It has been the entire Summer since I made a post here.  Frankly, the market has required a lot of time, so blogging has not been a priority.



But today was the last day of the 2008 season, and it was spectacular!  We set tents up in a driving rain at 6AM this morning, but the weather was beautiful by 8:30.  The market was packed with growers, artisans, food purveyors and patrons.  The music was wonderful, as usual.   It was a bittersweet day, as most all of us are ready for a break, but will miss everything good about the market--especially the people.



We have seen a community formed, composed of our vendors, our sponsors and our patrons.  It has been so incredibly fulfilling for all. 



Thanks to everyone for their individual contributions to the market's success.



We will be staying in contact with our vendors and our patrons through the newsletter.  When we have our schedule, policies and membership forms ready, we will notify you through our newsletters and on our website, of course.  Please go to our website and click on the "Subscribe to our Newsletter" button to be placed on our e-mail list.  You will be able to opt out of the subscription at any time, and we will not give your address to anyone.



I need to get by chainsaw sharpened.  It's time to cut some trees.

Some blogger I am! How long has it been?



The Athens Farmers Market has become a part time job for me. It pays no money, but it pays huge dividends in new friendships, tons of good will flowing in all directions, gratification, and good fun. It is also a source of new life lessons, which seem to come more frequently as I get older. (Don't ask!)



Today, a beautiful, rainy Saturday morning at AFM, was no exception. The hard work of our smiling, laughing, damp volunteers is better than a cup of coffee and sunshine to brighten the spirits and give meaning to the moment. The men and women of "Promoting Local Agriculture and Cultural Experience" (PLACE) are the fuel that makes all the planning and hoping become a realization.



I originally started this blog with the idea of relating you readers how the AFM came to be. I hesitated, because it seemed like I was missing a huge piece of the story. In fact, I was missing most of the story.



I have gotten to know Craig Page, the director of this gang of dedicated, energetic, principled, beautiful people. Craig has attracted a powerful force for this community. PLACE celebrated its first birthday two weekends ago, and to see what they have accomplished, you would think they had been at it for many years.



I once asked Craig what made him work so hard on such things. In the thoughful manner that IS Craig, he hesitated for a moment and responded that "I don't want to every be a hypocrate. When I believe that something needs to be done or to change, I work at making it happen." Obviously, Craig has attracted a group who believe the same way.



I don't know the whole story, but I do know that Craig set a goal of facilitating the creation of a market that would bring local farmers who use "naturally grown" farming techniques, local artisans, and the community together for their mutual good. He contacted the Chamber of Commerce and found that a study had been recently completed that concluded that a medium sized farmers market was a viable business concept in Athens.



In August, 2007, Craig used contacts at Locally Grown to gather a group of local growers of righteous food at the Full Moon Farm. I was fortunate enough to be invited, because I had been on the Locally Grown farm tour that summer. Beneath the shade of oak trees, we were served by the chef and cooks of the yet-to-open National Restaurant. What a fantastic meal it was!



Craig then presented the concept to the twenty or so folks there. To say that his idea was met with great enthusiasm and energy would be a very serious overstatement, I must say. I went away thinking that I had just had one of the best meals I had ever eaten followed by an underwhelming reception to a great idea.



Craig did not give up. He held a series of meetings at the UGA Ag Extension Service on Atlanta Highway with a couple of county commissioners, Doc Eldridge from the Chamber of Commerce, movers and shakers at UGA, and others. There still was no visible movement toward fulfillment of the idea.



Then in February 2008 Craig called a few of the farmers back together and suddenly the room was filled with energy and support of the idea.



The group set an opening date of the first Saturday in May 2008. (Frankly, I was skeptical.)



This is where Amanda Tedrow, a Director in the Extension Service, caught fire. Amanda and Craig laid out a plan, booked Bishop Park and things started happening. There were five farmers who sensed the commitment and the energy of Craig, Amanda and a small army of volunteers and got completely behind the idea. They paid their membership dues. The corporate documents were filed. A bank account was opened. Sponsors were recruited. A web site full of important information and soliciting farmers and artists was up and running, and the membership applications started pouring in.



Opening day, May 17, was only a bit chaotic, but volunteers arrived at 6:30, the tents went up, the farmers came with produce, artists came with beautiful stuff. We did not even have time that beautiful Saturday morning to wonder if customers would come. By 8AM opening time, dozens of people were standing in line for produce, coffee, fresh bread, wonderful objects of art, handmade soap, and a GOOD TIME. By 9:30AM, the last clove of garlic was gone. The bread was gone by 10AM. By 11AM we had counted 3600 patrons!



Since that day, only five weeks ago, AFM has doubled in the number of farmers and vendors offering the fruits (and vegetables) of their labors, and the patrons number between 950 and 1600 every Saturday.



Well, that's the Cliff's Notes, friends. I hope that I have conveyed the level of excitement and commitment that continues to be nurtured and grows in the band of local crusaders for local food, local crafts and local people.







The story has just begun.



(Now, if I could only get some of those trees cut down, power to my new well, and...)

If you have not looked at the list of artisans appearing on May 31 at AFM, please do.  To add to the excitement, there will be a folk music jam!  So even if we run out of produce, you will be able to feed your soul with local, wholesome nourishment.  AND we will have Righteous Juice, and the juice will be more righteous than ever.  Scott Hodnett has sought out organic fruits as a key ingredient in his delicious juices.  (We twisted his arm--rather hard, and he came through!)

See you Saturday?

Today's market was much calmer and more fun than our opening market last week. That is probably because the famers, artisans and volunteers are becoming old hands at this endeavor, though I did overhear a farmer saying to another farmer that this is "a whole new scale of marketing". The calmness is also because the flow of patrons was about half of last week's.

Farmers brought at least three times more produce than last week, but despite ths smaller patronage and more food, they were sold out by 11Am. Luna Baking was joined by Big City Bread today. Even so, they sold almost everyting they had by noon.

We had great music. (I will get the fiddle player's and guitar picker's names later.) The blue grass music added a feeling of celebration to the event.

I bought some produce today, and Farol and I had an incredibly fresh and delicous salad for dinner tonight. What a difference freshness and healthful growing techniques make. We are so fortunate to have access to these products.

We (you and I) are not only giving ourselves access to these great products. We are also building demand that will result in our region having more farmers producing more naturally grown produce.

I really do need to cut down those trees, install the irrigation system and get this new farm ready for next year! So much to do and so little time.



Jerry

    Last night the AFM board met at Cups Coffee and had a very productive meeting. We were particularly determined to improve the patron flow through the growers space. I believe we have done so. Please come check it out and tell us what you think.

    We are also encouraging farmers to bring more food! It is still early in the growing season, and, frankly, the market is bringing more demand for their product than ever before. But, it is fair to say that several of the farmers (if not all) just were not expecting the response that we experienced last Saturday. You can bet they are harvesting, beginning this Wednesday, all of the produce that they are able to bring to the market tomorrow.

    We are also encouraging farmers to hang around until noon, even if they sell out, so that you can meet them, ask questions and make special requests. (It won't hurt to ask!)

    Luna Baking will be up all night making perhaps as much as 1000 loaves of bread, including the whole grain breads that they introduced last week.

    Big City Bread will be there tomorrow, too!

    1000 Faces promises to bring more coffee making equipment, more coffee, and offer more healthful sugar. I believe that the coffee they served last week was the best I ever had. My brother agrees, but we'll will definitely test it again tomorrow. I do hope they arrive and brew so that we volunteers get a chance to re-charge after our early moring set-up is complete.



See you soon!