Market Reminder!

Summer squash season is finally in full swing, and if you’re anything like me, you’re already wondering what to do with it all. Luckily, the internet is packed with recipes ranging from beautifully simple, to wonderfully exotic, to satisfyingly hearty. Whether you order classic yellow squash from Barnhill Orchard, Certified Organic zucchini from Green Acres Atkins, or adorable baby patty pan squash from Hardin Farms (welcome back, y’all!), the possibilities are endless.

Unfortunately, no matter how many ways there are to cook it, man cannot live on squash alone. So take advantage of this not-quite-blistering-hot weather and fire up the grill! Ratchford Farm has a new selection of bratwursts sure to please your pallet. In addition to the quintessential beef bratwurst and flavor packed jalapeño cheddar buffalo brats, you can now choose Italian, German, Polish, or chorizo brats. Try a new flavor each week, or order them all and host a taste at your next backyard barbecue.

While you’ve got the grill going anyway, consider tackling the tastiest side dish known to mankind: grilled corn on the cob! That’s right, Barnhill Orchard wins the blue ribbon for having fresh, ripe, peaches and cream corn on the cob earlier than anyone else. Brown thumbed as I am, I’m always surprised at the early and looong harvests this family farm can coax out of their land.

If you want dibs on all of this great fresh food, make sure to take another look at The Market and order before it closes tomorrow morning. Then, make plans to come see us at The Green Corner Store this Saturday. We’ll be there from 3-5pm, celebrating the newest edition of FRESH. We hope to see you there, but for anyone not able to join in the festivities, we’ll still have plenty of copies available at Food Club.

-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 and FRESH is Here!

Good Morning Market,

Happy Father’s Day to all the papas out there! What better way to celebrate dad than ordering him some great local food from the market? Lots of our farmers are fathers themselves, and I’m sure they’d love nothing more than your continued support of their small, diversified farms.

The Arkansas Local Food Network is SO excited to announce the release of the 2nd edition of our FRESH Local Foods Directory. FRESH is our digital and print directory of Little Rock and North Little Rock community and school gardens, area farms and market gardens, hunger relief efforts seeking donations of local food, farmers markets, restaurants and food stores with local options, food and garden organizations, and SO MUCH MORE. Our 2nd edition has a greatly expanded farm section, awesome local food blogs, and updated and expanded listings for all. FRESH was made possible by our sponsors at the Blue and You Foundation of Arkansas, 2nd Presbyterian Church, the Arkansas Community Foundation, Brainstorm Business Consulting, Juli & John Brandenberger, Karen Huber, Beti Gunter, Sue & Rusty Nuffer of Armstead Mountain Farm, and all of the wonderful small farms and businesses that purchased ads.

Come celebrate with us next Saturday, June 21st from 3-5pm at the The Green Corner Store & Soda Fountain to grab a copy, enjoy some yummy local snacks, and snag some of the most delicious desserts in town from Loblolly Creamery.

We’ve got 7,500 copies ready to distribute, so let us know if you’d like to take a box or two and get them into good hands. Make sure and invite your local-loving friends, and we hope to see you twice next Saturday!

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!

938 And Counting!

That’s right. There are 938 products on The Market right this very minute! Each and every one of them is locally grown, sourced, produced, or otherwise benefits an independent Arkansan business person. I for one can’t think of a better illustration of the vast and varied resources our great state has to offer. Sometimes, it can even be a little overwhelming. With all these great goods available at the click of a mouse, how are we supposed to decide what to order?

Allow Me To Make Some Suggestions:

• Certified Organic new red potatoes and fresh green beans from Green Acres Atkins have just hit The Market. Whether you prefer to savor each individually, or indulge in a classic Southern duet, you’re sure to love the results.

• Pastured chicken breasts from Falling Sky Farm. Chicken may be a staple in a lot of kitchens, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be sensational! Try these oven roasted and stuffed with rosemary chevre from White River Creamery. Served with a simple salad of arugula from Arkansas Natural Produce and fresh blackberries from Barnhill Orchard and you have a delicious dinner that will impress any guest.

If the crazy abundance of fabulous local food is making you as hungry it’s making me, I have great news! You can order all of this and more, as long as you do it before The Market closes tomorrow morning.

