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VIP Market Newsletter Feb. 18, 2017
This Week’s Newsletter:
Vendor Spotlight: Richter Farms
Schedule
Special Announcements
The Intersection of Fresh and Year Round
This Week’s Grower Notes
Vendor Spotlight: Ricther Farms
We live on almost 30 acres of pasture and oak/pine woods. Neither of us come from a farm background but love having fresh produce, free range eggs and clean meat. Knowing we wanted to garden sustainability and raise our livestock we have done lots of research and asking questions. Having gardened for years we extended our farm by adding livestock.
Our Heritage Red Wattle hogs freely roam grassy fields and pine and oak woods feasting on green grass and acorns. We supplement NON GMO balanced swine feed. Hogs require a varied diet and to make the best pork they benefit from more protein than they get from pasture alone. To make sure they thrive, our hogs get NON GMO swine feed, spent brewer’s grains, soaked corn and organic kelp for minerals and probiotics. We never use GMO grain, antibiotics, hormones or soy products. So, what’s the big deal about GMOs? Aren’t they just like we’ve been breeding for better genetics all along, except with modern technology? Aren’t they going to help us feed the world, and with less pesticide use? Well, the companies profiting from the patents would certainly have us believe that :) One of many examples of the problem is GMO corn and wheat normally are bred to allow more, not less, of the toxic chemical herbicide Roundup. The added chemicals get uptaked into the grains and add more cancer causing chemicals to livestock, not less. We and many of our customers would rather be safe now instead of waiting years for the long term effects to become common knowledge. But, our pork just tastes fantastic anyway, so give it a try if you haven’t already.
Our hogs are gentle and love back scratches and belly rubs! They share the fields and woods with Nubian Goats and are protected by Livestock Guardian Dogs. We feel our meat is some of the finest pork you can find local and sustainable. Our mixed flock of chickens enjoy some of the same benifits as our hogs as we feed them NON GMO non medicated feed, no soy and they free range the woods, fields and yard during the day and sleep in locked coops at night safe from predators. Nothing like waking up to hearty crowing and collecting brown, olive, blue and chocolate colored eggs!
Schedule
Special Announcements
It’s Official! Dothan pickups will take place from our new location next Friday. We are going back to our “roots” on the other side of the property and will be in the Shed with a real roof, and electricity and everything! Thank you JD and staff for all your hard work to make this possible.
Daleville pickups will continue to be on the corner of Daleville Avenue and Hwy 134, diagonal from Bojangles.
IF the weather cooperates the Market will have a limited quantity of fresh strawberries available next Friday. They are not available for pre-order on the website but will be available in the (above mentioned) pickup location. Both Sandy Valley and Horton’s Farm have berries almost ready to pick.
The Intersection of Fresh and Year Round
In talking with people I’ve come to realize that our modern food system has created a disconnect between people and the living systems that sustain them. Baby boomers like myself grew up being able to find most anything in the grocery store, and in recent years thanks to improved food transportation systems, many foods that are impossible to obtain locally.
Our part of the US is blessed to be able to grow pretty much year round, but that does not mean that every food product is available year round. A few things, like Danny’s greens, can be produced through all seasons with lots of tLC, but most are seasonal, meaning they are only available a few weeks of the year. This is especially true of fruits and berries. Many vegetables can be grown during several seasons, but because each food item needs x number of days to produce, a farmer would need to be planting them weekly in order to provide a continual supply.
This is the reason the selection and quantities at Market at Dothan vary from week to week. We are thankful for all of our wonderful farmers and their hard work to bring you the FRESHEST LOCAL SUSTAINABLE food YEAR ROUND.
This Week’s Grower Notes
We have the best Growers in the Wiregrass! Please learn more about them on our Grower Page.
AVALON FARMS Spring cabbage, Tuscano/Dino kale and kohlrabi transplants went out. So stoked that my new homemade grow table is working well. The tomatoes, eggplants and peppers are still in there keeping warm. Flung thousands of pounds of peanut shells (it seemed like that much anyway) mulching the asparagus rows. They’ll be popping up soon.
Planning. Planning. Planning. Who knew there was so much math in farming? :-) My goal is to grow intensively with succession plantings of veg intermixed with cover crops to enrich the soil. If done right, there will be no need for added nutrients. Probably won’t make that goal this year. One step at a time.
HORTON’S FARM The bees are a buzzin!’ We’re watching them bring in dandelion, red bud and red maple, along with mustard and henbit pollen these days. Our Local Wildflower honey is available in several sizes.
Danny sends word to “stay tuned” as his spring garden is coming up. Lots more will be listed in the weeks ahead. Salad Greens are available this week.
Footnotes
Our Website: marketatdothan.locallygrown.net
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarketatDothan
For Friday Pickup: Dothan: Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville: Corner of Daleville Avenue and Hwy 134
We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!