Volunteers Needed

Hey Folks,

I’m in a big need for volunteers this Saturday. I have five slots open (3 for th early and 1 for the late). Please sign-up if you are available. Thanks!

Volunteer Spot

Market Reminder

Good Morning ALFN Members,

The market will close tomorrow at noon. Remember to get everything you want for this week before it’s too late!

Also, I need volunteers for this weekend. We have five slots open. You can choose the early or late shift. Plus, we’ll give you $5 credit in the market or give you a month’s worth of membership for helping! You can sign up here: Volunteer Spot.

Thanks!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

The Market Is Open

Good Sunday ALFN Members,

Make sure you check out the season produce in our market right now. From patty pan squash to lamb foreshanks, from dilly beans to handmade products like latch savers, the market has so many choices for fresh produce, dry goods, meats, eggs and even toiletries!

Cosmetics

I often spend time discussing the edible side of our market, but today I wanted to give a shout out to the folks who are bringing other cosmetic products to ALFN’s market. Indeed, cosmetics are related to local food on one simple level. We also ingest cosmetics. The largest organ on our body is our skin. What we put on our skin absorbs into our body. Skin is the ultimate permeable front between the world-out-there and our world-in-here. Further, cosmetics are a battleground industry for regulation change and healthier products. Some of the least regulated products in the country are items we put directly on our skin like sunscreen and lipstick. We have some wonderful folks making quality products with pronounceable ingredients many of which are directly derived from plants (Homayd, Tammy Sue, Viney Creek, Mac Family, and Maison Terre).

If you are interested in more information, I have some fantastic resources. First, I’m a big fan of Story of Stuff: Cosmetics. Watch the video, but also check out their footnoted script with research. Another great site is the Environmental Working Group’s database called Skin Deep.

Happy lathering!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Volunteers Needed

Good Morning,

I need volunteers to help out with the market tomorrow. We have five open shifts. If you are able to help up, go ahead and sign-up here: Volunteer Spot

Thanks!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

ALFN Members,

Remember to make your order on the market before it closes on Wednesday at noon. You don’t want to miss those sun-ripened tomatoes!

Also, don’t forget the Southern Center for Agroecology will have its first workshop on canning this Thursday at the Church. You can sign-up here: Canning Workshop

Market Is Open

In the middle of July 4th weekend, don’t forget to plan your eats for next week. The fourth may pass, but the vines are still growing and the chickens keep laying. The market is open!

NEWS

Canning Workshop
The Southern Center for Agroecology and The Root Cafe will be conducting three workshops over the next three months. The first one is next week! Check it out:

Please join us at the Kitchen at Christ Church (509 Scott St, Little Rock, AR, 72201) and learn how to preserve the abundant summer produce of Arkansas! The Root Cafe’s Angela Gardner will share and demonstrate the important steps and subtle nuances of preserving the harvest safely and efficiently so that you can enjoy the delicious flavors of summer all winter long! Sign up today as space is limited for this workshop series brought to you by The Southern Center for Agroecology and The Root Cafe.

There will be three workshops ($35 each):

• July 7, 2016 6-8pm: Salsa Canning — For our first session, we will discuss the tools and basics of water bath canning as well as ways to change the pH to ensure food safety. Using this knowledge, our recipe for the evening will be a sunny summer infused salsa incorporating tomatoes, peppers and peaches.

• August 25, 2016 6-8pm: Pickled Cucumber Canning — A classic Dill Pickle will be the recipe for the evening. Expect to learn tips to keep cukes crunchy and take home a jar of pickles to share with friends.

• September 15, 2016 6-8pm: Fig & Jalapeno Canning — With summer coming to an end we will wrap up our last session with a course on preserves and a discussion on ways to make jams and jellies."

For sign-up details you can visit the Facebook "event"https://www.facebook.com/events/1732174990387727 or purchase tickets here: Canning Workshop.