-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 Rainy Day Food Club,

The market is open and needs your help! The Little Rock Local Food Club would not be possible without the assistance of our amazing Saturday volunteers, but lately, we’ve been having a harder and harder time finding folks. I’m asking those that can to volunteer a few hours a month for your Arkansas Local Food Network. Early risers can set up and inventory during the first shift from 8-10:30am, or sleep in and help members fill their orders from 9:45-12:30. Perks include tasty local snacks and coffee, a $5 credit towards your food or membership, first dibs on the extras list, and quality time with other food-loving folks. E-mail Food Club Coordinator Rebecca Wild at littlerockfoodclub@gmail.com to sign up for a shift and get on our volunteer listserv. Thank you so much for your constant support of our local food system!

Some of the wonderful products you could be sorting next week include…

• A new week, a new fresh berry. A big market welcome back to blackberries from Barnhill Orchards. I don’t think I need to tell you what to do with those, but they’ve also got loads of onions listed as well. Onions are simply something I cannot cook without, and throwing them on the grill is perhaps my favorite way to do so. For those having a hard time choosing between their sweet purple and white vidalia, they’re offering combo packs both large and small.

• Could it really be? Is it truly locally-grown peppers from ANP I see?!?!?! A big welcome to green bells for stuffing, Romanian sweets for an incredible salad, and jalapenos to add a little locally-grown heat to just about anything you eat.

• Organic, culinary celery from Crimmins Family Farm. Celery is not just a low-calorie snack, but packed full of nutrients and absolutely delicious prepared a variety of ways.

• When most of us think basil, we think of the sweet Italian variety most renowned for it’s perfection in pesto. Food for Thought Farm has gone and grown us some thai basil for our favorite East Asian dishes, as well as some tulsi for healing beverages.

• The products just keep on flowing from the expansive mind of Maison Terre. Check out our bulk items section to find her veritable organic spice store, from allspice to white ceremonial sage and just about everything in between. New this week are also an anti-fungal dog wash to keep canines clean and a yummy Caribbean paw paw sauce in honor of Caribbean Heritage Month. Maison Terre gets many of her product ideas from customer requests, so feel free to contact her if you’ve got any yourself.

• Unavailable this week will be our wonderful selection of Geek Eats products. The Head Geek had to take a few weeks off in preparation for an incoming baby geek. While we’ll certainly miss his hummuses and granola, a big congrats to him and his partner on this joyous occasion!

ALFN is thrilled to partner with the Terry Branch Library for a local foods program this Thursday, June 12th at 6:30pm. We’ll be talking to folks about why they should eat and grow local and have them compare veggies from the grocery store to those on our market so they can taste the difference. If you’d like some free snacks or want to share why buying local is important to you, I’d love to have your support.

Here’s to a fantastic week full of good food and friends!

- 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!

New Products, Renewed Products, and News!

This time of year, it’s pretty much the norm for fantastic local produce to start ripening faster than we can tell you about it. Come Saturday, I’m sure you don’t want to discover that you missed out of the first ripe tomatoes of the year, do you? So take this opportunity to browse The Market one more time before it closes tomorrow morning. You won’t regret it!

Recent Arrivals:

• I did mention ripe tomatoes, didn’t I? Green Acres Atkins is ahead of the curve with their Certified Organic early girl tomatoes. Pair these sun ripened beauties with American feta from White River Creamery and Japanese cucumbers from Arkansas Natural Produce, and you’re already half way to a refreshing summer salad.

• You know what else comes back every summer? Armstead Mountain Farm! They’re back in action this week with plenty to offer. If you missed out on their beets and broccoli, don’t forget to pick those out first thing next week. In the meantime, there’s plenty of turnips, beet and turnip greens, lettuce mix, snow peas, and shunkyo radishes to go around. Now’s your chance to turn those turnips and greens, along with Irish potatoes from Barnhill Orchards, into a delicious colcannon-esque concoction.

• As we rejoice in the return of the familiar, we’re also welcoming a new farm to our Food Club family. Bee in my Bonnet Farm hails from Scott, and is on a mission to provide a diverse assortment of delicious vegetables and gorgeous flowers, all grown using sustainable, soil building methods. Check out their salad mix, Italian basil, and lemon basil, and get ready to meet owner Katie Beaton this Saturday morning!

