Champaign, OH:  Let’s Get This Party Started!

It’s market time!!

Let’s all get our groove on, and make this a totally happening week!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

The Cumming Harvest - Closed:  Market Closes Soon

Just a friendly reminder that the market orders are due today by 8 pm.

Thank you for placing your order and supporting local farms and businesses!
See you on Saturday!

Click Here To Order

Miami County Locally Grown:  Limited Time for Milk, plus Chicken Backs, Strawberry Cookies, S Hooks, and more!

3lb pkgs of Chicken Backs/Necks from King’s Poultry Farm – a MUST for flavorful soups and broth, only $4!

Handy Hand-forged S Hooks from Live Simply Live Richly Farm!

Another Sourdough Bread Baking Class – Old Ways and Dough Trays – with 6635 StudeBaker at her gorgeous outdoor brick bake oven!

New Weekly Specials on Spiced Pear Fruit Butter and Applesauce Cherry Pie from Jeanne’s Kitchen!

Tender Baby Leaf Swiss Chard from End of the Road Farm!

And look for even more next week – Rachel Lusk is ready to make her Virtual Market debut, carrying the Pizza Crust-making torch from Mosquito Creek Farm! Can’t wait!

Suwanee Whole Life Co-op:  Milk, eggs & fresh harvest

The market is closed this week but there are options if you need items next Wednesday, April 11th…

Milk and Eggs If you need milk and eggs from Cedar Rock text Sam your order by Sunday night. He’ll be at our normal pick up location in Suwanee on Wed 4/11 (Cultured Traditions,1300 Ptree Ind Blvd) from 1:15 til 2:30. His # is 7704905190

Fresh Harvest will be delivering on Wednesday, 4/11 to Pam’s house. Her address is 5957 Shadburn Ferry Rd, Buford, 30518 Pick up will be 1-6:30pm FH will send a reminder to pick up. If you already know you won’t be able to pick up, login to your FH account now and skip this delivery. Pam will donate any boxes that have not been picked up. Pam’s contact # is (404) 406-6341. Thank you again Pam for being so gracious and allowing FH pick up at your home!

Thanks so much,
Nora

Independence,VA:  Market is OPEN for April 11th pickup!

Good evening!

The Market is open and ready for your orders whenever you are ready to place it. There are A LOT of events happening over the next week so, be sure to read about them all at the bottom of this entry.

Please remember the vendor meeting is THIS Friday, see below for more details.

Thank you for all of your generous donations to the Market. To date, we have raised $820.00!

To Donate: IFM Go Fund ME!.

To Shop: Independence Farmers Market.

Upcoming Events:

THIS FRIDAY April 6th at 7 pm, The First Friday Film Series, hosted by Grayson Landcare and Church of the Good Shepherd will be showing The Messenger: Imagine a World Without Birdsong. Moving from the northern reaches of the Boreal Forest to the base of Mount Ararat in Turkey to the streets of New York, The Messenger brings us face-to-face with a remarkable variety of human-made perils that have devastated thrushes, warblers, orioles, tanagers, grosbeaks and many other airborne music-makers.

Have you thought about becoming a vendor at the Farmers Market? Here’s your chance to join returning vendors and find out about the coming season and enjoy a potluck lunch on THIS Friday, April 6th from 10am-2pm at the Skyline Bank Conference Center (please note the change of venue). Check out our Facebook event page for more information.

THIS Tuesday, April 10th from 3-5 pm, Common Ground presents: Appreciating Differences: Promoting and Developing Cultural Competent Communities at the Galax Public Library. We are members of an ever-changing society and America is becoming more diverse, but we often remain culturally encapsulated. Learn how to blossom cultural competence in our community: From appreciating all people you interact with and the communities from which they come from – to our collective role in developing a school and local community where all students and families are valued. Hear examples of how to grow and develop self-awareness, knowledge of others, and cultural skills to understand the complex process of personal cultural competency development and how it can be brought back to our community.

Thank you all so much for supporting the Independence Farmers Market!

Abby

ALFN Local Food Club:  Market Reminder

Good morning!

Don’t forget to place your orders on the market before noon. Have you noticed that honey is back on the market? You can stock up online.
Stay tuned for an exciting message regarding our new website this weekend!

Program & Market Manager
Claire Admire

Champaign, OH:  Last Call!

It’s that time, market customers!!

Almost time for the market to close for the week!!

I hope that you had a lovely Easter, and are having a fun spring break!! I’ve tried to leave you with not a lot of Weblogs to interrupt your fun…but, now, it’s time…

I’ll see you on the flip side!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

The Cumming Harvest - Closed:  This week on The Cumming Harvest

Miami County Locally Grown:  What is Certified Naturally Grown?

Short answer: Certified Naturally Grown was created by a group of farmers as the grassroots alternative to being Certified Organic, specifically for small, diversified family farms for whom the organic certification process is cost prohibitive.

CNG farms are organically operated with an emphasis on biological diversity and ecological balance – we must follow the National Organic Program, same as Certified Organic farmers – no synthetic chemicals, synthetic pesticides, or GMOs!

The CNG program is no less strict than the USDA’s Certified Organic program – both require farmers to follow the organic standards for three years prior to being admitted to either program – and without earning organic premiums.

However, CNG farmers go through an alternate certification process that focuses on small-scale operations and family farms, “not corporate conglomerates” and Big Ag.

CNG farms are inspected by other organic farmers, growers, and even customers, who appreciate the Certified Naturally Grown program being rooted in community with a focus on networking, transparency, and local accountability.

How much Certified Organic food sold in the US is produced overseas, where oversight and verification has proved to be lacking? All the more reason why it’s so important to support your neighborhood farmers, and really know who is growing your food!

CNG farms are ALL here in the US, with annual inspections and strict oversight from the program coordinators, who follow up on each participating farm to ensure anyone in the program is following the rules to a T.

One of the things my husband and I really appreciated when we compared becoming CNG instead of Certified Organic? CNG requires 50ft buffers around your property to keep your certified produce or livestock as far away as possible from your conventional neighbors, and their possible spray drift contaminating your livelihood.

The Certified Organic program only requires 25 ft… and as so many of us organic operators share borders with large-scale conventional farmers, CNG realizes farmers must be diligent in preserving as much space as possible, which is why we maintain a thick fencerow of trees and bushes. 50ft is even necessary insurance against a spray happy, irresponsible neighbor who seeks to eradicate dandelions from the face of the planet.

Out of our 21 acres, we’ve had to take almost 2 full acres out of production so our 50 ft buffers would compensate for the possible contamination we hope to never receive from our neighbors… when you make your living from your land, a 10% loss of available crop ground is massively impactful. We use those buffers for pollinators, wildlife habit and hay for our horses.

We love the inspection process – the questions engage the inspector and farmer to take a thorough look at all the good, as well as how to improve, in both the short and long term. The focus on the positive impact we must have on our immediate and extended environment is so refreshing!

Inspections are something we look forward to every year, knowing we’ll meet a new set of inspectors who’ll come with fresh eyes, understanding our hard work and sharing their own experiences and suggestions for our next year of this farming adventure!

CNG’s peer-reviewed inspections seek to drive producers to surpass the current expectations, for the sake of food safety and transparency, as the goal is to provide a healthy, happy, sustainable food system.

Spa City Local Farm Market Co-op:  The market is closed.

The Spa City Co-op market is now closed for ordering. Please plan to pick up your order this Friday between 3 and 4:30 pm.
Should you be unable to pick up, please arrange for a friend to do so for you.

Karen Holcomb
this week’s market manager
ksholcomb@gmail.com
501-760-3131