The Market is Open

Why Hello! I didn’t see you there…
The Market is open and in its Sunday best. The Arkansas Local Food Network is enjoying a little quiet time before a Fall of fundraising and other exciting projects. Have you been keeping up with our Know Your Farmer series? Don’t you want to know these crazy kooks?
We are building steam designing our second edition of Fresh, the Local Food Directory. If you want to be involved or help sponsor the second edition, get in touch with me! We’re asking for $25 sponsor donations at the moment to help cover the cost of design and printing. This directory is free to the public, and we plan to keep it that way!
One little musing on weather: it’s hot. But I’m enjoying the heat at the moment, I guess because it feels temporary as opposed to something I’ll need to live and work through for the next two months. This weekend, it’s been a fantastic reason to laze around and dream about going swimming. I feel my life moving at a slower pace, but this bloom of heat makes it totally acceptable.
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News from the Market…

• Drewry Farm and Orchards is back with us, just in time for Gala and Jonathan apples and the last call on their Flame Prince peaches. What else? Well, they have butternut squash, Covington sweet potatoes, and cooking pumpkins. Drewry is famous in my world for its apples, and yes, they will have Arkansas Black apples. What a farmer loves most is a nice welcoming when they return, so order up!
• Muscadine time! Bluebird Hill has plenty of Muscadine grapes, and he’s selling some in gallon bags for jelly making! Muscadines are fantastic for at least two reasons: (1) they are a native of the American South and (2) they are nature’s richest source of polyphenolic antioxidants, plus a whole mess of other beneficial nutrients.
• Kieffer Pears from Barnhill Orchards. I’ve figured out what to do with these pears. While they are not the most delightful to eat raw, they make a mean Pear Sauce. Just slice and core them and cook them in a crock pot for 24 hours. The taste is fantastic, especially with a few spices and herbs added. Easy to make and very rewarding.
• Tailgate Time! I heard somewhere something about a game next weekend. If it’s true, I’m wondering, do you need food for it? Bratwursts from MeatWorks? Or their House Sausage Sampler? What about Baby Back Ribs from Bluebird? What do you need? The Market is asking!
• Armstead Mountain’s Paste Tomatoes come highly recommended for any and all tomato sauces. They’re low on water content and high on flavor. Plus, they’re shaped funny. Did I mention Gazpacho? Great for Gazpacho, especially with Crimmins’ pickling cucumbers and ANP’s sweet peppers.
• Acorn Squash from Barnhill Orchards. I love Acorn Squash. I love all Winter squash, and we have plenty on the market now! Acorn, Delicata, and Butternut.
• Turkey Time! Falling Sky Farm is taking deposits on their pasture raised turkeys for Thanksgiving. These turkeys are the tastiest.
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News from the Farm…

• ABC Nature Greenhouse says:
  “Kaffir limes are ready to pick and the Yuzu fruit is ready to pick. Anyone want any? They are organically grown!” Contact ABC for more info.
• Dunbar Community Garden needs you to can! For their Fall fundraiser, Dunbar is reaching out to the community to help preserve the fruits of their land. If you don’t know Dunbar, I highly recommend swinging by. They will give you a bunch of delicious pears for a very good price.
• And Loblolly Creamery has Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberry Buttermilk Bars. Just sayin’.

Ok ya’ll! Until next time,
Sam Hedges