-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 Morning Food Club,

Is it over? Did it actually stop raining?!?! Sadly it’s only temporary, according to the weather report. Lucky for you, the market is open, so you can do all your local food shopping from the comfort of your own home. And boy, business is booming. With each passing week, new fruits of the past months’ hard work come to fruition for our local farmers, and we’re lucky enough to be the beneficiaries. This is by far the most exciting time of the year for Food Club, and it’s only getting better! This week in the market…

• A host of new products from the lovely folks over at Bluebird Hill Berry Farm, including FRESH. BLUEBERRIES. One of the tastiest and healthiest foods are back in business! Add some of Bluebird’s red beets, purple top turnips, or freshly ground beef to your cart to round out your diet.

• You know what would go great on that ground beef and veggies? Any one of Maison Terre’s new organic spices sets. Maison Terre has done the hard work for you to give you sets of 9 neatly-packaged organic spices that, when combined, help make your favorite dishes. One is perfect for grilling, another for making Indian dishes, the Pacific Rim set for other Asian dishes, and the heat set will certainly spice up your life.

• Kellogg Valley Farms’ chemical-free cauliflower would also be a great addition to your grill or favorite stir-fry. Just be sure not to overcook if you want all of the wonderful nutrients it has to offer!

• Lamb shank roasts from MeatWorks Butchery and Market. This versatile shank would be incredible braised or in a Mexican stew. If you’re ever anywhere out near Mena, I highly suggest stopping by their incredible gem of a butchery and market.

• One of my greatest challenges in eating 100% local is that I have a hard time cooking just about anything without onion and garlic. Lucky for us, Arkansas Natural Produce has got us covered with freshly cured garlic. Saute this in just about anything, or simply roast it up to spread on your favorite bread.

• Garlic would also go fantastic with any way you prepare freshly dug potatoes, either red from Kornegay Berry Farm or irish new from Barnhill Orchards. Be they boiled, mashed, grilled, or prepared just about any other way, they’ll always go great with White River Creamery’s garlic and chives fromage blanc.

Spring is in the air both in the market and out at our favorite farms. A big congrats go to Falling Sky Farm on the successful birthing of a few new calves. Some of these were born to hothead parents and will be leaving the Falling Sky herd after weaning. Yes, our farmers are also geneticists.

Congrats are also in order for Robert of Willow Springs Market Garden on his new VEGEMAN truck. While it may not be quite as cute as a newborn calf, it’ll help bring more of your favorite foods to market!

Let’s not forget out friends at the North Little Rock Community Farm, who are currently in first place in the Region’s Bank grant competition, beating out much larger cities like Miami and Indianapolis. Voting goes through June 13th, so let’s keep them in the lead by voting for them once per day here.

Happy local eating!

- 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!

Market Reminder!

It’s that time again; time to make sure you get your order in before The Market closes tomorrow morning at 7:30. Even if you’ve already ordered for this week, with new crops rolling in all the time, you may want to take another look around!

What’s New:

Green Acres Atkins is gearing up for a great summer with the addition of Certified Organic black seeded simpson, yellow summer squash, and green tomatoes. If, like me, you can’t stop thinking about delicious, ripe tomatoes, these green Big and Betterboys may be just the thing to tide you over. Grilled, fried, or salsafied, green tomatoes are always a successful southern crowd pleaser.

Speaking of green tomatoes, the last batch of tomato plants from ABC Nature Greenhouse & Herb Farm have come pre-equipped with a few of their own. Previously confused by a long winter and cool spring, it seems that garden transplants everywhere are in agreement that it’s finally time to get in the ground. If you have room for a few more pepper and tomato plants, order up before it’s too late. Most pepper and tomato plants are now only $0.50! Consider buying a few to give to a friend, neighbor, or donate to a community garden. Who wouldn’t love the gift of fresh veggies all summer long?

-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!

Market Reminder!

It’s that time again; time to make sure you get your order in before The Market closes tomorrow morning at 7:30. Even if you’ve already ordered for this week, with new crops rolling in all the time, you may want to take another look around!

What’s New:

Green Acres Atkins is gearing up for a great summer with the addition of Certified Organic black seeded simpson, yellow summer squash, and green tomatoes. If, like me, you can’t stop thinking about delicious, ripe tomatoes, these green Big and Betterboys may be just the thing to tide you over. Grilled, fried, or salsafied, green tomatoes are always a successful southern crowd pleaser.

