Volunteers Needed

Good Morning Folks,

We have four shifts open for volunteering tomorrow. Remember volunteering provides $5 credit on the market or pays for one month of membership. You can sign up here: Volunteer Spot

Thanks!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

ALFN Members,

Remember to place your order before the market closes tomorrow at noon. We still have growers adding different products throughout the week. In fact, I just got word from Crimmins Family Farm that they added fresh green beans to their listings this morning! Go check it out and find out what’s new!

Have a great week.

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Is Open

Don’t let the demons of noon captivate your heart. The ALFN market is no mirage, no empty promise. Here in the digital wasteland, in the cyber-desert we call the internet, ALFN’s market is a tangible, rooted representation. Yes, those pictures of tomatoes, blackberries, squash, goat soap and beef are real. The internet waves of confusion do not rise up into this market. Everything you see is real, tasty, and made from non-cyborg people living in Arkansas. Come join our online oasis.

UPDATES

Last week we had some wonderful products come through the market. From mixed bouquets of flowers to handmade soap to fresh peaches and blackberries, the market was buzzing with the signs of early summer. We made our first order for bulk dry grains. For those of you who ordered over the past three weeks, look for an email indicating when you can pick up your order in late June. I will put dry goods back up for selection in a couple of weeks. Don’t forget we have rice mixes and corn products (grits, cornmeal) from local producers in the grain section of the market!!

Take care,

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

ALFN Members,

Remember to complete all of your orders before Wednesday at noon when I will close the market and send the requests to our growers. We are exploding with produce, so don’t be shy.

Remember, this will be your last week to order dry goods before we initiate our first order. Deliveries will be late June. Check out your pantry and head over to the Dry Goods section.

See you Saturday…and remember to sign-up for a volunteer spot. We still have four positions open! Volunteer Spot

Thanks,

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

The Market Is Open

I can’t get over the diverse array of items available on the open market this week. Tomatoes are officially here from Green Acres along with cabbages, beets, sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Don’t forgot the fantastic selection of meats available from chicken to goat. Yes sirree bob, this is quite a full market!

We have a new grower to join the market this weekend. KMG is located out in Perry County. They operate a diverse farm with meat, veggies and fruit. They will continue to post new items in the next couple of weeks, but for now, they are promoting their turkey deposits for Thanksgiving. Check out their grower page and facebook page!

We have fun new ALFN merchandise this week. Check out the new ALFN T-shirts, totes and aprons in the ALFN Merchandise section of the market. Proceeds help to fund everything we do! We will also have them out on a table on Saturday so everyone can see them.

Also, you have one more week to put an order in for dry goods before we make our first bulk purchase. Deliver will be at the end of June. Once we get our first delivery, we should be able to start offering these grain products without a long wait period. Check out what we have to offer here: Dry Goods

Take care,

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

ALFN Members,

Remember to finish ordering on the market. From cucumbers to makeup remover to bacon grease, we have a huge selection of local goods!

We still have four slots open for volunteering this Saturday. If you can help, sign up here: Volunteer Spot.

Thanks!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Is Open

Good morning ALFN members!

What a wonderful market we had yesterday. We had quite a bit of produce go through the market. Once again, we have a smorgasbord of items on the market this week.

For those of you who ordered dry goods last week, remember we will make aim to get the delivery window for the middle of June. We will notify all those who ordered when the items have arrived and are ready for pick up. Thanks for your interest! Those dry goods are still available for order over the next few weeks, so take advantage of the opportunity!

NextDoor

Part of living an intentionally local life involves not just ordering from local farmers, but know your local neighbors. It can often be difficult to know how to be present in our neighborhoods and stay in touch with everyone.

I’m always interested in tools that facilitate communication for regional groups, and I thought I would mention NextDoor. This app was brought to my attention by another member of ALFN. The app connects you into a neighborhood online posting board that provides a platform for fellow neighbors to post questions, events and alerts. From cautioning neighbors of a robbery to having folks look for a lost pet, NextDoor is a great way to provide a data stream for neighborhood news. If you have a chance check it out. You may even see other ALFN members in your area!

Take care,

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Volunteers Needed

Hey Folks,

We still have three spots open for volunteers this Saturday. If you can help out, please sign up here: Volunteer Spot. Thank you!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

ALFN Members,

Remember to make an order(s) through the market before tomorrow at noon.

There are some really fun items in the market right now. Make sure you check out the purple cauliflower, garlic scapes, caraflex cabbage and goat meat available right now!!

We’ve had a good response to ALFN’s pilot project for distributing dry goods through the market. Check out the items if you haven’t done so: Dry Goods.

Thanks

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

ALFN Members,

The market is open and full. As we transition into summer crops, our growers have a phenomenal diversity of products to choose from right now. From squash and zucchini to baby spinach and bok choy to mountain mint and mushrooms to strawberries and sweet potatoes, produce is overflowing. Back in the farm fridge and freezer, you can find giant duck eggs, green eggs, feta and halloumi cheeses, and diverse cuts of meat from buffalo, cow, chicken and lamb. Remember, the market has dozens of locally produced options for soaps, lotions, deodorants, and even spices and drinks. The breadth of ALFN’s market is remarkable…all locally initiated.

ALFN Dry Goods Pilot Project

I remember reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle years ago and enjoying the challenges her family encountered in one year only eating what was locally produced. Armstrong made a few concessions for some items such as coffee. These concessions provided a psychological and nutrient backstop for their eating needs. These kinds of concessions were integral elements of food economies in some ancient cultures. Before the industrial revolution, many agrarian societies traded with other regional peoples for goods that were not produced in their own region. Today, the expectations have reversed and the majority of western society receives goods made outside of their own region.

I can’t help but feel we have come a long way since Armstrong’s book. From the multiple farmers’ markets throughout Little Rock, to ALFN’s year round market, it is easy to eat the bulk of our food from local growers. However, many of us still find ourselves in the box grocery stores. We may run into another ALFN member and sheepishly grin. Some items you can’t get on ALFN’s market. I think this is a normal part of growing a local food economy, but I also think ALFN can continue to grow as a one-stop shop for our grocery needs.

For this reason, ALFN has decided to open a pilot project in dry goods such as grains and legumes. Through bulk suppliers such as Azure Standard, ALFN will provide some of the dry goods our recipes and eating traditions depend. Here are a few of the policies and details of the project:

• We will never post items that local growers already supply. This is the most important policy. Our goal is to fill in the gaps, not create additional competition with our growers.

• Dry Good items will be offered as a pre-order item. Once we receive enough orders for half a shipment, we will finalize the order, pick it up and let you know when you can pick it up.

• We will offer a normal weight amount and a larger bulk amount for every item offered.

• All the dry goods will be organic.

• Our prices will compete with the bulk bins of grocery stores such as Whole Foods. (We’ve been price comparing to make sure this would be a cheaper option)

Starting this week, you can find five new items under the section entitled Dry Goods. For this pilot project, we are offering organic black beans, red quinoa, whole wheat flour, steel-cut oats, and long grain brown rice. Orders will be taken for the next couple of weeks with a target shipment to be after June 15th. If this pilot project is successful, we will be able to maintain some stock and provide a quicker turnaround for pre-orders.

We are interested in doing anything we can do to bolster our local food economy. By providing bulk grains and legumes, we hope to foster a local market that can be a one-stop shop for local consumers. Please give me your feedback as we test this project. You can email me at: littlerockfoodclub@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager