Grow Alabama

While my husband was busy eating pimento cheese sandwiches at the Masters in Augusta and my children were devouring McDonald’s Happy Meals, I was learning all about organically grown produce in Alabama! Mother, Pat Smithson and I went to an “organic supper club” at the Thomas’ house Saturday night. Karen has been getting boxes of organic fruits and vegetables delivered biweekly from an organization called Grow Alabama. Grow Alabama was started by a farmer out of Cullman county named Jerry Spencer, who started out selling his organically grown tomatoes to Frank Stitt at Highland’s Bar and Grill! He did a short talk about why we need to be buying Alabama organically grown produce for health reasons as well as economic. Alabama is losing billions of dollars to other states because we import (over 90%) so much of our produce. After the talk, they served a delicious and delightful meal made entirely out of organic products. Jerry brought a chef with him who prepared a wonderful salad with roasted beets and raspberry vinaigrette, chicken pot pie with carrots and snowpeas, greens cooked with caramelized onions, garlic and dried apricots and a fabulous fresh berry triffle with basil instead of mint. After the meal, they had acoustic music from a band called Blue Mother Tupelo. It was fun to get out of the house and do something “green”!