Closed for Season

It has been a few weeks since my posting.  Time does have a way of slipping by when you are not watching. 

We had a successful first year thanks to all our new found friends and neighbors.  Without the community's support we would not have made it past the first few months.  We are deeply thankful for everyone's belief in our little endeavor and look forward to coming back with new offerings in Spring 2010.

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday this year.  Good food....football.....shopping.....need I say more?

Until next time....
Lisa

5 Layer Pot Casserole

Since our opening, Jakes has collected old and new cookbooks to create our Recipe Library. Included in the library are also customer family recipes that we like to share.

The most recent of these customer recipes came from Janis McMahan. I do not know if it is her personal creation or one of those word of mouth shared recipes you happen upon....but, I tried it this week on my better half, Rick and he gave it a thumbs up. One more bonus this recipe has is not just its simplicity, you can also prepare the ingredients in advance and toss together at the last minute for a quick comfort meal.

Ingredients: (vary the amount based on # of persons)
Ground hamburger meat
Idaho baking potatoes
Medium onion
Bell Pepper
Diced Tomatoes
Water
Salt @ Pepper

Directions:
Wash and drain potatoes, onion and bell pepper.
While hamburger is browning, slice your potatoes and onion into thin rings and chop bell pepper into strips.
Drain fat from cooked hamburger meat. Layer onion rings onto hamburger. Salt & Pepper.
Layer potatoes next. Salt & Pepper.
Layer bell pepper next. Salt & Pepper.
Open can of diced tomatoes, layer onto bell peppers. Salt & Pepper
Add enough water to cover potatoes.
Simmer on medium heat until potatoes are done.

Suggestions: Use tomato juice in place of water for liquid. Add other layers to personalize this dish for your family.

Acorn Squash Dip

Yesterday was our pumpkin carving day. A big thanks goes out to our neighbors Andy, Patricia and Matthew with their carving assistance. Kitty was also helpful in setting up the refreshments inside as well as loaning us here Mr. Coffee to offset the cool temps outside.

A repeated request yesterday was on my recipe for Acorn Squash Dip. I found this simple delicious recipe on the CDKitchen website while researching Halloween this week. We enjoyed it at our gathering and I hope you will at yours too.

Acorn Squash Dip

Ingredients:
1 large acorn squash, halved and seeded

3 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt

3 tablespoons sweet onions, diced

3 teaspoons honey

3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seed

1/4 teaspoon ground paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 dash hot red pepper sauce

Directions:

Bake squash, covered, in a conventional oven at 350F for 45 minutes, or in a microwave for 15 minutes at high power, until fork tender. Allow to cool enough to handle. Scoop out flesh and discard the skin. Mash all ingredients together. Serve dip warm or at room temperature with crusty bread and vegetables.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

It is the time of year we think of apples and pumpkin....as well as soups and chilli. Last night was time to try one of those thoughts....pumpkin bread.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Flour
1 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 cup Pumpkin
1/2 cup Olive Oil
2 Eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Water
1/2 tsp each Nutmeg, Allspice, Cinnamon
Dash of Ginger and/or Clove (optional)
1/2 tsp Chopped Nuts (optional)

Preheat oven 350°
Combine Flour, Salt, Sugar, Baking Soda in small bowl. Set aside
Combine Pumpkin, Oil, Eggs, Water & Spices in large bowl. Add dry ingredients.
Do Not Mix thoroughly. Stir in Nuts.

Pour into prepared 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes or until skewer comes out clear. Turn out of pan and let cool.

This is a heavy sweet bread much like Banana Bread. Because each person's preference is different, you may want to vary the amount of sugar to make sweeter or even experiment with brown sugar vs white sugar.

Happy baking!
Lisa @ Jakes

Fall Festival

Jakes Produce closed this past Saturday to participate in the 1st Annual Cherokee County Animal Shelter Fall Festival. It was not only fun but educational for everyone involved as it was a first for the entire group.

Although the festival hours was from 12 Noon to 4 PM, we decided to get there early for setup...and it was a good thing.

