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Oct. 17, 2020 M@D is Open for Orders!
Food & Health Part II
Market Chitchat
THE FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE PERSPECTIVE
One component of Functional Medicine focuses on how diet impacts health and function. When Functional Medicine practitioners examine the role of nutrition in chronic disease, they look at multiple systems, such as the digestive system, the immune system, and the detoxification system, because of the interconnections between those systems. For instance, because 80% of the immune system is contained in the gastrointestinal system, a person’s issues with immunity could be related to faulty digestion.
Functional Medicine maintains that chronic disease is almost always preceded by a period of declining health in one or more of the body’s systems. Thus, these practitioners seek to identify early the symptoms that indicate underlying dysfunction, possibly leading to disease.
One of the ways Functional Medicine seeks to address declining health is to provide the foods and nutrients needed to restore function. This is a cost effective, non-invasive intervention that aims to stop the progression into disease.
Example of Cardiovascular Disease
When taking a nutritional approach to health and disease, it is important to understand that one disease might have multiple causes, and one underlying dysfunction might cause multiple diseases. Cardiovascular disease may be among the clearest examples of this concept. Researchers have shown that the development of heart disease can be triggered by multiple factors. These factors include insulin resistance, elevated homocysteine, oxidative stress, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, heavy metal toxicity, stress, and inflammation. Each of these factors can be influenced by nutrition and each, in turn, impact our nutritional needs. This applies both to the prevention and treatment of these factors (Textbook of Functional Medicine).
Expert Contributor:Carolyn Denton, LNR reviewed by:Karen Lawson, MD;Linda Armstrong, RD, LD, MBAFor example, a 2007 study shows the importance of optimal mineral balance and how a deficiency in mineral balance can contribute to the development of congestive heart failure(Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 2007)
Next week we’ll meet a lady who changed her life by changing her diet.
MARKET CHITCHAT
It’s starting to get a little green around here . . . One of the things about our core values, Fresh, Local, Stustainable, and Year Round, is AVABILITY. We’ve been moving into the fall growing season for a few weeks now and are just now seeing fresh local greens listed on the Market Page. This is because many of these vegetables just don’t like summer heat! Leafy green vegetables however love the cooler nights and temperatures we’ve been experiencing which is why we’re starting to see more of them listed.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
Our COVID protocol is still in place for everyone who wants curbside service.
I. Order Payment:
1. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible using this PAYPAL link. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy. In the event of undelivered items you will be issued a Market credit that will apply to your next order.
2. Debit/Credit – One of us will briefly step within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader. We do our best to avoid touching your card or you touching the equipment which means we sign an “x” for your signature.
3. Cash and Checks – You may hand them to us. Exact change is preferred if using cash to prevent a lot of passing back and forth. If you choose curbside pickup you are welcome to put payment in your trunk/tailgate as that would eliminate the need to come near your window.
II. Order Delivery:
1. Curb Service: Please pull up next to the Market Shed. We will direct traffic a little bit if needed. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
2. Walk Up Pickup: Please do not come inside. When we see you coming we’ll put your order near the entrance and step back for you to claim it. This system works really well for those of you wishing to get extra veggies that may be available.
3. Regardless of how you choose to accept your Market order please know that we make every effort to practice safe distancing and ask that you do the same.
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!
Oct 10, 2020 M@D is Open for Orders!
Food & Health
Market Chitchat
GETTING BACK TO BASICS
While it’s highly doubtful any of this information is new to any of our customers we like to re-examine some of the reasons we keep the Market open through the changing seasons and through thick and thin. Healthy food does matter!
How Does Food Impact Health?
The food we eat gives our bodies the “information” and materials they need to function properly. If we don’t get the right information, our metabolic processes suffer and our health declines.
If we get too much food, or food that gives our bodies the wrong instructions, we can become overweight, undernourished, and at risk for the development of diseases and conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes and heart disease.
In short, what we eat is central to our health. Consider that in light of Webster’s definition of medicine: “The science and art dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease.”
Food acts as medicine—to maintain, prevent, and treat disease.
What does food do in our bodies?
The nutrients in food enable the cells in our bodies to perform their necessary functions. This quote from a popular textbook describes how the nutrients in food are essential for our physical functioning.
