Manchester Locally Grown market

We always have a few new farmers, waiting their turn to join our market and offer their wonderful products to all our customers. In order to add more farmers, we feel it would be best to grow our customer base a bit. We want to be able to offer you and your friends some new local farm products.

The farmers and market managers would really appreciate your efforts to help spread the word about our fantastic market. What a great local resource for fresh, local farm products. Please pick up a few business cards to hand out to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Advertising is very expensive, and we want to use our slim market funds in a responsible manner.

To Contact Us

Our Website: manchester.locallygrown.net
On Facebook: Manchester Locally Grown Online Farmers’ Market
By e-mail: tnmomof10@gmail.com
By phone: (931) 273-9708

Our pickup location is across the street from the Manchester City Schools administration building:

Good morning!

Welcome to this week’s offerings from your online farmers’ market. Everything you see on our website is the “cream of the crop” from local farmers, the best products picked and made with pride especially for YOU! When you place an order with our farms, you know you are supporting your friends and neighbors, most located within 30 miles of Manchester, Tennessee.

The market will remain open for your orders till Tuesday at 10 pm.

Please be sure to read the section of the page entitled “Important Ordering and Pickup Information.”

Farm News of the Week

SECRETS PART II

Part 1 of this series may be found on our Weblog from last week. We hope you plan to join us for Open House next Thursday on May 5 and again at our bi-weekly Spring Farmer’s Market starting May 19 and ending June 30.

7. Go Early, but Not Too Early. The best stuff goes fast. A farmer may only have a single flat of ripe, juicy blackberries or a couple of pounds of fresh green peas, so arrive early to make sure you get the best pick of the market’s high-demand, seasonal fruits and vegetables.   Take care, though, not to go too early: some markets disallow sales prior to the official hour and the sale you ask the farmer to make early may very well slow down set-up thus reducing the sales she or he can make later.

8. Go Late but Not Too Late. Farmers may discount their produce toward the end of the day.   No one wants to cart a half case of unsold tomatoes or peaches back to the farm where they have row after row ready for another harvest.   If your budget is tight, attending late may yield the best deals. Sometimes, farmers discount their produce as much as 20% by the end of the day just to get it sold so they don’t have to take it back to the farm.   Of course, the rules and regulations of some markets actually disallow this sort of end-of-the-day blowout pricing, so keep that in mind if you’re late to arrive.  Keep in mind that you shouldn’t expect this kind of discount, or ask for it; rather, be aware that it is a practice that some farmers use.

9. Bring a Cooler. Depending on the market you can find meats, fish, milk, cheese, yogurt, fermented foods and ready-to-eat items that require refrigeration.   By bringing a cooler, you can keep fresh foods that need to be kept cool cold and go back to spend more time at the market – listening to music, watching the kids participate in children’s activities or lunching at one of the concessionaire’s stands.   This way your lettuce won’t go limp, your berries won’t melt and your meat won’t thaw.  When I go to market I keep a cooler in my car, load up, and head right back.

10. Bring Cash and Small Bills. By bringing cash and small bills (plenty of 5s and 1s), you’ll spend less time checking out and more time shopping.  While bigger farmers markets usually have a credit card machine, they are cumbersome, costly and it can be hard to track them down.   Bigger vendors will usually offer credit card and debit card processing; however, this privilege comes at the farmer’s expense.   By bringing cash and – specifically – small bills, you keep money in your farmer’s pocket and you make it easier for him to make change for the masses of folks who bring nothing but $20 bills from the nearby ATM.

11. Buy by the Case. You want to keep your miles-to-the-plate low and keep eating local foods year-round, so consider preserving the harvest and purchase by the case.   Buying by the case and in bulk quantities is cost-effective as most farmers will discount whole boxes of fruit and vegetables by 15-30% – you may even enjoy a further discount if you commit to buying a case or two a week for the duration of the market.  With that level of commitment, you’re getting wholesale prices.

12. Buy the Ugly Stuff. You can reduce your costs even further by purchasing #2 fruits and vegetables. Folks can be fickle about the food they eat and if that peach lacks just the right blush and if that apple isn’t perfectly round, they can be difficult to sell.   The flavor is the same and these fruits and vegetables are great to preserve for the winter months.   Cases of #2 produce can be discounted as much as 50%.   Take care, though, to check the produce thoroughly before making your purchase; some unscrupulous farmers have tried to pass off moldy peaches or maggot-filled sour cherries as #2 fruit (I’ve learned the hard way).  #2 fruit means that the appearance is marred, but not the quality.

