BEAT THE HEAT

It’s July. It’s hot as blue blazes, and unless you’re a first year resident you know that it will be hot like this through August and into September. As a young woman I used to tell myself “only ‘x’ number of weeks till the nights start cooling down.” I’m afraid it’s a little early for that, and thankfully things like Christmas in July, Back to School Sales (and tax free weekend) can help get our minds off it a little.

The National Safety Counsel recognizes heat exposure as a cause of death and the CDC recorded 7,233 heat related deaths between 1999 – 2009. That being said, what follows is a smattering of food and non food ideas that may or may not be useful. All are offered in the spirit of wishing you safety, cool, comfort and joy (opps on the Christmas reference!) for the remainder of the summer!

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!

MORINGA OLEIFERA: TRULY A “MIRACLE” TREE

(No doubt many of you scratched your head when you saw a recent listing for Fresh Moringa Leaves. Fortunately for all of us Patty D. is very familiar with them and has graciously researched the following as well as sharing a bit of her own amazing story. THANK YOU PATTY!)

The Moringa tree can meet all your nutritional needs, take the place pharmaceuticals and even purify your water.  For centuries, the natives of northern India and many parts of Africa have known of the many benefits of Moringa oleifera, also known as the clarifier tree, horseradish tree and drumstick tree (referring to the large drumstick shaped pods).  In East Africa it is called "mother’s best friend”. Native only to the foothills of the Himalayas, it is now widely cultivated in Africa, Central and South America, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and the Philippines. It is little known in the western world and only recently have people begun trying to grow it in the US. This miracle tree is now being grown by our very own Greg and Carole Lolley of Mayim Farms. There are hundreds of uses for this tree as every part of it can be used.

The immature pods are the most widely used part of the tree and contain all essential amino acids along with many vitamins and other nutrients.  The immature pod can be eaten raw or cooked while the mature pods are usually fried and and said to taste somewhat like peanuts. The pods also yield an edible oil known as Ben Oil. This oil is clear, sweet and odorless, and never becomes rancid. Nutritionally, it most resembles olive oil.  The root has been used as a substitute for horseradish but safety is questionable due to the presence of a toxic alkaloid (moriginine) a potent fungicid, pterygospermin, and a bacteriocide, spirochin.  While less toxic if the bark of the root is completely removed, excessive consumption of the root can be toxic so it is best to avoid the root altogether.  The leaves are eaten as greens, in salads, in vegetable curries, as pickles and for seasoning. Leaves and young branches are relished by livestock. The bark can be used for tanning and also yields a coarse fiber. The flowers, which must be cooked, are eaten either mixed with other foods or fried in batter and are rich in calcium and potassium.

The leaves contain significant quantities of vitamins A, B and C, calcium, iron and protein. According to Optima of Africa, Ltd., a group that has been working with the tree in Tanzania, "25 grams daily of Moringa leaf powder will give a child the following amounts of recommended daily allowances: Protein 42%, Calcium 125%, Magnesium 61%, Potassium 41%, Iron 71%, Vitamin A 272%, and Vitamin C 22%.  Gram for gram, Moringa leaves contain: SEVEN times the vitamin C in oranges, FOUR times the Calcium in milk, FOUR times the vitamin A in carrots, TWO times the protein in milk and THREE times the Potassium in bananas. The leaves are readily available even when other sources of nutrition are scarce and the powder can be stored for months without refrigeration with no loss of nutrients. The Moringa tree offers hope nutritionally, medicinally and economically to the extremely poor 3rd world countries. In the Western world, it is coming into use in supplement forms.

India’s ancient tradition of Ayurveda says the leaves of the Moringa tree prevent 300 diseases. While most medicinal uses of the tree are anecdotal and little research has been done, there is no question about the antibiotic potential.  Although human trials (random, placebo controlled) are lacking, many countries use all parts of the tree to treat internal and skin infections. Several compounds have been identified and proven effective in vitro (in a petri dish).  Research also supports the Moringa’s role in treating cancer, but again, human trials are lacking.  Other medicinal benefits of Moringa include the ability to lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation. Again, these claims are based on anecdotal evidence over centuries of use and animal studies.

