A good friend of mine once made a very concise observation about my life and it is this:

“Jenny can never say no to two things: food or a social engagement.”

It’s true. And for the side of me that loves to eat, here are some ways for all of us to do it a little more locally. Think it’s hard to find local, organic food in a metro area the size of Atlanta with 5 million people and growing? Time to take a closer look!

Local Atlanta and Decatur grocery stores

View of the Paulk Vineyards from the Little Yellow House

• DeKalb Farmers Market: this huge farmers’ market in Decatur is a warehouse-sized building with half of the floor dedicated to fresh produce and the rest an array of fresh meats, seafood, cheeses, pastas, dry goods, etc. You can also peruse the bakery, flower shop, and kitchen section. However, this is the International Farmers’ Market and so you have to hunt for produce that comes from Georgia and the surrounding states. Map it!
• The Local Farmstand: a produce stand in the Westside Urban Market on Howell Mill Road, the Local Farmstand is brought to you by two Georgia farmers who have teamed up to bring together local produce from farms around Georgia. Map it!
• Rainbow Natural Foods: this store in Decatur is much more than an organic grocery store, with all-natural vitamins, supplements, and beauty products; a book store; a deli and restaurant with fresh foods prepared in-house; dry goods; produce; and much more. While it is all natural, it’s not necessarily all local, though, but delicious! Map it!
• Sevenanda Natural Foods Market: located in Little Five Points since 1974, this co-op is a staple of Atlanta. Being a community-owned cooperative, their green practices extend beyond local food and into their business practices. In addition to local and organic produce, they also offer eco-friendly household and pet supplies; spices; supplements and vitamins; and a deli with freshly prepared foods. Map it!

Local Atlanta and Decatur farmers’ markets

• Piedmont Park Green Market launches its season at the beginning of May (May 2nd, 2009) and runs every Saturday at the 12th Street entrance.
• Morningside Organic Farmers’ Market can be found every Saturday morning at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and University in the intown Atlanta neighborhood of Morningside (near Virginia Highland).
• East Atlanta Village Farmers’ Market: starts up in May and runs through November every Thursday from 4 p.m. til dusk at the Village Hardware at 1231 Glenwood Avenue.
• Decatur Organic Farmers’ Market is open every Wednesday at the intersection of Church Street and Commerce Drive, in the Bank of America parking lot (near the Decatur Square). Summer hours are 4-7 p.m. and winter hours are 3-6 p.m.
• State Farmers’ Market (also known as the Atlanta Farmers’ Market or the Forest Park Farmers’ Market) is open year round and vendors are usually there starting around 5:30 a.m. on Saturdays until generally noon (give or take). Here’s a great list of vendors from the website pickyourown.org! Located at 16 Forest Pkwy, Forest Park, GA 30297.
• Peachtree Road Farmers’ Market can be found in Buckhead every Saturday starting April 4th from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Philip ( 2744 Peachtree Road N.W., Atlanta). Their season wraps up in December.
• Emory Farmers Market: This small-but-growing farmers market is open each Tuesday through November from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. You can find it on the Cox Hall bridge on Emory University’s campus at 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30306. Emory also has a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, which you can read more about here!
• Dunwoody Spruill Green Market: Every Wednesday through November from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Dunwoody Village next to the post office (1551 Dunwoody Village Parkway, Dunwoody, GA 30338). For more info, contact Larry & Corinna Garmon at 770.214.8531.
• Glenwood Park Farmers’ Market: Every Sunday (12 – 4 p.m.) in the square at Glenwood Park (Atlanta, 30316) or, if it’s rainy, at 890 Bill Kennedy Way.

Local Atlanta and Decatur CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture)

• Moore Farms & Friends (all locally grown and produced groceries! Place your order online once a week and pick it up once a week from many convenient locations around town)

General information on Georgia farms, organic sources, and organizations

• Georgia Organics 2009 – 2010 Food Guide (pdf – 28MB)
• Georgia Organics
• Paulk Vineyards (okay, so they’re south Georgia, but they’re a family farm – and our family! – and they have the best scuppernongs and muscadines in the U.S. of A.!)
• Jenny Jack Sun Farm located in Pine Mountain, Georgia provides chemical-free fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers (and can be found in Atlanta at the Peachtree Road Farmers’ Market!)
• Crystal Organic Farm in Newborn, Georgia (Nicolas Donck is one half of the team that brings you The Local Farmstand on the west side of Atlanta, where you can buy the produce that he and his family grow on his mother’s land)
• Love is Love Farm in Douglasville, Georgia (find them at the Peachtree Road Farmers’ Market and on facebook!)
• Johnston Dairy Farm in Newborn, Georgia provides fresh milk from their cows (which you can purchase at Sawicki’s in Decatur)
• BPH, Inc. (Beef, Pork, and Honey Incorporated) is a sustainable farm located in Madison, east of Atlanta with fresh, locally processed meat.

And many more to come… Have any sites or farms you would like to see here? Let me know!
And in the meantime, please feel free to check out the blogs I’ve posted on food by clicking on the “food” category to the righthand side of this page!