How can I sell through this market?

To sell through this market you will need to create a profile on The Open Food Network. Please see this guide for help getting started. Once you have done that, go to your admin page and give the South Cumberland Farmer’s Market permissions to “add to order cycle”. The Market Managers will then review your account, contact you with any questions and approve you to sell through the market. Once you are approved as a grower, you will need to sign a Growers Agreement contract agreeing to the terms and conditions of the market. The market charges growers 4.5% of sales which provides compensation to the market manager. Growers are required to be members of Rooted Here. See the contract for details.

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When and Where do I pick up my order?

You can pick up your order at the Sewanee Community Center (behind the Sewanee Market on Ball Park Rd.)Tuesdays from 4:15 to 6:30 p.m. If you order a delivery your order will be delivered to your home on Tuesday evening. Please plan to pick your order up on time or to make alternate plans with the market manager. Left behind orders are subject to late fees and to being eaten by our often hungry volunteers. The South Cumberland Farmer’s Market, rooted here, the Sewanee Community Center, and the growers are not responsible for orders which are delivered or left behind.

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Are there membership fees?

We do not charge a membership fee to shop on the online market. The online market charges customers a 9% virtual booth fee to cover overhead expenses. This fee will be automatically added to your order total.

Growers are charged 4.5% of sales to compensate the market manager(s). Membership to Rooted Here is required to sell at the market. See the Growers Agreement contract for ways to satisfy the membership requirement.

We depend on our grower and customer support to carry out our mission of building our local food economy here on the mountain. Memberships are available on the market page.

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How do I order?

Each Friday evening at 9 p.m., a reminder email is sent to all of our registered customers. Customers must place their order for the week no later than Monday at 10:00 a.m. Orders are placed on the Open Food Network. You must have an account to order. You will receive a confirmation email once your order has been placed. If you need help contact a market manager at cumberlandfm@gmail.com.

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When do I pay?

You can pay for your order at pick up, unless you are a regular delivery customer. We accept cash or checks made out to the Cumberland Farmer’s Market. We also accept debit and credit cards online, Venmo payments to @RootedHere, and card or bank draft payment on quickbooks invoices. We regret we can no longer accept EBT/SNAP payment.

We have now moved to a pay-per-order system and no longer accept pre-payment for most orders.

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Why Support Locally Grown?

Enhance your local economy: By purchasing produce and other items from local growers you are providing stability to your local economy through the support of local businesses.

Save natural resources: Buying locally makes you an invaluable link in the process of saving resources such as fossil fuels and packaging materials. Also, we are right here in your community so the expense of transportation and delivery is kept to a minimum.

Provide learning opportunities: Locally Grown supporters provide member growers the means to help educate our community about the importance of sustainable agriculture.

Supporting a way of life: The number of small farms in the United States has decreased dramatically in the last decade. Please help us preserve an honest and worthy means of making a living.

We believe that small, diverse, family-owned farms contribute to society’s overall health.

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Will I have to buy vegetables I don't want?

Absolutely not!

Unlike some co-ops, buying clubs, or CSAs where everyone gets the same box (and you don’t know what you’re getting until you get it), with Locally Grown you get to order what you want, in the quantities that you want, from the farms that you want. The weekly email lists the produce, breads, meat, fresh flowers, and artisan goods available that week, and you can browse the items on this website before you place your order.

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Should I order even if something is sold out?

Growers are asked to estimate how many items they will have available each week (for vegetable growers this involves looking at the live plants and guessing what they will amount to once they are harvested). Sometimes these estimates are off from the actual amount that is available. If an item’s stock numbers are low but you would like to try your luck you may go ahead and order it anyway. Once you get to know your growers you may become aware of the ones that are better at estimating. Some numbers are not estimates. Meat, for instance, is usually in the freezer when it is listed on the website.

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What does the 9% virtual booth fee cover?

The market itself does not take any profit from sales. We do however collect enough money to cover overhead expenses. The 9% virtual booth fee, and the 4.5% fee charged to growers cover these expenses. We are charged 2.75% of sales for the use of this great software. We pay rent from our sales to the community center for the use of their building. The market manager receives 4% of sales and our bookkeeper receives 0.5% of sales . The rest goes toward paper, ink, checks, other supplies, accounting fees, bonuses for our hardworking employees, and volunteer credits.

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Will you take my egg cartons, bags, and other containers?

Yes. If the container came from a grower at our market, we will return it to the growers. Please do not return containers that did not come from this market. Please, no bags.

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What if I don't like something I got?

There have been occasions (rare ones) when customer were not satisfied with products that they received. If this happens please let us know. Email the grower and the market managers and we will refund your money. We welcome all feedback and negative feedback is especially important in ensuring high quality in the future.

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What does non-certified organic mean?

Many of our growers are very small. They abide by the USDA National Organic Standards but they are not certified by a third party. This is not because the national standards are too rigorous (many think they are quite lax in some respects) but because the process is too expensive. Growers are encouraged to describe their management on their grower page and in their product listings.

Certified Naturally Grown is a non-profit program that certifies small farmers. The standards are a little more strict than the USDA Organic Standards and the cost to the farmer is much lower because it involves a peer review process and not a government bureaucracy. We currently have several growers who are Certified Naturally Grown.

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What if I forget my user name or password?

If you forget your password or user name go to the Open Food Network Login Page page and click the “Forgot Password?” tab, enter your email address, and click the “Reset Password” button. You will be sent an email with a link to reset your password.

If this does not work or you experience other computer problems, please report them to a market manager cumberlandfm@gmail.com.

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How can I be added to (or removed from) the mailing list?

A weekly email goes out to market customers reminding then that the market has opened for ordering. You may order even if you have not received this email.

To join the market mailing list, signup here.

If you have moved away and would like to be removed from the mailing list, you can “unsubscribe” at the bottom of an email.

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What do the designations Certified Naturally Grown, Conventionl, No Chem, and USDA Certified Organic mean?

Certified Naturally Grown denotes farmers who are registered with Certified Naturally Grown, a non-profit program that certifies small farmers. The standards are a little more strict than the USDA Organic Standards and the cost to the farmer is much lower because it involves a peer review process and not a government bureaucracy.

Conventional denotes farmers who use chemical fertilizer and/or weed and pest control methods forbidden by the USDA National Organic Standards.

No Chem denotes non-certified organic farmers who abide by the USDA National Organic Standards, but are not registered with the program. This is not because the national standards are too rigorous (many think they are quite lax in some respects) but because the process is too expensive.

USDA Certified Organic denotes farmers who are certified organic by the USDA and abide by the USDA National Organic Standards.

N/A means not applicable, a designation for producers who sells goods other than produce.

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