The Weblog

Market At Dothan News & Coming Events
Our goal is 100% Customer Satisfaction…comments, questions or concerns always welcome!
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August 1, 2020 M@D is Open!



Market at Dothan is open to accept orders.
Orders close Tuesday at 5pm
We use the word “Sustainable” over “Organic”.
You can grow organic without being sustainable, but you cannot be sustainable without utilizing organic practices.


This and That
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes: Avalon Farms, Danny’s Greens, Horton’s Farm, Grier Acres

Thank you for your continued support of our local farmers. We count it a privilege to serve you!
Market contact information and relevant information is listed at the bottom of this document


A SMALL HODGEPODGE

As you probably know, Gov. Ivey has continued Alabama’s Safer At Home mandate and extended the mandatory wearing of masks through the end of August. If you choose to read the article highlighted in green you can almost feel how hard it was for her to make this decision. Politics aside, we ran across a great tidbit that should make mask wearing a bit less disagreeable.

<Mask and oil
not an endorsement of this or any other brand of essential oil


If you are struggling with your mask try putting one drop of oil on it. One person reported, “I’m not claustrophobic but I have asthma so after a long period of time the hot air I’m breathing in and out is almost unbearable. Today I used one drop of peppermint and it was a game changer. It was uplifting and had somewhat of a cooling effect.” There are many oils you can try such as lemon, grapefruit or orange for something energizing and motivating. Lavender or any other calming oil would be soothing and relaxing. Remember one drop!!! Don’t overdo, it only takes a tiny bit!

On a different note, while our Market Shed conditions do not qualify for mandated masking during Friday Pickup, we are attempting to follow orders and appreciate your understanding if you catch us taking a much needed breather in the heat.

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This might be redundant for those who follow our Discussion Page but after some research on hammerhead worms a Public Service Announcement seemed fitting as they have the potential to wreck havoc on valuable farmland.

Hammerhead
Hammerheads are easily identified by their unique shaped head and may be found in a variety of lengths and colors.


There are a few things you should know about this unwelcome hitchhiker from Asia.

1. They are BAD. They cannibalize regular earthworms. Good soil becomes dead soil when they take over.
2. They are GROSS. They use slime to kill and their mouth doubles as its anus.
3. Do the world a favor and KILL IT with vinegar or salt. If you cut it in half both pieces will regrow. This is one of the ways they multiply.

There are a number of great articles and youtube.com available on the internet if you wish to learn more.

MARKET CHITCHAT

A hearty WELCOME to our new customers!
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Did you know that each Market newletter/weblog contains a number of links to various internet pages and articles? Links to Market pages are in red/maroon, usually at the bottom of the page, and links to other pages are in green. We don’t believe in hogging information and are glad to share resources.

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Several of our vegetable growers have gone on vacation mode as their summer crops have completed their growth cycle and they’re planning /preparing for the fall growing season. It will be interesting and fun to see what’s available in the coming weeks! Some summer crops can be planted and harvested a second time during this season and it’s also when cool weather crops can be seeded.

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YUM, YUM! New & Relisted Items!
NEW – Delicata Squash – Avalon Farms
NEW – Fresh Fruit Salad – Laura’s Confections
Relisted – Spaghetti Squash – Avalon Farms

GROWER NOTES

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


AVALON FARMS: Well, the summertime physical  farmers markets are over for the Summer. (No more getting up at 3:30 AM to pack, load and drive to set up tables somewhere. ) I should be able to keep you better informed on farm happenings now.?

We all love the Kinston Sweets.  I mean what’s not to like, sweet crispy onion to add to sandwiches,  salads… anything really. The only con I know of is they only store for 3 or 4 months. I really wanted these lovelies to last longer so we all could continue enjoying them. So last Fall, I split up the sweet onion planting, half Kinston Sweets and half a new variety of sweet onion reported to store for 6 months. That didn’t work out so well. Enter the Yellow Onions, more of a mild onion, but definitely not a Kinston Sweet!

Unfortunately, the Kinston Sweets are sold out. Still have lots of Creole Red and Yellow onions available.

Delectia squash

New this week, Delicata squash, a small squash with orange-yellow flesh that tastes similar to sweet potatoes. Its skin is thin and tender enough to eat after cooking, which sets it apart from other winter squash. As you can see, this variety makes small round ones. Later I should have some bigger ones.

I’ve got quite a bit of winter squash growing. All the ones from last year plus a couple new ones, plus more delicata and spaghetti squash.

As soon as I can get the seed beds prepped, I’ll be planting spinach, broccoli, assorted Asian greens, turnips, radishes and one more  planting of zucchini (see if we can squeak that in before frost).

DANNY’S GREENS: Limited quantities of salad greens and green onions available this week. Lettuce likes cooler weather so it grows very slow when it’s hot like this.

HORTONS FARM : My uncle is not crazy. I should probably explain. Last week I got a call from an elderly uncle who was (of all things) running a one man state sanctioned farmers market in his yard. Uncle Jimmy is a well known and colorful character in Randolph County and like generations before him, grows beautiful vegetables. I can’t tell you enough about his practices to know if he would qualify for Market at Dothan, but what I learned from him after we got through the family chit chat gives me hope.

He swears by the use of spraying colloidal silver on his plants.

Colloidal silver on plants
Colloidal Earth explains how silver can be used instead of many poisons used in plant propagation.


I’d never heard of it either and shared it with our Market growers a few days ago. Today I found a great article which goes into great detail about its use and benefits. Apparently gardening with silver has been around a few years and is very popular in the production of cannabis.

And now we know.

GRIER ACRES: This great photo did not come through in time to share it with you last week. This is REAL gardening in the south!

Cherry tomatoes


And a wild Paw Paw for your viewing curiosity:

Wild Paw Paw

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: 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 Website: marketatdothan.locallygrown.net
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/MarketatDothan
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.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION
It takes all of us working together to keep everything running & everyone safe!

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!