We were fortunate to have great assistance from the Animal Shelter volunteers and local high school seniors assisting in setting up the tent and unloading the pumpkins, apples and canned goods. Volunteer Pud Mudd was our engineer in setting up the borrowed 10' x 20' tent. One of the local high school volunteers, Jansen from the Towne Lake area was our favorite volunteer with her willingness to pitch in and we can't forget her fabulous cookies! Notice the Snake Gourd wrapped around her neck....cool!

Kitty, Patsy and myself were kept busy throughout the day, arranging and selling pumpkins and canned goods. We met lots of new people at the festival and was glad Cherkee Animal Shelter staff and volunteers were able to accomplish their goal for finding homes for some of the many dogs and cats they take in at the shelter.

Southern Fried Apples

Would you like a quick, no-frills side dish of fried apples? This is the season in Georgia for everything apple!

Fried Apples for Two

2-3 Apples, peeled, cored and sliced

2 TBL Butter

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Pinch of ClovesPinch of Allspice (This enhances the flavor of your cinnamon) Optional

2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/8 cup Brown or Granulated Sugar

Melt butter in heavy skillet or saucepan. Add other ingredients and simmer until apples are tender (apx 15-20 minutes). Serve warm.

Fresh Farm Eggs

Back in the Spring I called every local farm in Bartow/Cherokee County area trying to convince them I was a good sales outlet for their produce or other farm goods. Most of the more farms just blew me off in favor of their already established customer base. But, some took my number and promised to call me when they had something to sell.

One of these individuals Mr. Ted Perry of Hanging Mountain Farms, dropped by the store today. He had trouble back in the Spring with coyotes killing a number of his laying hens. During the summer he re-established his flock of Delaware and New Hampshire laying hens and now has eggs to sell.

Jake's now has the fortune of being one of the first locations to offer eggs from Hanging Moutain Farm's new flock. The first eggs from the new hens will be smaller in size. There will also be larger brown eggs from his older hens mixed in the bunch. All of the eggs from Hanging Mountain Farms are hormone free and free range. We will sell the smaller eggs at $2.00/dzn and the larger eggs at $2.50/dozen.

Some facts to consider on fresh farm eggs beyond their flavor and success in the skillet, eggs are also rich in immune-boosting nutrients. According to the American Egg Board (which for years has promoted the “incredible, edible egg”�), adding eggs to your daily diet can help prevent common colds and illnesses. Selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and zinc are all found in eggs and are all proven to help bolster the immune system. Additionally, eggs pack high-quality protein —one egg contains 6 grams of protein, which is 13 percent of the recommended daily intake for the average person. Excellent protein, good fat and all kinds of culinary possibilities —a carton of eggs, which yields up to six servings, is an unbeatable bargain. Another fact to consider is the fresh eggs purchased at your local grocer can be anywhere from 4 weeks to 9 months out of the coop. The eggs from Hanging Mountain Farms will be rarely over one week old by the time they reach your kitchen.

Another benefit through this new relationship between Hanging Mountain Farms and Jake's Produce will be having a place on the list to receive his heirloom tomatoes. Mr. Perry glows as he speaks highly of his Radiator Charlie variety ... can't wait 'til next summer to taste this tomato sandwich.

Lisa @ Jakes
404-667-5121

Green Tomatoes and Okra

Let me start with okra...as there are two ways I mostly preserve it for winter enjoyment. The first is the easiest of course, freezing.

Freezing Okra:

Wash your selected okra and spread it out on a kitchen towel to dry thoroughly. Once dry, cut the pods into 1/2 inch slices (or to your desired thickness). Measure sliced okra into 2 cup increments and place in quart bags. Dust apx 1/4 cup flour into bag. Seal without releasing air and toss flour in bag until okra is coated. Open and reseal bag squeezing out air before freezing. Place bag(s) in a single layer in freezer. Once thoroughly frozen, you can stack bags as freezer space allows. Don't forget to label and date each bag before freezing.

Pickling Okra:

2 - 3 lbs fresh okra (small pods to fit into pint jar)

4 cups White Vinegar

1/4 cup Pickling/Canning Salt (non-iodized)

5 Cloves of Garlic (1 per jar)

5-10 Small Hot Peppers (red and green if available)

1 TBL Mustard Seed

1 TBL Tumeric Seasoning (can substitute Dry Mustard Seed)

1 TBL Dill Seed

5 Sterilized Pint Jars

1. Cut stem off each okra pod being careful not to cut into pod itself. Rinse, thoroughly pat dry and pack okra into sterilized jars leaving 1/2" head space. Place 1-2 hot peppers and 1 clove garlic into each jar.

