Visiting this website is your first step in changing the paradigm of industrial food production! You can find information below on how to obtain the freshest local produce and meat available in the Beaufort area and recipes for the season. Here are some pointers on how you can participate in making your community more sustainable:

1. EAT IN SEASON

What you can expect to find in season now (June, July & August):

• basil, chives, and dill
• beans
• celery
• cabbage
• chard, kale, and spinach
• corn
• cucumbers
• edamame
• eggplant
• fennel
• tomatoes
• peas
• leeks, garlic, and onions
• mushrooms
• okra
• peppers
• pickled/canned produce
• potatoes
• squash blossoms and summer squash
• blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries
• cantelope, melons, and watermelon
• figs
• peaches

2.  JOIN YOUR COMMUNITY GARDEN

Community Garden opportunities
Beaufort Community Garden (downtown Beaufort)

St. Helena Community Garden Project

3.  VISIT AND SUPPORT THE FARMERS MARKET

Beaufort Downtown Farmers Market (Beaufort)
Wednesdays 2pm – 6pm
May – October

Buckwalters Farmers Market (Bluffton)
Tuesdays 4pm – 7pm
May – October

The Farmers Market at Hilton Head Island (Hilton Head Island)
Fridays 8:30am – 1pm
April – October

The Farmers Market of Bluffton (Bluffton)
Thursdays 2pm – 7pm
March – December

Habersham Farmers Market (Burton — Beaufort)
Fridays 4pm – 7pm
Year Round

Jasper County Farmers Market (Ridgeland)
Fridays 1pm – 6pm
May – October

The Mall at Shelter Cove Farmers Market (Hilton Head Island)
Thursdays 8am – 1pm
May – August

Pick Pocket Plantation Farmers Market (Beaufort)
Tuesdays 2pm – 6pm
June – September

Port Royal Farmers Market (Port Royal)
Saturdays 8:30am – 12:30pm
April – November

4. VISIT AND SUPPORT LOCAL FARMS

Visit a farm – support begins with interest. Get to know the farms in your area. Buying direct from a farm is a great way to know your food source, and it’s more fun than the grocery store. Here are some farms in your area.

Farms
Beaufort or Jasper County:

Barefoot Farms, St. Helena Island – Beaufort
Open daily, 843-838-3656
(produce)

Bear Island Farm, Bear Island – Bluffton
(produce)

Brickyard Point Farms, Lady’s Island – Beaufort
(pecans)

Marshview Community Organic Farm, St. Helena Island - Beaufort
(produce)

Brant Family Farm, Gillisonville – Jasper County
(produce)

Wren’s Nest Farm, St. Helena Island – Beaufort
(produce)

Fergus Farms, Beaufort
(lamb)

Three Sisters Farm, Pickney Colony – Bluffton area
(produce, eggs and homemade pesto)

Keegan-Filion Farms, Walterboro, SC (47 miles)
(pastured chickens and turkey, pastured pork, grass-fed beef, produce)

Mi-bek Farms, Barnwell, SC (77 miles)
(grass-fed beef)

Hunter Cattle , Brooklet, GA (82 miles)
(grass-fed beef)

Hope Grows, Sylvania, GA (88 miles) – sells at Forsyth Park Farmers Market in Savannah
(pastured chickens and turkey, eggs, produce)

CawCaw Creek, St. Matthews, SC (107 miles)
(pastured pork)

Split Creek Farm, Andersonville, SC (242 miles)
(goat dairy farm – goat cheese and goat milk)

Sweet Grass Dairy, Thomasville, GA (268 miles)
(goat cheese)

5. JOIN A CSA!

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) – A CSA consists of a group of individuals who pay an up front seasonal fee to a farming operation in exchange for regular delivery, usually weekly, of vegetables and fruit and sometimes dairy products and meat. Here are some of the local farms that provide CSAs.

Marshview Community Organic Farm

Three Sisters Farm

Other Locally grown food resources

Sea Islands Local Outlet (SILO)
(fruits/vegetables, dairy/eggs, meat, seafood, grains, nuts/honey, herbs/spices, coffee/tea, flowers/plants)

Carolina Plantation, Darlington, SC (160 miles)
(rice, cowpeas, cornmeal, grits)

6. SUPPORT RESTAURANTS THAT SOURCE LOCAL INGREDIENTS

• Farmer’s Choice

Alexander’s Seafood Restaurant & Wine Bar, Hilton Head Island

Bella Luna Cafe, St. Helena Island

Gullah Grub Restaurant & Catering, St. Helena Island

Maggie’s Pub & Eatery, Beaufort

Redfish of Hilton Head, Hilton Head Island

WiseGuys, Hilton Head Island

• Fresh on the Menu

211 Park Wine Bar & Bistro, Hilton Head Island

Aqua Grille & Lounge, Hilton Head Island

Backwater Bills, Hilton Head Island

The Black Marlin Bayside Grill, Hilton Head Island

Boathouse II, Hilton Head Island

Breakwater Restaurant & Bar, Beaufort

Bricks on Boundary, Beaufort

Carolina Wings & Rib House, Port Royal

Charlie’s L’etoile Verte, Hilton Head Island

Christine’s Cafe & Catering, Hilton Head Island

CQ’s Restaurant, Hilton Head Island

Dye’s Gullah Fixin’s, Hilton Head Island

Frankie Bones, Hilton Head Island

Hudson’s Seafood, Hilton Head Island

Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton

Jump & Phil’s Bar & Grill, Hilton Head Island

Mainly Sandstone, Hilton Head Island

Marleys Island Grille, Hilton Head Island

Mellow Mushroom, Hilton Head Island

Nick’s Steak & Seafood, Hilton Head Island

Ocean Grille, Hilton Head Island

Old Fort Pub, Hilton Head Island

Remy’s Bar & Grill, Hilton Head Island

River House, Bluffton

Rosebank Farms Cafe, Seabrook Island

Sage Room, Hilton Head Island

The Cottage, Cafe, Bakery and Tea Room, Bluffton

Wren, Beaufort

7. COOK IN SEASON – Here are some tasty recipes for you to get started.

Three Sisters Farm CSA Member Recipes:

• Yogurt with okra (adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe)

You can either make the full recipe, or just the okra – fried Indian style.

