ALFN Foodcraft: Fall Workshops

Good Morning Locavores,

Though our market is closed this week, we’ve got some exciting news: Tickets are now on sale for ALFN’s Fall Fundraiser titled Foodcraft: Fall Workshops. With the holiday season approaching, learn how to create an appetizer plate just in time for your next gathering. Join us on Saturday, October 11th for any or all of 3 consecutive interactive workshops led by some of the best artisan foodies around.

• At 1:00pm, preservationist extraordinaire Angela Gardner of GardenWorks will teach participants how to make pickles. Fall is in the air and soon it will be the end of a fair growing season; full of late summer stragglers and fall delights. In this session, Angela will demonstrate how to make pickles using the last of the summer’s bounty and also discuss the equipment and techniques to properly can up produce that you will savor throughout the winter. Bring a crack-free pint jar and we’ll put a lid on it.

• At 2:30pm, Kent Walker will teach folks how to make some of his artisan ricotta cheese. Kent will teach participants how to make this fresh Italian-style cheese using a “direct set” method, giving you the skills you need to replicate this delicious recipe in your own home.

• At 4:00pm, Ashton Woodward of Arkansas Fresh Bakery will teach you how to make the absolute best Bavarian pretzels. The pretzel is an iconic northern-European bakery snack. Arkansas Fresh makes their soft pretzels using an authentic German process, complete with imported ingredients and a long-fermentation method. In this class, you will learn the fundamentals of baking your own soft pretzels at home. Included in this workshop are some of the hard-to-find ingredients that the bakery uses to make their pretzels for you to take home.

The cost is $25 per session or $60 for all three, and tickets can be purchased online here. Each session will last approximately one hour and will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, 509 Scott Street in downtown Little Rock. All proceeds benefit the Arkansas Local Food Network, a 501c3 nonprofit working to build a stronger local food system.

For more information, contact Alex at 291.2769 or arlocalfoodnetwork@gmail.com.

And even though our market is closed this week, you can still snag delicious food from local farmers through some of the other wonderful markets in town, which can be found in our FRESH Local Foods Directory.

Thanks so much! We could not do the work we do without your constant support.

- 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!

Don't Forget!

The Market will NOT be open next week, so make sure to order everything you need for two whole weeks of beautiful breakfasts, luscious lunches, and delicious dinners. I’m thankful that locally grown food is so fresh that even the delicate stuff lasts quite a while, although there’s no shame in brewing up a batch of veggie soup and popping it straight in the freezer.

While you’re shopping for all the usual must-haves, consider ordering a little piece of history. The Sweet Life Apiary is headed for new digs, and the batch of summer honey available now will be the last that hails from Hillcrest. Although they will undoubtedly be back and better than ever next season, it’s a sad day when I no longer have a good excuse to let my “lawn” go to flower.

-Rebecca Wild
Program Manager

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!

The Market is Open (But NOT next week)!

Good Morning Market,

What a beautiful day for ordering locally-grown goodness! In fact, best order lots, since the market will be closed for ordering next week. We’re not just taking the week off (which we’re legally required to do once a year); we’re also a bit wary to work around this year’s Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Fear not, there’s lots you can order that’ll last you the whole two weeks, and if you do run out of local produce, you can always check out one of the other awesome farmer’s markets in town (which can be found in our FRESH Local Foods Directory). Some of the great products you can stock up on include:

• Be it beef, buffalo, chicken, elk, goat, lamb, pork, or even wild boar, almost all of these Arkansas-raised meats come ready to stock your freezer! Heck, you can even put a deposit down on a pasture-raised, GMO-free grain-fed Thanksgiving Turkey. If it’s locally-raised meat you’re looking for, look no further than the market.

• We’ve got plenty of winter squashes that’ll last quite a while on the storage shelf. Barnhill Orchards offers their acorns, butternuts, sunshines, and spaghettis in various combinations. Crimmins Family Farm brings all organic butternuts, acorns, and the gorgeous delicata squash to the mix. Fear not, there’s plenty of easy and delicious recipes for these nutritious gems.

• All sorts of potatoes including small and large red, multi-colored fingerling, and varying shapes and sizes of sweet. Garlic mashed potatoes or sweet potato fries with curried yogurt, anyone?

• A big part of how we can offer locally-grown foods all year-round is because our growers do a great job preparing for winter. Kornegay Berry Farm offers already-frozen butter beans, brown crowder peas, corn, green beans, okra, lady cream peas, purple hull peas, yellow squash, zucchini squash, as well as blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Grab all the nutrition with none of the perils of perishables!

• They may not be frozen, but I’ve got a feeling it won’t take long to snack your way through Bluebird Hill Berry Farm’s beautiful muscadines and muscadines grapes in bronze or purple. Besides just popping them in your mouth a few at a time, you can buy them in bulk and make some delicious homemade jelly.