“Nutrients are the nourishing substances in food that are essential for the growth, development and maintenance of body functions. Essential meaning that if a nutrient is not present, aspects of function and therefore human health decline. When nutrient intake does not regularly meet the nutrient needs dictated by the cell activity, the metabolic processes slow down or even stop.”(1)
In other words, nutrients give our bodies instructions about how to function. In this sense, food can be seen as a source of “information” for the body.
Thinking about food in this way gives us a view of nutrition that goes beyond calories or grams, good foods or bad foods. This view leads us to focus on foods we should include rather than foods to exclude.
Instead of viewing food as the enemy, we look to food as a way to create health and reduce disease by helping the body maintain function.
Next week we’ll look at Functional Medicine.
(1)- Perspectives in Nutrition, Wardlow and Insel.
MARKET CHITCHAT
This week we say goodbye to Sweet and Simple. Meredith has taken a job that will prevent her from baking delicious things for us anymore. We wish her all the best!
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
Our COVID protocol is still in place for everyone who wants curbside service.
I. Order Payment:
1. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible using this PAYPAL link. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy. In the event of undelivered items you will be issued a Market credit that will apply to your next order.
2. Debit/Credit – One of us will briefly step within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader. We do our best to avoid touching your card or you touching the equipment which means we sign an “x” for your signature.
3. Cash and Checks – You may hand them to us. Exact change is preferred if using cash to prevent a lot of passing back and forth. If you choose curbside pickup you are welcome to put payment in your trunk/tailgate as that would eliminate the need to come near your window.
II. Order Delivery:
1. Curb Service: Please pull up next to the Market Shed. We will direct traffic a little bit if needed. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
2. Walk Up Pickup: Please do not come inside. When we see you coming we’ll put your order near the entrance and step back for you to claim it. This system works really well for those of you wishing to get extra veggies that may be available.
3. Regardless of how you choose to accept your Market order please know that we make every effort to practice safe distancing and ask that you do the same.
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!
October 3, 2020 M@D Newsletter: We are OPEN!
In the World of Food
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes: Grier Acres, Avalon Farms
IN THE NEWS
Whether one is in the business as a farmer, trucker, or food outlet, an activist or just a consumer everyone is interested in food because WE ALL EAT! So once in a while it’s fun to check the news and see what’s going on. We hope what follows informs, inspires and maybe even helps you in your own dietary journey.
Mazda Donates to Huntsville Food Bank This week he Mazda Foundation (USA) Inc.donated $50,000 to the Food Bank of North Alabama in an emergency gift to help meet growing demand for food amid economic struggles caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. This brings the total they have donated to our state this year to $94,000.
Home Cooking Becomes More Popular (We had to chuckle at this) McCormick & Company CEO Lawrence Kurzius told CNBC’s Jim Cramer that the spice maker sees sustained popularity for home cooking, which has flourished during the coronavirus pandemic. “This has really become a trend that’s becoming a habit,” he said on “Mad Money.” “We’ve gained market share in most of our categories, and this isn’t just a U.S. phenomena,”.
National Taco Day is tomorrow, Oct. 4. Several national chains (Moe’s, Taco Bell, & others) will be celebrating by offering free tacos and/or specials. Taco Bell is kicking off the day with the launch of a gifting platform and the fast-food chain is giving a free taco to gift for the first 10,000 people who use Taco Gifter. Their Twitter account will announce when the free tacos will be available.
Sunday. Oct. 4 is also National Vodka Day but it’s highly doubtful any discounts will to be found for that one.
TicTok Food Hacks If you use the TicTok app you probably know there are food hack videos along with all the crazy stuff. If you can stomach watching things like making popcorn with Skittles here are a couple of copy and paste links. The cheese quesadillas in the first video is actually a great idea.
https://www.delish.com/food-news/a34250663/tiktok-bowl-hack-clean-counter/
https://www.delish.com/food-news/a32715136/tiktok-food-hacks/
The Best of the Best Things like trends and hacks are fun, but the goal and bottom line about any food news should be health. That being said, Food News (https://www.food.news) offers the latest and best in research and studies about how what you eat affects you. So if you ignore everything else in this section, do check this one out if you want more really great info. Some of todays topics are: The power of pecans: 8 Reasons to eat more pecan nuts (recipes included), Manage your osteoarthritis with the help of blueberries, and Zesty and healthy: Here’s how you can make your own citrus essential oils.
MARKET CHITCHAT
Mobile Ordering We’ve had several reports of orders made from mobile phones not going through recently. It seems to be an individual phone issue as our web designer can order from any market in the country from his iphone. Your market manager however cannot from her Samsung Android. The shopping cart simply refuses to go through when you hit the “Place my Order” button. If this happens to you Wendy from Avalon suggests opening the store page as “desktop site”. This option should be in menu.
