To Contact Us

Athens Locally Grown
athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown

Recipes

Whipped Kohlrabi and Potatoes

You can’t go wrong with this combination. It places your mashed potatoes in a different league than grandma’s—but makes them just as great. Make this for your next holiday feast, and you certainly won’t have any left over. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.

Serves 4

1 pound baking or russet potatoes (about 4 potatoes)
2 pounds kohlrabi (about 8 medium bulbs)
3 to 4 tablespoons butter
1/4–1/2 cup milk or cream, depending on how rich and creamy you like it
1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper

1. Boil the potatoes and kohlrabi separately (use two pots if need- ed) until tender, 20 to 35 minutes depending on size. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid from either vegetable.
2. Peel the potatoes and kohlrabi. Mash them together in a large bowl. (Larger, more mature kohlrabi should be run through a food mill to remove fibers.)
3. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of the milk or cream. Heat until almost simmering and remove from heat.
4. Pour the butter mixture over the potato mixture. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste and beat until fully combined and smooth. Add another 1/4 cup of milk or cream for more rich creaminess, if desired. If you want a smoother texture, slowly stir in the reserved cooking water until it reaches the desired consistency. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Market News

As it does every year, Christmas snuck up on me once again. Athens Locally Grown will be open next week, but I’m still finalizing the details. It looks like we’ll move our pickup day to Wednesday the 23rd instead of having it on Christmas eve, but I’ll know for sure by next weekend. This week, we’ll be on our usual Thursday schedule.

Many of you have been asking about the raw milk situation, and where things stand. Progress is being made, but it’s slow, and ongoing. There are four approaches to returning access to clean raw milk to you. All four are being worked on, by us or other interested parties. Here’s where we are:

1. The first approach is to work within the existing law. Georgia does allow the sale of raw milk from Georgian dairies, so long as it is sold as pet food and the dairy has a pet food license, available for only $75. There are dairies around the state that do this, but I can’t vouch for the cleanliness of their milk, and right now I’m not comfortable letting them sell through ALG. None are in our immediate area, anyway, so it’s not like they’re asking to get in. There is an area licensed dairy that I’m very comfortable with, but they have not yet decided to sell raw milk to the public. They are considering it, and we’ll see where that leads. Even though this is legal under state law, however, just this week state agriculture officials have begun harassing farmers selling this way. For example, the market manager at the Norcross farmers market was told by two agents that it is against the law to sell raw milk even with a license (which is just false), and that she would be “held responsible” if a regular raw milk pet food vendor continued to sell there. This latest action is particularly alarming, and I’m trying to get more details as to what exactly happened.

2. The second approach is to change the law through legislation. I’ve mentioned the federal bill introduced by Representative Ron Paul that would clarify the FDA’s ban on interstate movement of raw milk, and would specifically unambiguously allow what Athens Locally Grown was doing — facilitating your purchase of raw milk from South Carolina dairies. The other leg to this is to get Georgia law re-written, so that raw milk could be sold for human consumption. State Rep. Bobby Franklin has introduced a bill that would remove all regulations on raw milk. I personally favor an approach more like South Carolina’s, where the milk is tested and certified free of pathogens. That insures a good clean milk that, frankly, grain fed and confined cows just can’t provide. Athens Rep. Doug McKillip is investigating this approach. A year ago, I would have said that neither bill would have a chance of passing. This year, though, with all the coverage this issue has received in the press, it might have a better chance. If you’d like to help, contact your state representative and senator and tell them you’d like to see raw milk become available in Georgia (whether regulated like S. Carolina or not regulated at all). Also, contact your federal representative and senators and let them know you’d like to see Ron Paul’s bill pass.

3. The third approach is through the courts, to get judges to rule that either the FDA’s ban is unconstitutional on its face, or that its enforcement of the rule agains individuals and purchasing clubs is wrong. We are among the plaintiffs of a pending suit that hopes to achieve this. It’s in the final stages with the lawyers before it gets filed, so hopefully we’ll see some news on it soon.

4. The fourth approach is activism to try and convince the state department of agriculture that they are wrongly enforcing the rules, or to try to force the issue beyond what happened to us in October. One person is organizing a group milk purchase, to be held in the open, and is practically daring the ag department to interfere. The delivery will happen near Athens, and he is looking for individuals who are willing to order milk through him and take part in this delivery. You can find details on his website: http://juicymaters.com/blog1/?page_id=355. I know some of you have wanted to be more active in this, and here’s one way you can. Without milk orders, his protest won’t have any effect.