(You can also add thinly sliced onion and small portion of a hot green chili – although I do not. Just throw them in the pan at the same time as the okra.)

Note:  You must fry the okra right before mixing and eating or it will get soggy!

6 oz okra
vegetable oil for shallow frying
salt to taste
1 cup plain yogurt
½ tsp salt
very little freshly ground black pepper

Wash the okra and pat it as dry as possible.  Trim the okra at both ends and cut into 1/8 inch rounds.

Heat 1/3 inch of oil in 8 – 9 inch skillet over a medium flame. When the oil is smoking, put in the okra.  Turn heat to medium-high.  Stir and fry for about 10 minutes or until okra is crisp.  Remove with slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel.  Sprinkle salt over okra.

Put the yogurt in a bowl.  Add the salt and black pepper.  Beat gently with a fork until smooth and creamy.  Fold in the okra and serve at once.

• Risotto with Tomato and Eggplant (adapted from Madhur Jaffrey recipe)

1 medium eggplant
¼ cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped **see note at end of recipe
5 – 6 basil leaves, torn up
1 cup unwashed risotto rice
2/3 cup grated Asiago cheese (you can use Parmigiano, but Asiago is more available from regional cheese makers – and it is what I always use)
1 tablespoon good quality extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat broiler.

Peel eggplant and cut it lengthwise into 1-inch thick slabs.  Brush the slabs lightly on both sides with about one tablespoon of the olive oil and then dust them lightly with salt and pepper.  Lay the slices on a broiling tray and broil about 4 inches from the heat source until both sides are lightly browned.  Cut the slices into 1-inch dice.

Heat the stock and keep it over very, very low heat.

Put the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy frying pan or sauté pan and set over medium-high heat.  When hot, put in the onion.  Stir and fry for a minute.  Add the eggplant.  Stir and fry fro another minute, then add the uncooked rice and stir and fry for one minute longer.  Pour in a generous ladleful of the stock (about a cup) and turn heat to medium.  Stir the risotto until the stock has been absorbed, then add another ladleful. Keep stirring and adding stock until all the stock has been used up and the rice has cooked for at least 22 minutes.  By this time it should be just done.  Cook another minute or so to absorb the last of the liquid.  Now add the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and disappeared in the rice.  Sprinkle the extra virgin olive oil (the one-tablespoon) over the top and stir it in.  Turn off the heat.  Let the risotto rest for a minute or two, then stir and serve.

**To easily peel tomatoes: Cut a shallow “X” on the bottom of the tomato.  Dip it into just boiled water for 30 seconds.  Remove it to cool water immediately. Skins should slide off easily.

Marshview Community Organic Farm CSA Member Recipe:

• Sweet corn and red pepper polenta

Serves 4

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup instant polenta
2 tablespoons butter
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 ear corn, stripped, or 1 cup corn kernels
salt and pepper
chives for garnish, minced

Bring the chicken or vegetable stock and salt to a boil in a large saucepan.

Slowly pour the polenta into the boiling liquid while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Make sure to stir out any lumps.

Reduce the heat to low, stirring the polenta until it thickens. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and set aside.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter over high heat. When the butter foams, add the corn and peppers. Saute about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the seasoned vegetables into the cooked polenta. If necessary, thin the polenta with hot water or stock. Add additional seasonings if needed and garnish with diced chives.

Local Seasonal Recipe:

• A recipe for radish green soup (it’s delicious – staff member Lisa Turansky loves it, and so does her 2 year-old)

- 1 tablespoon butter - 1 tablespoon olive oil - 2 potatoes, medium sized - 1 onion - 1 quart water or chicken broth - 2 quarts radish greens – the tops from 2 bunches (needn’t be exact) - 1 lemon salt and pepper

Serving Size: 1 cup

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

• Rinse greens, removing any brown or damaged areas. Coarsely chop potatoes and onion. Remove the zest (yellow part only) from the lemon, then juice the lemon.
• In a large pot, heat oil and butter. Add onion and potatoes, cook for about 5 minutes. Add water or broth, the radish tops and  1 teaspoon salt. Cook until potatoes are soft and greens are wilted, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in lemon juice and zest. Purée. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold.
• Garnish, if desired, with a few thin slices of radish.

8. UPCOMING EVENTS

Savannah Crop Mob – July 30, 2011, Location: Bear Island Farm

9. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN THE NEWS

The Local Life: Farmers offer connection to land, food

Farm to School: Stopping the GAPS

For the holidays, give thanks to Beaufort farmers

Daufuskie Island residents work together to get home-grown foods

St. Helena farmer gains statewide accolade for ag leadership

Want to be a Palmettovore?

Celebrate our Local Food Heritage this Holiday Season

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Join CCL and take action in preserving and expanding local agriculture. You can get involved in state and local politics, education, outreach and the local agricultural community. Contact Andrea Malloy (andream@scccl.org) or Lisa Turansky (lisajt@scccl.org) for more details. Get active!