GROWER NOTES
GRIER ACRES: Grier Acres
A touch of Fall in the air! It is a refreshing change from the months of hot humid weather we’ve endured. While I love hot weather over cold weather any day, it’s nice to have a respite from the heat every once in a while. The change in weather
means that the summer garden is nearing it’s end. We’ll be turning the soil, incorporating new compost, and spent grain from Folklore Brewing. Our garden soil is extremely sandy with little organic material in the top 4-6 inches. Once you get below that layer it’s that sticky yellow clay. Slowly but surely we’re improving the soil.
Our pecans are absolutely loaded this year! Back story: Mom and dad planted 2 acres of pecans back in 1975 with an eye towards the crop providing college money for my brother and me. Despite his best efforts, dad just never could get a crop from them. The county extension agent came out and made recommendations, soil samples were taken each year, fertilizers, lime, etc. were all applied in accordance with the recommendations. Nothing. I graduated from UGA in 1990 and have yet to see a dime of college money from those trees. Finally after 45 years we have a crop. It’s so bountiful that the limbs are breaking due to the weight!
Finally we’ve created a YouTube Channel to chronicle some of the things we have going on here at the farm. It’s slow going as we’re having to teach ourselves how to make, edit, and post the videos. We hope to get better with practice. Please check it out and subscribe if you find it interesting. Follow this link to Grier Acres YouTube
AVALON FARMS:
Well, never had this happen before…must be 2020! Army worms literally came marching across the hay field and into the winter squash planting. Not really a lot I could do to stop them and they laid waste to the plants. Apparently preferring the squash plants to the nut grass (weeds) in the field.
Out of 12 hundred foot rows of winter squash harvested maybe a couple dozen squash. What a crop failure. All that time, effort and seed cost just wasted. Sigh.
Onwards. Moving on towards whatever comes next.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
Our COVID protocol is still in place for everyone who wants curbside service.
I. Order Payment:
1. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible using this PAYPAL link. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy. In the event of undelivered items you will be issued a Market credit that will apply to your next order.
2. Debit/Credit – One of us will briefly step within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader. We do our best to avoid touching your card or you touching the equipment which means we sign an “x” for your signature.
3. Cash and Checks – You may hand them to us. Exact change is preferred if using cash to prevent a lot of passing back and forth. If you choose curbside pickup you are welcome to put payment in your trunk/tailgate as that would eliminate the need to come near your window.
II. Order Delivery:
1. Curb Service: Please pull up next to the Market Shed. We will direct traffic a little bit if needed. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
2. Walk Up Pickup: Please do not come inside. When we see you coming we’ll put your order near the entrance and step back for you to claim it. This system works really well for those of you wishing to get extra veggies that may be available.
3. Regardless of how you choose to accept your Market order please know that we make every effort to practice safe distancing and ask that you do the same.
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!
Sept. 26 2020 M@D is open for orders
Apologies for the bare bones notification this week. This is what no internet at your Market Managers house looks like! We’re hoping Centurylink don’t take too long digging up our yard to install new lines.
M@D has a few new listings that should be easy to find. As is every week, it’s all fresh and delicious!
Appreciate you all so very much!
Bee blessed,
Your Market Growers
Sept 19, 2020 M@D is Open for Orders!
Changing Seasons
Market Chitchat
ODE TO THE EQUINOX
Next week is officially fall! And the way things are going we’ll actually get temperatures to match. On a more celestial level if you enjoy watching the subtle changes of nature you may have noticed that day and night are pretty close to 12 hours each these days. After next Tuesday the sun’s arc across the sky will slowly change direction. And the nights will become increasingly longer.
Scientifically an equinox is regarded as the instant of time when the plane of Earth’s equator passes through the geometric center of the Sun’s disk. To explain it another way, it is the moment at which the center of the visible Sun is directly above the equator.
This year Fall Equinox will take place next Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 9:21 Eastern Daylight Time. So on Tuesday, day and night will each be roughly 12 hours each and after that fall decorations will be official and pumpkin spice lattes legal.
This is not the correct venue for too much science about the topic but we do highly recommend one great 21st century visual. NASA has a time-lapse demonstration of the phenomenon shot over the course of a whole year from space at The Vox. Just scroll down a bit to the video and you can see the line separating day from night swinging back and forth as the earth changes seasons. We sure didn’t get that in elementary school!
