Southern SOIL
Editorial
This is a time when people have a growing curiosity
Back in May, I had the opportunity to go on a
process through which it is handled. More people
Culinary Tour of South and Coastal Georgia that was put on by Georgia Grown. The event was held to highlight the wonderful array of produce that comes out of this part of the State and to bring it to the attention of food writers, bloggers, editors and
are beginning to question the ethics of confined animal operations and the treatment of animals raised for meat in conventional facilities. More people are becoming aware of the dangers to our health and our environment with the overuse of
members of the press.
chemicals in conventional agriculture. This shift
I was honored to be included and it was a
is an important opportunity for our community of
wonderful experience to get to tour my own
mindful producers.
neighborhood, if you will, in this way. The tour included both conventional and organic growers with stops at Service Brewing Company, The Salt
in mindset and growing awareness of consumers
It’s a great time to find ways to invite the public in to the process and create meaningful interactions
Table and Pacci’s Italian Kitchen, as well.
between consumers and producers and to give
I enjoyed being able to experience our local
sources.
communities through the eyes of a group of visitors, it really gave me an even greater 4
about where their food is coming from and the
appreciation for what we have to offer. It was three full days of eating delicious meals prepared by talented chefs and being completely overwhelmed by the bounty of produce that Southeast Georgia has to offer. From relatively new crops like olives and citrus to old standbys like blueberries and onions, Southeast
people the opportunity to connect with their food
One of the stops on our culinary tour was in Metter. The City of Metter has recently partnered with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to create what they are calling a “Georgia Grown Community”, highlighting the town’s rural nature and strong agricultural ties and promoting that as a reason to visit and as an asset for new businesses. We have such a fantastic base of agricultural
Georgia is truly a cornucopia of produce.
infrastructure right here and such great natural
Of course, it wasn’t all that surprising to me - this
believe that with strong leadership and consumer
is what I do. I’m out there everyday learning about
support, Southeast Georgia can become a leader
local farms, local foods and the people who grow
in sustainable food production. I’m really excited to
and prepare them.
see what all we can accomplish and where we can
It was also somewhat fortuitous that this event
resources, climate and soils to work with. I truly
go from here!
happened prior to publication of this particular
In this issue, you’ll get to learn about a thriving
issue of Southern Soil. In this issue, we will focus
clam farming operation off the coast. Yes, you read
on agritourism and ways that our local agriculture
that right. Clams are being farmed off the coast of
and tourism can and do come together.
Georgia. Captain Charlie not only farms clams, but