Once the oil has been extracted from the pods, there is a seed cake left.  This is as effective as as aluminum sulphate (alum) in removing suspended solids from turbid water and is non-toxic, contrary to aluminum.  This has major potential in the treatment of waste water also.  Unlike aluminum, this can be produced locally generating employment and income.  Currently there are ongoing studies and projects being done to examine this potential.  Truly a “miracle tree”!

Sources:
*Ramachandran,C., Peter,K.V. and Gopalakrishnan,P.K., 1980, Drumstick (Moringa oleifera): A multipurpose Indian Vegetable. Economic Botany, 34 (3) pp276-283.
*http://peacecorps.mtu.edu/resources/studentprojects/moringa.htm
*http://www.tfljournal.org/article.php/20051201124931586
*Meitzner and Price (Amaranth to Zai Holes: Ideas for Growing Food Under Difficult Conditions,?ECHO, 1996),
*http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/cv/wedc/papers/20/sessioni/sutherla.pdf

“In 2007, due to a complication of low back surgery, I was in a wheelchair and could only walk around my house with a cane and hanging on to furniture . I was on nearly 30 medications including morphine and antidepressants.. When the neurosurgeon bluntly told me to “take the morphine, get in the wheelchair and learn to live with it” , I knew my life had to change.  Prayer led me to a chiropractor and from there to a clean, whole food diet.  Within 6 months, I was out of the wheelchair and off over 20 medications including the morphine and psychotropics. I lost 80 lbs over several years.  I am now nearly fanatical about healing through the use of real food and natural remedies and do everything I can to avoid doctors.  I spent over 30 years in conventional medicine in pharmacy and as an RN." Patty D.

(Please do not republish this article without permission from the author,  Contact information may be requested by email from marketatdothan@gmail.com)

Lastly: A new recipe featuring Moringa has been added to the recipe section.

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.

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!

A Tiny Big Announcement

If your eye didn’t catch it there is a slight change to our header this week- three little letters that mean good things for Market at Dothan.

As of today, July 1, 2017, Market at Dothan is now Market at Dothan LLC, a fully legal entity complete with it’s own business license and checking account! Incorporating the Market’s business structure was no small decision and was not made without input from a lot of wise people. If you’re reading this and helped out, THANK YOU, especially to JD and the staff at Dothan Nurseries who have made the Market possible. Let me encourage you to sign up for their monthly newsletter on their website. You won’t be disappointed!

The biggest factors considered in making the change were creating room to grow for our vendors, and providing a legal structure that would protect them from liability. Market at Dothan has absolutely the best growers in the Wiregrass and they deserve that! At one point we considered creating a non-profit, but after some serious research it became obvious that the extra work and expense to create one was not worth the benefits of going that route. So with the legal help of our customer Chris L, we created an LLC that’s pretty much run like a non profit. . . . pretty much like it’s always been.

As of now there are no plans to make any changes in the way Market at Dothan LLC conducts business and plans are in the works to do some extra and some special things that we couldn’t do before. The biggest change for you, our customers is that now we have a real business account to make your checks out to! We are more than happy to abide by the “no mingling of funds” advice from Chris!

Reusable Bag Update

With the change in business structure it seemed like a good time to re-visit one of our existing Market policies. As you know we encourage customers to provide reusable bags for your Market foods to go home in and some of you have multiple bags you rotate from week to week. Please know we respect your investment and make sure your bags are stored safely (and alphabetically!) between orders.

While reusable bags do help our landfills, a downside to them is that they need to be cleaned once in a while. Like everything else they collect dust, pollens, bacteria etc. Fabric bags are a simple fix as they go through the washer and dryer quite easily. The polypropylene type bags listed on the Market website require only a wipe with a disinfectant. Let me encourage you to do one or the other with yours as a health and safety precaution. This GREAT article explains the importance of keeping your reusables clean!

