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