So HAPPY FALL! Tuesday sounds like a great day to dig into something with cinnamon or pumpkin, take the fall wardrobe out of storage, buy a mum or Croton Petra from JD at the Nursery or put a scarecrow in your yard. Whatever you choose to do, ENJOY it to the fullest and give thanks for this most lovely of seasons. And don’t forget to wave at the sun as it crosses the equator.
MARKET CHITCHAT
WHAT A WEEK! We hope you came through Sally unscathed and that your loved ones in other parts of the country, whether on the coast or out west are safe. It was a tough decision to cancel Market orders this last week. Both food safety and availability were key factors as crop quality, transportation and possible power outages all affect the outcome of our Friday mornings.
Blast From The Past Those of you who have been with us a number of years may remember Susan Owens who was one of our original founders. Major life changes sent her on to other callings but she has remained in touch and it’s been exciting to see how she’s still serving the farming community. So without further adieu:
We hope this is a help to you!
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
Our COVID protocol is still in place for everyone who wants curbside service.
I. Order Payment:
1. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible using this PAYPAL link. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy. In the event of undelivered items you will be issued a Market credit that will apply to your next order.
2. Debit/Credit – One of us will briefly step within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader. We do our best to avoid touching your card or you touching the equipment which means we sign an “x” for your signature.
3. Cash and Checks – You may hand them to us. Exact change is preferred if using cash to prevent a lot of passing back and forth. If you choose curbside pickup you are welcome to put payment in your trunk/tailgate as that would eliminate the need to come near your window.
II. Order Delivery:
1. Curb Service: Please pull up next to the Market Shed. We will direct traffic a little bit if needed. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
2. Walk Up Pickup: Please do not come inside. When we see you coming we’ll put your order near the entrance and step back for you to claim it. This system works really well for those of you wishing to get extra veggies that may be available.
3. Regardless of how you choose to accept your Market order please know that we make every effort to practice safe distancing and ask that you do the same.
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!
Sept 12, 2020 M@D Newsletter - Open for Orders!
September Recipes
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes: Danny’s Greens, Avalon Farms, Hortons Farm
A Month for All Seasons
No doubt you’ve heard me say it before, this area has GREAT GARDENING WEATHER pretty much all year long. Even with hot August slowing down the growth of Danny’s gourmet greens, you can still plant warm weather crops and reasonably expect a 2nd harvest of many vegetables before the weather is too cold. Things like cabbage, collards, broccoli, and many leafy greens prefer our mild winters so we’re good no matter what season.
But we did wonder what September meant to other areas and found that it’s traditionally the end of summer foods and the beginning of fall and winter foods. Some places are just now harvesting blackberries if that tells you anything!
So what follows are a couple of fun links to “September” recipes. Enjoy and let us know if you find a really great dish that you’ll want to make again!
MARKET CHITCHAT
Many thanks to everyone who brought unwanted Ball Mason jars to the Market on Friday. Please know we make sure the jars you recycle through us go to further use. It’s a small thing but it’s one way to keep perfectly usable goods out of landfills.
And many thanks to everyone still getting purple ribbons tied to their newly cleaned Market Bags. This is an ongoing project and if the rotation bag currently at home with you needs a good cleaning, go for it! We’ve got plenty of ribbons!
GROWER NOTES
DANNY’S GREENS: This is the second week Danny has listed his max of 10 bags per week after the hot spell in August. Right now the farm is transitioning from shade cloth to plastic coverings for the beds so the heavy rains we’re expecting won’t beat the tender greens into the soil. Things like this are one of the reasons Danny is able to consistently provide the Market with high quality lettuce greens.
AVALON FARMS:
We processed chickens last weekend. You’ll find them available in the market this week.
To give a little perspective to the joys and frustrations of chicken wrangling, we’d like to share the history of this batch of chickens. We purchased 75 chicks that were
to be delivered June 1st. This batch of chickens apparently were not as robust as they normally are. After 2 weeks, they just didn’t seem to be growing and then they started dieing. There didn’t really seem to be a reason but we did what we knew to do to keep them healthy but they just kept on dying. It became normal to find 1 dead when we went to feed them. Not only did half of them die, it took 11 weeks before they were big enough to process instead of the normal 8 weeks we shoot for. So as you can see there were lots of losses in chicken lives and finances. Not to mention frustration on the part of the farmers.
