The Market is Open and Support us at Whole Foods!

Good Morning,

The market is open and ready for orders. And for what you can’t get on our market, there’s always Whole Foods. Some of you may have heard that our Little Rock store is moving to a new, beautiful, and greatly expanded location at the corner of Chenal and Bowman next to Best Buy. We’re talking in-store smoked meats, enhanced grab-and-go meals, and yup, even a beer and wine bar with pub-style food, 12 taps, and indoor and outdoor seating.

But you wanna know what the best part is? That on this Thursday, February 19th, 1% of all sales go to your Arkansas Local Food Network! This is the perfect opportunity for you to check out the store, get all your shopping done, and support our work to build a stronger local food system.

Thanks so much for your support of good food and we hope to see you Thursday!

- 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!

What better way to show you care for someone, than by preparing them a delicious meal? And the best way to guarentee that meal is truly delicious, is to use fresh, fantastic, locally grown ingredients! So whether the love of your life is your spouse, child, best friend, or dog, take a look around The Market and you’re bound to find a few of their favorite things. Be it spicy vegan stir-fry with broccoli, snow peas, and shiitakes, or slow-roasted bufflo brisket with turnip gratin, or even simple scrambled eggs with sausage, there really is no better way to express your devotion and gratitude. Especially if you also do the dishes.

For those of you who prefer something you can put a bow on, don’t forget to browse the Gift Baskets & Sets catagory for an abundance of great giftables. But make sure you get your order in before The Market closes at noon, or you’ll be stuck spending your Friday night in a long line for mass-produced chocolates and pink teddy bears.

-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 our Board Needs You!

Good Beautiful Morning,

The market is open and ready for orders of delicious local products!

Like many non-profits, ALFN relies heavily on board members to advise and govern our current and future well-being. We’re currently recruiting folks with a passion for local food to fill some recently opened spots on our Board of Directors. We are especially seeking folks with experience in accounting/financial management and fundraising.

If you believe that you or someone you know would make a good fit for our board, please e-mail arlocalfoodnetwork@gmail.com or call 501.291.2769 to learn more. Now go out there and enjoy this weather!

- 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!

As someone who recently delved back into the world of cubicles and recycled air, I’m here to tell you that there’s no better fuel for the work day than fantastic local food. Need a quick breakfast? Try some sourdough toast and muscadine wine jelly. Got a little more time? Throw some pastured eggs, arugula, and ricotta together for a tasty omlette that can only be made more delicious with a dollop of lemon drop pepper jelly. Toss one whole chicken, a few fresh herbs, and some quartered sweet potatoes into a crockpot, and you’ll have a hot dinner waiting for you when you get home, and leftovers for the rest of the week.

Just think, you could have all this and more if you order before The Market closes at noon!

-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 New Products!

Hey There Food Club,

The market is open, and even in the dead of winter, our growers keep us excited and full with loads of new products like…

• Heritage breed pasture-raised brown eggs from McSwain Ranch. Our favorite lamb grower also raises happy and healthy hens that are now laying delicious eggs!

• Red Russian kale from Arkansas Natural Produce, which I’d say should be sauteed with smoked paprika.

• A whole host of preserved products from Drewry Farms & Orchards, including spicy pickled green tomatoes, chow-chow, apple jelly, blueberry peach spread, cinnamon apple jelly, peach spread, rhubarb berry jam, and Kenny’s best ever salsa. They’re also baking apple cranberry, honey sweet potato, and Italian garlic and herb breads, harvesting honey, and yes, they’ve STILL got plenty of Arkansas black apples!

• Tammy Sue’s Critters is at it again, this time with adorable pumps filled with her homemade goat’s milk lotions. These come in a variety of scrumptious scents including cherry almond, gracious gardenia, grapefruit, juicy pear, lavender, lemon verbena, lemongrass, midnight pomegranate, peppermint, southern peach, or unscented.

• Willow rooting compound from Food For Thought Farm. I had to Google it, but this stuff apparently works magic for propagating plant cuttings.

Thank you for supporting local growers all year-round!

- 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!

Sunday! Sunday!! Sunday!!!

Whether you’re cheering for the one team or that other team, don’t forget that the best part of The Big Game is the food! Lucky for you, we have an abundance of treats just waiting to be ordered.

For many folks, tailgating (even if you do it in your living room) means meat! If you happen to be on of those people, check out the Meat section for a smorgasbord of carnivorous culinary options. You can’t go wrong with brats, hot dogs, or steaks, but if you have a little more prep time in your schedule, some slowly smoked ribs will definitely impress. Then again, there’s ground beef galore on The Market,
and meatballs and burgers are classic game day grub.

