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

October is here in just a couple days, and it’s coming in with a glorious gentle rain. The weather has been perfect for the fresh crops of leafy greens and brassicas that are out in the gardens. There are quite a few new products are the market this week, and it will only climb for the next several weeks as the Fall goodies come in. One sure sign of fall: all the varieties of arugula listed on the website. Some of our northern farmers will be expecting their first frost in two to three weeks, but it probably won’t reach Athens for a week or two after that. We can expect to see the summer items continue to come in strong until then, and still have some after that thanks to growers who have planted under hoophouses and other cold protection. It’s possible to grow tomatoes in hoophouses here right through the winter, but their production slows down dramatically. That slowdown took Veggie Patch by surprise both of these last two weeks, and they wish they could have filled all the orders that had been placed for them.

That’s really all I’ve got for this week. I’d planned on telling you all about the wonderful annual “Field Of Greens” festival that usually happens in early October down the road in Walnut Grove, but was surprised to learn tonight that it might not happen this year. I’m hoping that it’s just been delayed and that I’ll have more information for you later.

Thank you 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 is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!

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

Welcome to Fall! Looks like the weather’s not going to waste any time getting to my favorite time of year, with lows in the 50s and highs in the 70s later in the week. This is the ideal weather for the leafy greens and brassicas of Autumn, now just seedlings in the growers’ fields. It won’t be long now, with weather like this, for them to make it to your kitchens. Maybe I’m a little strange, but I’m excited by the prospect of making lots of salads again.

You may notice that Covenant Valley Farm doesn’t have anything listed this week. Nolan Kennedy recently learned he’s facing a battle with cancer, and has begun treatments this week. His wife Annie wanted their regular customers to know that they will be back as soon as they get the treatment plan sorted out, and they’d appreciate any sort of positive thoughts you could send their way.

Thank you 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 is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!

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

There are two more workshops coming up for beginning growers, hosted by the University of Georgia Horticulture Department, this time on troubleshooting vegetables and fruit production. If you’ve been wanting to take your gardening to the next level, or begin growing enough to supply markets like ALG, these are a great opportunity to learn a little bit for just a few dollars.

Vegetable Troubleshooting for Small Growers This program will cover integrated pest management ideas for identifying and controlling problems encountered in the small commercial vegetable garden. Disease, insect and cultural issues will be discussed. Both organic and non-organic practices and solutions will be covered. Participants will learn how to correctly identify common problems in the vegetable garden and how to select the best control measure. While designed for small market vegetable growers, this program will also appeal to home gardeners and Master Gardeners alike.

Dr. Kris Braman, UGA Entomologist, Bob Westerfield, UGA Horticulturist and Dr. Elizabeth Little, UGA Plant Pathology Extension Specialist, are coordinating the program. Wade Hutcheson, UGA Spalding County Extension Coordinator, Dr. Frank Hale, University of Tennessee Entomologist and Dr. Ayanava Majumdar, Alabama Extension Entomologist, will also be program speakers.

The workshop is on Friday, September 19, 2014 from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. It’s at the UGA Griffin Student Learning Center room 104 (1109 Experiment Street in Griffin, GA 30223). It costs $20.00, and lunch, refreshments and workshop supplies are included. Pre-registration is required. Please visit: http://tinyurl.com/veggietroubleshooting.

Fruit Growers Workshop This program is being hosted by the University of Georgia Horticulture Department and will cover the basics of how to start the backyard orchard. Topics will include variety selection of both small and large fruits, planting details, as well as maintenance. There will also be a section on troubleshooting problems of insects and disease in the home orchard. This program is intended for general audiences but would be beneficial for small market producers, homeowners or anyone interested in learning about growing their own fruit. Bob Westerfield, UGA Extension Horticulturist and Dr. Erik Smith, UGA Fruit Specialist, will be the program speakers.

This workshop is on Wednesday, October 8, 2014 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Location: UGA Griffin Student Learning Center room 104 (1109 Experiment Street, Griffin, GA 30223). It costs $20.00 and all printed workshop materials and break refreshments included. Pre-registration is required. To register online with a credit card, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/fruitworkshop.

For more information on either of these workshops, please speak with Beth Horne at 770-228-7214 or by e-mail bhorne@uga.edu.

Thank you 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 is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!

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

One of my favorite unintended benefits of Athens Locally Grown is how many people began buying some food through the market, then started a garden which expanded over time, and finally began selling their excess produce to other ALG customers. Quite a few of the 100+ growers listed here began this ay, and I’m sure we’ll see many more. If you think you might be one of them some day, here’s an event you’ll also be interested in:

The Oglethorpe County Extension Office is hosting an all-day “Small and Beginning Vegetable Farmers Workshop” on September 23rd. The workshop only costs $10 and includes lunch, and they’ll cover topics including what equipment, licenses, and time commitment you need to get started, the basics of organic vegetable production, and marketing and budgets. It’s possible to just dive in and figure things out as you go, but workshops like this can make that first year go so much more smoothly. If you’d like to attend this workshop, call the the Oglethorpe County Extension office at (706)743-8341 and they’ll save you a seat.