Thank you so, so much to the 84 customers that took the time to complete our survey. Congratulations to long-time member Leah Turner for winning $15 in local food bucks. We’ll be having our follow-up customer focus group on Wednesday, October 1st from 6-8pm in Parke Hall (the Food Club room). You’ll get (a guaranteed) $5 in local food bucks as well as the opportunity to help us serve you better. Just e-mail me at arlocalfoodnetwork@gmail.com if you’d like to attend.

There’s lots of great community events going on in the next couple of weeks, just some of which include:

• This Tuesday, September 23rd, stop by Red Mango in the Heights for some delicious FroYo and 15% of your purchase will directly benefit the important work of our friends at the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance.

• On Thursday, September 25th, Danielle Nierenberg, President and Founder of Food Tank: The Food Think Tank will give a talk titled Cultivating a Better Food System at noon at the Clinton School of Public Service Sturgis Hall (the brick building next to the Clinton Library). Reserve a free spot by e-mailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling 501-683-5239.

• The City of Little Rock is seeking input on their Sustainability Roadmap at two upcoming public meetings…Thursday, October 2nd, 5:30pm at The Centre at University Park and Thursday, October 9th, 5:30pm at the Terry Library. Let’s show up in force and make sure they know that local food is a priority for our city’s sustainable future!

• October is National Farm to School Month, and to celebrate, the National Farm to School Network is offering lots of great resources for parents, teachers, schools, and farmers, as well as the chance to win $1,000 for a farm to school project in your community!

We’re so thankful to be part of a community full of so many wonderful individuals and organizations doing such awesome work!

With Local Love,

- 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!

Last Call!

It’s that time again. Time to take one final lap around The Market and find a few more fabulous foods (muscadines!) you’ll need to make next week a delicious week. It’s also last call to share your thoughts with us via our customer survey. The survey closes as noon tomorrow, but we want to hear from as many of our Food Club friends as possible! So if you haven’t had a chance to voice your opinion yet, please take a few minutes and help us make ALFN an even better organization.

-Rebecca Wild
Program Manager

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!

The Market is Open!

Good Sunday, Market!

Welp, it looks like we’ve emerged from the heat of Summer and the fog of whatever the heck that was to find ourselves in some just about perfect weather. Some time in the midst of enjoying these gorgeous days, please take 10 minutes to fill out our customer survey if you haven’t yet. We really want to hear your voice on how things are going and things we might do better, and taking the survey will enter you for the chance to win $15 in Food Club credit! The survey will close Wednesday at noon, just like the market. Speaking of which…

• A HUGE market welcome back to Drewry Farms & Orchards. Good luck choosing between their 5 different varieties of locally-grown apples: Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Suncrisp, Gala, and Pinova. They’ve also got beautiful butternuts, nutritious sweet ’taters, gigantic autumn buckskin pumpkins, and delicious homemade salsa. Ah, the tastes of autumn…

• Bulk unshelled organic purple hull peas from Crimmins Family Farm. Get 5 lbs. of organic purple hull peas at a price that can’t be beat and then invite some friends over for an old-fashioned shellin’ party. Throw ’em in a pot with some Falling Sky Farm bacon and you’re good to go!

• There’s a new eggman in town, and he’s USDA certified organic! It looks like the hens at Green Acres Atkins get about as good a diet as all of us, all while getting to graze under the protection of chicken tractors.

• New colors of suds savers from Homayd Natural Care Products. Use these homayd savers to get every last bit out of one of her lavender tea, milk and honey, or butter bar body soaps.

• I had a great time at Pop Up in the Rock: Park Hill yesterday. It was so great seeing so many people come together to show the potential of a community, including our very own Geek Eats with the. most. amazing. gourmet. deli. sandwiches. ever. I’m going to beg the head geek to keep making more, but in the meantime, we’ve still got his wonderful selection of hummus, pesto, and granola.

You can grow WHAT in Arkansas?

If you enjoyed viewing comet Jacques, you’ll definitely want to check out the rare cosmological event happening on The Market. Our very own ABC Nature Greenhouse & Herb Farm has successfully cultivated starfruit right here in Arkansas! With quick fingers, you could be the lucky eater of one of these botanical triumphs. While you’re at it, take a look at the variety of exotic plants available, such as: pink variegated, eureka, and ponderosa lemon trees; Italian honey, Texas red, and kadota fig trees; and even cardamom, curryleaf, and vanilla bean plants. Order up a few of these, and maybe the next zone defying victory will be yours.

After shopping, don’t forget to take this survey to help ALFN better suit your needs. It’s quick. It’s painless. Plus you’ll get the chance to win $15 in Food Club credit. Whether you’re new to Food Club, been with us from the beginning, or haven’t ordered in a while, we want to know what you think!