HORTONS FARM: Happy to report major progress in restoring our kitchen garden. The kitchen garden is the one practically in our backyard that was in place when we moved here in 1995. The kids and I overhauled it installing raised beds that served us for many years. Time has taken it’s toll though and this week we removed all the perennial vegetables (asparagus and horseradish) from the dilapidated beds in preparation for new construction. Turns our there was a lot more asparagus in there than we realized and instead of filling a five gallon bucket we filled a 35 gallon trash can! It was nice to find a bit of tender asparagus in the process.
That was phase 1. Phase 2 was removing the old structures and hauling it to the burn pile. I’m happy to report that’s about 90% done. With any luck I’ll get that finished this week so the Mr. can commence with phase 3, using the tractor to level everything out. Construction on new beds can begin after that.
On an unrelated note we had our 6th wooden egg for the summer come up missing this week. We usually catch one or two snakes every year helping themselves to our eggs but they seem particularly cunning this year and we’ve not caught any in the act. This is one of the reasons our egg listings fluctuate from week to week.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
Our COVID protocol is still in place for everyone who wants curbside service.
I. Order Payment:
1. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible using this PAYPAL link. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy. In the event of undelivered items you will be issued a Market credit that will apply to your next order.
2. Debit/Credit – One of us will briefly step within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader. We do our best to avoid touching your card or you touching the equipment which means we sign an “x” for your signature.
3. Cash and Checks – You may hand them to us. Exact change is preferred if using cash to prevent a lot of passing back and forth. If you choose curbside pickup you are welcome to put payment in your trunk/tailgate as that would eliminate the need to come near your window.
II. Order Delivery:
1. Curb Service: Please pull up next to the Market Shed. We will direct traffic a little bit if needed. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
2. Walk Up Pickup: Please do not come inside. When we see you coming we’ll put your order near the entrance and step back for you to claim it. This system works really well for those of you wishing to get extra veggies that may be available.
3. Regardless of how you choose to accept your Market order please know that we make every effort to practice safe distancing and ask that you do the same.
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!
Sept. 5, 2020 M@D Newsletter : Open for Orders!
Canning Supply Call to Arms
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes: Mayim Farm, Hortons Farm
GRAB YOUR BALLS . . .
And while you’re at it the Kerrs, Bernardins, newer Wall Mart plain jars and all the new and used rings and flats you can find.
We’ve deliberately stayed away from the catchy slogan for obvious reasons, but here of late things with canning supplies have become so serious it’s worth using just to bring attention to a very serious matter.
We’ve been so busy crafting and decorating with mason jars the last few years that now that we need them for food there are no supplies. No jars, no rings, no flats . . . stores are OUT all over the country. I did find some overpriced rings and flats on Amazon, but if you go into any Rural King, Dollar General or Wal Mart in the area you won’t find any of these supplies. If by chance you do find some, post it on Facebook and they’ll be out very shortly just like all the other stores.
I was alerted to the outage when a beekeeper friend in Pensacola posted an urgent plea for help because she was unable to package her honey. A bit of sleuthing with Vicki & Kathy on Friday morning confirmed it.
So this is a plea – if you don’t can and have extra jars and flats, even used ones, send them to us at Market at Dothan. We recycle stuff all the time and in this case will make sure they go where they’re genuinely needed.
MARKET CHITCHAT
So yesterday we broke out the Purple Ribbons to identify recently cleaned Market bags. If you missed last week’s newsletter you may find the August 29 issue HERE with info about cleaning your reusable Market bag. If you currently don’t use recycleable bags read up about it on our Q&A page. Bags are now relisted on the MARKET PAGE for anyone who’d rather not shop for one.
Please TELL US your bag has been recently cleaned when returning it to us so we can put a purple ribbon on it too. This is something we hope to do every six months.
GROWER NOTES
MAYIM FARM: We will be taking a well needed break this week for a vacation to Mentone…we’ll be back next week…
Hortons Farm We had a couple of nice surprises this week:
Pullet Eggs! We have gathered three small brown eggs so far laid by one of our young copper maran’s this week. We promise that if you receive one of these in your egg order we’ll make sure you get some nice big eggs as well.
My mother spotted this on the Phlox by the front steps. It was definitely worth getting the camera out for and turns out to be a swallowtail aberration called a gynandromorph. ”What’s That Bug?” was the only place on the internet we found with good information about it. The site is a great resource with lots of photos for curious bug watchers.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
Our COVID protocol is still in place for everyone who wants curbside service.