2. Combine water, white vinegar, salt, mustard seed, tumeric seasoning and dill seed into medium sauce pan, bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves.

3. Pour liquid mixture over okra filling to 1/2" headspace. Spoon remaining seasoning mixture in pot equally over each jar. Remove air bubbles and wipe jar rim. Immediately place metal lids on jar and screw on bands.

4. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove, wipe jar and allow to cool before storage.

5. Don't forget to label and date before storing.

Next is a "handed-down" recipe for crisp pickled green tomatoes that is sure to please the senses.

Pickling Green Tomatoes:

3-4 LBS Small Green Tomatoes

2 Cups White Vinegar

1 Cup Water

1 TBL Pickling/Canning Salt (non-iodized) (Per Jar)

Hot Peppers (small green and red)

Sterilized Jars

1. Rinse and dry tomatoes. Cut into wedges and tightly pack into jars. Add 1-2 hot peppers in each jar. Add salt on top of tomatoes.

2. Combine Water and White Vinegar into medium saucepan and bring to boil. Pour boiling liquid mixture over tomatoes leaving 1/2" headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe jar rim. Immediately place metal lid and screw on bands.

3. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and wipe jars. Allow to cool completely before storage.

4. Don't forget to label and date each jar before storing.

Okra Okra Okra

Good morning friends and neighbors! It is dreary outside in Sutallee, but the rain is hopefully good for the freshly planted fall vegetable crops. We were able to plant our collards, cabbage, beets and mixed greens at the store this week....I decided to hang on to my tomato plants a little while longer while they are still producing. I just can't bear the thought of pulling up a plant that still has some good in it....don't we all?

On to the main reason for the update. Can I just say okra...okra...okra? We have lots of Mr. Howell's okra this week....and it is beautiful in color and size. Yum! You will want to put some of this in the freezer for later. We also have a small quantity of green tomatoes, just the right size for pickling. Refer to my next post for recipes on freezing or picking okra and green tomatoes.

Today the market was still in its transitional stage...a few things here and there, but mostly everyone has closed for the season. I did manage to find more of those late season tomatoes from Cleveland, as well as squash, half runners and shelled peas. I also found small quantities of corn, cabbage heads, cucumbers, radish bunches and muscadines. Fresh crops of new potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, gourds, wheat bales and corn stalks were the main items on display at the market today....(I did pick up a few of each.)

Before I forget to mention them....we also have more Ellijay apples this week. Winesap, Rome, Mutsu, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious varieties....

My baking is back for the second week...on the menu today and Friday will be Lemon Blossoms, paired with pecan and apple turnovers. Later in the weekend we'll add the smores bars and fudge. Stop by for a taste...

Have a good day everyone...and we look forward to seeing you this weekend.

The Seasonal Transition

The seasonal change from summer vegetables to fall vegetables is more dramatic than I anticipated. The only exception of the transition being swift is a 2 week period in September when almost nothing local is available for purchase.

We chose to to purchase produce from the extreme North Georgia counties and into the southern boundaries of Tennessee namely the Unicoi area. The hardest task of doing this is finding produce not refrigerated during transit. Believe or not, it was easier in the peak of summer to find produce straight out of the garden without refrigeration than it has been these last two weeks.

I am anticipating the our local fall crops to follow the path of summer. The travel distance from garden to Jake's varies between 2 miles to 50 miles, but almost all within the Georgia state boundaries. This allows up to pick up the product on Wednesday and sell for the week. I do sometimes choose to refrigerate items after it has reached the market in order to maintain its freshness.

Mentioning seasonal changes in the air.....I am finally changing out my vegetable plants at Jakes this week by adding Georgia Collards, Beets and Mixed Greens to replace my squash, peppers and cucumber plants. I am leaving the tomato plants a while longer as they are still bearing fruit and I am also looking forward to harvesting some good late season green tomatoes for pickling.