Dry Goods

So far the dry goods have been a success! We’ve had good sales and a strong response. If you are interested to pre-order for the next shipment, go ahead and order this week or next. Thanks!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

ALFN Members,

Remember to make an order before the market closes this week.

What’s new? There are catfish fillets, cherry tomatoes, aged gouda, fresh blueberries, watermelons and sweet corn on the market ready for next week’s festivities. Don’t miss out!

Have a good week.

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Is Open

ALFN Members,

Welcome to another week of fresh produce and locally-crafted produce on ALFN’s market. Watermelons have arrived! Just in time for July festivities, Hardin Farms have posted three varieties of melon on the market. Beyond melons, patty pans and acorn squashes are available. Folks, we are in the fat of summer!

Updates

This Tuesday from 7-9 pm, Science Cafe will host a conversation on the Science of Food with a panel including Jack Sundell from The Root. Head over there for a lively discussion!

Food Marketing and Farmers’ Markets

A member of ALFN sent me an interesting article this week from The Washington Post. Entitled, Farmers Markets Just Aren’t What They Used To Be, the piece traces the recent changes in demand at the farmers market. In the first decade of the second millennium, the local farmers market burgeoned with consumers and growers. Many business models solely targeted the farmers market. However, today farmers are finding a decrease in sales unless they diversify or adjust their marketing. The article cites a couple of interesting reasons for the shift. First, a changing demographic of consumers visit the farmers market to shop with their eyes, but not necessarily their wallet. The farmers market becomes an event for consumers to buy a beer and some prepared food and meet with friends. Attributed to a declining culinary tradition with consumers spending more on food services such as restaurants and ready made delivered meals, farmers can struggle to sell basic ingredients for meals directly to the consumer. Some farmers respond to this changing demographic by providing cooking classes and suggested recipes with their produce. Second, the article cites the evolution of the farmers market from a local agriculture-supported market to a market that embodies a lifestyle choice. This shift requires a change in marketing to attract consumers based on a certain lifestyle. I find this evolution to be unfortunate. The shift marks a move away from concrete values for supporting a local economy and a move toward superficial consumerism centered on the identity of the buyer. In other words, the shift symbolizes a move away from buying local tomatoes to buying the idea of tomatoes. Third, farmers markets are still in direct competition with the brick and mortar food stores that are becoming more savvy. I applaud box stores purchasing from local growers, but I worry about the power dynamics. The hierarchical exchange between local grower and corporate grocer can easily force growers to be sharecroppers.

Ultimately, farmers markets are beautiful democratic spaces. These local spots of exchange can become unbalanced, however. The local tomato can be symbolized to be either sappy compassion for poor farmers, or the local tomato can get wrapped up in the identity politics of the chic, bobo culture. In the end, let a tomato be a tomato. The point of exchange is the concrete moment that should be valued. When we buy from local farmers, we simply put value in the thing itself. When a farmer grows a tomato for the local market, the farmer puts value in the thing itself. There are demands that arise from this simple interaction. Consumers will demand quality products with locally cultivated taste and health profiles.Growers will demand equitable exchange rates to maintain the market.

Thanks to all of our members and growers who make this market work with a simple market exchange that embodies the human need to eat.

Have a great week.

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

Good Morning ALFN Members,

This is your market reminder to make all your orders before Wednesday at noon.

Don’t forget we’ll have Little Rock Urban Farming with us this weekend. They will be sharing some exciting programs they are planning for the summer and fall!

Take care,

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Is Open

The sweltering temperature is growing the okra, tomatoes and eggplants…embrace the heat and bless the sweat. The market is open for another summer week!

Community Market Day

This Saturday we are celebrating local urban farming. Little Rock Urban Farming will set up a booth and hang out with everyone. As many of you know, LRUF is a premier urban farm located near Fletcher Library. They are an organic farm not only cultivating organic veggies, but also cultivating education on agroecology with diverse groups in Little Rock. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to see what’s new with LRUF. Join us on Saturday…pick up your produce, have a cup of coffee and rub shoulders with the organic farmers of LRUF.

Peace,

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager