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March 4 Market Newsletter


This Week’s Newsletter:
Spotlight on Strawberries
Schedule
Market ChitChat
Urgent FDA Need – please read!
This Week’s Grower Notes

Spotlight on Strawberries

For most people fresh strawberries are one of those “must haves” of spring. It’s possible that the appreciation of a fresh juicy sweet strawberry has diminished with time as big agra has perfected growing year round berries thanks to chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and transportation improvements from places like Peru. The misfortune of this is that they are in the Environmental Working Groups “Dirty Dozen” most contaminated foods list.

Thankfully that’s not the case with our Market berries. This year we are blessed to have two vendors growing clean eating berries without the use of all those nasty things. They do require more work in the field, but the sweet results are oh, so worth it!

Like all good gifts our Creator provides for us, strawberries are fascinating little treats and we thought you may enjoy learning a bit more about them.


Scientifically known as Fragaria ananassa, the strawberry originated in Europe in the 18th century. It is a hybrid of two wild strawberry species from North America and Chile.

Strawberries are a good source of vitamin C, manganese, folate (B9) and potassium, and contain small amounts of several other vitamins and minerals.

The carbohydrate content of strawberries consists mainly of fibers and simple sugars. They score relatively low on the glycemic index and slow down the digestion of carbs. This reduces spikes in both blood sugar and insulin levels.

Strawberries may decrease the risk of heart disease by improving the cholesterol profile, lowering blood pressure and reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. In addition animal and test tube studies suggest that strawberries may help protect against several types of cancer.

Strawberries are listed on the Market this week thanks to favorable weather conditions. If they are all sold out by the time you order please know that if extras are available our growers will bring them to Market for sale on a first come, first serve basis.

Schedule

Spring Market Schedule
Order Online March 4 – March 7 for Pickup on Friday, March 10
Order Online March 11 – March 14 for Pickup on Friday, March 17
Order Online March 18 – March 21 for Pickup on Friday, March 24
Order Online March 25 – March 28 for Pickup on Friday, March 31


Order Online April 1 – April 4 for Pickup on Friday, April 7
Order Online April 8 – April 11 for Pickup on Friday, April 14
Order OnlineApril 15 – April 18 for Pickup on Friday, April 21
Order Online April 22 – April 25 for Pickup on Friday, April 28


Order Online April 29 – May 2 for Pickup on . . .
Thursday, May 4 at Spring Open House!

Market ChitChat

Slowly and surely the new Dothan pickup site is coming along. Thanks to Mr. Bob at the Nursery “The Shed” now has electricity! This means that your tender fresh fruits and veggies will stay cool as spring turns into summer. Be sure to thank him for his help and support if you get the chance! He’s been busy, busy, busy first building and now prepping Dothan Nursery’s new Butterfly House. We’re excited for both the Nursery and Wiregrass residents who are sure to be enchanted when everything is up and fluttering smoothly.


We’re happy to report that the web address in our new logo is functional now. You won’t see anything different if you use it, but it should make it easier for people to find the site.

Thank you for your ongoing RECYCLING efforts! Many of you have been bringing useable items to the Market for a long time. Your efforts have helped many a market vendor keep their costs down and we truly appreciate the effort. Now that our pickup location is under a roof please know that you are welcome to drop items off at your convenience. We just ask that you try to put them behind the refrigerator. THANK YOU!

Lastly, we would love your FEEDBACK. If you have an idea for the newsletter or would like to provide a product review, YOUR imput is important and we welcome it. Just shoot an email to marketatdothan@gmail.com.

FDA Needs Your Common Sense NOW

Market Note: At this time this issue would only affect large honey producers packaging over 50,000 lb per year. OF COURSE it would widen the distinction between commercially produced and local honey and we’re ok with that. The danger lies in that if this goes through, at some future point they could require local beekeepers like our Market vendors to do the same.

The Food and Drug Administration released a rule last year changing nutrition guidance on packaged products, including honey. They have since released more detailed guidance. As it stands, the FDA, beginning in 2018, will require packaged honey to include on the nutrition label both “Total Sugars” and “Added Sugars”.

The problem is, they do not distinguish between the two and so labels will need to include the same amount of grams of sugar under each category e.g. “17 grams of Total Sugar” and “17 grams of Added Sugars”.  

To say this will confuse consumers is an understatement.  What is “Added Sugars”?  The FDA means added to your diet.  What do you think consumers will think that means?  Consumers will think it means sugars have been added to the honey that are NOT naturally occurring in the honey. Thanks to the National Honey Board, there are studies to prove it, studies that have been presented to the FDA, but they have ignored.  

Now is the time to let FDA know your thoughts.  The guidance is subject to a comment period and agency review before being finalized.  COMMENTS CLOSE ON MARCH 6, 2017 so the time to voice your opinion is critical and short!

There’s clearly a difference! Tell the FDA to leave honey labels alone

Please take 5 or 10 minutes before March 6th to write to the FDA now and ask them to exempt honey from the “Added Sugars” labeling requirement! Click on this link and submit your thoughts. If the link does not work for you (we think it’s temperamental because they’re being bombarded), please copy and paste this web address: https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=FDA-2016-D-4414-0002

You can be as brief or elaborate as you want in your comments. Be sure to include all the required information about yourself and that you are an individual CONSUMER.

Thank You in advance for your efforts to keep sanity and common sense in our federal programs.

This Week’s Grower Notes

We have the best Growers in the Wiregrass! Please learn more about them on our Grower Page.

AVALON FARMS – Egg Special 18 count $5

So many eggs!!! My new chicks are laying and my counters are overwhelmed with them all. Beautiful shades of brown; buff to chocolate. My favorites are the speckled ones!

D’S JELLIES I bought pepper plants today at Wal-Mart.  They are a nice size and hopefully grow fast once we plant them. We will keep them in our shop until it is truly spring. You can announce that I have sold out of D’s Hot Pepper Jelly.  I think July is a good estimate of when I will be making it again. I have had an awesome selling season at every event that I have been a vendor at! So blessed! I have D’s Mayhaw Jelly and D’s Blackberry Jelly.  I have blueberries in the freezer and may get busy making D’s Blueberry Preserves! I will keep you posted. Dianne Herring 

HORTON’S FARM Danny sends word that he is busy transitioning his Gourmet Salad Mix to include warmer weather greens with red and green summer crisp varieties, arugula, young kale greens and (NEW!) leaf broccoli. Leaf broccoli is reported to have higher nutritional value than head broccoli. Of course we’re excited!

MARY’S PEEPS Please check my products of wildflower honey with comb.  This is something most people pay a lot to get every year, and I have it in some of my jars of Comb honey.  I also have pepper jellies, divinity, very generous portions,  and variety of cakes.  I offer full size to smaller, for people who like cake but don’t need a big one. I have cupcakes, muffins, many varieties, homemade bread, and fresh free range eggs from hens,  they get all sorts of healthy clovers and grass, sunflower seeds, herbs, and good healthy feed.  They are elderly girls cause I don’t retire them, they lay and grow old.  So like us they retire here too. My pecans have almost ran out for the market, I have only 3 bags of 1/2 lbs. I  appreciate all of my customers who bought a lot of pecans this year, they were a good crop. If anyone needs or wants something special please let me know.  Thank you 

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!