Republican Valley Produce:  RVP, coming out of the cold....

After the week of single digits and below zero wind chills, it is looking like this week will be warmer. With that said, I am still unsure how everything is. The plants look alive, but time will tell. I don’t know how much is damage, and how much is still good.

I am going to keep the market closed until I can see how things look after a few warmer days.

Thanks!

Jay

Berea Gardens:  Still here!

Hello,

The negative temperature numbers this week put a little hurt on some of our greens, but we are still here and have some nice choices for you. We are in the midst of the winter growing “dead zone” when things are cold and the days are short, so you might consider stocking up on some nice butternut squash. These organic beauties are cheaper than what you will find at WalMart, and oh, so much better!

Blessings,
Bob

Madison GA:  The Market is Open!!!!!!!!!!

See everyone Wed!!!!!!!

Gwinnett Locally Grown:  Sunday Market Reminder! Order Now for Mother Earth Meats!

The Market is open Thursday at 9 – Monday at noon After that, ordering is disabled until Thursday morning. Pick up your order Tuesday from 4:00-7:00 p.m. only at Rancho Alegre Farm at 2225 Givens Road, Dacula, GA 30019. New to The Market? Learn about how it works here.

MARKET NEWS

Time to order from Mother Earth Meats(MEM)!
Now is the time to take advantage of a group buy with Mother Earth Meats! If you have never done an order from Mother Earth Meats, I encourage you to do so. They produce grass-fed, ethically-raised and organic fed meats, including chicken, bison, beef and pork. By ordering in bulk, the savings are huge!! Ordering is easy:

Immediate payment is required after you place your order on their website: www.motherearthmeats.com. They will prompt you to call in to make payment as they are no longer using PayPal for payments.
Here’s how to order:
1- Place your order of Mother Earth Meats on their website before January 13th.
2- At checkout, fill out the Shipping Address with OUR address as follows: Rancho Alegre Farm, 2225 Givens Road, Dacula, GA 30019. Click on Buyer’s Club so you are not charged shipping! Remember to call them to pay for the order so it will get delivered to us.
3- Forward us your order confirmation via email with subject line MEM ORDER* to grow@ranchoalegrefarm.com
4- Pick-up your order Saturday, January 24th here at Rancho Alegre Farm.The exact time will be communicated a day or so before.

ALFN Local Food Club:  The Market is Open Despite the Weather!

Good Morning Market,

So, this is winter. Temperatures near the single digits and freezing rain make the thought of even stepping outside quite a bit harrowing. Can you imagine farming in this awfulness? Our incredible growers work their tails off to protect the livestock, critters, and delicious veggies we somehow get to enjoy all year-round. So thank you, growers, for providing us with delicious, nutritious, and whole foods throughout all four seasons. Even in this weather, the market has got…

• Nothing brightens up an indoor staycation like the smell of some all-day roasting meat. We’ve got some delicious new listings from Crescent Creek Farm’s animal-welfare approved pork, including bratwurst, sausage, roasts, chops, and even sliced deli ham.

• Arugula, butter beans, bok choy, broccoli…I could go on, but I best let you explore the 66 varieties of vegetables we’ve still got. Even in this ice, that’s probably still more choice than you can find among those grocery store imports from warmer climates.

• The hens are still laying beautiful eggs! These finicky fowls are renowned for their distaste of the cold, but thankfully we’ve got some chicken coaxers that know just how to keep their hens happy.

• Stay relaxed during all this time in the house with some soothing candles. Lavender, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and more, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

• All new soap sacks from Tammy Sue’s Critters. Perfect for hanging your soap up to dry between uses.

And something to warm your heart…our incredible friends at The Root were recently the winners of $25,000 through an HLN documentary contest. They’ve been an inspiration in our local food movement for years, and they’ll be able to use these funds to improve and expand their already amazing operations. We can think of no one more deserving – Congrats!

Stay Full and Warm,

- Alex Handfinger
Director of Operations

Do you have questions or comments about this, or any, weblog? Thoughts on local food, goods, or events? Reply to this email and let us know what’s on your mind. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated!

