Market update 10/13

Howdy!

Well, seems like the skies should finally be sunny by 3 this afternoon, so come enjoy some sunshine and hang out with us at the farmers market. Our vendors are excited to share the fruits (and veggies) of their labor with you today. This afternoon we’ve got a special musical act for you, all the way from Providence, RI, Joe Fletcher. He has been making his way through Alabama for the last couple of weeks, and Tuscaloosa is his last stop before he heads back north. It’s not a show to miss!

The Tuscaloosa Food Summit is tomorrow at Canterbury Episcopal in the student center from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Y’all should come out. Andrea Mabry, the market manager, will represent Homegrown Alabama during the panel discussion at 1:00. Here’s the schedule:

9:00-10:30 AM Food Banks, Food Security, and Food Deserts
10:30-11:45 AM The Role of Faith Based Initiatives in Sustainable Food
12:00-1:00 PM Lunch and Lunch Topic How can business be part of the solution?

1-2:15 pm Community Gardens, CSA’s, Farmers Markets, and Urban Agriculture
2:30- 4:00 PM – The Complete Cost of Food (a discussion of the economics, social implications, health consequences, and environmental impact of eating from the modern food supply system)
4:00 PM – Closing remarks

One last thing: I hope next week’s Homegrown Fall Festival is marked on your calendars!

See you this afternoon!

Market Update 10/6

Good morning!

I am really looking forward to these last three markets of the season–the weather is just so nice in October–and I hope you are too. It’s time for fall greens and sweet potatoes!! Homegrown Alabama invites you to reply to any of these emails or to stop by our information table at the market to give us any comments or suggestions you’d like to relay about this year’s market and what you’d like to see next year.

Ben Joseph and the Lay-Lows have travelled back to Tuscaloosa from their new home in New Orleans to give us a great show at the market today. Don’t be afraid to do a little dancing while you decide which produce to take home.

For the love of veggies!
Andrea

Market Update 9/29

Well hello, good morning!

It’s Thursday! The market will be ready just in time for a nice afternoon jaunt from campus, or home, or work or wherever you may be from 3 until 6 this afternoon. We will look forward to seeing you there.

This season we have been doing special events on the first Thursday of each month, and that’s going to change a little bit in October. Instead of the first Thursday, we’ll be having a fall festival-themed market on October 20, which is the last day of the market this year. Mark an extra special place on your calendar for this market–we are working with a public relations course to organize an exciting event for y’all. More information to come soon!

I want to let y’all know that we will not have a kids’ craft table again until that Oct. 20th market. It hasn’t disappeared for no good reason: we are a student volunteer-run market, and since school started we just haven’t been able to find anyone to run the table. We had a great time with the kids this summer, and we plan to bring back the kids table next summer.

And finally, an announcement! There’s a very exciting thing happening in Tuscaloosa on October 14: our very own food summit! Net Impact and Canterbury Episcopal Chapel are partnering to present the Tuscaloosa Food Summit on October 14. The summit will include panels and discussions about the complete cost of food, the role of farmers markets and community gardens in Tuscaloosa, food security, and more. Admission is free. To view the flyer and more information, look here.

See you this afternoon,
Andrea

Tuscaloosa Food Summit, Oct, 14

Net Impact and Canterbury Episcopal Chapel are partnering to present the Tuscaloosa Food Summit on October 14. The summit will include panels and discussions about the complete cost of food, the role of farmers markets and community gardens in Tuscaloosa, food security, and more. Admission is free. Read the flier below for more information.

Click here to download a PDF version of the flier.

Market update 9/8

Hey y’all!

Good morning on this fine September day! I am happy to report that market day is once again upon us. Today a new addition to the market, BJ Bowling, will bring homemade sourdough bread, tea cakes, and other baked goodies. As some of our produce vendors run out of crops for the season, we like to give y’all a taste of what else Alabama farmers and bakers and entrepreneurs have to offer, and who may be selling at the market next season. Let us know what you think

Don’t forget, we will be accepting Bama Cash for the rest of the season. So be sure to spread the news to your friends, enemies, students, teachers, parents, sons and daughters, people in crowded elevators (it’s awkward anyway, you might as well mention the market!), neighbors, and pets (if they can talk).

For all those interested in joining the Homegrown Alabama student group and organizing the market, we are having an informational meeting next Wednesday, Sept. 14, in Lloyd 216 at 7:30 p.m. We’ll have food and ideas to share–there’s a lot to do this school year! There is a Facebook event (search Homegrown Alabama in people) to help you remember to come.

See ya!

Andrea

Market Update 9/1, Back to School!

Hello folks,
 
Thanks to everyone who visited us at Get on Board Day yesterday! We added about 200 people to our email list and talked with a bunch of students who are interested in joining the student group. It’s exciting to have that many people learn about the market in one day.
 
Today, the first Thursday of September, is Homegrown’s Welcome Back Alabama market. In honor of this occasion (and the possibility of the heat subsiding a bit…someday), Homegrown is implementing a truly momentus addition! Beginning today and for the remainder of the season, we will be accepting Bama Cash. Just bring your Action Card to the Homegrown table and we’ll swipe your card, then give you tokens to spend with our vendors. The UA Environmental Council will have an information booth set up, so be sure to stop by and ask about what they’ve got going on.
 
If you haven’t heard the news, we have officially run out of funds for our EBT matching program. We certainly still accept EBT, but will not offer the matching program again until we receive funds to do so. While it’s a shame the money is gone, it proves that there is a big market for spending EBT dollars at farmers markets. Homegrown Alabama is committed to making local foods more accessible for everyone in our town, and we will do everything we can to reinstate a matching program!
 
Our friends at Kentuck have notified us that they need help with the cob oven tonight. They’ll be making pizza for Art Night with veggies from Snow’s Bend, and they need help starting at 4:30 this afternoon. If you’d like to get involved, contact Emily Leigh at eleigh@kentuck.org or 205-758-1257.
 
For the love of veggies!
Andrea

Market update 8/25

Howdy!

I hope all of you are enjoying being back in town and/or aren’t getting too scared walking/biking/driving on campus. (I know I am!)

Since school is now back in session, we have been granted access to another parking lot for y’all to use! So in addition to the limited parking we’ll have on the lawn of Canterbury, customers of the Homegrown Alabama Farmers Market may park in the lot and adjoining field between Ninth Street Apartments and Cannon House on Thursdays from 2-6 p.m. The attached image will show you exactly where that is, and there will be signage to point you in the right direction.

Due to class schedules, we won’t offer a kids’ craft today. (But we’ll still have facepainting.) We are on the lookout for someone interested in making crafts with the kids from 3-4:30 on Thursdays, so if you are interested please let us know.

Next week will be the special Back to School edition of the farmers market. Some affiliated student organizations will have tables and information to peruse, so get excited!

See y’all this afternoon!

Andrea