MARKET CHITCHAT

Thanks everyone for your patience and understanding with this newsletter going out a few hours late! Our family had an unexpected turn of events today that prevented it from going out on time and the one you received earlier was an emergency contingency notification (fancy words for slapping something together to get by!). Market opened on schedule, but all the wonderful info and photos from our growers was not accessible to complete the transcript at 5pm. This market manager feels privileged to see this great info first and I hope you think it is worth the wait as I do.

Congratulations Susan Avello! If you get a chance to pick up The Local magazine, they have done a very nice story about Dothan’s own Lean Bean Chef. We encourage you to follow her on Facebook as she makes some pretty impressive dishes with Market at Dothan products.

Viki Richter sends love and a thank you for all the kind wishes and prayer for her family during this difficult time.

Bee Barf. That’s what kids sometimes call Honey. While technically it might be considered a correct description, it’s actually the precise reason honey is so amazing! This is one of the things we’ll talk about at our next Healthy Lifestyle Class on April 21. The topic is More than Food: Honey and Health. Hope to see you there!

THIS WEEK’S GROWER NOTES

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

AVALON FARMS: I’ve mentioned before how much planning goes into a market garden. This year one of my main goals is to execute the plan more reliably. To that end, the schedule said Saturday, 4/8, was the next planting of squash and green beans. Weather forecast was for rain overnight Friday and into Saturday. With the amount of rain forecast I won’t be able to work the soil for 3 or 4 days and more rain possible in 5 days. (Are you seeing the problem here?) So yesterday after assorted market deliveries and errands I planted 5 rows of squash.

Speaking of scheduling, with those 5 rows of squash I am out of planting space. I need to till up some cover crops in order to make space. I’ve been watching for pea blooms in my cover crops in garden 3 and 5.  Finally they are starting to bloom. This means they have basically fixed all the nitrogen they are going to and I can till them in. By using nitrogen fixing cover crops along with wheat I not only get biomass/green manure I get more nitrogen in the soil than I started with. Which is awesome because nitrogen is the primary element required for plant growth. The scheduling part comes into play because I am basically out of space until I get these gardens tilled and the plant residue has time to break down. Mowing and tilling will commence as soon as it’s dry enough.

Here’s to doing better and providing more sustainable, local, synthetic free, but above all that, TASTY produce. (Cause what’s the point if it doesn’t taste good!?)

BAIN HOME GARDENS: Hello Marketeers!
   We have had a busy week! We are sure you have too! This is EXACTLY what we signed up for! We wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support! It’s meticulous hard work but you make it all worth the while!
    This week we are featuring a few pictures from the garden of a loyal market member. Her family is experimenting with Hugelkultur and quite successfully we might add.

Those who farm and garden are likely familiar with Hugelkultur. For those who are not, Hugelkultur is defined by wikipedia as " a composting process employing raised beds constructed from decaying wood debris and other compostable biomass plant materials. The process helps to improve soil fertility, water retention, and soil warming, thus benefiting plants grown on or near such mounds." Mouthful? Let us simplify. Ever hike through the woods and find a random fruit tree loaded down with fruit? It’s due to the leaves & wood which have collected on the ground & down in the soil giving nutrients – LIFE – to the ground which then nurtures the fruit tree. Better? It can be a chore to set up but once you overcome that hurdle things become way easier!
    Keep up the hard work Marketeers!
(I should coin that.) Keep learning and sharing as we work to do the same! From our family to yours!

HAWKINS HOMESTEAD FARM: Hello Market friends! We have to tell you that we very much needed that break, but we’re so glad to be back on the Market this week. We have spent the last few days out in the garden and with the chickens enjoying the peace that growing food and raising animals brings. We are pleased to tell you that our basil went into its final home! We posted a video on our Facebook page. So lots of basil coming soon!

Yesterday we had the pleasure of visiting some of our local farmers. We took a ride out to Slocomb and visited with Rinske at Working Cows Dairy Farm. We miss seeing her and her products on the Market, but we understand why she had to leave. So since we love her chocolate milk and grassfed beef we had to go get some. Supporting farmers on their farms means they get to keep all the money they make. We know firsthand that it’s very important for the farmer to not have added expenses. Speaking of supporting local farmers, we also visited Gaucho Farms and met Suzanne. She gave us a nice tour and we enjoyed getting the chance to know her better. We even picked up a few of her heirloom plants for our family garden, fresh strawberries, and hubby got himself some steaks. We hope you guys saw Susan Avello’s article on the Market Discussion Page. It was a great read!

This week we have NEW offerings of Spring onion tops that are cleaned, chopped and ready to add to your favorite meal along with rutabagas that just came up, and some tasty mustard greens. Our mustard duo includes mustards grown from organic seed by Bain Home Gardens! In addition we have kale, arugula, sprouts, our custom salad mix, plus our moisturizers, and oils. Oh and I can’t forget about eggs, but now that Spring has hit, there are eggs all over the Market! Hope you guys enjoy.

MARY’S PEEPS I am offering a new product, 6” bundt tasting cakes in three fresh flavors: orange, peach and pineapple for $6 each. They will be lightly glazed and big enough for you to decide if you like it well enough to order a larger size. I am looking forward to learning what everyone likes. Thank you for your support. Mary’s Peeps.