Champaign, OH:  Swisher Hill Herbs-Football, Food, Tasting, Love

Some words and an invitation from Charlene and Joe…they bring you love from Swisher Hill Herbs in the form of a tasting…

January is filled with football bowl games and NFL playoffs every weekend ending with the Granddaddy of them all, the Super Bowl on Feb 1. Whether you are having a party, going to a party or just relaxing at home to enjoy the games the Virtual Market can help you with your menu. Swisher Hill Herbs would like to help get this party going…..
Swisher Hill Herbs is having a Tasting!!! Touchdown Thursday – January 22, 2015 In the YMCA lobby from 4:00-6:00pm Virtual Market Vendors and customers. Visit our sample table! Dips – cheese ball- Chili – Meatballs and more!
Pick up recipe ideas and suggestions for how you can make the Champaign Virtual Market your party shopping headquarters!

Russellville Community Market:  RCM Opening Bell

Welcome to another RCM Market Week!

Be sure to check out the newly listed items this week! Lots of great, local products to be had!

Happy shopping! Eat Local!

Check out the “Featured Items” section as well as the “What’s New” section at the top of the market page for all the latest products available.

Be sure to “Like” our Facebook page for updates and food-related events in your community!

To ensure your order is placed, make sure you click the “Place My Order” button once you have completed your shopping. Remember, you have until 10:00pm Tuesday evening to place your orders.

Happy Shopping! See you on Thursday!

Russellville Community Market

FRESH.LOCAL.ONLINE.

Stones River Market:  Time to Order Local Food

Market News

The Market is back open this morning. The hard freeze we had affected some farmers with their produce this week. Erdmann Farm had to remove the last of his products. Rocky Glade Farm will be making an assessment later this morning and should have their inventory updated after lunch. Be sure to check back then.

Flying S Farms has added a celery rice kale soup to her variety of Frozen Soups.

Wedge Oak Farm has added several products in the Duck category as well as Little Buddies Smoked Sausages this week.

West Wind Farms has added turkey sausage patties and still has several whole turkeys available.

Chef Jenny returns this week and has this message:

Get a healthy start to your New Year with snacks and seasonings from the Seeds of Success. NEW to the market this week is SOS Dill-icious Seasoning: a blend of ground sunflower seeds, dill, dehydrated onions, turmeric, sesame seeds, and a touch of sea salt. It is a flavor enhancer that is low in salt and provides the powerhouse benefits of sunflower seeds and turmeric. It is a great topping for: salad, salmon, potatoes, egg salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, winter greens, pasta, chicken, and dips.

There are plenty of other products available this week. Browse the categories to see what your will find.

Thanks so much for your support of Stones River Market, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. We’ll see you on Wednesday at Southern Stained Glass at 310 West Main Street from 5:00 to 6: 30 pm!

Recipes

Please, share your recipes with us on the Recipes tab. We’d all love to know how you use your Stones River Market products, so we can try it too!

Our recipe this week comes from Chef Jenny featuring her new product – Dill-icious Seasoning.

Dill-icious Salmon (Quick-N-Easy!)

1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 – 3 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Dill-icous Seasoning
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for the baking dish
4 oz salmon fillets, skin removed *Wild pacific salmon (without dye) is healthiest.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Dill-icious Seasoning, and olive oil.
3. Line a 9? × 13? baking dish with foil for easy clean up. Brush the bottom with oil. Spread a spoonful of Worcestershire sauce mixture on presentation side of each salmon fillet. Place it on the foil with presentation side face down. Spoon about half of the sauce over the salmon. Bake for 5 – 8 minutes. (Thinner salmon fillets require a shorter amount of time.)
4. Turn salmon fillets over and spoon the other half of the sauce on top. Bake another 5 – 8 minutes, or until the salmon flakes with a fork but still is moist. Baking time depends on the thickness of the fillets.
5. When serving, turn presentation side up, and sprinkle with more Dill-icious Seasoning.