Check back for the photos of Jakes upcoming changing landscape.....

Jakes Weekly Update

Good morning everyone...it really looks dreary out today, but the weather man thinks we'll get some sunshine later today. Fingers crossed!

Wednesday was a long, long day driving around north Georgia. It was made even longer by the knowledge that all my new leads were dead-ends...and I still drove to Ellijay for pies, corn (Golden Sweet and Peaches & Cream) and tomatoes. I did decide once there to pick up a few Georgia pecans, peanuts, dried apples and apple bread fresh from the oven. The small amount will acclimate everyone to the idea that we are entering into our un-official last weekend of summer and Fall is just around the corner....apples, pumpkins, greens...

I did recover some confidence this morning at the Atlanta Farmers Market. Squash, watermelons, pears, figs, okra, Silver Queen corn, "mixed" beans, pickling cucumbers, shelled butter beans and Pink Lady peas and last but not least, South Carolina peaches were a few of my finds this morning.

Let me briefly explain the term "mixed" beans......the farmer planted his rows of white half runners, pole and snap beans together instead of different fields....his workers did not know the difference apparently and picked his beans as one type without separating them. This was the first...but, because of the error, we were able to get a good price on the bushel. I'll take a few minutes today when setting everything out and separate the beans and sell each at $1.00/LB.

We thought there was to be 2 more weeks of South Carolina Alberta peaches, but I was told today they had enough for about 3 more days this week....I picked up 3 bushels as usual, but am willing to pick up more if anyone is doing last minute jams and/or jellies. I am selling the peaches at $1.25/LB this week and will talk discount on quantity.

The last item on my list today is to let you know I have a small number of cabbages this week that will be sold at $1.00 each. This is my cost and I want to be prepared for the upcoming availability of Fall cabbages. Try creating a new spin on salad by using cabbage in lieu of lettuce. Add a few tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, carrots, bell peppers or anything in the fridge (or at Jakes), then toss with a little mayo, S&P.

Please enjoy a safe holiday weekend....and don't to stop by Jakes for your fresh vegetables this week.

Thanks,
Lisa @ Jakes
404-667-5121

The Georgia Peach

Who does not enjoy the taste of a fresh sliced peach either as an accompaniment to breakfast, midday snack or in a delicious peach cobbler dessert?

There are many varieties of peaches in the Southeast. Most of us lean toward the Alabama Chilton County or the South Carolina Alberta peach as our favorite variety. We often overlook the many varieties of Georgia peaches. I am sad to say I have been among these many folks....until this summer. Georgia peaches start coming into season mid to late June and last through mid-August. Jake's Produce experienced 5 different varieties of Georgia peaches this summer...all ranging from red, white and yellow meat peaches. The favorite charateristics of all these peaches were their being freestone and juicy sweet. Unlike the South Carolina Alberta peach, most Georgia peaches are smaller in size similiar to the Alabama Chilton variety.

A few fortunate folks are still enjoying the Georgia Flame Prince peach this week. Most others are selecting from the South Carolina varieties still available for the next couple weeks.

Here is a quick, simple Peach Cobbler recipe to help you enjoy your peaches today or tomorrow.

List of Ingredients:

4 cups Peaches (apx 8 medium), peeled and sliced

2 cups Sugar, divided (suggestion: substitute 1 cup white sugar for brown in batter)

1/2 cup Water (suggestion: substitue for peach nectar)

8 Tbl Butter

1 1/2 cup Flour

1 1/2 cup Milk

Sprinkle of Cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Combine peaches, 1 cup sugar, water in sauce pan. Mix well. Bring to boil. Turn heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place butter in 3 quart casserole dish and place in oven. Mix remaining ingredients (sugar, flour, milk) slowly to prevent clumping. Pour mixture over melted butter. Spoon peaches and liquid over batter, DO NOT stir. Sprinkle cinnamon over top and bake 30-45 minutes until brown on top.

Hint: Peel and slice peaches in advance...placing 4 cup portions into quart bags for most recipes.

