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  • 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 - June 9, 2014


    To Contact Us

    St. Pete Locally Grown
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    Ready To Order?

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    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!

    Spinach Varieties

    Have you noticed that we have a very wide variety of spinaches on our Market right now? I’ll bet there are plenty of them which you have not yet tried. Now would be a good time to purchase and try them both raw and stir fried. All of them bring a wonderful surprise to the standard salads to which we are accustomed. These are FRESHLY HARVESTED and so have more nutrients. Ceylon Spinach is juicy and light, eat the stems and flowers too!. Egyptian Spinach is very different with a nutty flavor and a crunchy disposition. Flat Leaf Spinach is the more traditional form and the leaves are large and dark green. Okinawa Spinach is very spicy and purple and green, beautiful with a light licorice flavor. Moluccan Spinach is so smooth and extremely flexible. I especially like it as an addition to smoothies. It doesn’t interrupt the flavor of the other ingredients and yet I am getting FRESH greens. YES, these spinaches can take some getting used to. The priority is to eat FRESH produce that can be artistically arranged and dressed so that your palate welcomes them to your body! Read Barbara Kingsolver’s book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” and get all the inspiration (and more) to get on board with this concept.

    Grower News

    ST. PETE LOCALLY GROWN: SUMMER HOURS
    In the summertime, we normally close the Market every other week so we can regroup and rest for the busy fall season. HOWEVER, I am having second thoughts about that. Instead, I am considering closing just ONE WEEK per month so our growing customer base will have the produce and service they have come to expect. During the month of June, I will be watching closely to determine if the demand is there for us to stay open 3 out of 4 weeks. Stay tuned!

    CLOSED FOURTH OF JULY
    We will close the week of July 4th. NO deliveries will be made that day. Please plan ahead for what you might need and order the week of June 23rd instead. MOST produce and products will keep AT LEAST a week. Remember that all meats and fish are frozen so they can easily be purchased in advance too. Do call Tina if you need help figuring out what will keep. 727-515-9469

    STATE OF THE FARMS

    • Faithful Farms will have kale all summer, and lettuce very soon!
    • Keen Green, LLC, will join us NEXT WEEK to provide hydroponically grown UNCUT micro-greens in small containers that you can leave on your kitchen counter to harvest at will. Several of their greens will give you more than one growing!
    • All the farms listed on our Grower page have expressed interest in growing and selling this summer. If anyone takes the summer off, I will be sure to let you know when that happens.
    • I have been asked to meet with a farmer north of us who wants to grow for our Market in the fall. The good news is that our credibility in the Market place is increasing and so attracting serious folks who are ready to invest their growing efforts into our mission.
    • Strawberry Passion Farm has closed until next fall.
    • Geraldson Community Farm is on our Market this week and then will close until fall.

    Message from Your Market Manager

    FRUIT IS BACK!
    I am making a concerted effort to reintroduce fruit into our market in small quantities until sales will support larger volume. This means you will need to shop early to get a share of it. Regrets if this causes any inconvenience. I would like to hear from you about what fruit you would like to purchase on a regular basis. I will address those requests in these weekly notices to customers so everyone can be informed.

    HOW TO COOK BEEF AND LAMB
    We now provide a QR Code (scan with your Smartphone) and a website name on every packaqe of beef & lamb that we sell. This will guide you towards learning how to make the most of your grass-fed purchases!

    YOUR ASSIGNMENT SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT…
    Please help us spread the word about our new 6-month $50 membership promo offering for first time members of St. Pete Locally Grown.

    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.

    Upcoming Events

    All these and more are posted on our Calendar of Events

    WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

    • “Successful Urban Farming in St. Petersburg” on June 14th, 1PM Cost $35/$25. RSVP NOW
    • REAL DIRT: Make Your Own” on June 21st, 1PM 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
    The Faith House

    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!