Speaking of green tomatoes, the last batch of tomato plants from ABC Nature Greenhouse & Herb Farm have come pre-equipped with a few of their own. Previously confused by a long winter and cool spring, it seems that garden transplants everywhere are in agreement that it’s finally time to get in the ground. If you have room for a few more pepper and tomato plants, order up before it’s too late. Most pepper and tomato plants are now only $0.50! Consider buying a few to give to a friend, neighbor, or donate to a community garden. Who wouldn’t love the gift of fresh veggies all summer long?

-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 Morning Food Clubbers,

The market is open and ready for orders! We hope you’re in the middle of a safe and relaxing holiday weekend chock-full of yummy local foods. Whether you find yourself sitting in one of the cleanest rivers in the country or grilling out with family and friends, there’s no wrong way to enjoy some extra time off in this beautiful weather. Which reminds me, if you ordered food last week and haven’t yet picked up, keep on enjoying that weather tomorrow, since we moved our normal Monday pick-up to Tuesday from 4:30-6. Alas, most good things must come to an end, but nothing will make the post-holiday drag easier than some great, local products, such as:

• Beets are back in full force this week with three different varieties: Organic baby from Crimmins Family Farm and red ace and white blankoma from Willow Springs Market Garden. Beets are just about my favorite veggie, and for those that don’t share this same love, look no further than a wonderful borscht.

• A big welcome back to cucumbers as well. Those babies from Barnhill Orchards look perfect for pickling, and the American slicers from Arkansas Natural Produce would be great in a refreshing cucumber salad.

• This week’s Butcher’s Buy from MeatWorks is especially tempting for a rib-lover like me: About 4 lbs of a mix of pastured pork country and spare ribs at a great price. Even if you’ve overloaded on BBQ this weekend, there’s still plenty of other options to enjoy these delectable ribs.

• So many incredible hummuses to choose from Geek Eats. New to the line-up is caramelized onion and italian herb, loaded with actual sweet chunks of onion. Make sure and follow them on facebook for the chance to snag some special hummus deals.

• Now that we’re truly into bug bite season, I don’t go out without bug banisher from Tammy Sue’s Critters. Found under Bath & Beauty, this all-natural stuff actually works and was a big part of keeping me malaria-free last Summer in Northern Uganda.

• As the bounty of Summer continues to expand, consider a donation from the vegetable section to those less fortunate. Spend your money directly with local farmers like Eddie and the Fulbrights to purchase donation lettuce, kale, or spring mix that will be delivered directly to residents of Gaines House Women’s Shelter or Our House Shelter for the Working Homeless, to help provide quality, nutritious foods to those that can least afford it.

Speaking of which, the Arkansas Local Food Network is incredibly proud to partner with our hosts at Christ Episcopal Church on the Green Groceries Food Pantry. Green Groceries is a super unique food pantry that spends money with small, local farms to get nutritious foods to low-income families in need. Over 30 families are able to get baskets of healthy, local foods every two weeks, and wonderful volunteers always prepare and distribute a recipe of that week’s goodies. For more information or to find out how to assist with Green Groceries, please contact Susie Shinn at 416-9825 or greengroceries@christchurchlr.org.

Happy Holiday!

- 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!

Market Reminder!

It’s really warming up out there, and you know what that means: Riverfest! I know you’re probably far more excited about picking up your awesome local food, but please watch for pedestrians and road closures, and allow a little extra travel time to and from Food Club this Saturday. If, on the other hand, you’re actually so excited about seeing Ceelo that you forget to pick up your order, you’ll still be able to get your goods on Tuesday. That’s right, Tuesday. The Monday pickup is officially moving to Tuesday, just this once, in order to better fit everyone’s holiday weekend plans.

If those plans happen to include grilling, I have great news! The latest mouthwatering gourmet concoction from the ever-inventive folks at MeatWorks Butchery & Market is The Patriot. Grassfed ground beef, white onions, bacon, and blue cheese make this red, white, and blue burger blend the tastiest thing you’ll ever eat in the name of America.

If that’s not enough to convince you to place another order, how about this? We’re coming up on last call for garden transplants, and ABC Nature Greenhouse & Herb Farm wants you have peppers and tomatoes in every variety nature has to offer, all summer long! To make sure you get the most out of your garden this year, virtually all tomato and pepper plants are just over a dollar each. Take advantage of this opportunity by ordering all the unusual heirlooms you may have hesitated to try in the past. But hurry! The Market closes tomorrow morning at 7:30.

-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!