Across the country, the FDA has suddenly stepped up its actions against raw milk. It is putting pressure on states to do the same. For example, in Springfield, Missouri, agents went to the trouble of setting up an undercover sting operation against a dairy family, and filed charges that might result in jail time for the family. I’m watching this one very closely, because it has direct consequences for Athens Locally Grown. In Missouri, raw milk is legal for a dairy to sell directly to consumers off the farm. The dairy is allowed to deliver that milk, but cannot sell it off the farm. This particular dairy took pre-orders (much like ALG) and had their customers pay in advance, and then delivered to a parking lot (again, much like ALG). One week, two customers who had ordered a gallon each didn’t show to pick up their milk. Another customer offered to buy the two gallons so that they wouldn’t go to waste. The two young women making the delivery, daughters in the dairy family ages 17 and 21, agreed and as money changed hands, the undercover agents came out of hiding. For this, they face jail time. You can find out more about this at Springfield’s local newspaper here: http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009912060312.

Every week, we have two or three people who fail to pick up their orders. I used to make home deliveries for these people, or hold the items for the next day, and so forth, but the legal restrictions now keep me from doing any of that. Now, if you don’t come, your items get donated and I charge you anyway. If you reach me while market is still open, I put your items on the “extras” table so that others may buy them and reduce your liability. But now, given this action in Springfield, I have to see if even doing that doesn’t expose me to too much risk. I certainly can’t ask my volunteers to risk jail time to sell a pack of hamburger on your behalf if you can’t make the pickup. It’s all ridiculous, but also part of a dangerous and scary pattern.

I’d earlier put up video my wife took of the milk dumping at my farm on YouTube. This week I got some footage shot by the professional videographer for the upcoming documentary “Farmageddon” and was given permission to share it with you. It’s a bit over six minutes long, and you can find it at http://athens.locallygrown.net/files/document/document/346/milkdumping.mp4

Athens really gets to show off our local food system this winter, as the Georgia Organics annual conference is being held in Athens on February 18-20. The keynote speaker will be Slow Food Founder and Leader, Carlo Petrini. Also attending is Woody Tasch, a leader of the “Slow Money” movement, and Alice Varon, director of the Certified Naturally Grown program. And at least 1200 others, all dedicated to the sustainable production and distribution of healthy locally grown foods. For the first time, they’re opening up the trade show portion of the conference to the general public, but if you’d also like to attend the conference itself (there are tracks for farmers, gardeners, cooks, and others you’d be interested in) they will be opening up registration very soon. Even if you won’t be attending yourself, please consider this: to make the travel expenses more affordable for farmers who travel from across the state (and beyond), Georgia Organics is looking for Athens households willing to host a farmer in their home during the conference. Check your calendars, see if you have a room you’re willing to share, and if so please let Georgia Organics know by emailing Jonathan Tescher at jonathan@georgiaorganics.org or by filling out the form you can find at http://athens.locallygrown.net/files/document/document/334/2010HomeStaysForm.pdf.

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

The Athens Farmers Market has closed for the winter. You can watch for news during the offseason on their website. The other area markets are also all closed for the season too. All but Athens Locally Grown, that is.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

To Contact Us

Athens Locally Grown
athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown

Recipes

Cauliflower Saffron Dill Risotto

Risotto is commonly served as a first course, but served with a salad it’s a great meal on its own. The possibilities are endless: vegetables, meats, seafood, cheese, or a combination of any of these. You have only to master the simple, basic technique of preparing risotto, and you will always be less than an hour away from a fantastic, satisfying meal. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.

Serves 4 to 6

5 cups light vegetable, chicken, or beef stock
1/2 teaspoon chopped saffron threads
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 pound cauliflower (about 1/2 head), finely chopped
2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1. In a large pot, heat the stock to just below a simmer. Stir in the saffron.
2. Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a heavy, preferably enamel-coated cast- iron pot. Heat over medium-high until butter is melted. Add the onion; cook over medium-high heat until onion is slightly golden, about 10 minutes.
3. Set some water to heat in a tea kettle or saucepan in case you need it in the next steps.
4. Add the cauliflower to the onions in the pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rice and add salt to taste; cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is lightly brown, 3 minutes.
5. Add 1/2 cup of the hot stock; cook, stirring constantly, until all the stock is absorbed by the rice, 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Continue as described above, adding another 1/2 cup of stock after each addition is fully absorbed. This will take between 25 and 30 minutes total. The rice should not be mushy and should have a little bite in the center. If you have run out of stock, and the rice is still not tender enough, continue with hot water.
7. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining butter and the Parmesan cheese and dill.

