Meet Ginni and Scott.  They are the proud owners of Fertile Crescent Farm and Gardens, selling fresh produce and (incredibly beautiful) flowers at both Tuesday and Saturday markets.  They tell a heartwarming and inspiring tale - a tale of ambition, land stewardship, and perseverance.

Circa 2000,  Madison County, GA, Ginni and Scott bought 40 acres of land  from their dear friend, Carlo.  Their  beginning days on the land were spent cultivating and harvesting a "big crop" farm.  Unfortunately, Fertile Crescent could only use  1/4 of thier newly acquired acreage - the remaining 30 acres had been used as a garbage dump by the previous owners. A mass portion of their inherited land was a damaged, inactive wasteland.  Scott claims that "No one in their right mind would buy this land", but Fertile Crescent had a vision.  And so their story goes.

Determined to restore the land, Ginni and Scott spent their earliest efforts reaching out to the EPD and the county - they had high hopes for a community-effort clean up.   Unfortunately,  nothing came out of this.   After a failed attempt to garner the public's support,  Fertile Crescent made the life-changing decision to pour their own labor and  financial resources into the massive land-cleaning effort. 

It was a demanding and intensive project.  Fertile Crescent brought in tractors to pull out big, cumbersome items. They used bulldozers to comb through the soil.   Scott says there was only so much they could do, and that it was the land's own self-preservation that did most of the work.  

A decade has passed since Fertile Crescent bought their land in Madison County and embarked on a land restoration journey.  Dedicated to their mission, Ginni and Scott have made tremendous progress over the years.    They have been presented with numerous awards, including "Stewardship Farmer of the Year" by the Georgia Forestry Service. A full acre of their land is blossoming with beautiful  flowers, and another couple acres is covered with rows of vegetables.  

Ginni, Scott, and their dear friend Carlo are as nice as can be.  Their AFM stand is lined with an assortment of flowers - blues, reds, pinks, yellows and every color under the sun.   Treat yourself to a bouquet, and support the Fertile Crescent Farm and Garden dream.

Athens Farmers Market is a proud sponsor of this weekend's town hall meeting on 'Local Food.'   After the market this Saturday (July 10th) be sure to stop by Athens Cine on Hancock to see the Mayoral Candidates field community-based questions on local food issues.   Admission to this event is free and brought forth by Common Ground Athens.   We look forward to seeing our patrons there demonstrating the resolve of the people to see innovative and responsible change and management by our city's future leadership.  This event is slated to take place from 1-3pm.

 

It's a bright, buzzing Saturday morning at Bishop Park.  In the midst of the early bird hustle and bustle, one can only be so lucky to stumble across Maria Doeer, the humble maker of Merties's Oven Granola.   Maria has her own little stand at the Saturday Market, where she has been a loyal vendor since 2007.  Maria's smile and demeanor are as sweet and irresistible as the product she sells.

Mertie's Oven, the name of Maria's one-woman, granola-baking operation,  has made its way into several of Athens area shops and homes.     Since modest beginnings in a tiny basement kitchen,  Maria has moved her work to a large church kitchen. Maria bakes her granola with organic thick rolled oats,  Georgia wildflower honey, and plentiful handfuls of whole nuts, organic sees, and organic whole nuts.   The end result: crunchy, toasty, sweet deliciousness.

Make sure to say hello to Maria - and buy a bag of granola or two -  at your next market visit!  

 

AFM values the communal, market day environment.  We believe a weekly farmer's market  should sustain an interactive and shared space - a space to get to know your farmer, to ask questions about how your produce was grown, and to make connections with the source of your food. With each season, AFM welcomes both old and new buyers and vendors.  It is our goal and responsibility to provide a diversified and dynamic market.

We are looking at a great market this season - including 50 vendors on Saturday and 16 on Tuesday's Downtown market.  Saturday's market will be bustling with growers (including a dairy farmer!), prepared food purveyors, craft vendors, the AFM tent, music, and cooking demos.  We will also host two full season non- profits - P.L.A.C.E and Master Gardeners.  AFM Downtown will be all of the Saturday markets appeal on a smaller scale - AFM tent and music included!   Here is a list of our AFM 2010 growers and food purveyors. Check back soon for artisan and non profit vendors!

GROWERS

Lazy Willow Farm   

Johnston Family Farm

Harvest Moon    

Jim’s Farm    

Blue Moon Farms   

Roots Farm    

Tewksbury Farms – Good Groceries 

Dancing Sprout Farm  

Greendale Farm (meat) 

The Veggie Patch at Bouchard Farms, LL Full  

Bowman Produce 

Front Field Farm, Inc      

BPH, Inc (meat)      

Fertile Crescent Gardens   

Sun Dance Farm    

Cedar Grove Farm

Mills Farm   

Backyard Harvest 

Veribest Farm   

McMullan Family Farms    

Rhonda’s Blueberries 

Apiary and Gardens 

Grove Creek Farm 

Hickory Hill Farm   

Burnell Farms  

Hilltop Farms 

Blackbriar Farms and Studio

 

FOOD PURVEYORS  

Big City Bread Café    

Fresh Pasta    

Miche Bakery     

Farm 255 Farmcart   

Luna Baking    

Empanadas and other favorite things 

1000 Faces Coffee    

Righteous Juice   

Donderos Kitchen   

 

 

As our local food movement grows and develops, the Athens Farmers Market takes on an even greater responsibility to increase the accessibility of local, fresh foods. We believe our low-income patrons deserve the chance to buy our products and to participate in the AFM community. Purchasing fresh, local food should be a viable option for every individual and family.

This May - supported by a new statewide initiative - AFM will accept the use of EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) cards. Thousands of Georgia’s families rely on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and the program’s EBT card for their household food purchases.  Our new program will accept EBT cards at our Saturday and Tuesday markets.  This is a fantastic opportunity to expand our local food culture and share the benefits of sustainable agriculture with new people.

How does the EBT program work?  Every market day, costumers can swipe their EBT cards to purchase $1 tokens - AFM tokens have been designed by local artist Chris Purcell.  Tokens are directly exchanged for produce between the customer and farmer.  Farmers are then paid in-full at the end of the market day.  The token-system allows for a simple and interactive way to open and grow access to the fresh, local and healthy produce from the market.

Accepting EBT has been a long-term AFM goal, and it is an important step forward toward broadening and diversifying the AFM customer base. We believe accommodating for our SNAP patrons is a significant contribution to building a local and sustainable community. 

We appreciate your support and are excited to get to know this season’s new customers. See you soon!