State of the Market Address

Good afternoon,
We aren’t having market this week because the Art, Pray, Love event is happening in the parish hall. Art, Pray, Love is the annual art show held by St. Peter’s Episcopal Church to benefit their Guatemala mission trip. The annual art show and silent auction features premier Arkansas artists. Tickets are now available for purchase at the church.

I thought I would take this opportunity to write a State of the Market Address, similar to the President’s State of the Union Address. I’ll break it down into 3 parts:

Our Past: Our market was started by Cody Hopkins in the spring of 2008. A few years ago, Cody passed the torch to Carissa and Steve. It is now our pleasure to serve our Members and Growers. Since our inception, our goal has been to connect our local Growers with people who are searching for naturally raised food. To that end, we have been successful as evidenced by the enthusiastic people coming to market each Friday to pick up the meat, vegetables, eggs, etc they ordered a few days prior. We have enjoyed watching our Members turn into friends, and also watching their babies grow up. We love to have kids and pets come and visit on Fridays.

Our Present: We currently have over 20 active Growers providing over 500 products each week, and depending on the season, we see between 50 and 70 Members each Friday. If you arrive early on Fridays, you see tables overflowing with the orders for the week. Here’s how the market works: Members can place orders from Sunday at 6pm until Tuesday at 10pm. By 6am Wednesday, I have emailed each of the Growers with the ordered items, which they will gather and deliver to St. Peter’s on Friday between 9am and 2pm. Steve & Carissa arrive at noon and set up tables and organize the orders. At 2pm, our volunteers arrive and conduct inventory. Customers start arriving at 3:30pm and the local food that was ordered online a few days ago is taken home by our wonderful Members to become healthy meals for their families.

Several of our Growers have been with us from the beginning, and we get new applications every month. We are very selective when approving new Growers, with quality and consistency being key factors in maintaining our market. In our efforts to grow our customer base, we have tried several types of advertising, and have found that our current members are most effective in spreading the word. Please talk to your friends and co-workers so they too can enjoy the benefits of eating local, healthy food. Just ask for a few flyers you can post at work or school.

In the past 10 years, we have never increased our fee structure to Members or Growers. Statistic show that only 12% of your food dollar makes it back to the people growing food purchased at supermarkets, while we return a whopping 87% directly back the local families growing our food! Our products may cost a little more, but that money goes directly to the people keeping us healthy. When our Growers wake up early each morning, their first thoughts are to tend to the animals or vegetables they are growing for us. It’s hard work, but we support their way of life and appreciate all they do for us.

Our Future: We are very optimistic that our market will continue to attract discerning shoppers who want more than what Big Agriculture offers at the supermarket. Our members want tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes, and fresh, free-range eggs with orange yolks instead of the pale yellow ones that are several weeks old by the time you take them home. For those folks, we work hard to bring you the best every week, year-round, in a convenient online experience.

Several of our Growers are in the process of expanding their operations with high tunnels and low tunnels, both of which extend the growing season, which is why we have broccoli, radishes and lettuce in the middle of January! Several others are planting and harvesting more due to the increased demand.

We are looking forward to an awesome 2019 and we are so glad you all are along for the bountiful season of eating healthy!

With profound humility,
Steve

Have a great week, and we’ll see you next Sunday when the market opens. Be safe!

CLG Pickup TODAY 3:30-6pm. Bring eggshells, glass jars, & egg cartons please.

Good morning,
Maria will be set up today with a full selection of jams and jellies, and a hot pot of her delicious tortilla chicken soup! It’s what’s for supper on the cold nights this weekend. There will also be fresh blueberry bread, muffins, apple pie, eggs, honey and lots more on the Extras table.

This is a pickup reminder for those of you who ordered this week. Thank you for your order! You can pick up your order from 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. today at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at 925 Mitchell Street in Conway.

Usually our awesome volunteers have the market ready for customers to pick up before 4pm. If you are out and about and want to know if we are ready, just text me to see: 501-339-1039.

If something comes up that you cannot personally pick up your order today, please contact someone to pick up for you.