There’s a LOT of good information out there in cyberspace about the pros and cons of reusable bags, everything from statistics about how many trees you can save switching to reusable, to how long it takes a cotton bag to decompose as opposed to various plastics. If you want to know more feel free to check out some of the links below; if not, that’s a-ok. And if you’re getting your Market order in a “Thank You” Plastic bag, we respect that choice too and will continue to use the ones that have been donated till they run out.

Reusethisbag.com lists 25 reasons to go reusable. Their minimum quantity for an order is 200 bags.

National Public Radio did an excellent series called “How Green Is It?”. This section examines the claims made by companies like the one listed above.

You can always make your own! This Youtube tutorial shows two different ways to make no sew bags from tee shirts. If you go this route check out some of the other bag tutorials before breaking out the scissors because you may find something you like even better. A word of caution – if you expect to carry a lot of weight in your bags we really recommend tying or stitching the bottom.

The internet if FULL of bag patterns and tutorials if you want to go the extra mile to make a custom one.

Lastly, we found ourselves gawking last week when Sarah S. pulled one of these pretty little things out of her purse and proceeded to put her very large Market order in 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.

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!

Red, White & Blue Memories

The Fourth of July is a uniquely American holiday as it is the birth-date, if you will, of our nation. It is the date that our founding fathers begin signing the Declaration of Independence two days after voting to leave the British Empire and form a new country. The resulting war was long and hard, but our scruffy revolutionary army prevailed and the United States of America became a nation that has stood as an example of liberty and democracy for more than two centuries now.

The day has been observed in all places and in many MANY ways. Rather than focus on all the great food Market at Dothan offers for your celebration this holiday, we thought we’d look at some of the fun ways we’ve celebrated in the past . . . and might do again!

Lee Greenwood: No 4th celebration is complete without it. Let’s just get it out of the way first.

Flag Tee Shirts:Fess up – you know you have one somewhere.

Patriotic Deely-Boppers: Yes, that’s their real name.

Jamie S. My favorite July 4 th memory occurred about 10 years ago. My husband, daughter and I were living in Jalala-bad, Kyrgyzstan, and we hosted a party for all of our Kyrgyz friends. We had a badminton tournament, and feasted on walnuts, watermelon, tomatoes, and all kinds of dried fruits and cookies. My sister had come from Dothan to visit. The day was perfection!!! Such a special day.

Painting an American Flag on Your Cheek

Firework Horror Stories When Roslyn’s mom was small, a lady she knew lost her hearing when some mischievous boys threw a cherry bomb that got caught in the woman’s hair curlers. Thankfully cherry bombs are now outlawed, but the sober warning about explosives remains to this day.

Hasty Red, White and Blue Pedicures We’re sparing you the photos on this one!

Cold Watermelons followed by Seed Spitting Contests

Hints and Tips

Many thanks to Melinda F. for bringing me to my senses to share this! One of the things that helps the Market run smooth is a free app called Alarmy (Sleep If U Can)- alarm by Delight Room Co., Ltd.

Alarmy goes off EVERY week at 5:00 pm on Saturdays and Tuesdays to keep your Market Manager on task and on schedule. Because of it Market jobs get done at the right time and everything runs much more smoothly than it did a year ago when Ros was in a spot up on Lake Wedowee with no cell signal. Market wasn’t opened till Sunday morning during church after a much needed battery recharge. Yes, that really happened. It was awful.

The moral of this section is – Alarmy can help you remember to place your orders during the 72 hours we are open every week, as well as remind you to pick up your order on Friday morning. If you’ve got Zedge or a similar app with fun ringtones you can get creative customizing alarms for various needs.

If you’re stuck somewhere with no cell signal though you’ll have to rely on your memory and hope it’s better than Roslyn’s.

Market Chit Chat

We all know that rain is as important to your plants as sun and nutrients, but like anything else, too much of a good thing can spell trouble. Many times a healthy plant can come back from being beat down to the ground by a pounding rain, BUT . . . whatever crop might be nearly ready for harvest won’t fare as well. We ask your understanding with our growers as they are on the front lines dealing with this force of nature while growing nutritious food for all of us.

