Flowers are Blooming
“There is no life to be found in violence. Every act of violence brings us closer to death. Whether it’s the mundane violence we do to our bodies by overeating toxic food or drink or the extreme violence of child abuse, domestic warfare, life-threatening poverty, addiction, or state terrorism.”
Hello all!
I hope everyone had a happy and safe holiday! I just got back from a long weekend trip with my family! We celebrated a lot of holidays all at once since we hadn’t seen each other for a while.
Tomorrow is looking a little rainy, but don’t let that stop you from coming out to see all the wonderful vendors and all their amazing food and products!
This week we are talking about a rather heavy topic. It is Child Abuse Prevention Month. The blue pinwheels you see around are to symbolize this. There are so many statistics about maltreatment and abuse, and it is saddening and staggering. I’ll list links for the Georgia Department of Public Health and US Department of Human Health that have the statistics if you are curious about that, but I wanted to focus on the Prevention side of this.
Prevention starts in the home and the community. It is acknowledging that we may not have all the tools to nurture our children and then seeking those tools out to make sure that we can lovingly and safely care for our children. These are called protective factors. “Protective factors are conditions or attributes in individuals, families, and communities that promote the health and well-being of children and families. By using a protective factors approach, child welfare professionals and others can help parents find resources and supports that emphasize their strengths while also identifying areas where they need assistance, thereby reducing the chances of child abuse and neglect.
There are a variety of protective factors approaches, with each highlighting a different set of factors. The following are the six factors included in the Children's Bureau's framework that community-based service providers can use to identify strengths within families and how those strengths can be further developed to prevent child abuse.
Protective Factor 1: Nurturing and attachment
Protective Factor 2: Knowledge of parenting for child and youth development
Protective Factor 3: Parental Resilience
Protective Factor 4: Social connections
Protective Factor 5: Concrete supports for parents
Protective Factor 6: Social and emotional competence of children “
EM Farms’ strawberries were such a hit last week that she is taking pre-orders to make sure she has enough for everyone! Simply message her via her Instagram account with your name and how many containers you want. They are $10 per container. Don’t forget that we match SNAP and these qualify!
Loy is back! And he is bringing watermelon, onions, bell peppers, squash and plums! Later he’ll be bringing cabbage as well! EM Farms will also be bringing sweet potatoes and tomatoes along with her strawberries! Mitchell from Buckwheat Farms will have various microgreens at his booth! XO Tigerlily has wonderful dried herbs and spices, teas, and more. We will have Bon Bon Bakery, Ms Shirley, Marie’s Baked Goodies all there with wonderful sweet baked treats. Jams Jellies Jewelry and More and Rosa Ray’s Farm Fresh will also be out there with wonderful jams and jellies, breads, and teas. And we can’t forget about the arts! Prachi Henna art and Sonder Collective will be at the park along with Jump 4 Joy Creations! Hank's Food Truck is a wonderful way to enjoy a late lunch or early dinner at the park! Mr Porter will be there with his wonderful creations and he also has some beautiful produce for us as well! And to keep us all smelling delightful and our hands clean, Chemscentations has us covered!
I love a one pan meal! And this is one of my faves! You can add a meat, but you really don’t have to! Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Hash
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
3 sprigs rosemary
6 slices bacon, chopped
Freshly chopped chives, for garnish
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425°. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes with bell peppers, onion, garlic, and oil. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Scatter rosemary and bacon on top.
Step 2
Bake until sweet potatoes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, about 45 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through.
Thank you so much to everyone who supports this market! We are so incredibly grateful for all of you! Whether you are coming in the rain or the shine or both, we are thankful for the support you show us each week! Whether you have yet to make it to the market, but are sharing our information with others, thank you! We could not do this market without you, our community! We really do love to see each and everyone of you each week! We hope to see you tomorrow!
We are always looking for more people to join our fun! If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a vendor at our market, follow the link below for our vendor application!
Just a hint of all the fun we have to offer! Come join us!
We are a partner market with Wholesome Wave Georgia to help make your dollars go further at our market!
Bring your SNAP/EBT card to the market tent to double your spending power!