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Weekly Newsletter
This post expired on June 09, 2023.
It has come to my attention that users who have their email set for “plain text” experience a very hard to read document (no lines between paragraphs). For Chrome users or plain text users, please go to the Market and choose Weblog…it’s easier on the eyes!
Greetings All:
Market pickup this past Thursday was busier than ever and loads of fun! In addition to regular orders which were at a record 42 – we had peaches by the pound and many wonderful items on the Farmers’ Sale Table that folks added to their orders. There were several times that things got a little crazy and people had to wait to get checked out – but everyone was patient and all got served. Thank you!
Thanks go out to Betsy and Jeff Blankenship who assisted with all of the boxes that need to be assembled to hold your produce items! Thanks for taking your time to help us out!
A very special thank you to Margaret Mills, who came back after she had picked up her order and helped us close Market, break down displays, pack up and break down tables – a huge job — know that we are grateful, Margaret! You are a STAR!
The produce from Fry Farm and Doug’s Garden was plentiful, fresh and beautiful! Combined with the nicely packaged (and of course), yummy Bakery items and breads offered by My Daily Bread, the entire scene made an striking impact on people when they walked in the door! We had some produce left at the end of the evening and several loaves of bread! That Farmers’ Table was an impressive sight and unfortunately, we got too busy before we got a picture!
Mary Beth Sellars of Joyful Noise Acres Farms was our Farmer of the Week and helped organize and serve customers! In addition, she was running her own Table and had tasty samples of her chicken to share! The roasted chicken she made was delicious and the BBQ chicken Mary made utilizing her Organic BBQ seasonings was equally great! Everyone enjoyed the tasting! Thank you Mary Beth for offering your wonderful products at our Market and for all of your help this past week!
Now – If you want to skip reading the rest of my musings, which do include Market News, Weekly Specials, Farmer of the Week information for this Thursday, news about upcoming Events and Classes, little known facts and tidbits about ‘this and that’ and links to interesting Blogs and/or articles, and a personal note from me then click Take me to the Market.
You can access this and other Newsletters/Blog postings by clicking on the Weblog tab on the website!
Still here? Great! Grab a large glass/cup of your preferred beverage and let’s read on!
I gave you the highlights of Market Day but I can’t say this enough: Mary and I love Market pickup! It is made especially enjoyable by seeing the reactions of folks when you see your orders and let us know how happy you are with the items! The ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ over the gorgeous produce that is coming in from our great Produce Growers lets us know that you are happy campers! We are truly blessed to have Farmers/Growers and Artisans who are passionate and dedicated to providing the community with such healthful, beautiful, fresh, local and tasty items! Just keeping up with our Garden is a job — and I cannot imagine providing for an entire community! Vicky and Steve of Fry Farm, Doug of Doug’s Garden Ricky of Back River Farm and Brennan and Gwendolyn of Phoenix Gardens, please know that we are grateful to you for your hard work and for being a part of the Heirloom Living Market Family!
Wednesday was a busy day for Mary as she checked out the Decatur Farmers’ Market! I have it on very good authority that we will soon have the opportunity to purchase RAW cheeses! Mary and I hope to finalize things with the Producer this week. She also spoke with Salsa maker!
While Mary was busy in Decatur, I went to the The Grayson Farmers’ Market Wednesday evening to check out their offerings! Several of our Farmers were there! I had a chance to visit with Ricky Brown from Back River Farm for a few minutes! Linda Brady of B&G Farms was also there and she was busy taking care of customers purchasing her fine meats! There were some other good products and I took my time checking out everyone’s offerings. I spoke with several people, so keep your eyes open for a couple of new local Artisans in the very near future!
I missed the Lilburn Farmers’ Market Friday evening – give me a break, it was my birthday – and I plan on going to Market this Friday! They have some interesting offerings, so I am excited to go and see for myself! Anyone want to join me?
We love for you to shop with us; but you probably shop Publix for some items, Kroger for others, Whole Foods for still others! So it makes sense that you shop the Traditional Farmers’ Markets! Why encourage you to do so? Because we believe in supporting local businesses! When you see one of our Farmers at another Market, stop and say hello and let them know you are part of Heirloom Living Market! Buy local!
Education
CheeseMaking 101 is scheduled for June 22nd – Saturday from 9:00am to 1:00pm. There are still a couple of spaces left. Make your reservation today and join Mary for a FUN and informative class. Take home 3 different cheeses that you will prepare in class. Learn the basics so you can join in the Intermediate and Advanced Classes to be offered later this summer!