Does anyone need Aloe? One of our customers has offered to share hers. Just drop a note to marketat dothan@gmail.com if you’d like one.

This Week’s Grower Notes

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

AVALON FARMS: Not going to whine about the rain, but as you will see I have reduced my offerings of tomatoes and squash for this week. Blueberries and blackberries are hanging in there although extra water reduces the sugar content.
 
New this week we have Zipper peas, Pink Eye peas, Dragon Tongue beans and Garlic.
 
Our Sassy Apricot Habanero Jam would make a great addition to whatever you’re grilling this weekend.

Danny’s Greens All the cool weather crops have come to an end which means we won’t have any carrots/cabbages/beets, etc, for a while. For the time being our summer salad mixes are the only thing we have growing.

Sandy Valley This rain is killing us! All the watermelons we intended to have available to me Market have burst in the field from absorbing too much water.

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.

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!

Welcome Hawkins Homestead Farms!

It’s been a while since I first heard of this farm through one of our customers. At the time I wondered why I’d never heard of them and whether their farm practices were in line with our Market values. Now that I know I’m super impressed and excited to welcome them to Market at Dothan!

“Our family specializes in fresh eggs, pastured chicken, and organic seasonal produce you’ll be happy to eat! We are a small urban farm that started out trying to find a way to feed our own family in a healthy and sustainable manner. It’s so important that we know what we’re feeding ourselves, where our food comes from, what it ate, and how it was raised or grown. Our birds are spoiled rotten! The majority spend their time free ranging in our backyard pasture. We let them out early in the day and they are locked up once they go in at night. We do supplement with a Non-GMO feed for our egg layers and a Non-GMO Organic feed for our meat birds which is rationed each day. In addition, they also receive treats in the form of organic herbs and vegetables from our garden with some occasional black oiled sunflower seeds, which they love. We try to find a use for almost everything here, so we compost our scraps and our chicken manure. Doing things this way has enabled us to re-purpose and grow some wonderful goodies in the garden. We are committed to the care and health of our animals and the food we grow. We never use antibiotics, growth hormones, or pesticides. Our produce is grown from Non-GMO Organic seed and a few Non-GMO Organic started plants. We take pride in what we do and are happy to say that what started out as food for our family has blossomed into food for yours.” 

Soil Workshop Review

Last week another grower and myself made a pleasant drive to Opp, Alabama and found ourselves temporarily lost on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere after the GPS delivered us to the wrong place. Fortunately I had a phone number and we weren’t too far from the workshop that Mayim Farms was hosting.

It proved to be a very valuable visit! We learned about soil biology and how to make compost tea that helps both plants and soil thrive.

While Organic/Sustainable growing methods continue to gain popularity, some of the methods used by our Market Growers do not fit in the “box” created by traditional big-agra methods. It goes far beyond substituting a bad chemical for a less bad Omri approved one. The heart of organic farming is the soil because a healthy soil will produce a healthy plant that puts forth good fruit. (Hmmm . . . sounds like the beginning of a Bible Lesson!) For all their “scientific” ways of manipulating soil to produce thousands of pounds of perfect 4 inch or 4 oz. tasteless “whatevers”, the quality our growers produce is off the chart in comparison. We are blessed indeed!

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.

Feel free to share this Market Newsletter with anyone you think might be interested in the superior products we offer.

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!

Food Smart/Food Safe

When I was a kid my dad gave me a little green book that was published by his employer. At that time his employer was the USDA and he was a food safety inspector. I kept the little book for years and wish I still had it. I don’t know if it was intended for kids or not, but I LOVED the little educational cartoons. The main character was a nasty looking germ and he showed up in all kinds of places where safe food handling was not practiced. My favorite was Mr. Germ wearing a straw hat and sitting on a toilet seat with a fishing pole . . . a comical reminder to ALWAYS wash your hands after visiting!

