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Co-op News- Maple Syrup, New Vendors and Upcoming Farm & Bakery Tours
This post expired on March 21, 2023.
Market News
This weekend I will be taking orders for organically produced Maple Syrup – Grade B and Unfiltered Grade B Maple Syrup from Old State Farms in Northern Pennsylvania. The Burkett family has been producing maple syrup on their farm since 2001.
We partner up with Joyful Noise Acres Farm in Ballground, GA to get bulk pricing and reduced shipping. We only order this once a year!
My family easily goes through a gallon each year. This is a delicious nutrient dense traditional sweetener that has many uses besides a great pancake syrup. Use it in smoothies, glazes for salmon & chicken, marinades, yogurt & ice cream topping, maple butter, vinaigrettes, etc. and baking.
This maple syrup is organically produced, no chemicals, formaldehyde-free, no sprays or fertilizers used on trees, evaporator is stainless steel (lead free) and they practice Low Impact Maple Production.
What is unfiltered maple syrup?
Maple Sap is tree’s the primary source for nutrients. When the tree’s root system begins pumping sap up the trunk to feed the tree in early spring it brings with it many nutrients and minerals (Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc, Copper, Manganese & Selenium). Old State Farms collect the sap and boils off water until the syrup reaches the proper density (66.7brix). During the boiling process only the water evaporates. Not only does the sugar concentration increase, so does the mineral concentration. These minerals begin to collect to one another and form small granules (known to syrup makers as “sugar sand” or niter). This “sugar sand”, given this name because of its light blond color and slightly gritty texture, is then filtered out of the maple syrup. Unless you have asked for it specifically from a producer, any syrup you will find will be the filtered variety and look very clear.
In a nutshell unfiltered syrup is pure maple syrup with all the minerals and nutrients that were present when the sap was collected from the tree. It tastes the same and looks the same but will have a cloudy rather than clear appearance.
This is a pre-order and payment will be due at next week’s pick up or you can mail your check. Our order will take several weeks since Joseph is still tapping the trees. I will contact you as we get closer to a delivery date.
New Vendors
I’m very happy to welcome JavaGenesis Coffee Roasting, From Mimi’s Mountain Home and Royal Rose Bakery to our family of growers and vendors!
JavaGenesis Coffee Roasting- Bethlehem, GA
In the effort to try to get as many local vendors as possible for the co-op to support, I recently decided to switch coffee roasters. That same day I made this decision is the same day Juanice from JavaGenesis contacted me. I think it was meant to be! She roasts the coffee beans at the roastery in Bethlehem, GA about 40 minutes from Suwanee. You will now be able to get your coffees weekly instead of monthly! Whole beans and ground coffee will be offered. She will custom grind for you as well. If you choose ground coffee, it will be assumed for a drip coffee maker but if you need French press or a Keurig grind please email her after you order. All decaffeinated coffees are decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process. SWP uses water from the coast mountains of British Columbia to gently remove the caffeine until the beans are 99.9% caffeine free, while maintaining the bean’s distinctive origin and flavor characteristics. No chemicals were used to remove the caffeine from the coffee.
Below is their description:
JavaGenesis Coffee Roasting is a small batch craft roaster of specialty coffee. We source our coffee from the major growing regions around the world. All of our coffee will be roasted within 24-48 hours of the market to ensure our product is at peak freshness when it is delivered to you. Choose a trio of our 2 ounce sample size or a full pound bag and ‘Discover the Fresh Roast Difference’.
In addition to producing awesome coffee, promoting responsible environmental and/or social stewardship is important to us. Because Georgia does not have the climate needed to grow coffee, we use 3 importers to source our green coffee. We select coffee from our importers that have been farmed using sustainable practices and when possible we buy shade grown and/or fair trade organic coffees. We roast on a roaster which uses infrared burners, not open flame, atmospheric burners. IR burners produce substantially lower emissions than atmospheric burners. We are proud to roast our coffee on a ‘greener’ roaster. In addition we give all of our organic waste material (coffee chaff, coffee grounds, etc) to a local gardener to use in her vegetable garden.
From Mimi’s Mountain Home – Alpharetta, GA
If you picked up on Tuesday you probably saw and smelled the wonderful cleaning and bath samples From Mimi’s Mountain Home. All of their products are 100% natural, handmade and homemade. No synthetic chemicals or fragrances. Check out the Weekly Specials section for their starter kits. This is a great way to try the products at a reasonable price!
Below are more details about From Mimi’s Mountain Home:
Everything we sell as homemade is truly homemade, right here on the north side of Atlanta! Our products are NOT purchased from a factory and repackaged to be “homemade”. All of our recipes are passed down from my grandmother, “Mimi” (and her mother too!). Some are quick to make, and some take days to make, but Mimi always said that patience makes perfect!
All of our products are 100% Natural, No Manmade Colors or Scents! We use natural coloring and essential oils!
Since we are just starting out, our products are limited, but we will be adding new products monthly (if not weekly)! If something isn’t here and you need it, just ask! Like her cookie jar, Mimi’s recipe book is almost never-ending!
Also, we hand-make everything that is labeled “homemade”… the old fashioned way. Sometimes our products will vary slightly between batches.
If you have any questions/comments/concerns or just want to talk, let us know at imtellingmimi@fmmhome.com
Royal Rose Bakery – Suwanee, GA
Royal Rose Bakery specializes in genuine French baked goods. They will provide the co-op with quiches, with a crust free option, dairy free cookies, cakes low in sugar and wheat free (gluten free) bakery items.
Here’s more about Royal Rose Bakery:
All our delicious and very tasty goods have a distinctly homemade look and are made from scratch with no preservatives and the finest ingredients as well as other local and organic ingredients that will awaken your taste buds!
Royal Rose Bakery’s owner grew up in the South of France enjoying her mother’s delicious and very tasty baked goods. Those delicacies were always deeply appreciated by friends and family.
Since moving to Georgia in 2000, our founder continued the family tradition of making her mother’s goodnesses.
Today, thanks to Royal Rose Bakery, you can now also enjoy these delightful treats… BON APPETIT!!
Upcoming Events
I am coordinating 2 events during Spring Break week. This is a great opportunity for you to meet the farmers and vendors. Look for an Evite to come soon. These are kid friendly events and I hope you and your family can make 1 or both events! I will bring information about our co-op at both events so feel free to invite friends and family.
Great Harvest Bakery Tour and Vendor Tasting- April 8th at 3pm
Ray Boland, owner of Great Harvest Bakery in Duluth will give us a group tour of the bakery demonstrating the flour mill, sprouting grains, how they bake their bread. This is a wonderful educational experience for the kids (and adults) to see how their bread is made. Afterwards, we’ll have a few of our vendors do a tasting of their delicious items and/or a demonstration.
Family Fun Day at the Farm- April 10th at 10am-B&G Farm, Madison GA
Lynda from B&G Farm has offered to sponsor this year’s Family Fun Day! You will be able to see her animals and many acres of green pasture they graze on. Right now she has lots of baby piglets running around! For the kids, she’ll have her jumpy jump set up for them to play. Plan to bring a lunch and enjoy some time meeting her and hanging out on her farm.
After lunch we’ll head to Johnston Family Farm in Newborn which is close to Lynda’s farm. Russell will give us a tour of his dairy and farm.
This is a great opportunity to see where your food comes from and to meet the farmers that provide it.
The market will open tomorrow around 7am and you can place your orders until 5pm on Sunday.
We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious foods possible!