13. Know the Crop Calendar. You’d laugh if you knew how often farmers are asked why don’t have tomatoes in March or cabbage in August. If you want to eat in season, you need to respect the seasons. Part of the pleasure of shopping at your local market is developing an appreciation of fresh, local foods at the height of their natural season.   If you’re unsure when blueberries will be in season or when the snap peas will stop producing; ask. And if you’d like to dig further, your county cooperative extension office or your state’s department of agriculture has literature about this. Celebrate your market and your local farmers.   Buy fresh, buy local and buy in season.

MARKET CHITCHAT

WooHoo! We’ve been waiting for the first zucchini listing to share this treat with you! Bon Apetit’!

New & Relisted Products

• Stinging Nettle Tincture
• Red Russian Kale
• Scarlet Kale – Relisted
• Little Gem
• Super Red Romaine Head
• Bibb Butterhead
• Zucchini
• Blanched Swiss Chard Leaves
• Blanched Swiss Chard Stems

THIS WEEK’S GROWER NOTES

We have the best Growers in the Wiregrass! Please learn more about them on our Grower Page.

AVALON FARMS:One of my daily tasks is to wander the gardens and see how things are doing. Finding and addressing a problem early is the best way to keep it from taking over the garden. What needs water or weeding? Leaf damage? What kind of bug did it? What do I need to add to the to-do list for today?
You may be surprised to see leaf growth way before there are very many roots. So don’t be too quick to replant them. Let me know how they do. If something goes wrong just let me know and I’ll send more.

On my walk Thursday morning I found these guys having a party on a sugar snap pea vine. These are leaf-footed bugs, first cousin to squash bugs. They don’t eat plants but pierce the plant and fruit to suck juices out, which causes damage and scarring. Since they were having a party, I provided them with a hot tub. Actually a cup of water with dish detergent that they drowned in. By catching them early, I stopped at least those ones from reproducing. (but there are always more)

Here are a few other interesting things I found on my wanders.

BAIN HOME GARDENS: Good Day Marketeers!
    Today will be an exciting day for us as our oldest will be celebrating his graduation from High School this evening. Of course we are very proud of him but party planning can be overwhelming! He loves the outdoors & loves to eat, so it is only fitting that his party be a cookout.
    We are very happy to introduce a variety of new items this week! Zucchini, Little Gem Lettuce, Bibb Butterhead, Thyme, & Super Red Romaine Lettuce. We have been sampling the lettuces for a while and thought it was time to share. We will also be relisting our Scarlet Kale alongside yet another new listing of Red Russian as our Kale’s Purple Pair. Fyi my favorite color is purple. Our final new listing is Frozen Chard &,Stems. We did the hard work of cleaning, chopping, removing stems, blanching and packaging our Swiss Chard – a serious task –  so you don’t have to.

You can likely ascertain we have been busy planting & cultivating the garden. The excitement of watching new varieties of old things grow is a pleasure beyond compare! Some of these we will get to talk with you directly about in the upcoming Farmers Market days. Please use these time to talk and get to know us as we hope to get to know you Marketeers a little better too.
    Lastly, we really want to thank you Marketeers for the support you give to us at Bain Home Gardens. Seeing your support of the market period, really means so much to all of us growers! Sending 27 more, HOT spring days – from our family to yours!

HAWKINS HOMESTEAD: We believe in companion planting and using organic methods for pest control. Did you know that there are a number of plants that can be used to combat garden pests? For example, take marigolds. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but the bugs are attracted to them instead of your veggies. Especially if they’re yellow! You can also use things like neem oil, diatomaceous earth, or even make up your own spray using common household items like cayenne pepper. We have learned that this is one spice we cannot be without! Sprinkling some of this in our garden beds keeps out the squirrels and our cat, Oscar. Unfortunately, Oscar and the squirrels have decided to make our corn patch their new hiding spot, but we are dealing with that too.

Of course nothing is ever truly safe, but just because your veggies have a few holes doesn’t mean you can’t eat them. It just means the bugs beat you to it. Now we definitely aren’t growing for them and we know you guys aren’t either, but it’s just like that at times.
Sad to say, you will not see this week at the Open House, as we have another engagement. We do plan to be at some of the other ones, coming up soon. To stay up to date on our whereabouts and what we have going on, check out our FB page.

MARY’S PEEPS: Well its coming very quick, yes Mothers Day! So don’t forget to order your cakes early, cause we got to get them in early, Thursday, my usual baking day!  So be sure if you have a favorite get it before its sold.  There is only one of me and I have usuaally bake a lot,  I appreciate all the orders for my cakes, notably the pound cakes, but the buttercream two layer 6 inch are rich and tasty and you can share with others. Please thank your Mothers, and thank God for them, and if you’re a Mother yourself, enjoy your day!  I will for sure!  Thank you Ros for all the help, love and wisdom, and especially the friendship we have shared all these years. God Bless you all.