Written by: Lisa @ Jake's Produce

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=6394

Week #8! It has been busy this week...Patsy Howell and I canned tomatoes and white half runners on Monday. I froze okra and cooked down Apples for sauce and butter on Tuesday. Wednesday was travel day for sourcing out new growers in the area. Not to mention, we cut okra on Monday and Wednesday......

I was able to locate mainly Parker tomatoes near Calhoun yesterday...as well as located a new grower for silver queen corn and white half runners....not to mention okra which these days everybody has plenty....where were these folks a few weeks back?

These new sources have been added to our primary grower, Mr. Brooke, directly here in Sutallee. Mr. Brooke has been a wealth of goodies including okra, straightneck squash, crooked neck squash, zucchini and pickling cucumbers...not to mention all the history on Sutallee dating back to its 1920's and/or 1930's and shine running days.

Below you will find a quick link to a website I visit often, Fruits & Veggies More Matters. It is a good resource for information regarding the fruits and veggies you purchase, as well as good recipes and more.

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=6394

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What's New at Jake's

Can you believe we have been open almost 2 months? Neither can I!

The fried pies from BJ Reece are going well...they go well with the homemade vanilla ice cream on Sunday...or with anything else on any other day....Apple, Peach, Blackberry and Blueberry are our flavors....as well as Apple Sticks.

Speaking of which....it is the beginning of Apple season in North Georgia. Gala and Ginger Gold are the current varieties....just picked on Wednesday...how much fresher can they get except straight off the tree?

Georgia Peaches are growing to a close....I personally will be sad to see this fruit's season end for the year....we may carry a few South Carolina peaches to extend our offerings another week or two.....

Tomatoes are still coming in from the North Georgia gardens....as well as okra and corn. Squash is its final weeks as well as zucchini and cucumbers....

One last update....Fresh Brown Eggs are back! This time they are local to Sutallee and picked up weekly....you can purchase by the dozen or the 2 1/2 dozen flat.

Look forward to seeing you guys this week....stop in for a few tomatoes and beans for dinner this week....and don't forget to peek in the 'fridge for what is fresh cut or shelled for this week's ready to cook meals....

Thanks,
Lisa @ Jake's

Week 5 - A few changes

We are now entering Week #5 and have a few changes for Jake's. First, the girls have gone home to Alabama....we hope they will want to come back next year for an extended visit. Second, we have a new addition to the household, Coconut. She is a rescue kitten (now sitting on my keyboard trying to catch fingers) that the girls found on Hwy 20 this weekend. She was frightened at first, but now rules the house and most likely the store.

We also added complimentary ice cream on Sunday. Homemade vanilla with peach and/or blueberry topping. Yum Yum! Salsa and fried pies are also here! The salsa is homemade while the fried pies come from BJ Reece in Ellijay.

BJ Reece is now supplying our peaches and the fresh 2009 Apple crop is about to begin starting with June apples now in stock.

This is the first week we have been able to supply all our inventory with produce from North Georgia only. We will continue to use our South Georgia farmers at times, but are now reaching our goal of being locally grown. Half Runner Peas, peaches, apples, squash, cucumbers, garden variety tomatoes, red and white new potatoes, vidalia onions, bell, sweet and hot peppers, blueberries, shelled peas and butter beans are a few of our offerings this week....take a minute and stop by for a visit.

Thanks,

Berries

The fresh blackberries picked this week (all 3 lbs) were quickly sold on Thursday. We will try to have more next week, but we're not sure they will be ripe enough to pick on Tuesday yet.

We purchased a large amount of blueberries from a small farm near Brunswick, GA this week at Hopewell Baptist Church off of Sixes Road. For those of you in the area that missed the sale, contact me for berries....we all want to see this family save their farm and wish them all a speedy recovery.

Expanding Offerings

We have discovered that although the store is open only 4 days a week....Jakes is a full-time job in itself. The "girls", Jessie and Danielle, and I will have a busy two days ahead preparing for our Week 3 opening.

Today's agenda includes picking up 200# of freshly picked Alma, GA blueberries. We purchased these at a great price and will be able to pass that savings on to our customers @ $1.50/lb. Place your orders now to enjoy these savings! Bulk pricing is available.

We are also picking local blackberries today in Sutallee and tomorrow in Ellijay. These will be fresh, unfrozen and offered for a limited time only @ $4.00/pint.

