Fresh Harvest

Chamomile rake for the win. Chamomile heads can be steeped fresh or dried and have wonderful health benefits. Farmer Jeni at Crystal Organic Farm is our resident herbal expert, introducing many of our customers to herbs like tulsi and calendula. Thanks for also introducing us to the chamomile rake which might be as relaxing as the tea.

The combine harvester at DaySpring Farms does three jobs at once when harvesting their organic, non-GMO wheat. Reaping cuts down the grain. Threshing separates the grain from the stalk. Winnowing separates the grain from the chaff. Then, unlike commodity wheat mills that pulverize the goodness out of the grains, they make their flour using a stone mill, ensuring that the live enzymes and oils remain intact.

Sprouted ginger getting planted at Rodgers Greens and Roots Organic Farm! The process starts in a ginger germination chamber for 6 weeks, then the sprouted ginger is planted in the Spring and eventually fills a high tunnel ready for harvest in the Fall! Ginger's medicinal properties are unmatched (anti-inflammatory, anti-nausea, immune boosting) and so is the prowess of the local farmers who grow it!

What are you planning to make this week from your Fresh Harvest basket? New Recipe on the Fresh Harvest blog: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tostadas Delicious El Milagro Tostadas topped with sweet potato mash, black beans, cabbage slaw and cilantro. https://blog.freshharvestga.com/sweet-potato-black-bean-to/... Feel free to share recipes in the comments below to help others get inspired!

If you love Fresh Harvest, feel free to share this post to your news feed! If your friends use your name or referral link to sign up, you each get a credit added to your account. Thanks for spreading the word to support local organic farmers! https://freshharvestga.com/how-it-works

Just a day before the severity of the virus became widely apparent in Atlanta, we signed a lease on the warehouse space next to ours. We’d outgrown our cooler and freezer capacity and knew we needed to expand. But what we thought would take us years to fill ended up taking only a few months. Within a week of signing, over 800 new customers had joined Fresh Harvest for home deliveries. The following eight months was a blur of hiring, trouble shooting, temperature checking, ...and operating. We know that we’ve been fortunate so far, and without a doubt the prevailing sentiment within our company of individuals is gratitude. Many of us don’t have a whole lot to celebrate in 2020; and it’s not over yet. Even so, we humans need to find good in the midst of a tragedy, and thankfully the 2020 story of Atlanta’s local food movement has offered some semblance of a silver lining. Our role in the Metro Atlanta community has always been simple: facilitate connection between local food producers and consumers. And though the challenges of this undertaking during a pandemic became apparent, the value of Atlanta’s local food system became more brilliant than ever. Local consumers and local producers were there for each other when each group needed it most. Here is an in-depth, behind-in-the scenes account of the last 8 months at FH! Much Love - The FH Crew https://blog.freshharvestga.com/coping-with-covid-the-loca/

We’ve been delivering local, organic produce + artisan items to homes around Metro Atlanta since 2012. We very intentionally do not offer next day delivery or ship nationwide. Both of those things translate to large amounts of food and packaging waste and poor quality. At the same time there are modern conveniences that we do offer like customizations, online grocery shopping, text alerts, and home delivery in reusable packaging. These things defined us before the pandemic and will continue to do so. Thanks for joining us in this effort to create a viable and sustainable local food system!

Not the most fun day to be a Fresh Harvest driver but they are making the most of it! On a day that could have been crazy for customer service, things have been relatively calm because of the drivers hustle. There has been a lot of parking, walking, and coordinating with customers and as you know, those baskets aren’t light! Thank you guys and thanks driver crew for being amazing as always!

If we asked you what turmeric looks like, would this have been your answer? Most would describe the root, or the powder form that is bright yellow, like Ashley’s dope FH hat. Farmer-sized leaves, however, would not have been the most popular response! Turmeric leaves are a powerful antioxidant, and are used in curries or to wrap a steamed dish. So next time you cook with the spice or add powder to your smoothie, remember this was the starting point! Rodgers Greens and Roots Organic Farm

Farmer Eric Simpson is a leading member and the development coordinator for West Georgia Farmer's Cooperative. Founded in 1965, WGFC is a collective of farmers coming together to pool resources and knowledge within their agricultural community of Hamilton, Ga. We are excited to partner with them through sourcing their beautiful produce for FH customers! Enjoy their pink eyed peas, red potatoes, and beets this week!