I. Order Payment:
1. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible using this PAYPAL link. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy. In the event of undelivered items you will be issued a Market credit that will apply to your next order.
2. Debit/Credit – One of us will briefly step within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader. We do our best to avoid touching your card or you touching the equipment which means we sign an “x” for your signature.
3. Cash and Checks – You may hand them to us. Exact change is preferred if using cash to prevent a lot of passing back and forth. If you choose curbside pickup you are welcome to put payment in your trunk/tailgate as that would eliminate the need to come near your window.
II. Order Delivery:
1. Curb Service: Please pull up next to the Market Shed. We will direct traffic a little bit if needed. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
2. Walk Up Pickup: Please do not come inside. When we see you coming we’ll put your order near the entrance and step back for you to claim it. This system works really well for those of you wishing to get extra veggies that may be available.
3. Regardless of how you choose to accept your Market order please know that we make every effort to practice safe distancing and ask that you do the same.
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!
August 29, 2020 - M@D is now OpeN!
Bag Business
In the Kitchen
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes: Simple & Sweet
SCRUB A DUB-DUB
What follows is probably more suitable for our Market Chitchat section, but it’s been a while since we addressed some nuances concerning reusable Market bags.
Market at Dothan started encouraging the use of reusable bags a few years ago in an effort to reduce waste. It was (and still is) such a strong conviction we invested meager resources into good reusable bags and made them available on the Market Page. This morning I had to remove the listings because we’re OUT! With any luck we’ll be able to relist them before the week is over.
In the meantime the issue that needs to be addressed is cleanliness. Covid has made all of us a lot more aware of the need to sanitize, sanitize, sanitize and our Market Bags need TLC as well. Those of us involved in bagging and giving your orders to you every week do not worry about the virus as the bags we pack in get to sit a good long week in between uses, but they do pick up dust and who-knows-what as they move from us to you and back again.
We’re designating September as CLEAN YOUR BAG MONTH. Those who use our bag rotation system are encouraged to start cleaning your designated Market bags and continue the process through September and longer if necessary so that all your bags are in tip top shape. We’ll have ribbons on hand starting Friday to identify your clean returned bags and will make every effort to rotate through them.
Thanks in advance for your help and cooperation!
WITH MOM
Many of you know my Mom has been living with us for a few months. She takes over the kitchen sometimes and has introduced us to some of her favorite recipes. One of them is an interesting egg muffin thing. She’d make a batch and have a couple for breakfast one day or one as a snack the next till they were gone. They were too nutritionally dense to be quiche or a traditional muffin.
Last week she modified a batch substituting three duck eggs & Richter Farms smoked sausage. The combo was wonderful and Kathy (Kathy’s Cluckers) told me they are called Egg Bites. Mystery solved!
1 lb Italian Sausage, cooked, drained and COOL
5 eggs
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained well
2 Tablespoons Italian seasoning
2 Tablespoons minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Mix well and bake in silicone (or well greased) muffin tins 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool before refrigerating. May be reheated in oven or microwave if desired.
There are many Egg Bite recipes on the internet, both with and without dairy and some using things like pepperoni for pizza flavor. There are also many ways to cook them if you do not wish to heat up the kitchen using the oven. Feel free to shoot us any favorite recipe and/or photos if you take the plunge to try them yourself.
MARKET CHITCHAT
What a blessing to see everyone who had orders yesterday! We appreciate you so much and even with covid preventing the occasional hug, seeing you, knowing you’re well enough to be out and about – it’s encouraging!
GROWER NOTES
Simple & Sweet: NEW ITEM! I got a new recipe to try from my mom, and the results are too delicious not to share. Check the baked goods section for my new listing of Chocolate Almond Biscotti. These crunchy sweets are the perfect compliment to your morning cup of coffee, and who doesn’t love dessert for breakfast?
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
Our COVID protocol is still in place for everyone who wants curbside service.
I. Order Payment:
1. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible using this PAYPAL link. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy. In the event of undelivered items you will be issued a Market credit that will apply to your next order.
2. Debit/Credit – One of us will briefly step within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader. We do our best to avoid touching your card or you touching the equipment which means we sign an “x” for your signature.
3. Cash and Checks – You may hand them to us. Exact change is preferred if using cash to prevent a lot of passing back and forth. If you choose curbside pickup you are welcome to put payment in your trunk/tailgate as that would eliminate the need to come near your window.
