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  • Stop the Presses
  • What Are We Up To?
  • This Week’s Message
  • Our Market Blog

    Don’t know how to cook your new veggies? Google recipes for Market veggies. Then share your cooking experiences, and find new ones, on our Market Community Food Blog!

    Stop the Presses

    What Are We Up To?



     
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    Market NOW Open - July 21, 2014 SUMMER SCHEDULE IN EFFECT


    PLEASE READ all about our summer market schedule at this link.

    Ready To Order?

    sign in & shop now
    FIRST TIME CUSTOMERS You are invited to watch our Market Tutorial before you begin. If you do not receive an email confirmation immediately after you order, then you did not click the SUBMIT ORDER button and we did not receive an order from you. Call your Market Manager for help.

    MARKET TUTORIAL
    Don’t miss our helpful shopping hints now posted as a link at the top of every web page on St. Pete Locally Grown. Check it out and then share it with anyone who asks about us!

    THE LOCALS

    Learn what it means to “eat local” by reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book “Animal Vegetable Miracle”. Although small in numbers available—and vegetable volume will build over time—this week we have local okra, avocados, eggplant, squash, turnips, callaloo, kale, onions, hot peppers, and sweet potatoes. These—and many types of greens too numerous to list—are all grown locally chemical-free by urban farmers in the St. Petersburg Area. Shop early and get your share so you can decide if you want to grow your own! Perfect opportunity to sample the local…by eating local.

    Message from Your Market Manager

    HI FOLKS:
    If you missed the email about our summer hours now in effect then please read this webpost. We would like to hear from you about any concerns you have that will keep you from ordering every other week. We want to address each concern so that we may mutually support one another.

    FEATURED FRESH FRUIT THIS WEEK ==>nectarines and red seedless grapes! Please shop early. The more often our Market sells out of fruit, the higher the indicator that I must order more to meet demand.

    SUMMER LIKE NO OTHER
    When was the last time you had fresh beets and, in July? Are you missing out on the possibilities of juicing these locally grown beets, or cutting them into a medium dice and cooking them with sweet local scallions? This summer we are selling beets! Are we on another planet? NO, we are right here in St. Pete selling hydroponic veggies from Terra Ceia. Life is GOOD folks! Remember, the more demand we build for Faithful Farm produce, the more we will get. Let’s sell out and show them we want more! BTW, Faithful Farms has lacinato so young and premium that you can eat the stems!

    UPDATE ON GROWERS
    We’ve been selling locally roasted, organic, fair trade coffees from Java Planet since April 2012. We have marvelled at the number of people coming on board as they recognize the health benefits and quality of this fabulous, locally roasted coffee. St. Pete Locally Grown is a proud supporter of these efforts! Fox News recently taped a wonderful interview with Owners Jennifer & Mike Simmons as part of their Earth Watch segment. Congratulations, Java Planet!
    The Maker’s Farm has moved and is busy building a functional farm for their expanding operations. They intend to start producing meat chickens again in August-September timeframe to be ready in October. These are SO worth waiting for! We have 20 reserved on a monthly basis and can increase that amount as demand increases. If you know NOW that you will want one, please let me know so I can reserve enough for everyone.
    Keen Green is still recovering from the virus that wiped out the micro greens. The plan is to begin selling them again when our August market re-opens. Customers will be asked to pre-order so the micro-greens can be grown to order and delivered on their next order.
    Pioneer Settlement Garden is taking this week off and has been preparing for fall planting (already!) Now THAT is exciting!
    My Mother’s Garden joins us this week from Wimauma, Florida. Wonderful locally pastured, grassfed heritage pork is now available. Owner Susan Bishop is also affiliated with the locally grown network. Welcome Susan!
    Alleluia! Organically Inclined is back this week with amazing dried fruits, nuts and seeds. More quinoa and rice too! Can you even say “Dried Mango Slices” without smiling?

    MORE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW
    Our volunteer opportunities remain the same this summer and we have lost a few valuable resources recently. We are recruiting new folks to serve the St. Petersburg Community from 2 to 4 hours “per Market week” on Wednesdays thru Fridays. We will train and we promise you will have fun! Please call or email me if you want to meet some fabulous, like-minded people!

    WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST CUSTOMERS!
    Once you have submitted your order, if in doubt about what you owe, you can always confirm what you have been charged for by checking your account history and viewing your most current invoice. Instructions on how to do that are on our Q&A page under the question entitled Since you don’t provide an invoice with delivery, how do I know what I owe? Also, since your vegetables are picked fresh within 24 hours of delivery, they should be lasting for WEEKS in your refrigerator. When you accept delivery, please take a few minutes to inspect your order to protect your vegetables from unnecessary spoilage. Lastly, it is imperative that you understand our policy on Unclaimed Orders found on our Q&A page. When you make a purchase you are agreeing to abide by this policy.

    SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
    Our Market has high standards for what it sells. Despite that—as seasons transition—the challenges of evolving weather and pesky insects can take its toll on the crops. Market Growers are being very selective about what they are willing to present to you. No, it won’t always be picture perfect (which is part of its charm) and sometimes an insect is going to evade capture! But we won’t send you anything that we wouldn’t eat ourselves. If for any reason we have goofed and you are dissatisfied, please report it to me right away so we can rectify the situation. That’s how we get better and we all benefit from that. Your satisfaction is key to our success as a resource for St. Petersburgs’ lovers of chemical-free, organically & locally grown vegetables.

    Upcoming Events

    All these and more are posted on our Calendar of Events

    WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

    • “Monthly Potluck Social”, July 26th, Garden Tour Begins at 5:30PM for active Market customers, growers, and volunteers. BY Whoozin.com e-vite ONLY. We are expecting about 40 people! Come meet your fellow Locavores. Our Speaker is Dino Korovessis of Melina International Trading Company. Dino is descended from Kalamata, Greece, one of the most famous olive producing areas in the world and his family is part of a cooperative of small family farmers involving 160 groves in Kalamata. Dino is going to tell us more about the farm and its methods of growing, why we need to consume olive oil daily and how to select a quality oil. Dino’s final product is available through St. Pete Locally Grown’s online Market.
    • “Successful Urban Farming in St. Petersburg” on Aug. 9th, 8AM Cost $35/$25. RSVP NOW
    • REAL DIRT: Make Your Own” on Aug. 16th, 8AM Cost $35/$25. RSVP NOW

    Volunteer Opportunities

    We are currently organizing our volunteer needs by Grower and by Market. So when you are interested in learning how to garden and/or how to run an urban market—including a model for great delivery service for the Market—consider volunteering for the organizations below. Check back for more Growers to be listed.
    Nathan’s Natural Veggies
    Pioneer Settlement Garden
    St. Pete Locally Grown Market

    We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!