Heirloom Cortland apples this week, GA grown persimmons next week, Fall squash galore. What a time to be alive :)

We hope that one day Georgia’s local farmers will be household names. Celia, farmer + farm manager at Woodland Gardens Organic Farm, is certainly well known and respected in the local food and farming community and we love having her on our new truck! Not only does she grow food of the highest quality but she’s mentored dozens along the way to pass on her knowledge and experience. We hope her food is part of an upcoming meal around your table!

Meet Josh from Hickory Hill Farm Carlton GA! Hickory Hill was one of our first farm partners but their family has been cultivating the land long before FH came around. The property east of Athens has been in their family since 1852! Susan and Garry Shaw live in the house built by her great-great grandfather and their daughter Jennifer and son-in-law Josh co-manage the whole operation with them. Every Friday, Garry and Susan’s grandchildren come to work on the farm and the legacy continues. They are an incredible example of commitment to a craft and we are proud to work with them!

If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to start an environmentally responsible farm (while starting a family) you should follow Ilana and Zach at Levity Farms. They recently moved to a new piece of land in Madison, GA and officially became land owners! We’ve been thrilled to offer some of their unique items like gherkins and flowers and we’re excited for what’s to come!

Deliveries to your beautiful doors keep rolling like the changes around FH. This week we started renovating the office space next door and implementing technology to our packing process for greater efficiency. We’ve also added two new teammates that we’re excited to introduce soon! With every basket you’re supporting an entire ecosystem of farmers, artisans, and local jobs, and we are grateful!

We hope this view brings you a little joy each week! Now that everyone is home, it seems to be a more anticipated view than ever. For you pre-pandemic customers (who are now officially FH OG’s) your experience was more of a basket-magically-appearing at your door kinda thing. In a weird, socially distanced way, we appreciate the friendly waves and pictures through the door! Row by Rowe Organic Farm

Around this time of year we invite our community to send notes of encouragement to our farmer partners. All summer they battle heat, bugs, and weeds with unstoppable resolve to provide us with beautiful produce. So in your basket this week, look out for a blank card. Circle the farmer you’d like to send it to then write/draw away! Leave it in your empty basket and we’ll take care of the rest. Connecting with the person growing your food is challenging but we’ve seen these letters do just that in years past! #thankafarmer #knowyourfarmer

Meet Dana, our new Head of Customer Experience! We have a growing team of customer advocates and Dana will be leading the way. She has a knack for problem-solving and spent her first couple weeks shadowing various team members out on farms, packing baskets at 4am, delivering food around Atlanta, and joining in on countless zoom calls. She loves to swim, cook and makes a mean sourdough loaf. Welcome to the team, Dana. We’re so excited to have you!

We’re excited about Hungarian Cheese Peppers from Fry Farm this week! They’re basically mini sweet bell peppers with no heat and a nice thick wall that’s perfect for stuffing and roasting. If you have sweet peppers this week, it could be these or another variety of sweet bell peppers from Crystal Organic Farm or Signal Mountain Farm.

First, socially distanced group photos look like boy band album covers. Second, it’s hard to believe our driver crew has grown to 16 members! These guys and gal take pride in their work and it shows. It’s not uncommon for us to talk to a customer and the conversation ends with, oh, and our driver is awesome! We couldn’t agree more!

It’s only Tuesday and it’s been a week of firsts! Our new Head of Customer Experience started this week (more to come on that!) and we made our first home deliveries in Athens today! Athens is home to Condor Chocolates, one of the amazing artisans who’s products we’re proud to carry. They sell bean-to-bar chocolate bars, meaning they’re involved in every step of the process from sourcing their cacao beans directly from Ecuadorian farmers to production in the historic Five Points neighborhood!