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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 - Mar. 30, 2015 - Welcoming New Customers!



    My oh my! I LOVE rhubarb pie.
    Fresh rhubarb is available this week.
    RECIPES FOR ALL THINGS RHUBARB

    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.

    WE DELIVER ALL SUMMER LONG!

    Here we go again! Warm weather is approaching. We anticipate another great summer of locally grown, chemical-free, SUMMER veggies like okra, yardlong beans, black eyed peas, squash and more!—fresh picked just for our customers. Once again our delivery folks are ramping up for extra protection of your valuable goods from the heat. We need your help to protect and maintain your orders, especially any dairy goods you are purchasing. Here are some guidelines provided by The Dancing Goat. These are always posted for your convenient perusal on Pam’s Grower Page explaining how to maintain and protect dairy during transport from our cooler to your cooler or refrigerator. We count on your partnership to keep these raw dairy products fresh for weeks.

    Message from Your Market Manager

    Volunteers Still Needed
    Our Market serves St. Petersburg all summer long every other week. There is no break in service because our Growers grow year round, unlike large local farms. We really could use more help with deliveries especially to sustain this business throughout the summer months. If you missed my volunteer recruitment post earlier this month, please scroll to this link and read. What if our wonderful little group could be just the uplifting experience you’ve been seeking? YOU ARE NEEDED!

    THIS WEEK’S FRUIT
    Medjool dates, luscious local papayas, cripps pink-skinned apples, juicy d’anjou pears, crisp red rhubarb, fancy lemons IN PRIMO CONDITION (compared to what we’ve had) and succulent loquats. It’s time to make those fruit pies for spring celebrations!

    New to our Market
    Shiitake mushrooms and beautiful, crisp rhubarb.

    Sale this week
    Check out sale pricing on two varieties of smoked salmon, lamb loin chops, nitrate-free bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, Jumbo white onions, Cripps Pink apples, and those yummy Covington yams. IN ADDITION, many growers have posted END-OF-SEASON pricing for items that are SO bountiful they must sell them this week.

    St.Pete Locally Grown’s DIRECT ORDER SERVICE Begins THIS WEEK
    We are going to try something that will make it possible for you to order larger plants in bigger pots. We have not been able to manage these within our current deliveries on Fridays. Debra Black of Mrs. Chippy’s Plant World is the first Grower to experiment with what we are calling “Direct Order Service”. If it catches on… who knows?

    Here’s how it all works: Whenever you order an item that is labelled as a “DIRECT ORDER”, the Grower (initially, Debra) will take responsibility for delivering that item to you at a convenient pre-arranged time, separate from your normal SPLG Friday delivery. The price of the plant includes the Grower’s delivery fee AND you will pay for the plant(s) just as you always have, included with your regular order from us. The only difference is that you will receive an email from the Grower after Market close on Wednesday to schedule convenient delivery of your plant(s). Questions? Please call your Market Manager at 727-515-9469. We are grateful to Debra for having such a passion for selling the larger, more developed plants which will assist our customers in building beautiful edible food forests. THIS WEEK JUST ONE PLANT IS BEING OFFERED SO WE CANTEST DRIVETHIS NEW SERVICE.

    LIKE OUR MARKET?
    Here is your chance to tell fellow locavores that you recommend us as their locally grown veggie supplier! Please post a review for us on Local Harvest. That’s how many people find us. You can help welcome them to our Market. Just go to this link and click on “Post a Review”.

    Grower & Product News

    WELCOME New Grower Lucky Ladybug Gardens
    Claudie Babineaux is the former farm manager for Geraldson Community Farms and struck out on her own this season partnering with Bree Cheatham, Market Manager of www.dunedin.locallygrown. Claudie grows in several locations within Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, and now has ample vegetables to sell through our Market. Welcome Lucky Ladybug Gardens!!

    WELCOME BACK Urban • Olio
    For one season in 2011, Stephanie & Peyton were generous suppliers of avocadoes and Hamlin oranges for our fledgling Market. Then life had them moving away to new adventures. But lucky us, they are back living in St. Petersburg and now offering their homegrown loquats on our Market. Welcome back Urban Olio!

    OH THOSE SALADS!
    Our Salad Signature Series is relaunching this week from Nathan’s Natural Veggies. You know the ones… “salad mixes with substance” containing various bits of cranberry hibiscus, purslane, and Ceylon spinach. You’ll know them when you see them. Just search for “salad” on our Market. Each mix comes with a salad dressing recipe especially suited for the mix you purchase. These salads sell like hotcakes all summer long should local lettuce become scarce.

    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

    • NEW TIME “Successful Urban Farming in St. Petersburg” on Apr. 11th, 8-10AM Cost $35/$25. RSVP NOW
    • NEW TIMEREAL DIRT: Make Your Own” on Apr. 18th, 8-10AM Cost $35/$25. RSVP NOW
    • “Monthly Potluck Social”, Apr. 25th, Nathan’s Garden Tour Begins at 5:30PM for active Market customers, growers, and volunteers. BY Whoozin.com e-vite ONLY. Speaker planning in progress!
    • “Food Security Conference: Focus on Production & Sustainability”, April 24th-25th, Eckerd College Campus. Free to the public but registration is required. SPLG Market Manager will participate as a panelist to question presenters and then participate in making new policy recommendations. YOU TOO CAN PARTICIPATE! Just sign up.

    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 and don’t miss the link below to a (Goat) Nanny Program.
    Nathan’s Natural Veggies in St. Pete
    Pioneer Settlement Garden in St. Pete
    St. Pete Locally Grown Market in St. Pete
    The Dancing Goat in Oldsmar
    Alexandra Lake Farm in Dade City

    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!