"Growth.
" Whitten Family Farm. Winthrop, NY*
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“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn't understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”
- Cynthia Occelli
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These days, planning for the future can be a challenge. It seems our understanding of the world changes by the hour. But as an organization, we are adapting. GardenShare and our community partners continue to focus on our goals while trying to grow into who we need to be to address our changing world. In particular, we are exploring how we can better address the intersection of food justice and racial justice in our work.
Read GardenShare's statement of solidarity
here
.
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Save the Date!
This time, it's virtual...
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Mark your calendars for
Thursday, June 25,
for GardenShare’s annual fundraising dinner!
Join us for a fun, exciting, and socially distanced celebration of the bounty of our North Country farmers while we raise money for GardenShare’s important food justice programs - together!
Our friends at
Big Spoon Kitchen
and Josh Taillon from
The Blue House
(new restaurant coming soon) will prepare a four-course dinner featuring local seasonal products from more than 16 North Country producers.
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"Will Trithart seasons meat."
Big Spoon Kitchen. Potsdam, NY*
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Your meal will be
delivered to your door by a GardenShare Board or committee volunteer.
While everyone enjoys their meals, we will offer a
virtual program
, including updates of interest to the local food community, videos of producers, and conversations with the chefs - followed by live music from local musicians.
Menu, cost, and ordering information will be available
here
beginning
Sunday, June 7
. Orders must be placed by Friday, June 19, so our chefs can plan and create the meal and the distribution team can map the delivery routes. Numbers will be limited so you should purchase your tickets early to guarantee a meal for this special event!
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Open Now:
Canton
:
Tuesdays and Fridays, 9am-2pm in Village Park.
(Now offering online ordering!)
Gouverneur:
Thursdays, 9am-2pm in Village Park.
Potsdam:
Saturdays, 9am-2pm in Ives Park.
Coming soon:
Hammond:
Wednesdays, 3pm-6pm at 14 Main St. (June 17)
Massena:
Sundays, 10am-2pm at Tractor Supply (July 5)
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Farmers Markets are Opening!
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We're living through changing times but farmers markets are here to stay. Thank you to everyone who has come out to support the markets already this season! We truly appreciate your support.
Crafters are back in Canton and Gouverneur and will be setting up in Hammond in a few weeks!
It's still early in the season but the produce is beginning to arrive! Asparagus, cabbage, radishes, greens, spring onions, lots of transfer plants. So much more has already been spotted with more options added every week!
The Market Managers, vendors, and volunteers have been working together to maintain a safe and welcoming environment for customers and we ask anyone who shops to do the same. Keep your distance when possible, use the sanitizer, allow the vendors to get items for you, and wear a mask.
Following these guidelines allows us to keep the market open and helps keep local food available and affordable.
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Keeping Local Food Affordable
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It's no question that these are difficult times. If you are in financial need, GardenShare has information about a variety of
food assistance programs
including food pantries and backpack programs.
We also have a
Farmers Market Customer Guide,
which offers information on programs that help make local food affordable. The Customer Guide is available online and is also featured as the centerfold of our printed 2020 Local Food Guide. To request a copy of the Guide, send an email with your address to
info@gardenshare.org
.
As a reminder, SNAP is accepted for all eligible items at the Canton, Hammond, Gouverneur, Massena, and Potsdam farmers markets - this includes food producing plants!
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"Snap peas."
Trudeau Family Farm. Edwards, NY*
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Beginning
July 1, we will be offering
Double Up Food Bucks at all of the markets. For every $2 in SNAP benefits you redeem at the market, you will get $2 free Double Up tokens to use on fresh fruits and vegetables (up to $20/day). Stop by the Market Manager's table at any of the markets for more information. This can be a great way to stretch your dollar and get a
lot of fresh, local produce throughout the season - especially if you are a recipient of
Pandemic-EBT!
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No Shortage of Helping Hands in Canton!
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We wanted to share a bit of hopeful news from our two partner programs in Canton: the Canton United Methodist Church Free Will Dinner and the Campus Kitchens Program at St. Lawrence University.
The UMC free meals were on pause for a while out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of the valuable volunteers who run the program. They were able to re-open last week and have served 225 Wednesday meals so far!
The Campus Kitchens Program is coming back strong after a two week break with two new interns heading the program for the summer! Achiad and Bregede are ready to take on the challenge of preparing and delivering 75 meals every Monday - more than double the typical amount of meals - to provide some assistance for both community members and students who are still left on campus.
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*Images courtesy of the Farm-to-Table Initiative led by Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.
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