Market News

Athens really gets to show off our local food system this winter, as the Georgia Organics annual conference is being held in Athens on February 18-20. The keynote speaker will be Slow Food Founder and Leader, Carlo Petrini. Also attending is Woody Tasch, a leader of the “Slow Money” movement, and Alice Varon, director of the Certified Naturally Grown program. And at least 1200 others, all dedicated to the sustainable production and distribution of healthy locally grown foods. For the first time, they’re opening up the trade show portion of the conference to the general public, but if you’d also like to attend the conference itself (there are tracks for farmers, gardeners, cooks, and others you’d be interested in) they will be opening up registration very soon. Even if you won’t be attending yourself, please consider this: to make the travel expenses more affordable for farmers who travel from across the state (and beyond), Georgia Organics is looking for Athens households willing to host a farmer in their home during the conference. Check your calendars, see if you have a room you’re willing to share, and if so please let Georgia Organics know by emailing Jonathan Tescher at jonathan@georgiaorganics.org or by filling out the form you can find at http://athens.locallygrown.net/files/document/document/334/2010HomeStaysForm.pdf.

We have a new vendor this week. Zocalo Salsas is a fixture at many Atlanta area farmers markets with their freshly made salsas and tamales, made with locally grown ingredients, and now you can also find them at Athens Locally Grown.

In addition, you’ll find the new products carousel is full of new listings from the rest of our growers. There are 724 products listed at the moment, which is pretty good for a farmers market in December, I’d say.

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

The Athens Farmers Market has closed for the winter. You can watch for news during the offseason on their website. The other area markets are also all closed for the season too. All but Athens Locally Grown, that is.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

To Contact Us

Athens Locally Grown
athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown

Recipes

Young Turnip Salad with Apples and Lemon Dressing

Raw young turnips are sweet, with a tender-firm crunch. In this refreshing salad, lemon juice and tart, crispy apples accentuate both of these qualities. For a sweet treat, try tossing in some raisins, or top with chopped and freshly toasted pecans or walnuts. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.

Makes about 2 cups

1 cup peeled and grated raw young turnips (about 2 medium turnips)
1 cup peeled and grated tart apples (Granny Smith or greenings) (about 1 large apple)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon vegetable
oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Toss the turnips, apples, parsley, lemon juice, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Market News

This week we welcome back Fred’s Bread, the baker in Honea Path, South Carolina who not only bakes to order, but also grinds the flour he uses immediately prior to baking. Without the raw milk, we weren’t able to justify driving all the way out to meet him, but we’ve adjusting things on our side and he’s agreed to come in a little closer, so now we should be able to continue to include him in the market from now on. This means the market is once again offering everything it did before the raw milk fiasco, except, of course, the raw milk itself. We’re also experimenting with allowing Split Creek to remain permanently listed on the website instead of only listing them every other week. So, you won’t have to remember if this week is a cheese week or not. The answer will always be “yes”.

We will be closed next week for Thanksgiving. It is the only week a year we completely close down. If you wanted ingredients for your Thanksgiving meal (and you could make the entire meal with what’s listed here), be sure to purchase them this week.

We’ve looked ahead on the calendar to next month. Even though Christmas Eve is on a Thursday, we do plan on being open that week. It still depends on the growers, of course, and there’s a chance we may move the pickup to Wednesday. We’ll keep you informed there.

Many of you have asked about local turkeys for your Thanksgiving meal. There is only one grower of naturally raised heritage beed turkeys, and that is Nature’s Harmony Farm. Unfortunately, they’re just one farm and the demand is so great that they actually sold out way back in May. Or February, even. A very long time ago. If you’d like to know about their turkeys for next year, head over to their website and sign up for their email newsletter. You may still be able to find turkeys raised with care from other farms across the country, perhaps even a state or two away, that will ship to you. Just head over to localharvest.org to search for those.

Our new location, Ben’s Bikes, seems to be working out well. We’re still tweaking things on our end, especially with how we organize the growers as they arrive with their items, but it has been going very smoothly. I hope you agree. We are planning on a few projects over the winter to make things even better for us when spring rolls around, and I’m sure we’ll need some extra hands making those happen. I’ll keep you up to date on that as well.

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

The Athens Farmers Market has closed for the winter. You can watch for news during the offseason on their website.