We’ve got 950 products listed this week, and I’ll let you get right to 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!

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 is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!

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

Hi! I’m out of town today and the internet connection is barely present, so I’m going to be brief and let you go right into ordering.

We are no longer able to accept EBT cards as payment for your order! One provision in the new farm bill was that retailers had to bear the cost of the card-reading equipment and processing of EBT payments. Farmers Markets are exempt from this rule, but they’ve defined farmers markets in a way that specifically excludes online markets like ALG — I just didn’t hire enough lobbyists, I guess. I’ve structured ALG to be a break-even business (at best), and just don’t have the money in the budget to pay for all the overhead now needed to accept EBT cards. However, if you’re an EBT customer, you do have other (and better) options. The Athens Farmers market, on both Saturday and Wednesday, accepts EBT and also double your money thanks to grants from the Wholesome Wave foundation. Many of the same growers at ALG also sell at the Athens Farmers Market. They don’t have quite the variety we do, especially in the meat and dairy categories, but most everything else you can find at ALG you can also find at AFM. Also, I’ve been told that the West Broad Farmers Market accepts EBT, though I can’t find that verified on their website. Neither market operates year-round, so there is a gap in EBT acceptance. Perhaps by the time the other markets close for the year, I’ll have come up with a sustainable plan to bring EBT back to ALG.

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 is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!

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

I’ve one VERY important note this week. This week will be the last week we will be able to accept EBT cars as payment for your order. One provision in the new farm bill was that retailers had to bear the cost of the card-reading equipment and processing of EBT payments. Farmers Markets are exempt from this rule, but they’ve defined farmers markets in a way that specifically excludes online markets like ALG — I just didn’t hire enough lobbyists, I guess. I’ve structured ALG to be a break-even business (at best), and just don’t have the money in the budget to pay for all the overhead now needed to accept EBT cards.

However, if you’re an EBT customer, you do have other (and better) options. The Athens Farmers market, on both Saturday and Wednesday, accepts EBT and also double your money thanks to grants from the Wholesome Wave foundation. Many of the same growers at ALG also sell at the Athens Farmers Market. They don’t have quite the variety we do, especially in the meat and dairy categories, but most everything else you can find at ALG you can also find at AFM. Also, I’ve been told that the West Broad Farmers Market accepts EBT, though I can’t find that verified on their website. Neither market operates year-round, so there is a gap in EBT acceptance. Perhaps by the time the other markets close for the year, I’ll have come up with a sustainable plan to bring EBT back to ALG.

Here’s an event you may be interested in: This Thursday, August 28 at 7:00pm in Room 171 of the UGA Miller Learning Center, author and activist Philip Lymbery will speak about his book “Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat” and the devastating impact of factory farming on our health, the environment, and animals. Lymbery is an expert on our food system, especially how that system is broken and in desperate need of repair. He is CEO of international organization Compassion in World Farming. “Farmageddon” (no relation to the documentary of the same name that featured ALG’s run-in with the FDA) is a wake-up call, exposing factory farming as one of the most urgent problems of our time — responsible for enormous food waste, damage to our health and the environment, and the biggest cause of animal cruelty on the planet. The event is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the talk with books available for purchase on site. There’s more information on their facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/712035532212161/. It is sponsored by Speak Out for Species.

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 is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!

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

This Thursday at the ALG pickup, we’ll be hosting two of our farms, who have joined forces to tell us all about heritage meat and fiber animal breeds of the US Southeast. Here’s what Daniella Adams and Cathy Payne have to say: “Grove Creek Farm and Broad River Pastures are looking forward to highlighting American heritage meat and fiber breeds this Thursday at the Meet the Grower table. Grove Creek Farm raises Pineywoods Cattle for grass fed beef and breeding stock. Broad River Pastures raises Gulf Coast Sheep, American Guinea hogs, American rabbits and Silver Fox rabbits for meat, breeding stock and fiber. These rare and unique breeds have been historically important to American agriculture for centuries, but are critically at risk for being lost due to industrialization of agriculture. Gulf Coast sheep and Pineywoods cattle came to the shores of North America on the ships of Spanish and French Explorers over five-hundred years ago. Since then, they have been adapting to the often harsh environment of the Southeast and have developed excellent genetic resistance to the diseases and parasites found here. Preservation of these breeds’ genetic strength is of vital importance to the future of agriculture. We believe the best way to preserve these heritage breeds is to use them for their original purpose: food and fiber. This Thursday, Broad River Pastures will bring pelts, fiber, and yarn as well as their signature Lucky Dog liver treats for sale. Grove Creek Farm will bring their delicious Pineywoods grass-fed beef, so bring your coolers! We will also bring literature about heritage breeds and look forward to sharing our experiences with you!”