-Rebecca Wild
Program Manager

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!

The Market is Open With a Chance to Win $15!

Hello Market,

Good Sunday to you! The Arkansas Local Food Network is in the process of developing a strategic plan to figure out what we need to do and how we’re going to do it moving forward. As Food Club customers, you are such an integral part of the work we do and the local food system as a whole, and so I am reaching out to ask for your participation by taking this survey. It should only take about 5 minutes to complete and you’ll also be entered for the chance to win $15 in Food Club credit! Thank you so much for your support in helping us build a stronger local food system.

As always, the market is open and absolutely packed with wonderful local products.

SIncerely,

- 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!

Weblog Entry

Only three weeks left of official summer, and while you may not be able to feel autumn in the air just yet, you can see it coming a mile away on The Market. In between listings for okra and tomatoes, you’ll find acorn and delicata squash. Nestled next to the mini cantaloupes are the first fall pears.

Luckily, you still have plenty of time to take advantage of this confusing cornucopia of flavors. Be sure to get your order in before noon tomorrow so you can start your weekend off with a kitchen full of fabulous food!

-Rebecca Wild
Program Manager

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!

The Market is Open!

Mornin’, Members!

The market is open and absolutely chock-full of delicious local foods and products. We’ve got over 30 active growers from all across Arkansas producing everything from grassfed meats to handmade hummus. Perhaps the biggest downside to an online farmer’s market like ours is that we don’t often get to see the faces behind the farms growing our food. Fear not, just click on the Our Growers tab at the top of the market site to learn more about the amazing folks that have dedicated their lives to producing the highest quality food using ethical and sustainable practices. Folks such as…

• Farm Girl Natural Foods and her amazing selection of pork from Animal-Welfare Approved, woodland-raised hogs. I absolutely love these local sausages, sliced ham, trotters, and even lard, and highly recommend following her on facebook for adorable piglet pictures and incredible insight into how hogs are raised.

• A big market welcome to Arkansas Abundance and their delicious looking veggies. They’ve transformed the former Andeyo Farm on the edge of Little Rock into a veritable wonderland of garlic, hot and sweet peppers, white and purple eggplant, and the intriguing Thai baby turtle egg cherry tomatoes.

• Over 50 listings from Arkansas Natural Produce alone! This family farm uses their greenhouses to naturally grow greens and herbs all year-round, and are currently offering 3 types of eggplant, 9 kinds of peppers, and just about everything else from bok choy to tomatoes. They’re also hiring, so spread the word if you know anyone wanting to work on a farm and learn from the pros.

Thank you so much to ALL of our growers for working so hard in this heat to provide us with ethically-raised food to eat. And thanks to you, our members, these small farms can thrive and grow.

If you haven’t yet picked up your order from last week, we’ll be in the church kitchen on Tuesday from 4:30-6. Hope you’re enjoying a relaxing Labor Day Weekend full of local foods!

With Local Love,

- 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!

The Market is Open!

Mornin’, Members!

The market is open and absolutely chock-full of delicious local foods and products. We’ve got over 30 active growers from all across Arkansas producing everything from grassfed meats to handmade hummus. Perhaps the biggest downside to an online farmer’s market like ours is that we don’t often get to see the faces behind the farms growing our food. Fear not, just click on the Our Growers tab at the top of the market site to learn more about the amazing folks that have dedicated their lives to producing the highest quality food using ethical and sustainable practices. Folks such as…

• Farm Girl Natural Foods and her amazing selection of pork from Animal-Welfare Approved, woodland-raised hogs. I absolutely love these local sausages, sliced ham, trotters, and even lard, and highly recommend following her on facebook for adorable piglet pictures and incredible insight into how hogs are raised.

• A big market welcome to Arkansas Abundance and their delicious looking veggies. They’ve transformed the former Andeyo Farm on the edge of Little Rock into a veritable wonderland of garlic, hot and sweet peppers, white and purple eggplant, and the intriguing Thai baby turtle egg cherry tomatoes.

• Over 50 listings from Arkansas Natural Produce alone! This family farm uses their greenhouses to naturally grow greens and herbs all year-round, and are currently offering 3 types of eggplant, 9 kinds of peppers, and just about everything else from bok choy to tomatoes. They’re also hiring, so spread the word if you know anyone wanting to work on a farm and learn from the pros.

Thank you so much to ALL of our growers for working so hard in this heat to provide us with ethically-raised food to eat. And thanks to you, our members, these small farms can thrive and grow.

If you haven’t yet picked up your order from last week, we’ll be in the church kitchen on Tuesday from 4:30-6. Hope you’re enjoying a relaxing Labor Day Weekend full of local foods!

With Local Love,

- 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!