For those of you requesting organically grown or pesticide free produce, we will hopefully have a limited selection of both this week. We will also begin offering our ripened or bruised produce in bulk on Sundays at reduced pricing. This is a good value for those of you wishing to make jams/jellies or relishes to enjoy after the season is over.

You can contact us via phone @ 404-667-5121 or via email @ lisa.fowler90@yahoo.com.

Jake's Week Two

Week Two is here and Thursday's market day was smoother than the first....hopefully we have purchased enough this time to eliminate a second market day on Saturday. My sister Liane has graciously loaned me two of her teeenage daughters, Danielle (17) and Jessie (15) for a few weeks. So far they have been a tremendous help and I hope do not get bored with the routine.

I have not been able to take new photos, but do promise they will come...my vegetable plants are almost all looking wonderful...the exceptions are a couple of squash plants look droopy and stopped flowering and a few of the bell peppers have holes in their leaves...bugs I know but it is too late to spray?

We have added quart bagged, ready-to-eat vegetables in the fridge with convenient pricing too....here is a list of our week's current offerings and pricing...please feel free to call if you would like local delivery on Monday. Our phone # is 404-667-5121.

Week of: July 02-July 05, 2009
Beans: Half Runners - $1.85/LB
Beans: Half Runners (Prepared in Qt Bags) - $2.50/LB
Beans: Pole - $1.85/LB
Beans: Snap - $1.25/LB
Beans: Snap (Prepared in Qt Bags) - $2.00/Qt
Cabbage: GA Green - $1.50 EA
Corn: Sweet Yellow - 2/$1.00
Corn: Silver Queen White - 2/$1.00
Cucumbers: McKinney - $3/$1.00
Okra: $1.00/LB
Peas: FL White Acre - $2.00/LB
Peas: Butter - SOLD OUT
Peas: Butter (Shelled) - $2.50/LB
Peppers: GA Bell - SOLD OUT
Peppers: GA Bell (Prepared) - $1.00/QT
Squash: GA Zucchini - 3/$1.00
Squash: GA Crooked Neck - 3/$1.00
Tomatoes: GA Vine Ripe - $3.00/2 LB Basket
Tomatoes: GA Vine Ripe - $1.50/LB
Onions: Vidalia - 3/$1.00
Potatoes: ID Russet - $.50/LB
Watermelon: Sugar Baby Seedless - $3.50 EA
Watermelon: Crimson Sweet - $4.00 EA
Watermelon: Liberty Seedless - $4.00 EA
Watermelon: Jamboree - $5.00 EA
Cantalope: $2.00 EA
Peaches: $3.00/ 2 LB Basket
Peaches: $5.00/ 4 LB Basket
Peaches: $1.50/LB
Blueberries: $2.50 Pint
Brown Farm Eggs: $4.00/ 2 1/2 dzn Flat (will split flat)

Open for Business

Being a small business owner is not all fun and games.....and that is putting it mildly. Opening day was as we know required my getting out of warm bed at an unsightly 2:30 AM to drive to the Atlanta Farmers Market. Market itself was cool deal....meeting, talking, haggling the dealers and searching for the "just right" product. But, getting this stuff out of the truck once I arrived back at the store was a different story. Just remember, this was all completed before 8:00 AM in the morning....had you had your first copy of coffee at that time?



The entire first day was mostly spent arranging displays and pricing items...and did I mention making money? We did this too...a little anyway......


Day 2 was spent with outside chores, arranging displays....and making more money....a little bit more anyway....



Come see what we are doing if you can...here are a few photos to salivate over in the meantime.



Thanks for looking...

Opening Day!

It is 3:00 AM and I am on my way to the Atlanta Farmers Market in Forest Park. I am told the Georgia vendors sell out their goods between 4:30 - 5:00 AM...This is soooo early!

This is "Opening Day" finally....and fingers are crossed all will go well. So wish us luck and I will update with photos and events after this weekend....

Thanks all and if you are in the area......drop in for a visit and a tomato or two.....
Lisa

Update on Opening

Well, as of today I still have no word on when the new store signs will be ready. Hopefully Tim Gilstrap and his crew from New Beginning Signs will have them ready for installation soon.

