Making the rounds

I swung down to King Street this morning to stop in to see some of our members - I wanted to introduce myself and make sure that they were stocked up on our directories (check it out online), decals and such.

I was able to make it in to the Blue Bicycle Book Shop, Mescon's Floor Coverings, Charleston Paint Co. and Bits of Lace. Everyone I spoke with was great! So, if you need a book for your kid, coverings for your floors, paint for your walls, or sexy undergarments... you know where to go!

Shout outs...

I wanted to give 2 shout outs this morning. One goes to Justin Nathanson (The Cut Company) who has helped me navigate my way around blogger - thanks to him, hopefully this blog will be even more stellar than before...

Next, some very important information! Taco Boy is getting ready to open at a second location downtown at 217 Huger Street. Awesome restuarant from their food, to their rehabilitated building, to their staff, to their recycling habits... they're opening this upcoming week! (And I am lucky enough to have been hired at the new location as a server! So come on down!)

The rain has finally let up, hope you're enjoying the sunshine!

Lowcountry Local First

Collard Lentil Soup = Success

My first time cooking with collard greens went extremly well! Next stop turnip fries..

Lowcountry Local First

Sunday Funday!

Since my last post, a lot has happened! So I'll give you the quickest synopsis I can...

Fun Fact #1: I received my first box of vegetables on Thursday! My roommate, Brittany, and I were absolutely geeked about it! The blessed box contained eggs (soooo much better than eggs you get at a supermarket - you HAVE to try them), collards (I think), green onions, turnips, radishes, broccoli, chard, carrots, strawberries and a spring lettuce mix that had some great arugula. After the initial excitement subsided a bit, Britt and I faced the reality of "what are we going to do with all of this?" Well, the biggest problem is the turnips, radishes, chard and collards. However, I'm going to try to make turnip fries, potato salad with radishes and lentil collard soup. Wish me luck!

Fun Fact #2: I went to the Downtown Charleston Farmer's Market yesterday! I was on a reconnaissance mission to take pictures of as many vegetables as possible for our new online directory and was able to chat with David Howe, owner of Owl's Nest Plantation, Rita Bachmann, of Rita's Roots and Karen Kennerty of Kennerty Farms. All three had incredible produce and it was a pleasure chatting with them. (I also managed to procure a bouquet of flowers from Thackery Farms which is now sitting in a water pitcher on my kitchen table. Brittany and I are determined to put a more feminine touch on our house).

Fun Fact #3: Leigh Webber, of Leigh Webber Photography and one of our newest members, does some great photography. She has just put out a newsletter. Check it out!

Fun Fact #4: I had my first Coast beer on Friday! (Actually, I had three...) And they were absolutely delicious! Their brewing facilities are located over at the Navy Yard in North Charleston (about 2 minutes away from our offices).

Well.. that about does it for the morning. My first weekend in Charleston exceeded all expectations (did I mention I also had my first trip out to the beach at Isle of Palms?)

Locally Yours...

Amy

Lowcountry Local First

Another first... my CSA!

Today is my first CSA pick-up day! For those of you who aren't aware of this amazing phenomenon, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Essentially, regular Joe's or Jane's, like myself, can purchase a share in a local farm. You pay for the share upfront and receive the products from the farm throughout the growing season. My roommates and I decided to get on board and purchased our share from Our Local Foods, LLC, a certified organic farm, producer and purveyor of local food products.

Maria Baldwin, who owns Our Local Foods is also on Lowcountry Local First's Board of Directors and is a great individual! Although I know she is extremely busy, she's making it a point to get my CSA share delivered to me today since the Daniel Island Farmer's Market (where I pick up my share) was cancelled because of rain. And I'm very grateful!

Our Local Foods provides organic produce ranging from berries, to flowers, to eggplants, to kale, to peppers, etc. The produce that my roommates and I will receive will be reflective of what is growing on the farm and what is in season. We'll receive 12 weeks of produce and can pick it up on Thursdays at our designated pick-up site.

So, as I'm blogging (term still sounds a little foreign to me) I'm also anxiously awaiting the drop-off of my veggies! Next challenge: figure out how to cook with all of them! And I welcome suggestions!

Check out Our Local Foods, LLC!

Lowcountry Local First

Breakfast at The Barbeque Joint

Day 2: This morning, I accompanied my boss, Jamee Haley (a wonderful individual) to The Barbeque Joint, a local restaurant located near Park Circle in North Charleston. The Barbeque Joint has started to serve breakfast ,so Jamee and I decided to head over and check it out. Scott Cloud (who I believe is the owner) whipped us up an egg, cheese and bacon biscuit and egg sandwich and sat down to chat.

The place is a great little spot and I will definitely have to try some of their barbeque (which I heard is delicious) some time in the near future! Not a bad way to start my second day!

p.s. If you feel the need for some barbeque or a quick egg biscuit and coffee to start your day, The Barbeque Joint is located at:

1083-A East Montague
North Charleston, SC
(843) 747-4567

First day... first blog!

Hi! My name is Amy Graul and I am the new Administrative Coordinator at Lowcountry Local First. Today is my first day on the job as well as the first day I can call myself a 'blogger' (so bear with me if I seem like a blogging beginner). As a contribution to this great organization, I wanted to document my experiences in and around the local community. Naturally, blogging seemed the best way to accomplish this. So here I go....

Quick introduction; I just received my Master's Degree from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. My concentration was in Behavior, Education and Communication. I was lucky enough to secure a position with Lowcountry Local First, and now, here I am. What attracted me most to this particular organization was the emphasis placed on supporting local economies, businesses and agriculture (exactly what I had been studying in Michigan). Additionally, South Carolina is significantly warmer than Michigan and I am definitely not cut out for the cold.

I look forward to meeting, working with and supporting the many local businesses and people in and around Charleston! As I'm brand new to the area, I'm sure that I'll have plenty of stories to share!

Well, that about does it for my first posting... they'll get better, I promise! So stay tuned!