II. Order Delivery:
1. Curb Service: Please pull up next to the Market Shed. We will direct traffic a little bit if needed. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
2. Walk Up Pickup: Please do not come inside. When we see you coming we’ll put your order near the entrance and step back for you to claim it. This system works really well for those of you wishing to get extra veggies that may be available.
3. Regardless of how you choose to accept your Market order please know that we make every effort to practice safe distancing and ask that you do the same.
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!
August 22, 2020 M@D Newsletter
Laura & Marco Sitting in a Tree . . .
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes: Avalon Farms
THUNDER & LIGHTENING, VERY VERY FRIGHTENING
Silly headlines, I know, but if you’ve been watching the news you know the southeastern US is expected to get a good lashing by Mother Nature from this duo, Marcos & Laura, this coming week.
Storms are nothing new to those of us who have lived in this area a while. We’ve seen a lot of devastation, a lot of rebuilding and if we’ve not been affected we know someone who has. Neighbors run to help neighbors, insurance companies are insanely busy, and its hard to find contractors to get your stuff fixed in the days and months following.
All of us can agree that covid and 2020 in general has forced us to think in terms of long term survival. The topic is hard enough for the general public. For those of us who try to eat healthy it’s a bit more challenging as a loaf of bread with lunch meat or Jif peanut butter that would be an easy meal for someone else could quickly worsen existing health issues and for some even be deadly! Issues like this are one of the reasons we occasionally talk about canning/drying/freezing foods in this newsletter.
Preparedness is a big topic that reached beyond food & water to include shelter eventually getting to niceties like being able to take a shower. It’s too much for one newsletter so we’re going to give you a few resources and leave any further research to your discretion. We want this to be educational and uplifting at the same time so hang on!
Let me introduce you to someone.
This is Kat. She’s a crazy creative, serious recycler (that’s how we met), super thrifty superwoman and is the original Providential Prepper on Facebook. How lucky can a girl be to have a friend like that? Kat’s page is loaded with tips, tricks, good information, etc. compiled by a woman for women.
Even if you don’t like to listen to the local news, it’s a good idea to know your tv and radio stations for weather information during a storm. WTVY has some great beforehand tips and advice for Wiregrass residents.
Other sources of information:
1. This article from The Simple Prepper has some great tips: Among them, “Preparedness is roughly 90% about having food and water.”
2. This preparedness Facebook Page has both practical and hard core prepardeness ideas.
3. If you’ve got the time and can filter through the craziness there are a number of TV Programs showcasing both sane and marginally sane people with both good and bad ideas.
MARKET CHITCHAT
THANK YOU to everyone who made Market Donations this week. Your kind consideration is greatly appreciated and helps keep us running.
GROWER NOTES
AVALON FARMS: Being the fickle person I am, I don’t like it when I buy a chicken and it has a broken leg or wing. Just looks bad, even though it tastes the same. So when a bird gets damaged during processing I won’t sell it to you without you knowing it. Hence Scratch n Dent sales. These birds are slightly reduced but still wholesome and delicious, just maybe not presentation worthy.
We do have more meat birds growing. They are growing SO slow. We are 2 weeks past when we expected to start sending them to freezer camp. Based on my research it is probably the high temperatures we’ve been having. Been doing extra things to keep them comfortable, like extra shade and wetting down their feed and the ground area with cool water in afternoon, but they just aren’t eating as much. Hopefully they’ll be ready in the next month.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
Our COVID protocol is still in place for everyone who wants curbside service.
I. Order Payment:
1. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible using this PAYPAL link. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy. In the event of undelivered items you will be issued a Market credit that will apply to your next order.
2. Debit/Credit – One of us will briefly step within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader. We do our best to avoid touching your card or you touching the equipment which means we sign an “x” for your signature.
3. Cash and Checks – You may hand them to us. Exact change is preferred if using cash to prevent a lot of passing back and forth. If you choose curbside pickup you are welcome to put payment in your trunk/tailgate as that would eliminate the need to come near your window.
II. Order Delivery:
1. Curb Service: Please pull up next to the Market Shed. We will direct traffic a little bit if needed. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
2. Walk Up Pickup: Please do not come inside. When we see you coming we’ll put your order near the entrance and step back for you to claim it. This system works really well for those of you wishing to get extra veggies that may be available.
