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January 12, 2019 M@D Newsletter



We are open to accept orders.
Orders close Tuesday at 5pm
If you’re wondering about that “M@D” bit, its only about good healthy food!


This Week’s Newsletter:
Blast From the Past
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes

WHAT WE’RE ABOUT

Editor’s Note – this originally appeared in our January 14, 2016 Newsletter. The information is as current now as it was then!

Recently someone asked my why our Market does not have (insert fruit or vegetable product) like some of the roadside vendors they drive by on a regular basis. They thought it strange those people would offer certain food items that we do not. It got me to thinking about our core values: Fresh, Local, Sustainable and Year Round.

While roadside products may appear FRESH, (as opposed to overripe or poor quality), sometimes that’s not the case as many items can be refrigerated an extended time or ripened with gasses before being put on display for sale. They are seldom LOCAL. More often than not, they have been purchased from a wholesaler who got vast quantities by truck from down in Florida. If not there they’ve probably been hauled off a boat from Central America. These too have been subject to refrigeration, spray, dye or gasses. Market at Dothan limits our distance to within fifty miles of Dothan, ensuring that the food you purchase from us is truly LOCAL. As far as FRESH, it is usually picked 1-2 days before pickup on Fridays.

The other issue is SUSTAINABILITY. Sustainability is all about growing food without depleting natural resources. The nutrients taken from the soil by crops must be replaced using natural methods. The USDA defines sustainable farming as agriculture that:

*Enhances the natural resources upon which society lives
*Efficiently uses resources by implementing natural controls and biocycles
*Is economically viable
*Enhances life for farmers and those eating the products

The grand hope of sustainable farming is that mankind will be able to continue living off the land without depleting natural resources and ruining the earth. To be sustainable, farmers must also be able to afford their business.


While sometimes underappreciated, the kumquat provides a fresh source of chewable vitamin C during winter cold and flu season. Kumquats grow well in the Wiregrass and many homeowners let them go to waste.


The last core value of Market at Dothan is YEAR ROUND. While it is nice to serve fresh berries during the fall and winter, it is not natural, and it is not necessarily what our bodies need the most. Case in point: citrus in this region ripens and is available most of the winter months. What does citrus offer? Vitamin C. We all know that. And what do we need during the fall and winter months to help fight off colds and flu? Vitamin C, of course. There are other studies showing the value of root vegetables during the cold months as well as leafy green brasseric vegetables which are very popular in the deep south.

The downside of a Year Round Market is unpredictable weather. Those of you who ordered root crops last week experienced the downside of that as our recent cold snap damaged them severely and has limited what our growers are able to offer this week.

That being said, THANK YOU from all of us here at Market at Dothan.

MARKET CHITCHAT

Thank you to everyone who braved the chilly weather to pick up their market orders yesterday. It was good to see you all after the winter break and we’re so THANKFUL to to all our growers who work hard to provide hearty produce to you all year round. The selection of greens we saw going through yesterday was a reminder of the great variety available to our M@D customers that you can’t get from a traditional grocer.

A hearty welcome too to our new customers! We don’t call names but do want you to know you are appreciated!


THIS WEEK’S GROWER NOTES

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

HAWKINS HOMESTEAD: Hello Market Friends,

Most of you guys know that both Brandon and I work full time in addition to farming, so that coupled with having two kids in college who also work and one who is homeschooled, plus our spiritual activities makes for a BUSY life! As you can imagine our time has become limited so we have had to limit our Market offerings for now. Our mornings are no longer free and with everyone going a million different ways throughout the week, dropping off on Friday mornings has become difficult for us. We definitely appreciate all of you.

Thank you to everyone who has voted and continues to vote for us and Bain Home Gardens. Remember you can vote once every 24 hours so set those reminders please.

AVALON FARMS:


I always enjoy reading the story behind things,  so here’s a little history of Avalon Farms. This land is part of my families history since the 1890s, when it was homesteaded by two of my great-great aunts, a couple of  "old maid" sisters with no “menfolk” to help or support them. Back then, homesteading required you to live on the property and make physical improvements. They moved to the property and lived here long enough to claim the land.

The family story goes that a traveler stopped once and planted a pecan nut beside the corral they had built. They had never heard of pecans. Can you imagine a time when people round here didn’t know about pecans?

My father, who moved away to Orlando when he was young,  retired back to this property in 2006. The old shotgun style house, made from rough cut heart pine,  was falling down, so it was carefully disassembled saving all the good wood and a new house built. I have many childhood memories of that old house – watching the sun come up through the cracks between the wall boards,  using the outhouse and taking baths on the back porch in a galvanized tub.

Watch next week’s newsletter for the exciting conclusion of how Avalon Farms came to be!  

BAIN HOME GARDENS: Marketeers! First off thanks so much for the abundant support you have given us over the last 12 days with the Cultivating Change Grant! Every vote counts. We now have direct links. For Bain Home Gardens click here & for Hawkins Homestead Farm click here .

We are sad to say our Collard crop was damaged to some degree and we have temporarily removed them from the our listings. However, we have added our Classic Salad Blend in limited quantities.

More Lettuce, Collards, Peas & Radishes have been planted. We have just begun harvest of peas. They are maturing at various rates & since this is the first time experimenting with this variety, we are hesitant to list them just yet but stay tuned. More to come- from our family to yours!

HORTONS FARM: It seems like every time I turn around I’m discovering a new “weed” around here, especially the hearty ones that grow in winter. Lately the stinging nettle has started coming up as well as little stands of chickweed here and there.

Last year we positively identified one strange obnoxious weed as sow thistle coming up. I let it seed before removing it and have been recently rewarded with young plants coming up here and there on the property. It turns out that sow thistle leaves “are said to be a good source of vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, phosphorus, and iron.“ Eat The Invaders has more inutritional nformation about this very interesting plant while Natural Medicinal Herbs details its medicinal properties.


Right now we are watching the young plants develop. As they mature we plan to make them available to you. We’d love to get your thoughts on how you think they would best serve your needs.

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.

Market Schedule
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: Daleville Chamber of Commerce Office

Our Website: marketatdothan.locallygrown.net
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com

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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!