Locally Grown - Availability for October 31, 2012

Hey Local Food Lovers,

It’s a SPOOKTACULAR week here at Locally Grown. I have several very important announcements so please be sure and read the whole message to get them….but first. Since market day falls right on Halloween this Wednesday I wanted to encourage those of you who like to indulge a sweet tooth now and then to forget about those cheap bags of candy and try some of Carolyn Brewer’s fudge. She has four different varieties including: Double Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate, Milk Chocolate with Pecans, and Peanut Butter. It’s fantastico. Do it for Halloween! If Fudge is a bit too sweet, try Sylvan Falls Mills Biscotti, or Chocolate Layer Cake. There’s also April Alexander’s Cheescakes in Apple Cinnamon, Champagne Pear or Plain varieties.

We have one little CHANGE at Locally Grown this week. We’re enacting our SHORTER PICK UP TIMES starting this week. With the night time coming earlier and the cold definitely coming as well we like to shorten the pickup to 5:00 until 6:30pm. In fact, that’s our regular pickup hours and we extend them until 7pm during the summer and early fall. We’ll be a little lenient this week but please try and come by 6:30 to keep us out of the cold and dark.

We have a small handful of great new items I want to mention this week. Mill Gap Farms has two of them: FRESH GINGER and JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES. We just went to the Mill Gap Farm FEATURED FARMER last Thursday night at Lake Rabun Hotel Restaurant and were able to eat some of both of these items and they were terrific. I want to make your mouth water just a bit by describing a couple of dishes on the menu that night. Actually these are the descriptions right from the menu.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup – creamy soup made with Mill Gap Farm sunchokes and garnished with Mill Gap Farm sorrel.

*Shaved Turnip, Sunchoke, Arugula, & Kale Salad * – marinated Mill Gap Farm Hakurei turnips and sunchokes with Mill Gap Farm arugula and kale, with a balsamic-roasted garlic dressing, and York Hill Farm goat feta, and thin sliced Osage Farm tomatoes.

*Vegetarian Sushi Roll *- nori and sushi rice filled with Mill Gap Farm Daikon radish, Mill Gap Farm Shishito pepper, and Mill Gap Farm carrots, served with a Mill Gap Farm arugula-snow pea salad, and a Mill Gap Farm ginger-roasted carrot puree.

Pork Stir Fry – thinly sliced all natural pork, stir fried with Mill Gap Farm Buthi squash vine tips, Buthi squash, pardon peppers, lemon grass, and ginger, served over organic brown rice.

I bet you wish you’d gone. If you haven’t yet treated yourself to a FEATURED FARMER DINNER at Lake Rabun Hotel you better get your butt in gear because I think this week may be the last one of the season. This week features Turning Creek Artisans and Trillium Farms. It’ll be next Spring before it comes back.

I just have to say that there really is nothing better than having dinner with your farming friends on the night their food is featured at one of the best restaurants in the State of Georgia. That’s not an exaggeration, Open Table named Lake Rabun Hotel & Restaurant one of the Top Ten Restaurants in Georgia. As good as fresh food tastes all of the time, very few can combine such eclectic seasonal items in as phenomenal a way as chef Jamie Allred.

Last but not least, Melon Head Farms has a smattering of sweet potatoes offered. Nothing brings in the colder days of fall like some hot sweet taters. Show ’em your excited by buying them out.

Thanks for supporting our local farms. It’s greatly appreciated.

AND EAT WELL,

Justin in Habersham
and
Chuck in Rabun