3. Regardless of how you choose to accept your Market order please know that we make every effort to practice safe distancing and ask that you do the same.
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!
August 15 M@D Newsletter - Time to Order!
Whats Not to Love . . .
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes: Avalon Farms, Grier Acres
. . .BESIDES THE HEAT?
August. Miserably hot August. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the heat and humidity dragging on and on and it’s especially discouraging this year with corona still looming over us, safe at home restrictions, ever depressing news stories and separation from loved ones. Today just seemed like a good time to dig up some positive tips, tricks and ideas to get us through the end of the month. Grab a shovel because we’re looking for hidden treasure!
1. Gardening If you’re up to battling the heat you can get a head start on your fall garden with transplants of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. You may also sow seeds of summer squash, snap beans, and cucumbers. While other parts of the country and even north Alabama recommend seeding things like collards, cabbage and broccoli, our soil is still to warm to germinate cool weather crops so don’t get too carried away.
2. Spider Maintenance Ok . . . that does NOT sound like something to embrace and love, but if you put some effort into spider prevention now, you’ll love not dealing with creepie crawlies in a few weeks when they attempt to cover the entire region, indoors and out with webs.
3. Enjoy something new. Whether it be a new recipe, new shoes, new hobby or a new friend, embrace it for all its worth.
4. Catch up with an old friend. As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Proverbs 25:25 C.H. Surgeon said “This is a text for summertime rather than for a winter’s evening. It is only on one of our hottest summer days that we could fully appreciate the illustration here employed” While no doubt there’s a deep spiritual lesson here, it’s also highly practical to connect with those who bring joy to our lives when we’re feeling dragged down.
5. Go outside at night. The recent rains have made recent evenings actually pleasant as long as you’ve got good mosquito protection. The thing about night – the universe goes on as it has for centuries. In fact if you care to check it out there are some pretty cool things going on in the night sky. Tonight for example, Uranus will start standing still in the night sky till January. If you do spot it keep in mind that the longer it stands the cooler the days will become. It’s been keeping that promise for a long time.
MARKET CHITCHAT
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see your favorite vegetable or cut of meat on the Market page. Everything listed on our site is Fresh and Local which means things that are not in season are not available at that time. In the case of meat, most private butchers will only process one animal at at time and these days have waiting lists as more people turn to growing their own meat.
GROWER NOTES
AVALON FARMS:
More Delicata Squash are coming!!! More of the small round ones and some larger oblong ones. We so appreciate your purchasing of the first crop of Delicata Squash. Your feedback on how good they were was wonderful! This second planting should be ready later in September.
GRIER ACRES : Well Grier Acres has been blessed with the pears this year.
These two containers weighed in at 25 pounds! We have been selling and canning about as hard as we can. Still can’t keep up with the production. Heck I’ve even given up fighting the tree rats. Let them have their fair share. We’ve kept the price the same, but have increased the number from 7 to 10 for each purchase. We need these things moved. The ones that get soft spots are given to our goats and chickens. So nothing goes to waste!
Our peppers are coming along slowly. The Jalapenos are just now turning red, the Tabascos are yellow/orange, and the Habaneros are orange/red. We should be listing these on the market within the next week. The Ghost peppers are a big disappointment. No fruit or blooms. Just foliage.
Two weeks ago we were getting 40-50 pounds of okra a week. Last week we got less than 10 pounds. Hopefully it will kick in again soon. I guess the 95+ degree heat has something to do with it.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
Our COVID protocol is still in place for everyone who wants curbside service.
I. Order Payment:
1. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible using this PAYPAL link. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy. In the event of undelivered items you will be issued a Market credit that will apply to your next order.
2. Debit/Credit – One of us will briefly step within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader. We do our best to avoid touching your card or you touching the equipment which means we sign an “x” for your signature.
3. Cash and Checks – You may hand them to us. Exact change is preferred if using cash to prevent a lot of passing back and forth. If you choose curbside pickup you are welcome to put payment in your trunk/tailgate as that would eliminate the need to come near your window.
II. Order Delivery:
1. Curb Service: Please pull up next to the Market Shed. We will direct traffic a little bit if needed. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
2. Walk Up Pickup: Please do not come inside. When we see you coming we’ll put your order near the entrance and step back for you to claim it. This system works really well for those of you wishing to get extra veggies that may be available.
3. Regardless of how you choose to accept your Market order please know that we make every effort to practice safe distancing and ask that you do the same.
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!