Bluebird CSA Program Director, Patti Robinson, will be a radio show guest with Dr. Jeff Jordan, Director of Southern Region SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education) and Dr. Jerry Arkin, Assistant Dean for the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. 

About Us: With the aim of fresh, whole, affordable foods for all, Bluebird began as a sustainability initiative offering community garden space and Adopt-a-Row options to low income, intown families and anyone who wanted to grow their own foods. When crops, grown by the local 4-H members and other community garden growers, began to be harvested, Bluebird Market was launched as a local farmers market on June 6, 2009 where local farmers, growers and producers were invited to market their products. With requests to establish a weekly food share box and organic co-op by working with local growers and producers, Bluebird CSA was approved as a multiple farm CSA by Local Harvest.org.

How to benefit from Local Foods with Bluebird:

• Bluebird Greenhouse was established in December 2010 and currently offers community garden and greenhouse space to anyone interested in starting seeds or growing their own foods.
• Bluebird Internships for all ages interested in learning more about Local Foods Systems.
• FREE Harvest Shares. From time to time, when crops are harvested in abundance, we have shared with over 50 families, a bag of veggies grown in the community garden and by Georgia farmers.  If you are interested in a FREE bag of veggies in season, you may sign up on the waiting list at bluebirdmarket@gmail.com  
• Safety-net work options.  If you know of a family in need, please let us know, as we believe there is abundant, good food for all.  We will work in any way possible to provide for local families in need of healthy, nourishing foods upon harvest. bluebirdmarket@gmail.com
• Affordable weekly share boxes.  As a community supported agriculture member, you may sign up for an affordable box of weekly veggies grown by local growers and farmers in Georgia.
• Arts Support.  Bluebird has hosted a number of arts events to encourage local support of local artists including Folk and Indie artists.
• Farm to School.  Bluebird Festival was a fundraiser for Farm to School in Middle Georgia.  These efforts continue with fresh foods in vending machines for local establishments, colleges, work places and schools.  Contact: bluebirdmarket@gmail.com
• Georgia Producer Development.  Bluebird supports Georgia producers and assists in marketing their products to local families. If you are interested in baking or producing a product, we will be happy to speak with you about product development and offer direction for how to take steps on the path to becoming a Georgia producer.
• Spring Plant Sales.  Farmers and growers with Bluebird offer spring vegetable and herb plants for your home garden. 

Questions?  bluebirdmarket@gmail.com

Swiss families in winegrowing settlements near San Francisco brought their traditions to this region including the 1930 Swiss National Dish~~Cheese Fondue. Fondue became very popular in American California culture in the 60′s as a communal dish. In the mid-60′s Chalet Suisse restaurateur, Konrad Egli, invented Chocolate Fondue as a promotion for Toblerone Swiss Chocolate.

French Creole Cuisine, The Birthplace of Jazz–New Orleans, La., which emerges from a French and Creole history. Jambalaya, red beans and rice, file gumbo, pralines and more offered by Wayton Farms, Fayetteville, GA. ‘Bluebird Across America’ Week 1 Add-On: French Creole Cuisine share box includes Farmer Joe’s seasoning and bean mix packets of Jambalaya, Gumbo and Red Beans and Rice PLUS 1/2 dozen Christmas Pralines made with Georgia pecans. You will also receive a quarter share of French Riviera Heirloom shallots which are now growing on Wayton Farms, Fayetteville, GA and will be ready the week of Dec. 16th–your mixes and pralines will be ready for pickup the week of Friday Dec. 9th to follow by the shallots when these are ready for harvest. These shallots were first brought to America in the 1700′s from Cannes, France. What you get: 3 /French Creole Cuisine seasoning and bean mixes, 1/2 dozen Christmas Praline candies with Georgia pecans and –in 3 weeks– a qtr share of heirloom shallots.

‘Bluebird Across America’ Week 2 Add-On: Southwestern Cuisine Party Tray (or appetizers) includes Salsa Verda, Red Salsa, Cheese Queso Dip, corn tortilla chips, cayenne pepper hot sauce, PLUS Christmas Dark Chocolate Cayenne Bark made with bittersweet cacao chocolate. Bluebird teams up with LaFiesta Restaurant in Thomaston, GA, to offer you favorite tastes from this authentic Southwestern eatery!

‘Bluebird Across America’ Week 3 Add-On: Charleston Christmas Cheer Brunch Basket includes Charleston Tea Plantation tea (the only tea grown and produced in America), Stone Ground Grits with Nathalie Dupree’s recipe for Shrimp and Grits (Nathalie is a current resident of Charleston and renowned Southern Chef), Benne Wafers. We are delighted to offer you Charleston cuisine as Bluebird across America Culinary Tour continues.

Colonial Willliamsburg Wassail and Gingerbread Christmas Eve Basket includes traditional Williamsburg style Wassail Mix plus Quart of Apple Cider, Gingerbread and a loaf of French Bread for Welsh Rabbit with a Recipe Card for Welsh Rabbit prepared at Colonial Williamsburg’s Chownings Tavern (Welsh Rabbit is au gratin cheese sauce and sliced tomato broiled atop French bread). We are delighted to offer you the tastes of Colonial Williamsburg cuisine as our Culinary Tour continues with Bluebird across America.

