bowl or container; refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.
2. When ready to serve, mix the oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl until well combined. Pour the dressing over the chilled cabbage mixture. Mix well just before serving.

Market News

It’s an exciting week on the availability list, for quite a few reasons. The first might seem a bit mundane, but for me it means I no longer have to buy three staples at the grocery store (just about the only produce I’ve had to buy outside of Athens Locally Grown for months). I’m talking about potatoes, onion bulbs, and garlic. I’ve run out of fresh garlic quite a ways back, and I just haven’t gotten the hang of storing potatoes and onions through the winter, and I go through a lot of all three of them in my kitchen. The friendly produce man at Ingles will miss seeing me, I’m sure. Another things people have been asking about for years has also arrived for the first time this week: chicken packaged by cuts. If getting a whole chicken wasn’t your thing, you can now get packs of legs, thighs, wings, and breasts from Greendale Farm. Buying a whole bird is always cheaper, of course, but I know there have been several times when I wished I could get a pack of thighs for a certain recipe I’m fond of. Now, I can!

There are a number of other notable items to look for: a Gruyere cheese from Nature’s Harmony, a summer granola mix from Mertie’s Oven, more types of tomatoes, summer squash, lots of leeks, loads of basil, and more. We’re over 1000 items all told this week, more than you’ll find at any of the traditional farmers markets in the area. You’ve got a great opportunity to experiment with things you’ve never tried before, and to try many different varieties of something you already like, to find your favorite. All this variety is a great way to turn mealtime into more than just a way to get energy into your body, to make it an adventure. And kids enjoy taste tests! “I don’t like turnips” they may say, but then you might tell them “You’ve only had purple tops. Here is a Hakurei turnip from Japan that tastes completely different, and here is a Gold Ball from Scotland that is different again.” And the exploration begins!

Filling and organizing orders with our new shelving system went really smoothly last week. The volunteers are able to spread things out and find what they need much faster than before. The growers are still getting used to it, but they seem to like the extra space too. So, this week we’ll change things even more by moving the pickup tables and the pay stations outside. Yesterday, Roseanne Hutchinson, Tom Reynolds, and I built a large awning attached to the wall of the building. It’s 40 feet by 18 feet, and gives us more room for you than you had inside. We plan on having two pay stations too, to make payment go faster for us all. So, you can hang round and socialize as long as you want to without feeling like you’re holding up the flow, and we can spread things out inside even more. Of course, if you want to come on in and take a look at things, feel free! If it storms on a Thursday, we can move us all back inside, but when it’s nice… plenty of room! This will also allow us to more easily plan social events during the Thursday pickups, like regular “Meet the Grower” tables, music, hosting the Farm 255 farm cart, and so on.

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown and everything we’ve tried to accomplish. With you’re help, we’ve been able to build something truly great and inspirational to people all across the country, more than you could know. Thank you also for your support of 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!

Coming Events

Farmer for a Day: JUNE 13, Sunday, at Sundance Farm (Madison County)

Certified Naturally Grown. We are a family farm growing a diverse variety of vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits and berries. We also raise chickens, heritage turkeys and goats. Our three children are the heart of our farm. They enjoy the healthy food they help harvest and realize what it takes to get from a seed to the table. We are Certified Naturally Grown and have sold produce in the Athens area since 1998. Currently we sell at Athens Locally Grown, Athens Farmers Market, local restaurants and from the farm. We are also planning a C.S.A. in the near future. We appreciate all the Locally Grown customers that have supported us through the years, allowing us to do what we love, Growing good food. This farm is approximately 13 miles from Athens, and it’ll take 20 minutes to get there. Space is limited, so please make reservations by adding them to your order. You’ll find it under the “Events Reservations” category on the website.

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon and every Tuesday evening at Little Kings downtown. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!