Updates and New Offerings
Duck Egg Update
Well, it appears the Ducks are finally getting with the program and starting to lay…kinda..sorta…well, not very many..but they have started! Lisa has put a limited quantity on the Market this week and perhaps she will bring extras to Market! So, a bit of patience is still in order and soon we will have more Organic Duck Eggs on the Market! In the meantime, be sure and pick up your Organic Chicken eggs from Golden Farm!
Produce Availability Update
Fry Farm, Back River Farm, Doug’s Garden and Phoenix Gardens have a plethora of gorgeous and tasty produce for us this week! There are Artichokes, Cabbage Heads, Rainbow Carrots, Green Beans, Collards, Lettuce Mixes and whole Lettuce Plants, Kale, 3 kinds of yellow Squash, 3 varieties of Zucchini, Sugar Snap Peas, Parsnips, 4 types of Beets, (Wow! Check them out! 4 different colors — who knew??) Radishes, Turnips, Young Spinach, Fresh Herbs, Fresh Garlic,New Potatoes, Yukon Gold Potatoes and Swiss Chard! Tomatoes and Peppers will be joining the offerings very soon!
Produce Box Update
The Produce Box offered by Doug’s Garden has a great variety of Veggies! Swiss Chard, Turnips, Kale, White Radishes, Red Radishes, Lettuce and Green Onions are still available! Other goodies that have just entered the race are: Cauliflower, Pearl Onions, Carrots, Beets and Broccoli and soon Yellow Squash, Green Beans, Cucumbers and Tomatoes will make an appearance! Doug will include vegetables that are ready for harvest Thursday morning! The produce boxes are bountiful and the veggies beautiful, freshly harvested and delicious! Order one today! Look for individual Veggie offerings too! And please check in with Mary at pickup for recipes to help you make delicious meals using everything in your Produce Box!
Note: All of your produce is picked on the day that it is delivered to Market! Talk about fresh! Everything is ‘field washed’, meaning the dirt is mostly gone, but produce does need to be washed before storing!
Raspberry Alert Doug of Doug’s Garden, still has Raspberries again this week. The supply is limited, so order quickly if you want to be enjoying this delicious fruit later in the week. He says they should be available for the next several weeks! Doug picks daily, so your Raspberries go from bush – to Market pickup in a matter of hours!
Speaking of Fruit …
Blackberries, Blueberries and more Raspberries will be added as soon as they are ready to be harvested. We will have several Farmers/Growers offering these items — Availability will be announced in the Newsletter and on the Market page!
IMPORTANT: Peaches MUST be ordered by Monday at 9:00pm
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We have listed peaches on the Market. You can purchase them by the pound or by the box (16lbs)! This week we can still get ClingStone peaches. They are juicy, fresh, organic and delicious! At the end of the month, FreeStone Peaches will be harvested and a little later in the summer, 3 different varieties of White Peaches will become available. I ate some peaches this weekend and froze some for a treat later! What did you do with the peaches your purchased last week?
Both Mary and I are committed to buying local, for all but pantry, non-perishable items that we cannot get locally. An exception was made for peaches because no one (with a large orchard) in the state of Georgia grows peaches organically…and truthfully, we both wanted ‘clean and safe’ peaches that hadn’t traveled from California, Mexico or some where far away to get here! South Carolina is close and the peaches are picked at after the close of Market and refrigerated immediately until delivered to us at Market! So, we hope that you all understand the ‘executive decision’ and having peaches on the Market for the season is a treat for you too!
Volunteers
You will see a new face at Market this week! Cristal McCoin will be helping us serve you at Market pickup! Yay, Cristal – thanks for volunteering to help us! Welcome!
If you are interested in volunteering at Market pickup for set-up, Vendor delivery, Customer pickup, breakdown or any / or all of the above, please contact us! We would love to have you!
Weekly Specials
Rusty has once again blessed us with the Buy One – Get One Free deal for Goat Milk from Little Tots Estate! (All Goat Milk is labeled for ‘Pet Consumption’ as required by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and is the only way raw milk can legally be sold in the state of Georgia.)
And the weekly update on The Black Lab and Goat Milk – I am happy to report Dudley is still on his best behavior as far as stealing helping himself to my milk. He does sit by the fridge if I forget to pour some in his bowl after Breakfast and Dinner! He enjoys his daily ration and loves his goat milk kefir! Recently, I purchased some Chicken Pet Food Supplement and Pork Pet Food Supplement from B&G Farms and he gobbles both down. It is added in with some barley, quinoa, green beans and carrots. Some people would say he is spoiled!
Patchwork Pastures has continued the GREAT deal this week on Laundry Detergent! It works, smells good and is less expensive than the yucky stuff full of chemicals that harm us. What’s not to like? The refill is also available at a discount!