Servings: 4
Oven Temperature: 400°F
Tips

• The salmon can be grilled over a medium heat. Place in an oiled foil pan. Grill for 6 – 8 minutes with half of the sauce. Turn the salmon over and add the other half of the sauce. Grill another 6 – 8 minutes, or until it flakes with a fork but still is moist.
• Serve with broccoli or peas.
• Vegetarian Option: Eliminate the salmon and Worcestershire sauce. Saute onions in olive oil. Add frozen peas. In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, dill, salt, pepper, and oil. Combine this mixture in with the peas, onions, and cooked penne pasta. Sprinkle with SOS Dill-icious Seasoning.

Fresh Harvest, LLC:  Fresh Harvest for January 11th

Market News

Hello!

We are happy to be back after a long hiatus! That was one big cold snap, but we return again with a nice selection of winter vegetables for you! All the farmers and producers we feature work extra hard in the winter to keep their crops alive and in top quality. And also the meat producers, who have new animal babies arriving this time of year and it is an extra challenge to keep them alive and healthy. It is continually amazing the dedication of these farmers to brave the conditions to provide food for you, as well as the dedication of you, our dear customers, who brave packed winter schedules and horrible conditions to retrieve your food! We really appreciate this Fresh Harvest community!

We do have some big news regarding one of our long-term producers and dear friend of Twin Forks Farm. They have decided, after much deliberation, to retire from bread baking. They will continue to offer their wood-fired granola. We wish them all the best in this new stage of their life!

We are please to let you know that we do have another exceptional baker on board to offer their artisan style bread. We are really excited, but we will all have to wait until the end of the month. So stay tuned!

Thanks so much for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

John and Tallahassee

Coming Events

Champaign, OH:  Standing On The Moon

Standing on the moon…
I see a shadow on the sun…
Standing on the moon…
The stars go fading one by one…
(Standing On The Moon…Grateful Dead)

You know how on some days, things seem monumental? Or you feel stressed, or in my case, sick all week? You know how we may get frustrated, irritated, angry? You know how so many of us can take a small problem, make it grow until we feel it’s the worst problem in the world?

We have all been there. We all do it. It’s life. We all get upset over things.

Then, you know how something even bigger comes along, something that shakes your soul? Something that is beyond belief? It catches you off guard, it brings you way down to what is really important in life?

That happened to me, yesterday. I have been sick (we ALL know that by now:), I was in an all morning/afternoon meeting (with a board that I LOVE), was tired when I left, and feeling frustrated that I was heading home to a nap, once again. I was also feeling blue because I needed to cancel plans for the evening because I just wasn’t up for the fun of the evening.

I arrived home, after my meeting, happened to check my Facebook page, only to see a huge amount of messages generating from my private sorority page.

You all know that I love and cherish the groups I am a part of. The friendships that I cultivate from each. Well, one of the groups that is nearest and dearest to me is my college sorority. Much like this little market of love, in the early days, our chapter of sorority built it’s chapter, on campus, in 1982. I was lucky enough to be a part of the building as one of the first pledge classes. The founders, the pledges, we worked long and hard, much like right here, to grow our sorority, each and every year.

But, we were the core group. The carriers of the flame. Our love and sisterhood continues to bond us. The messages, yesterday, were about one of our sisters who had fallen into a sudden and sad health issue and in 7 minutes, her life changed, we all sit in unity, today, as we do not know the outcome. We have reunited, across the United States, to hope for a miracle.

My reason for writing this, today, is that it’s easy to feel blue if things are not going the way we want but then you look at the bigger picture, and these small things, like me and my illness, don’t matter, really.

What matters are the bonds, the love, the groups that we form, that we protect, and that we nurture.

Today is Sunday…if you feel like letting a little love shine towards my sorority sister, it would be lovely. If it makes you look around and show someone around you some love, that would be amazing.

Love and friendship…it’s what I stress in this market, in life, and in my relationships with people in my life.

As always, this market is here, to help you through the week. We love each of our customers, vendors, and volunteers…we all need each other.

We are here, shining the lovelight…

We look forward to your orders, not because of the market sales, we look forward to connecting with each and every one of you, on Thursdays. We are a market family…and that is hard to find, elsewhere.

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam