Market Reminder & IMPORTANT INFO

Good Afternoon ALFN Members!

I have an important announcement for this weekend’s market. We will not have MONDAY pick-up on January 4th. I just received word that Christ Church will be shut down electrically. All doors will stay in the locked position, and more importantly, all fridges/freezers will be turned off. If you had plans to pick-up on Monday, please change them to pick up on Saturday. If you have an questions or need help changing the order online, please email me!

Also, we have two open shifts for volunteering on Saturday. Please sign up at Volunteer Spot if you can help…and thank you!

Take care,

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

The Market Is Open

ALFN Members,

The market is open. Even after the first day of winter, the market is full of fresh produce. From organic spinach to spaghetti squash, there is enough diversity in our local market to fill the bulk of your meal plans throughout the whole week.

UPDATE

Website Product Categories

We will be making a small change to the categories on the left side of the market website beginning next week. Our aim has been to simplify categories and provide specific sub-categories under “Locally Produced Goods.” Market organization will be food-based with the “Locally Produced Goods” containing all sub-categories for added-value products. You will still be able to search for items, but we believe this small change in category organization will make the shopping experience more intuitive.

Community Market Day

We have a few new projects we are excited to implement in 2016. Starting in January, we will begin having a once a month “Community Market Day.” Every last Saturday of the month, we will celebrate local ingenuity by inviting members to share skills, by inviting a couple of our growers to highlight their products, and by inviting other local artists to present their work. We hope these Community Market Days will be an enjoyable time where ALFN members can linger a bit and, for example, converse with their growers, taste a new smoothie mix or new coffee roast, listen to some local tunes, or take a quick mini-workshop on fermenting vegetables, or natural dyeing techniques. In other words, Community Market Day will be whatever YOU want to share with our larger ALFN community. Our first Community Market Day will be January 30th. If you are interested in sharing a skill, whether it be culinary or craft, please email me. Closer to the date, I will advertise what we will be doing that day. For know, brainstorm what you might enjoy sharing and mark January 30th for Community Market Day. Also, if you are a musician or know musicians who would be interested in playing for an hour or two, please contact me. Piano, tuba, guitar, flute or juice harp—all are welcome to play. Amateur, professional, young or old—all are welcome to play!

Bulk Grains/Flour Survey

Finally, be looking for a survey in the next couple of weeks. We have another project up our sleeves to increase the selection of products on ALFN’s market. We hope to provide access to more regional grains for members who are looking for bulk grains or flours that can be organic and/or non-GMO. We will disperse a survey at the beginning of January to gather data and interest. Our goal is to keep working for ALFN to be a one-stop shop for members that continues to expand the quality and depth of our local economy.

Stay Tuned!!!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

Twas the night before market closing
And all through the website,
ALFN members were furiously ordering with the click of a mouse.

Other ALFN members dreamed of dancing kohlrabi and bubbling goat soap,
While Arkansas growers considered planing more kale and cabbage
Due to an unseasonably hot winter.

When all of a sudden there arose a tremendous shout for joy with laughter,
As ALFN members realized what local beauty and nutrient density
Came from careful cultivation and attention to Earth—our life-giving matter.

Peace

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

Good Afternoon ALFN Members,

We’ve had a beautiful weekend with clear skies and sharp air. ALFN’s market is open this week, but we have a few changes due to the holidays.

We have a number of growers who are taking a break for the holidays. You will notice you will not be able to order products from some growers. Those growers who are on holiday have put their products in vacation mode, and you will not be able to order from them. However, we still have tons of wonderful produce and locally made goods.

Remember, this week you will order any needed party goods for New Year’s Eve. Whether it be black-eyed peas, wonderful cheeses to go with wine, or roasts for New Year’s Day, ALFN market has everything you need to party like a local.

I will definitely need some volunteer help on Saturday. Please sign-up for a slot at Volunteer Spot.

Thanks for all you do and have a wonderful Christmas!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

Good Morning ALFN Members!

Remember to finalize your orders by noon today! The market is full of beautiful products, and during this time of season, gifts! Honey, lotions, herbs, teas, coffees, and fruit are wonderful stocking stuffers! There are seasonal cheeses and festive veggies as well. Have y’all seen the new beautiful quilts made by Bluebird Hill Berry Farm?

Santa Claus ain’t a local, but I know he can’t source some gifts from the north pole. I’m sure he is hoping for more local producers and distributors. This year put some overalls on Santa and gift your friends and family with goodies from our region.

See you at the market!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

The Market is Open!

