Farmers Jam gave away 174 fruit trees and bushes to Georgia farmers on February 16, 2022 using proceeds from jam sales and events in the previous year.
In conjunction with the Fruit Tree Sale and Orchard Project hosted by Food Well Alliance, Community Farmers Markets, and Concrete Jungle, 26 farmers from across the state of Georgia picked up their fruit trees from 970 Jefferson St. These fruit trees will provide a sustainable source of food and revenue for 50-70 years.
“Last year we were pretty excited to give away 50 fruit trees, especially during the height of the pandemic,” said Farmers Jam Founder James Carr. “To give away 174 fruit trees this year is such a blessing. We look forward to many years of supporting family farms here in Georgia, and are truly grateful to everyone who bought our jam, came to our events, and believes in our mission.”
Farmers could apply for fruit trees in November and Farmers Jam worked with farmers to determine the best varieties for their farm, school, or community garden. Preference was given to Black owned operations who had strong ties to the community and participated in programs that make fresh, healthy produce more affordable, such as Wholesome Wave Georgia or Concrete Jungle.
Farms who won fruit trees include Your Faith Farms, Gratitude Botanical Farm, Nature’s Candy Farms, Mena’s Farm, Liang Farms, Iron Lion Farm, Little Lions Farm, Feed the People Farm, G4 Farms, Tumble Tree Farm, Levity Farms, Gloria Manor Organics, Mill Creek Hollow, Wallace’s Farm, Kayaneh’s Sunset Ranch, Ecosystem Farm, and more.
Varieties of trees included Plum, Asian Pear, Apple, Fig, Loquat, Blueberry, Apricot, Pecan, and more, and were provided by local growers at Ison’s Nursery.
Originally formed as a band of farmers who performed on local farms, Farmers Jam pivoted to producing and selling delicious, hand-crafted jams using local, organic or wild foraged ingredients due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which eliminated the possibility of hosting live events. Jam recipes were designed by plant based culinary artist Chef Zu and sold at local farmers markets such as Freedom Farmers Market, Grant Park Farmers Market, and Oakhurst Farmers Market. Proceeds from jam sales were used to purchase trees for local farmers.