America enjoys richly diverse and exciting culinary traditions.
Join us as Bluebird explores a variety of regional foods with Add-On’s you will LOVE!!

It’s as easy as a bake sale!!

Food Production is a consumer staple–things we need to have in order to simply exist and survive, no matter the economy.

Email us with questions: bluebirdmarket@gmail.com

Test your local market through Bluebird CSA. Our aim– as part of a sustainability initiative– is to encourage local producers! 

We very much encourage you to launch a test product affordably in order to develop a multiple stream of income for you and your family. 

Aim to source locally.   Use Georgia grown sweet potatoes or apples for pies, muffins and breads and sweeten them with local honey.

Use healthy ingredients like whole grains (oats, bran, flax, whole wheat), natural sweeteners (agave, honey, turbinado sugar), dark chocolate, fruits (apples, pears, grapes), veggies (sweet potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini) , healing herbs/spices (cinnamon, garlic, thyme) and nuts (pecans, peanuts).

Here are ideas of Cottage Baked Goods we are looking to source locally for fall and winter season local foods:

Desserts/Snacks with Fruit, Veggies, Nuts, Dark Chocolate

• Caramel apples dipped in chocolate and pecans
• Pumpkin Bread
• Sweet Potato Pies
• Apple Crostata or Rustic Apple Pie
• Pecan Coffee Cake 
• Chocolate Mint or Peanut Butter Fudge
• Dark Chocolate Brownies
• Dark Chocolate dipped English
  Toffee with pecans
• Dark Chocolate Pecan Turtles
• Pecan Biscotti 
• Peanut Trail Mixes

Multi Grain Breakfasts

• Cinnamon Rolls
• Muffins
• Granola and Breakfast Bars
• Artisan Stone Ground Whole Wheat-loaf
• Multi Grain Pancake Mixes

Healthy Dinner Baked Goods

• Focaccia Bread or Dipping Sticks (Pizza Dough)
• Corn Muffins, Sticks or Breads with Peppers, etc.
• Dried Soup Mixes
• Multigrain Baguettes
• Homemade Pastas

Kitchen Pantry

• Flavored Sea Salts/Spice Blends/Dip Mixes 
• Garlic Braids
• Bay leaf wreaths
• Onion wreaths
• Chili Pepper Ristras 
• Christmas and fall wreaths with locally grown herbs or greenery
• Herbal Vinegars

Healthy Pets

• Pet Biscuit Treats

Special Needs

• Gluten Free Baked Goods
• Grains, flours, starches and thickeners that are considered Safe for Celiac Alergies include
  Corn, grits, polenta and cornmeal

  Buckwheat, buckwheat cereal, kasha and buckwheat flour

  Rice- white, brown, risotto, basmati, jasmine, sticky rice, rice cereal

  Rice flour- white rice, sweet (glutinous) rice and brown rice flour

  Quinoa, quinoa cereal flakes, and quinoa flour

  Millet and millet flour

  Sorghum flour

  Amaranth and amaranth flour

  Certified gluten-free oats and oatmeal* see note

  Coconut flour

  Teff flour

  Nut meals and flours- almond, chestnut, pecan, cashew

  Chick pea, garbanzo, soy (soya) and bean flour

  Tapioca (whole) and tapioca starch (manioc)

  Potato starch (used in baking)

  Potato flour (used sparingly as a thickener)

  Sweet potato and yam flour

  Arrowroot starch

  Cornstarch

Greenhouse Development Phase II: Edibles in Container Gardening May-July

Building One:  Growing

Building Two:  Packing and Transplanting

Phase I Recap Feb-April: Starting Spring Seeds for Garden Plants

Goals:

On February 22, Farmer Bob and Bluebird began starting tomato, lettuce, herb and various heirloom vegetable plant seeds using organic practices.

3 Spring Plant Sales offering Affordable Veggie Plants to Community

1. The first Veggie Plant Sale open to the public was Spring Fling on April 8th.
2. The second week of Plant Sale open to public was on April 16th.
3. The 3rd week event was Earth Day Farm-to-School and Plant Sale held on Good Friday, April 22, 2011–Easter Weekend Holiday.   Good Friday (2011 also Earth Day) is planting day for many local growers and farmers.

After these 3 successful planting events providing affordable garden plants to the community, the remaining vegetable and tomato plants will be transferred to local farms and the Bluebird Greenhouse gardens to produce fruits outdoors during the summer season.  Click to enlarge thumbnail images.

Phase II Begins May-July:  Edibles in Container Gardens

“Container gardening allows so many more people the chance to get involved with gardening. Vegetables can pretty much be grown anywhere; there is nothing that the plant needs that cannot be offered to the plant in a container,” states Greenhouse Gardening.