GROWER & MARKET NOTES

Good Saturday Afternoon! We just finished the books for the first quarter of 2022 and had to reflect on how very BLESSED we are to do something we love so much. All of our local growers are so thankful for your support of our sustainable ventures, however large or small. At the same time we’re deeply aware of how much you enrich our lives with your encouragement, your friendship and the knowledge you freely share whether it be chatting at pickup, business calls that turn into great conversations or Facebook posts. Life is better because of you. It’s one of the things about local interactions that you just don’t get in the produce section or a box from FedEx. Of course they have their place – nobody is denying that – but for real community, you can’t beat dealing with real people.

Do You Like Fresh Herbs? The quality of the new herbs at Dothan Nurseries far surpasses any we’ve run across since . . . well, last year when they had them! If a kitchen garden is your thing we strongly recommend checking them out. The Pesto Basil especially is divine!

HORTON’S FARM: One question that comes up at least once a year concerns sourcing for seed, plants, trees, etc. I wish I could say I have an answer for each question. Seed is easy enough as there are multiple excellent suppliers of top quality organic seed. In my opinion starting from organic seed in organic soil is the ONLY way to be sure it’s organic from seed to plate.

And I have not started anything from seed this year. As it is I’m thrilled to have two of my new raised beds filled with fresh organic material and a few bedding plants in them that will live our their fruitful existence in sustainable luxury. This week I added several tomato varieties.

These sets were planted three days apart. I was pleased by how much the first one (on the left) had grown when the one on the right was planted. We have always planted deep and down: the bottom of a 18-24 inch hole is layered with a bit of Epsom salt, chicken guano, and peat moss. The tomato is stripped of all but the top leaves then planted above all that with only the top leaves above soil. This encourages the existing roots to push deep into the soil while developing new roots on the buried stalk.

So far we have Romas, an heirloom Stripey and yellow salad tomatoes growing. There’s another bed to fill as soon as we get the ground leveled.

A Note About Goat’s Milk: As announced a few weeks ago, selling goats milk in Alabama for human consumption is NOT LEGAL. This is why we request the name of your pet when you order. Well . . . it happened – an order without a pet name – for multiple quarts no less! Mighty Suspicious if you ask me! As it turned out Mrs. Debbie will be using her goat’s milk to make SOAP. Say no more! This is a legal and legitimate use for this product and if soap making is your thing what better than fresh from the source!

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!