I’m excited to see what they bring along. Not that long ago, each community had a stock of vegetable and animal breeds that had been bred over the generations to do well in that community. As the business of farming was taken over by big companies and our food homogenized, we lost almost all of those varieties. Through the work of hard-working anthropologists and others, seed saving organizations collected and helped bring back some heirloom plant varieties from the brink of extinction. One such organization, the Southern Seed Legacy, was founded right here by Daniella’s father, Dr. Robert Rhoades. Reviving livestock breeds is much harder work, but just as important to the health of our food system.

One other note this week: Rancho Alegre Farm was able to get licensed to sell the tasty kombucha they make there on-farm. You’ll find it listed at ALG this week in the beverages category if you’d like to give it a try.

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 is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!

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

It’s the first day of school tomorrow for Athens schools, and this house has a fifth grader starting at a new-to-her school, a kindergartener going to a big school for her first time, and a girl starting pre-k who hasn’t had any daycare experience at all. So of course, the excitement levels here are a bit overwhelming and I haven’t had time to prepare a full newsletter for you this week.

I do have one update on the EBT situation I wrote about last week (ALG will have to drop from the program at the end of the month due to changes in the farm bill that make it cost prohibitive for retailers like us). A few of you wrote me to ask if there could be a pledge drive or something among ALM membership to raise the $70 a month needed to stay in the program. That is a possibility, and I’m looking into it further.

Try to enjoy the back-to-school madness this week. Even if you have no little ones yourself in school, the town certainly changes this week from the sleepy small town it’s been the last few months. 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 is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!

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

It’s the time of year where we welcome back everyone who left town for the summer, and give a big hello to all the new Athenians living here for the first time. IT’s been pretty quiet summer, but things around town are already picking up. With all the hustle and bustle of back-to-school and new routines, it’s easy to forget things like picking up your ALG order. Remember that we can’t keep your items past 8pm, and we’ll try contacting you any way we know how to make sure you get what you ordered. Now’s a great time to check the phone number on your account to make sure it’s a number I can reach you at at 7:30 on a Thursday. I start calling everyone who hasn’t picked up yet then, and will keep trying to reach you until 8pm, when we have to pack it all up. I hate seeing people’s food go somewhere else, and having a good phone number on your account is the best way to keep that from happening.

I received a surprise letter from the USDA this past week regarding our participation in the SNAP (food stamp) program. As part of the new Farm Bill, Congress cut all funding for the infrastructure behind accepting the electronic SNAP cards. This means that all retailers must now pay for the all of the equipment (the swiper), the receipt paper, the processing fees, and everything else goes into accepting SNAP benefits. This is all separate from the equipment used to accept credit and debit cards, and the minimum monthly cost to ALG will be $70. I fought the system for years to get ALG into the SNAP program, but there’s no way the market can afford to pay that going forward.

So, unless I can figure out a way to pay for the equipment and processing fees, ALG will stop accepting SNAP cards at the end of August.

I know some of you rely on your SNAP benefits to get fresh food from local farmers. You can continue to use them at the Athens Farmers Market while they’re open for the season, and with their grant money from Wholesome Wave, they can even double your SNAP dollars. The Farm Bill exempted farmers markets from the new fees, but they also defined “farmers market” in a way that excludes markets like ours. I wish they’d found other ways to save money, but it is what it is.

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 is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!

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 busy part of the year, when the slowness of summer turns over to the hustle and bustle of another school year and the gardens go into overdrive producing more than most people can handle. Often, late in August, it gets so hot here that everything pauses (flowers can’t set fruit when it’s really hot for too long), but for now all the squash, all the tomatoes, all the corn, the okra, and so forth of going gangbusters. If you’ve never tried preserving the summer harvest, now is a great time to learn. Former ALG member Liana Krissoff (like so many in this college town, she moved off to another city a couple years ago) has a wonderful book, “Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry”, that is both a great introduction and a valuable resource of more seasoned folks. Equipment is easy to come by, and there’s little impediment to getting started.

One thing that can be hard to find when all the produce is coming in at once is kitchen space. Athens has an answer for that problem, too. Jennie Phillips-De la Vega, owner of Mama Bird’s Shared Kitchen (where she makes her popular granola), located downtown, is actively searching for kitchen clients. She sent me this the other day:

Do you have a large dinner to prepare? Do you need a place for an evening for a group? Do you have a girl scout troop that needs to earn a cooking badge or the like? Do you have a food related business that needs a certified kitchen to prepare your product? Mama Bird’s has three business options. Private options available as well. I’m here for you. Contact me! 678-997-9647, mamabirdsgranola@gmail.com, www.mamabirdssharedkitchen.com.

I’ve not used her kitchen, but I’ve rented a commercial kitchen for a few hours at a time in years past, and it’s amazing how much difference all that space can make. The fees I’ve paid have always been totally worth it.

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 city hall. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market is open throughout the week here in Athens, and you can find more information about them here: www.athenslandtrust.org. The Washington-Wilkes Farmer’s Market in Washington is open every Saturday 9-12 behind the Washington Courthouse. The Oconee County farmers market is open Saturday mornings in front of the Oconee County Courthouse. The other area markets I haven’t mentioned have yet to open for the season, so far as I 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!