Graduation celebrations are coming to a close! It is not too late to choose a Graduate Gift Bag from Good Shepherd Herbals which contains many herbal items (3 goat milk soaps in yummy scents, a jar of Beulah Balm and a bag of Wise Woman Tea) – a $37 value for $30! This is a perfect gift for that special graduate embarking on a new adventure (and perhaps getting her own apartment!).
My Daily Bread has a Bakery Basket which would make a great graduation gift, Hostess Gift, Birthday Gift! Mary ordered one this past week and called it a “Blessings Basket”! Dabrielle will customize it with whatever yummy treats, goodies, breads, jellies or jams you would like to include! You can be sure you your recipient will have their favorites! Also on Special this week is Dabrielle’s Organic Blueberry Jam! Yummy!
Bo and Lisa’s Lil Patch still has Free DE (Diatomaceous Earth) with the purchase of the Pest Pistol this week. This is a natural way to kill fleas and other pesky critters!
Farmer of the Week
Sadly, we will not have a Farmer of the Week this Thursday, but I am certainly looking forward to seeing David of The Roastin’ Fool along with Dabrielle, of My Daily Bread on June 20th! David will share samples of his wonderful coffee and Miss Dabrielle will have tastes of a couple of her delicious and delectable bakery items. Plan on stopping in to say hello!
Several folks from the Market have sent pictures and recipes for dishes that they have prepared from items purchased at Heirloom Living Market! I am so excited to get these and am doing my best to figure out how to post them on Facebook! Have you liked us yet? Be sure and Like us so you can check out the yummy recipes!
As always there will be items to purchase from the Farmers’ Sale Table! Pickup some extra fresh Veggies from Fry Farm or Doug’s Garden or wonderful Breads or Bakery Treats from My Daily Bread! Don’t take the chance that your favorite will be there – Place your order today! Last week, all items on the Farmers’ Sale Table sold out within the first hour of Market pickup opening! Gwinnett Gymnastics has started their summer class schedule and the parents always stop by and purchase from the Farmers’ Sale Table!
How the Market Works
When you order from the Market, it is your pledge to pick up your items on Thursday, between 4:30 and 7:30pm. The products that you have bought from the Farmers are paid for by us on your behalf when they are delivered.
Please know that we must have the pickup area broken down and packed up by 7:45, so we do start around 7:00pm. You are welcome to come between 7:00 and 7:30, but please understand that you may miss our on products that are sold exclusively at Market pickup!
If you are unable to pick up your order or you see that you are going to be late, please call 404-432-4337 and let us know. If you cannot pick up your order, we can put your items out on the Farmers’ Sale Table and try to sell them.
You are responsible for payment on all orders whether you pickup or not. At Market close, Unclaimed items will be distributed to the Volunteers or donated to the Food Bank close to the pickup location. Your account will be charged.
Legally, we cannot store or keep your items for you for later pickup. We understand that “Life Happens” and will work with you to make arrangements if you have an emergency. We appreciate that you are part of the Market Family!
Mary and I both work hard to keep you up to date on offerings from our Farmer/Growers and Artisans. If there is a customer service issue, we work with you and the Farmer to come to a resolution. Technically, you are buying directly from the Farmer and we are simply the conduit that offers a pickup location; however, we truly believe in the integrity of our Farmers and offer our help if there is an issue. We will forward your email to the Farmer and speak with him/her to come to a satisfactory/pleasing outcome and communicate the result to you. If it takes a few days for us to get back to you, please be patient – an answer is in the works!
I have written this Newsletter in ‘bits and pieces, ’fits and starts’ between, freezing peaches and strawberries, roasting beets and canning them, making The Black Lab’s food for the week, doing laundry and taking care of all of my ferments! It is long — In spite of the length, I hope that I have given you some good information!
I have given you the news, The Black Lab update for the week, told you about Updates and Offerings, Weekly Specials, Classes, Farmers of the Week and my own personal thoughts… It is time, once again to say – thank you for taking the time to read this missive and…
We will see you Thursday at Gwinnett Gymnastics Center between 4:30pm and 7:30pm!
IMPORTANT: Peaches MUST be ordered by Monday at 9:00pm
As always, She-Who-Cooks (Mary) will have a couple of recipes featuring products she has purchased from the Market! If you have missed any of her recipes, we will have them all at the Market for you on Thursday! We will also have recipes (with pictures) from Chris Weis and Margaret Mills! These ladies make fantastic dishes from items they purchase at Market! Some great ideas for you to use to make great dinners for your family!
Joyful thoughts and bountiful blessings!
~Maryanne and Mary 
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