Rick picked up the scales last week from Jake and they were inspected and declared calibrated for business on Monday.

Garden is doing well...we are seeing the first vegetables of the season....ahhh, homegrown! Here are a few pics to record their progress.

One last bit of news...looks like the tentative date for opening will be June 25, 2009.

Thanks for checking in.....Lisa

Inspections Completed

We received our final inspection today from Georgia's Department of Agriculture at 8:00 AM today. Then I promptly went to Canton to finalize and pick up the business licence for Jakes.


Mark this task as complete! We are officially ready to open for business. I will get our produce scales from Jake this week to have them inspected, then decide on our actually opening. Quick look at the calendar and coordinate a few agenda items should help here.....



I'll post our opening date and projected hours hopefully this week!

Jake's Produce Vegetables

Squash, tomatoes, green peppers, onions and brussell sprouts to name a few.

Update on Jake's Opening

Well, today is May 21 and we are not open...

We did pass both the building and fire inspections yesterday. I then learned we also needed a Dept of Agriculture inspection...We were able to contact the office and make arrangements for the Ag inspection on Tuesday, May 26. In my mind I am not prepared for this inspection, so cross your fingers.

Additional updates are we added spotlights to the outdoor signage and replaced all the exterior bulbs. Most of the Bac-Yard Oasis pottery pots were removed from the building, a refrigerator is now in place and display stands/table are in place.

The vegetable garden is looking good....and I have posted a few pictures for you to view.

We are on track....just delayed....keep in touch with our progress.

Sign is Up!

We finally put up the "Jake's Opening Soon" sign yesterday. I wanted to put our targeted opening date of 5/21 but that remains unconfirmed. We still need our building inspection and to complete the outdoor lighting and displays....

I also purchased a new cash register yesterday from Staples. It is a basic electronic register from Sharp for $99.99 with a $50 mail-in rebate.....couldn't beat the price. Rick and I set it up last night and tested out the process. All was good with the exception of not knowing how to use the check and credit keys in lieu of the cash key so we could properly reconcile our sales reports at the end of each day. I will call Sharp's customer service today and ask them.

In the meantime, we are still looking for someone to paint our sign....if you know of anyone please contact me.

Atlanta's State Farmers Market

This weekend has been busy...starting on Friday with a visit to the Farmers Market in Forest Park GA (aka Atlanta's State Farmers Market). The farmers market is open year-round, but the Georgia Grown farmers do not arrive until late April or Early May. Normally, their first crop to arrive from South Georgia are Vidalia onions....and yes, they have arrived!

On this visit, I met Wendall Kight and his wife from B&B Farms in Uvalda, GA (located 18 miles south of Vidali, GA in Tombs Co.) They were over-flowing with Vidalia onions and soon will have cabbage and squash available. Farmers in neighboring stalls will have tomatoes, cantalopes, watermelons, bush and string beans and peaches available beginning in 2-3 weeks and lasting throughout the 2009 season.

Looks like Jake's will be opening in a few weeks with the help of our South Georgia farmers. We anticipate crops from North Georgia not becoming available until early July. We still have a few loose ends to tie before the opening....but obtaining Georgia locally grown crops has been the biggest goal.

New Venture

Several months ago the idea hatched for a new venture....re-opening Jake's. This time it would be a fresh produce store offering fresh produce from area local farmers. Our goal is to maintain 85-90% of its offerings from Georgia farmers. Eventually expandings our offerings from produce only to fresh meats and maybe providing take-out meals...but for now, keeping it simple.

Jake's store itself has been a part of the Sutallee community for over 25 years. Jake and Frances Marshall opened the original Jake's in the early '80's as a country store selling the basic supplies for fishing and hunting as well as Jake's famous chili dogs. Jake and Frances retired, closing the store in 1993.

Jake's then went through several business ventures in the next few years, ending with the latest being Bac-Yard Oasis. Lowell and Bree Corbin were the proprietors of this venture with the purpose of selling decorative pottery....beautiful! Sadly, with the economy falling and both having full-time jobs and active children they decided to close the Bac-Yard Oasis in December 2008.

What is the saying? With every door closed, a new door opens.....