The Rockdale News Rockdale News Digital Edition November 19, 2014 | Page 11

In Depth

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The fruits of their labor
Tiffany
Bentley
Columnist
Tiffany Bentley
is a recent
Georgia State
graduate,
professional
baker, and
enthusiastic
festival
explorer.

Few people realize that Rockdale boasts a
myriad of local farmers and enthusiasts who
specialize in everything from homemade
honey to pork to just-picked collard greens,
right in your backyard. And supporting local
agriculture is not only good for the local
economy and environment, it can make your
holiday spread the talk of the season this year.
Although these growers yield very different
results, they can all agree – local produce is
unparalleled freshness and flavor.
Because local farms operate on a smaller
scale, they can devote more time and energy
to ensuring that their products make it to
your kitchen as soon as possible.
For instance, rather than spending days
being shipped halfway across the globe,
rumbling around the backs of delivery trucks
or chilling in a gigantic warehouse, vegetables
from Frannie’s Farm are washed and nestled
safely into their crates hours before they are
available for purchasing.
“Customers can touch, see, and talk
to us,” says Fran Surrette, who, with her

husband Rockdale Career Academy agricultural instructor Kevin Surrette, operates
Frannie’s Farm.
This powerhouse farm produces large
brown eggs from a variety of chickens,
including the rare French Black Copper
Marans. They also offer the community top
notch onions, tomatoes, okra, corn, peas and
butterbeans, collards and other greens, carrots, peppers, and more. They are also willing
to work with customers during the off season
to get them their fresh produce.
Fran’s desire for customers to really connect with their food is typical of farmers who
bring their produce to the market. Instead
of selecting produce from a shelf, buying
from local farms allows you to shake hands
with the person whose passion facilitated its
creation.
A good way to get local produce, eggs and
meats in one easy stop is to sign up for a
community subscription association with a
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DIY Cranberry sauce
For a fresh cranberry sauce,
grab four cups of cranberry.
Simply wash your berries,
bring a cup of water and a
cup of sugar to a boil, toss in
your cranberries and simmer
until they burst.
You can some add recently
picked pecans or some orange
zest for extra flavor.
You can also stock up on
carrots, butter, and parsley to
create healthy sautéed carrots.
Clean, peel, and slice two
pounds of carrots and cook
for ten minutes in water, adding salt and pepper for taste.
Sauté in butter and top
with parsley, or the spice of
your choice. Bakers can also
rejoice in fresh fruit for their
famous holiday pies.