The Market is Open

Good Morning ya’ll,
The Market is open! Full Fall swing here people.

Our Little Rock Local Food Tour is less than one week away, so now’s the time to buy your tickets. The earlier you buy them, the better we’re able to predict how much dinner to prepare.

We’ll be visiting so many cool places, learning about backyard chickens, school gardens, Autumn crops, cider pressing, coffee roasting. On and on. The weather outside is the opposite of frightful and, fingers crossed, going to be beautiful for an afternoon out in Hillcrest. Don’t forget: the $25 tickets includes dinner, drinks, and Loblolly ice cream.

Questions? Just e-mail me!
__________________________________________________

A few big things on the Market today, including…

• TURKEYS! Fresh frozen, pasture raised turkeys from Youngblood Grassfed Farm. Oh joy. Youngblood and its companion MeatWorks Butchery are doing some innovative things, and I imagine that these turkeys will be a cut above. Not Thanksgiving yet? Personally, I don’t care. Turkey all the time: that’s my bumper sticker.
• Two artisan sausages from MeatWorks: Cajun Green Sausage and German Bockwurst. Made by their own, in-house butcher. Nothing like fresh sausage. They also just uploaded Smoked Pastured Ham.
  In the world of veggies, we’re starting to see the Fall season stabilize: root vegetables, greens, salad fixin’s, and all those Brassicaceae.
• Broccoli from Arkansas Natural Produce and Barnhill Orchards.
• Cabbage from the likes of Kellogg Valley Farm, Barnhill Orchards, & Willow Springs.
• Certified Organic Red Giant Mustard Greens from North Pulaski. A beautiful and tender variety of mustard green.
• Radishes of all kinds: Daikon, Shunkyo, and Scarlet. Fun trivia: The descriptive Greek name of the genus Raphanus (???) means “quickly appearing” and refers to the rapid germination of these plants. As a starchy root, they are a fantastic source of potassium and, if not washed too vigorously, trace minerals.
• Turnips. Some interesting varieties. Crimmins’ Japenese Salad radishes look particularly appealing.
• Arkansas Persimmons from Willow Springs. This native fruit often goes overlooked, probably because of its mushy texture. The flavor, however, is like no other fruit and particularly potent in desserts, the recipes for which Robert has generously promised to provide with each order.
• Bulk Cilantro for Pesto from ANP. I highly recommend cilantro pesto, prepared with toasted pumpkin seeds or walnuts. It’s a delicious alternative to the traditional basil variety.
• Triple Healing Salve from Main St Apothecary. A “first-aid kit in a tin”, so say the Apothecary ladies. Perfect for any cuts or skin ailments. Read more about the Main St Apothecary in this week’s issue of Sync Weekly.
• And a taste of what’s to come from Laughing Stock Farm and Hardin Farms, courtesy of Josh Hardin:
  “Pac Choi, Mei Qing Choi, Tuscan Kale, Turmeric and 3 types of beets planted for ALFN customers, plus Pecans from Hardin Farms.” Can’t wait for those beets.
  ________________________________________

Social sharing from the world of farming and foodies…

• Loblolly Creamery won best professional non-traditional cornbread at the Cornbread Festival yesterday, with their ginger corn cake with miso caramel ice cream and local, homemade blackberry sauce.

• Robert of Willow Springs Market Garden is using nature to predict weather, courtesy of his persimmon seeds:
  “Well, according to the persimmon seed forecast look out for a snowy winter. The shovel shaped seed, instead of a fork, means we will be shoveling a lot of the white stuff.”
• From Laughing Stock Farm, on the problems with the Food Safety Modernization Act…
  “If you love local organic food, take a moment to tell the FDA that the Food Safety Modernization Act has to change or go. No more compost? Farmers markets and CSAs are considered processors? Weekly water tests for surface irrigation? New power to cancel crop insurance and other protective measures with no proof of health threats? Speak up.”
• And something touching from Farm Girl Natural Foods
  “Don’t worry and fret about the crops. After you have done all you can for them, let them stand in the weather on their own. If the crop of any one year was all, a man would have to cut his throat every time it hailed. But the real products of any year’s work are the farmer’s mind and the cropland itself.” – Wendell Berry

See you Saturday in the streets of Hillcrest!
Sincerely,
Sam Hedges