Remember to bring your EGGSHELLS, glass jars for recycling, egg cartons, and bags for ordered items. Reduce, reuse, recycle! See you this afternoon.

Come early for the best selection from the EXTRAS table! Even if you didn’t make an order, you can come by to shop the EXTRAS table.
Steve

Tamales: Tuesday Reminder - Market Closes Tonight after 10pm.

Hello friends!

New Coffee varieties listed!

There’s still time to place your order for pickup this Friday, January 18th.

On Friday, Maria will be set up with some of her wonderful chicken tortilla soup, which you will need if you want to survive the frigid temperatures this weekend!

If you want to order Tamales, just text me what you want. 501-339-1039. Five freshly made Tamales for $7, Chicken, Pork, or Jalapeno & Cheese. Sold in packs of 5 of the same type.

The market closes TONIGHT after 10pm, maybe even midnight! Come early on Friday for the best selection from the Extras table. See you Friday!

The market is now OPEN for orders. Click here to start shopping:

https://conway.locallygrown.net/market

How to contact us:

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Instead…

Phone or text: Steve – 501-339-1039

Email: Steve – kirp1968@sbcglobal.net

Tamales! Opening Bell: Honey, Kale, Lettuce, Sweet Potatoes!

Good afternoon!

This Friday we’ll have Doña Estela’s amazing homemade Tamales! She will make them Friday morning and have them at market Friday afternoon. They will be 5 for $7 in 3 flavors: Pork, Chicken, or Jalapeño & Cheese. To place an order, please add a note to your CLG order, or text me at 501-339-1039. Delicious with sides of refried beans and rice, topped with a bit of salsa and sour cream.

Friday we saw some amazing produce from our new Grower, St. Joseph Urban Farm. The Radishes, Lettuce, and Greens were some of the best I’ve ever seen. Take a look at their products and you’ll agree.

Flying C Ranch has added several new Beef products, including Stew Meat and Bones for broth. Their cattle are grass-fed until 120 days before processing, when they are fed locally ground grain which enhances meat tenderness and marbling.

Be sure to SEARCH for your favorite items using the search field. Almost 600 items available now!

Most items are listed by 6pm Sunday, but check back again before the market closes Tuesday night to see if any other items are ready to be harvested for you! Eat fresh! Eat local! Eat for better health!

And save your eggshells throughout the week for the laying hens! :-)

The market is now OPEN for orders. Click here to start shopping:

https://conway.locallygrown.net/market

Please check your email a few minutes after you place your order to make sure you get an order confirmation. Thank you!
Steve

Horseradish at CLG Pickup TODAY 3:30-6pm. Bring eggshells, glass jars, & egg cartons please.

Good morning,
This is a pickup reminder for those of you who ordered this week. Thank you for your order! You can pick up your order from 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. today at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at 925 Mitchell Street in Conway.

Usually our awesome volunteers have the market ready for customers to pick up before 4pm. If you are out and about and want to know if we are ready, just text me to see: 501-339-1039.

If something comes up that you cannot personally pick up your order today, please contact someone to pick up for you.

Remember to bring your EGGSHELLS, glass jars for recycling, egg cartons, and bags for ordered items. Reduce, reuse, recycle! See you this afternoon.

Come early for the best selection from the EXTRAS table! Even if you didn’t make an order, you can come by to shop the EXTRAS table.
Steve

Tuesday Reminder - Market Closes Tonight after 10pm.

Hello friends!

There’s still time to place your order for pickup this Friday, January 11th.

https://conway.locallygrown.net/market

The market closes TONIGHT after 10pm, maybe even midnight! Come early on Friday for the best selection from the Extras table. See you Friday!

How to contact us:

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Instead…

Phone or text: Steve – 501-339-1039

Email: Steve – kirp1968@sbcglobal.net

2 NEW GROWERS!: Beef, Kale, Radishes, Sweet Potatoes!

Good afternoon!