If 2015 feels like the year to start thinking outside the box for your sports related snacking needs, why not order some pastured eggs, animal welfare approved ham, and shiitake mushrooms so you can whip up a batch of mini quiches? And if you love deviled eggs but can’t peel a pretty egg, add a loaf of ciabatta to your order and give deviled egg toast a try. Leave off the ham and garnish with fresh jalapenos or jalapeno pickles for a little vegetarian-friendly kick. Speaking of veggie-friendly fare, you can’t go wrong with kale chips and sweet potato fries. Add a little extra cumin and cayenne, and omnivores and herbivores alike will love ’em.

Then again, you might have a lot of face painting to do, and those giant foam fingers make terrible oven mitts. Order an assortment of hummus (hummuses? hummi?) with bok choy and sweet colored peppers for dipping, and can have a tasty local snack spread without spending a minute in the kitchen.

Whatever you choose, be sure to order before The Market closes at noon tomorrow!

psst… Annual Sports Day isn’t the only holiday on the horizon. St. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner as well. Take a quick peek at the Gift Baskets & Sets section for some fantastic gift ideas.

-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 Congrats to the Root!

Howdy Food Club,

The market is open and ready for your orders of delicious local food! One of my favorite parts about volunteering at Food Club is getting to see all of the incredible products you order first-hand. Just yesterday I was especially inspired by (and jealous of) those of you that ordered…

• Banana nut bread from Bluebird Hill Berry Farm. Sure, I could try to bake my own at home, but this one tastes so good, what’s the point? I hear it’s the pineapple that really takes this bread to a level of ultra-dense deliciousness.

• I’d take a good pork chop over just about anything, any time, any where…you get the picture. Get ‘em smoked or not from Falling Sky or Crescent Creek farms’ happy hogs. I’ll be trying mine with this skillet-to-oven technique.

• I’ll be honest, besides the occasional smoothie, I wouldn’t know what to do with the bounty of frozen fruit we’ve got on the market. Luckily, my partner Marisa substituted local pecans and honey into this blueberry and raspberry baked oatmeal recipe and let me tell you, I’ve never been so excited to eat oatmeal!

• After weeks of jealousy from handing it to others, I finally ordered my own Geek Eats cilantro almond pesto, and I’ve already put it on just about everything I’ve eaten since yesterday. It is definitely one of the most delicious things on the planet, and I’ve certainly had my share of delicious things.

• I love pickled things. Period. There’s just something about that vinegary-sweetness that makes it hard for me to put a jar down. Thankfully The Root Cafe preserves our local produce in the most delicious way possible with their green tomato, honey pilsner, and jalapeno pickles.

Speaking of The Root, check out why they’re having the best year ever. They recently received a $150,000 grant from JPMorgan Chase Bank, which they’ll use to expand operations and start offering dinner later this year! The Root is truly fulfilling their mission of building community through local food, so when they win, we all win. Congrats to all of us, but especially to the Root for all the well-deserved awards!

Locally yours,

- 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!

Order Up!

Despite the lengthy weekend, it’s already Tuesday again. Time to get your order in before The Market closes, so you can enjoy yet another week of awesome local food. So let your fingers mosey on over and check out everything our fantastically dedicated farmers have to offer. Including, but not limited to:

Juniper berries. Even if you don’t distill your own gin, these little blue beauties are a worthy addition to your culinary arsenal. And while you’re in the Herbs & Spices category, consider picking up some fresh rosemary. This is, after all, a delivery week for White River Creamery, which means delicious ricotta dip is only a few ingredients away. Don’t forget the bok choy for dipping!

-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 for a Happy Holiday!

Oh, What a Beautiful Holiday Weekend!

I guess that’s an Arkansas winter for you…sub-zero temps one week, gallivanting-through-a-field-singing-The Sound of Music the next. Before you head outside, consider placing an order of delicious local food from the market, because nothing goes better with good weather than good food!

In honor of the holiday, I leave you with this:

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

Step right up and place your order! The Market is still open and ready to fulfill all your local foodie needs. From arugula to zucchini, we have all the hardy winter produce and frozen fruits and veggies you could want, along with a few delicate greenhouse-grown goodies, too. And don’t forget the fresh herbs! Just a pinch each of fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme is enough to make any dish sing.

For those of you who prefer to leave the cooking to other folks, you’ll be pleased to hear that Drewry Farm & Orchard is back in action with their Arkansas black apple and sweet potato pies. I won’t lie, these are tasty pies, but I like to hoard Arkansas black apples in their unadulterated form to munch on for months to come.

Whatever you fancy, you should know that we’ll be here for the Monday pickup in spite of the holiday. If you won’t be around and need to make other arrangements, just reply to this weblog and we’ll do our best to make sure you can take advantage of this mid-winter bounty.

-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!