The Georgia Organics annual conference being held in Athens on February 18-20. The keynote speaker will be Slow Food Founder and Leader, Carlo Petrini. To make the travel expenses more affordable for farmers who travel from across the state (and beyond), Georgia Organics is looking for Athens households willing to host a farmer in their home during the conference. Check your calendars, see if you have a room you’re willing to share, and if so please let Georgia Organics know by filling out the form you can find at http://athens.locallygrown.net/files/document/document/334/2010HomeStaysForm.pdf.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

To Contact Us

Athens Locally Grown
athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown

Recipes

Creamy Choi Soup

This recipe takes the flavors of a Japanese clear vegetable soup and gives them a spin… in the blender… with a potato and a touch of sour cream. The soup ends up thick and slightly creamy — and, incidentally, a lovely shade of jade green. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.

Serves 4

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 cup chopped scallions (about 3 scallions), divided
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh ginger
1 pound choi (any kind), chopped
1 large potato, peeled, diced
3 cups vegetable stock or water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
hot pepper flakes, to taste
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons sour cream

1. Heat the peanut oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Set aside a couple tablespoons of scallions for a garnish. Add the remaining scallions, garlic, and ginger to the pot. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add the choi and potato. Pour in the stock or water and add the salt, pepper, and hot pepper flakes to taste. Increase the heat and bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the potato is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the pot from heat. Stir in the toasted sesame oil.
3. Transfer the soup to a food processor or a blender and puree. Ladle soup into individual bowls.
4. Garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped scallion. Serve immediately.

Market News

Well, we had a very successful move to our new location last week. In case you missed the news, our Thursday pickups are now at Ben’s Bikes, located at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets. Their address is 670 W. Broad Street, but their entrance is off Pope Street. That intersection is between downtown and Milledge Avenue. The building is shared by several businesses, including a video store and an alterations shop. Those businesses are right along Broad Street, but Ben’s Bikes has the entire bottom floor of the building, and has an entrance at the rear.

I fully expected some chaos, but by and large things went very, very smoothly. We’ll keep tweaking things to adjust to the new space, but there weren’t any major problems at all. There are a few things that can be done to make the space better for both us and the folks at BEn’s Bikes, including sheltering the doors from the rain, adding some plastic strips to the roll-up door to keep the weather out and the heat in, and so forth. They’re the kind of things that many hands can make light work of, and so we’ll be calling a volunteer work day for a Sunday afternoon, probably early next month. I’ll have more details as we plan a bit better later on.

Today I was reminded yet again that our area is full of wonderful events, groups, and social activities that may have been occurring like clockwork for years and yet remain just out of sight. This time we discovered HemlockFest, an annual benefit music festival held the first full weekend of November outside of Dahlonega to increase public awareness and generate funds to help save the Eastern and Carolina Hemlock trees. It lasted for three days, but we just drove up for today, and it was well worth the ninety minute drive. There was live music throughout the day (including the Solstice Sisters), lots of artisans and craftsmen, Appalachian lore demonstrations, canoeing on the small lake there, etc. This is such a busy time of year, and it was great to take the family for a short day trip to something both fun and peaceful. You can learn more about the festival and the plight of the Appalachian HEmlocks here: http://www.lumpkincoalition.org/HemlockFest.htm

Last week, I mentioned the Georgia Organics annual conference being held in Athens on February 18-20. The keynote speaker will be Slow Food Founder and Leader, Carlo Petrini. To make the travel expenses more affordable for farmers who travel from across the state (and beyond), Georgia Organics is looking for Athens households willing to host a farmer in their home during the conference. Check your calendars, see if you have a room you’re willing to share, and if so please let Georgia Organics know by filling out the form you can find at http://athens.locallygrown.net/files/document/document/334/2010HomeStaysForm.pdf.

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

The State Botanical Gardens is hosting Sustainability: Bring It Home! It will be a full weekend program November 13 through 15 focusing on ways homeowners can accomplish sustainablity.

“Sustainability: Bring It Home!” is a weekend workshop for people who want to transform their home into a fun and practical part of a more ecological world. This comprehensive workshop is filled with interactive presentations and hands-on sessions that educate and inspire participants to create home systems to meet their needs for food, water, and energy as locally, sustainably, and economically as possible. Topics will include: Home Energy Alternatives; Home Orchards and Forest Gardens; Annual and Perennial Vegetable Gardens; Soil Health and Composting; Raising Animals at Home; Natural Building; Creative Erosion Control; Rainwater Catchment; and Creating an Ecological Neighborhood. Registration is available at www.uga.edu/botgarden/educationalevents.html

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!