Greeting ALFN Members,

I believe Santa Claus will visit us this year dressed in beach shorts and tank top. Jack Frost appears to have lost the fight against Panama Jack this year. Some of those summer products in our market may have good sales in the dead of winter…I was actually bitten by mosquitoes yesterday! No worries, I can still purchase natural mosquito repellants and creams in the ALFN market. The market is still full of beautiful produce including tatsoi, spinach, carrots, and turnips. Check out other news in the market below:

• All buffalo products are back in the market by Ratchford Farms. From buffalo tallow, to ground buffalo, to buffalo bones, you can roam the range of products and find an appetite to fit.

• Los Tacos will be back again this weekend with more fresh tamales!

• Arkansas Natural Produce will deliver this week, but will not deliver the weekend after Christmas (26th). So make sure you stock up on ANP products to last you through the next two weeks.

• ABC Nature Greenhouse & Herb Farm is exploding with mushrooms. Just in time for Christmas dinner, they have beautiful Oyster varieties.

• The ALFN board of directors are renewing positions at the end of the year, and we have two positions open. The “At-Large” Board Member position helps out with various needs when they arise…they are the glue that fill the joints of ALFN’s structure! If you are interested in joining the board, please email Alex to request an application: arlocalfoodnetwork@gmail.com.

• So far, we have just over 100 votes for our video in the Super Service Challenge. There are over 1500 active ALFN members alone. Let’s push this effort into hyper-drive. Please share the link on your social media sites, and let’s push these votes into the 1000’s by year’s end!!

Thanks

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Volunteers Needed Tomorrow

Good Morning Folks,

We still need three more volunteers for tomorrow’s market. If you can help, please sign up here: Volunteer Spot.

THANKS!!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Weblog Entry

Good Afternoon ALFN Members!

Remember to finalize your order in the market before tomorrow at noon. We still have loads of produce and locally produced goods available.

Also, please remember to vote and share the ALFN video for Super Service Challenge made by some of our volunteers. The more votes we get, the better the probability of winning!

Speaking of volunteers, we still have slots open in both shifts for helping during this Saturday market. You can sign up here: Volunteer Spot

Have a wonderful day!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

The Market Is Open

Make merry ALFN members!

The market is open! We had a beautiful array of produce yesterday in the market with some true artisanal food. Our tables were full of gorgeous carrots, cabbages, apples, broccoli, and sweet peppers. This week is no different. Order your edible art today!

Important News

1. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Volunteers have entered ALFN in the Super Service Challenge with a new video made by Zack McCannon. How does it work? ALFN is registered to win part of a 1 million dollar prize with this video submission. For every 25 votes of the video, we will get another entry increasing our odds to win. Can you help? Please view the video and vote. THEN, share the video on your facebook or twitter account. The more votes we receive the better our odds. Please view the video here: Super Service Challenge. I would also like to give a shout-out for Zack awesome skills. Zack filmed and edited the video…what talent! Guess what else? Zack is a farmer and grower for the Conway region. How cool is this guy? Check out his urban farm—Bell Urban Farm.

1. WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP! I am needing someone with a small trailer or truck. We have been offered a free fridge, but we need help transporting it. Please email me if you could help transport it, or you would be willing to let me borrow the trailer for an afternoon. Another fridge will be helpful as a back-up and provide further storage for those busy market days during the spring and fall harvests. You should see how packed the fridges are during some Saturday mornings! Please email me at: littlerockfoodclub@gmail.com. Thanks!

Have a great week!

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager

Market Reminder

Good Evening ALFN Members

Remember to finalize your order on the market before tomorrow at noon. We still have beautiful carrots by Little Rock Urban Farming. If you are already planning for your spring garden, ABC Natural Greenhouse and Herb Farm has a few fun seeds you can get now!

Also, I still need some volunteers for Saturday. Here is the link to sign up. Thanks for the help!

This morning, NPR had an interesting little blurb on how climate change affects farmers. The piece looked at how multinational companies like Mars notices changes in production from global cocoa growers. The report cites models that show West Africa drying up with climate change. The interview reminded me of my neighbor in a small village in northern Mozambique. I called her grandma, and she treated me like her grandson. She was a farmer and had been her whole life. She talked about seeing snow, colder temperatures and more consistent rain when she was younger. She knew nothing of international panels on climate change nor the numerous peer-reviewed articles on the subject. What she knew, she knew from experience. In her own way, she knew about climate change because climate patterns were the infrastructure of her way of living and surviving in the world. We need the peer-reviewed articles to coax governmental leviathans into action. But, the evidence is clear for many growers who depend upon climate patterns for a livelihood.

Cheers

Kyle Holton
Program & Market Manager