Food safety was an issue then and it remains an issue today. I think public awareness is probably greater now with increased communication and educational outreach. And well it should be! All of us with Market at Dothan are committed to bringing you the healthiest food in the Wiregrass with no chemical or pesticide residue, but nature being what it is it’s still up to each individual to handle, store and prepare it properly.

That being said, what follows are hints, tips, websites, resources, etc that we hope will be a blessing and help for you and yours.

Hats off to the USDA whose ongoing efforts continue to help keep our country’s food systems safe. If you’ve ever visited a third world country (Haiti in my case) you should have a profound awareness of the great good they’ve done for us through the years.

Health.gov goes into a bit more detail about kitchen practices and offers additional resources.

If you are brave enough to check youtube.com videos about washing fruits and vegetables, you’ll find everything from expensive ozone machines to recommendations NOT to wash your produce! Ridiculous! We like this tried and true natural recipe:
1 cup water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda
20 drops grapefruit seed extract (available at Whole Foods or your local health food store or you can substitute lemon juice in a pinch)
Combine all ingredients in a large container. Then, transfer to a spray bottle with a pump. Spray mixture on produce (avoid using on mushrooms), let sit 5 to 10 minutes and rinse.

Kraft Foods has their own Top 10 list.

There is a WEALTH of information available at the FDA’s Education Resource Library.

This link is a printable Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart.

In Season

Have you tried Patty Pan squash yet? These versatile members of the Cucurbita pepo family are gaining in popularity as more people find new ways to enjoy them. They are in the same category as traditional summer squash, zucchini and pumpkins, but have their own unique taste and characteristics. Our customer, Angelica G. advises that their more dense texture helps them freeze quite nicely.

But if you’d rather enjoy them fresh . . .

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.

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!

Getting to Know You . . .

If you are not familiar with To Work With My Hands it is our great delight to introduce this blog and the wonderful woman behind it.

To Work With My Hands was well underway and going strong when I first met Karen King a few years ago and my respect and admiration for her has only grown with the passage of time. She is one of those rare individuals who manages many things well and still finds time for growth, improvement, doing things she loves and SHARING. Her sweet generous spirit is one of the unspoken things that comes through her photos, her writing and now Facebook Live videos.

If you missed her last week on Hometalk, it is available to view in the May 31 posts and well worth scrolling down for. And for more good news, three more are scheduled! Watching them in real time is fun as viewers can interact with her, and if you’re like me and have to catch one later, it’s still informative and inspirational. I’m wishing now I had stopped by Hobby Lobby for some 26 gauge wire on the way home from Market yesterday as I have a ton of great beads that I know what to do with now!

Here are the dates and times for the other Facebook Live Videos on the Hometalk page:

You’re sure to enjoy your visit to To Work With My Hands and we hope you’ll catch Karen’s videos every chance you can. And when you find yourself waiting to pick up an order some Friday alongside a sweet lady with a familiar face, well, now you know who she is and we know she’d love to meet you too!

In Season

One of the great things about interacting with people is learning new things, and with the Market, learning about new ways to use fresh foods is always fun. Feel free to share what inspires you the way these two items have inspired us this 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.

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!

Organic vs. Conventional

(Market Note: Market at Dothan makes no claim to be an “Organic” Market as the bulk of our growers and vendors are too small and too busy growing food that exceeds National Organic Practices (NOP) standards. What we do claim to be is SUSTAINABLE which produces equal and superior foods, farms and families. The following article explains the difference between our values and conventional farming better than we can despite the use of the “o” word.

The differences between organic and conventional foods stem directly from the farming methods that were used during the food’s production. Many people are unaware of some of the differences between the two practices. Agriculture has a direct effect on our environment, so understanding what goes into our agriculture is important. Below is a list of some of the key differences between organic and conventional farming. One of the biggest differences that is seen time and time again across all research between the two farming practices is the effect on the land. Organic farming works to increase sustainability, biodiversity, and to encourage good soil and air quality. This is maintained by the use of natural growing practices, the avoidance of harmful chemicals, and the continued practice of crop rotation and other natural farming methods.

