The March 2009 Foodshed Farm All Arkansas Basket-A-Month was distributed over the past few days to more than 180 excited BAM participants.  This was such a success, and I owe all the credit to our wonderful volunteers who helped us deliver and prepare for this basket.  So many of you are always there to lend a helping hand, and we are grateful.  I know you love to “work for food” and participate in this unique community supported agriculture program.  You are the community, and I applaud you all—volunteers, BAM members, farmers, vendors and especially Jody for allowing me to take BAM to the next level in his absence.

FOODSHED FARM BASKET-A-MONTH PICKUP NOTIFICATION
MARCH 26, 27 and 28, 2009

PLEASE REPLY TO THIS NOTIFICATION TO RESERVE YOUR BASKET.
Cut-off time to reserve your basket is Wednesday, March 25, 2009 6:00 p.m.

Hello and Happy Spring!
Spring has arrived and the fever is catching.  We have been busy on the farm preparing our garden for planting, expanding our pasture for our animals, planning the 2009 Farmers’ Market season, working on getting Argenta Market open by April 16 and of course, what I always look forward to, seeing all of you and sharing in the bounty of what Arkansas farmers have to offer through our Basket-A-Month.

We have some exciting news.  The next Foodshed Farm All Arkansas Basket-A-Month has been tentatively set for March 26, 27 & 28.   We are expecting to resume our pickup locations this month. I am  too excited to wait. I have to tell you some of the items we are working on for this basket.

May is strawberry time!  Our family farm, Hardin Farms, will be offering you the experience to come down to the farm and pick your own strawberries, if you wish.  We will provide our fresh picked strawberries in Argenta Market in addition to the farmers' market booth.  If you would like to visit our farm and restaurant please call 870-479-3978.  If you would like to reserve and guarantee your already-picked berries, please send us an email at csalittlerock@yahoo.com.  We will contact you once the berries are ready. 

Visit our website at www.hardinfarm.com

FEBRUARY 2009 BAM PRODUCTS
Organic Shiitake Mushrooms
Organic Short Grain Brown Rice
Arkansas Natural Spring Mix
Arkansas Grown Sweet Potatoes
Argenta Fresh Baked Fococcia
Apple Butter or Smoked Peppers
1/2 Gallon Arkansas Milk
1 pint Smooth & Rich Chocolate Milk
1/2 pound Raw Milk Cheese
1 dozen Farm Fresh Eggs
2 pounds Ground Beef from Foodshed Farm (whole farm basket)
Spinach, Romaine, Watercress (vegetarian basket)

October 2008

Dear Bam Members and Friends,

Thank you for making our first farm to table dinner a huge success!  We had over 40 people in attendance.  The food was absolutely amazing; 4 courses of seasonal Arkansas food:  Butternut squash soup made with fresh milk from Seven Doves, topped with natural Honeysuckle Lane cheese, mixed green salad with fresh spring mix from Arkansas Natural Produce, perfectly cooked grass-fed beefalo steaks from Foodshed Farms with a shiitake mushroom sauce and sides of roasted Marconi peppers and whipped sweet potatoes, and for dessert Arkansas Koshikiri rice pudding. Our compliments go out to Chef Eric Isaac, who amazed us with every course and has the dubious honor of being the first chef to prepare beefalo in a commercial setting, which Chef Eric did to perfection...he truly made Barbara  proud.

Many comments were made about what a great value the meal was, and how fun it was to come together in an intimate setting to celebrate the culinary bounty that Arkansas has to offer, and there is no better setting than Argenta - the epicenter of the local food movement.

And thank you all for helping us keep our surprise fundraiser for the Argenta Market a secret.  Overcoming many obstacles throughout the week, we managed to keep Jody in the dark and caught him completely by surprise...I think he is still in shock.  Thanks to you, we have raised over $12,000 for the Argenta market.  The funds raised will help expedite the opening of the market, and will be spent stocking the market with all of those great Arkansas products that you have come to know and love.  This is community supported agriculture at work - Jody mentioned at the dinner how he was able to guarantee one farmer’s entire crop of butternut squash for the basket program.  Because we have all created such a demand for local foods, we can expect even more delicious things to come!