NEW GROWERS! Not just one, but TWO new Growers have joined the Conway Locally Grown market. Take a minute and read about Saint Joseph Urban Farm under the OUR GROWERS tab. One of the farmers at this operation is Bobby Burrows, formerly of Wylde Abandon Farm. They have 3 products listed right now, with a full lineup of vegetables coming this spring and summer. We are glad to have them join the Conway Locally Grown family!

Many of you have probably heard of the Flying C Ranch from Mayflower. It’s a family operation and they’re raising some amazing Beef right here in Faulkner County. Read about them, and then search for their products. They also have Pecans in season.

We have a unique opportunity for one lucky family to become backyard chicken farmers. We have a used chicken coop for sale, and we might even throw in a chicken or two. You could be growing your own food by Tuesday! It’s the innovation Farm House Coop available at Tractor Supply for $269. This one is only $150. Text me and I can text you pictures. Fits in the back of a pick up truck.

Be sure to SEARCH for your favorite items using the search field. We have over 600 items available now!

Most items are listed by 6pm Sunday, but check back again before the market closes Tuesday night to see if any other items are ready to be harvested for you! Eat fresh! Eat local! Eat for better health!

And save your eggshells throughout the week for the laying hens! :-)

The market is now OPEN for orders. Click here to start shopping:

https://conway.locallygrown.net/market

Please check your email a few minutes after you place your order to make sure you get an order confirmation. Thank you!
Steve

CLG Pickup TODAY 3:30-6pm. Bring eggshells, glass jars, & egg cartons please.

Good morning,
This is a pickup reminder for those of you who ordered this week. Thank you for your order! You can pick up your order from 3:30 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. today at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at 925 Mitchell Street in Conway.

Usually our awesome volunteers have the market ready for customers to pick up before 4pm. If you are out and about and want to know if we are ready, just text me to see: 501-339-1039.

If something comes up that you cannot personally pick up your order today, please contact someone to pick up for you.

Remember to bring your EGGSHELLS, glass jars for recycling, egg cartons, and bags for ordered items. Reduce, reuse, recycle! See you this afternoon.

Come early for the best selection from the EXTRAS table! Even if you didn’t make an order, you can come by to shop the EXTRAS table.
Steve

Tamales: Tuesday Reminder - Market Closes Tonight after 10pm.

Hello friends!
There’s still time to place your order for pickup this Friday, January 4th.

If you want to order Tamales, just text me what you want. 501-339-1039. Five freshly made Tamales for $7, Chicken, Pork, or Jalapeno & Cheese. Sold in packs of 5 of the same type.

The market closes TONIGHT after 10pm, maybe even midnight! Come early on Friday for the best selection from the Extras table. See you Friday!

The market is now OPEN for orders. Click here to start shopping:

https://conway.locallygrown.net/market

How to contact us:

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL. Instead…

Phone or text: Steve – 501-339-1039

Email: Steve – kirp1968@sbcglobal.net

Tamales!: Honey, Black Walnuts, Sweet Potatoes!

Hood afternoon!

This Friday we’ll have Doña Estela’s amazing homemade Tamales! She will make them Friday morning and have them at market Friday afternoon. They will be 5 for $7 in 3 flavors: Pork, Chicken, or Jalapeño & Cheese. To place an order, please add a note to your CLG order, or text me at 501-339-1039. Delicious with sides of refried beans and rice, topped with a bit of salsa and sour cream.

Now that the holidays are over and we’re getting ready for winter, take a minute to think about your little feathered friends. Many kinds of songbirds struggle to survive the harsh Arkansas winter. I am making suet feeders this week and will have them available on the extras table for only $3. Assorted suet cakes will also be available, for only $1 each.

Happy new year!

Be sure to SEARCH for your favorite items using the search field. Almost 600 items available now!

Most items are listed by 6pm Sunday, but check back again before the market closes Tuesday night to see if any other items are ready to be harvested for you! Eat fresh! Eat local! Eat for better health!

And save your eggshells throughout the week for the laying hens! :-)

The market is now OPEN for orders. Click here to start shopping:

https://conway.locallygrown.net/market

Please check your email a few minutes after you place your order to make sure you get an order confirmation. Thank you!
Steve