Organic Farming
Organic farming minimizes chemical usage
Organic farming promotes biodiversity
Soil health is improved with organic farming practices
Only natural methods are used in organic farming

Conventional Farming
Conventional farming makes use of chemicals, synthetics, and other materials to manage weeds and pests
Conventional farming uses unnatural farming methods
Conventional farming use of pesticides has garnered attention towards acceptable levels of toxicity, and whether there should actually be an acceptable level
Pesticides used in conventional farming can be damaging to your health.
There are many other differences between organic and conventional farming, but these seem to be the most spoken of in regards to consumer health. There have been arguments around whether or not conventional farming methods are safe for one’s health. This is because of the pesticides and GMO’s used in the conventional farming practices. Many people are concerned that those growing practices promote unsafe chemical use, especially because the level of toxicity is said to be under a “safe” level, but what is really safe?

Luckily, many places make it easy to get ahold of seasonal, local and organic products. There are many CSA’s, grocery delivery services and organic markets that promote a more healthy way of eating.

(End note: That last paragraph describes Market At Dothan and our four core values of FRESH, LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE and YEAR ROUND. Our goal is to provide you the best in the Wiregrass!)

D’s Jellies

Sometimes we never know the greatness that moves among us! Our very own Dianne Herring is a case in point. Dianne has been a part of Market at Dothan for many years, well known and well loved for those delicious jams and jellies made with homegrown mahaws, blackberries, peppers, , etc from her farm.

Did you know she’s also an accomplished cook whose work is regularly featured in Wiregrass Living magazine?

Congratulations Dianne! We’re proud to have you as part of our Market family and can’t wait to get a copy of the magazine!

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.

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!

A Solemn Charge

“Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan. “ JOHN A. LOGAN, Commander-in-Chief, May 5, 1868

“In this time of unprecedented success and prosperity throughout our land, I ask that all Americans come together to recognize how fortunate we are to live in freedom and to observe a universal “National Moment of Remembrance” on each Memorial Day. This memorial observance represents a simple and unifying way to commemorate our history and honor the struggle to protect our freedoms. “ William J Clinton, May 3, 2000

Memorial Day Trivia:
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance of those who have died serving our country.
General John Alexander Logan ordered the Memorial Day holiday to be observed by decorating the war dead.
On Memorial Day, the flag should be at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.
Red Poppies are recognized as the Memorial Day flower.
“Taps” is often played at ceremonies on Memorial Day.
Memorial Day was first called “Decoration Day” because of the practice of decorating soldier’s graves with flowers.
New York was the 1st state to officially recognize Memorial Day.
Flowers and flags are the two most popular items people use to remember soldiers.
The south refused to honor the dead on Memorial Day until after World War I when the meaning of Memorial Day changed from honoring civil war dead to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.
Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971.

Formal Observance of Memorial Day:
Wear a red poppies on Memorial day to honor those who died serving the United States during war.
At 3 p.m. local time, Americans should pause for a moment of silence or listen to “Taps”.
Visit cemeteries and place flags or flowers on the graves of veterans.
Visit a memorial.
Attend a parade to honor fallen heroes.

In Season

The words, the culture and the country may change, but the deep sentiment and call to honor our dead have not. Memorial Day is now also regarded as the unofficial beginning of summer and often includes family gatherings and picnics and GRILLINNG! To that end we dedicate this section of available Market foods in hopes this will be your most delicious Memorial Day ever.

No picnic is complete without Deviled Eggs. Market at Dothan is blessed to have Kathy’s Churpers, Mary’s Peeps, Richter Farms, Sandspur Farms, and Horton’s Farm who all have eggs. Avalon Farms now has pickles and relishes available for making them. For especially healthy toppings, try microgreens and sprouts from Restoration Gardens and Mayim Farms.

No picnic is complete without a refreshing beverage. May we suggest The Tea Cart’s Honey Bush Peach Apricot tea infused with fresh fruit and lightly sweetened with honey from Horton’s Farm?

If you still have room after all that a Cream Cheese Pound Cake from Mary’s Peeps travels well and is the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

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.

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!