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M@d Jan. 29, 2022 Newsletter. We are OpEn 4 oRdErs!
WHAT FARMERS DO IN WINTER, PART II
Thanks for the great feedback on last week’s peek at our farms. Some more of our folks are sharing.
Grier Acres:
At Grier Acres we pull soil samples for the pecans, the garden, and the blueberries in January. After we get the results, we usually pick up 2 tons of organic chicken litter fertilizer from our source in Florida . What doesn’t go on the pecans goes in the garden.
We will clean up the garden area, and fix the electric fence surrounding it. Necessary repairs are made to the ram pump and the irrigation system.
Hive checks are also done in January/February. The bees will continue to be fed until the spring nectar flow begins.
We try to do some of our prescribed burns in January and February, weather permitting.
Our goats usually kid in January, February, or March so we’re busy with them and the does as well.
Routine equipment repairs and maintenance are done during the winter months in preparation for the upcoming year.
Duck Nugget Farm:
Winter time blues don’t happen at Duck Nugget Farm. This time of year our ducks continue to lay regardless if the temperatures are too cold for us.
Winter is the time to do repairs on equipment, tractors and property fence lines. It is also the time when the flock is expanded and new or different
breed of birds are added to the farm. We currently have 70 plus eggs in the incubators at different stages with plans to increase the numbers within the next month. Babies have started hatching this week and will continue till spring.
We’ve raised our entire flock from eggs since the start and have never purchased live birds, preserving the quality of the flock. Our ducks and geese have roots from Alaska to Florida. For Duck Nugget Farm winter is baby growing season. With that comes all duties and the hours to get them from the egg to life with the flock and be self-reliant. Most often its busier during the winter than the rest of the year.
GROWER & MARKET NOTES
Avalon Farms is dealing with a family emergency and will not be listing products this week. Please pray for them during this difficult time.
Delivery Change Announcements:
1. For our DALEVILLE customers, please contact us if you need delivery as we are discontinuing regular Daleville stops.
2. Our ENTERPRISE deliveries will be at 1:30 pm until Avalon’s situation is resolved. Please contact us if this presents a problem and we’ll work with you to make sure your order gets to you.
Gone Viral: Last week Horton’s Farm posted this photo in a Facebook group called Stocking our Shelves with the comments underneath:
Who would have thought a photo of vintage kitchen equipment would get 150+ comments and 1000+ likes? It turns out a lot of people still swear by the old Osters!
Last week we shared benefits of bone broth. While we realize most of you know how to make it, here are instructions for those who may wish to do it for the first time.
Bone Broth Recipe
Making your own broth will take some time, but it is so worth it. Not sure what bones to use? Any bones, marrow, and even connective tissue that come from a healthy animal or fish will work. If you can find local, organic, or grass-fed options, they will likely result in a more nutritious bone broth.
Browning the bones
Not all recipes agree on this, but I have found that browning/caramelizing the bones results in a much more flavorful broth than using uncooked bones. If the bones you are using are already cooked, then there’s no need to cook them again. Also, I recommend using a few spices, fresh garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, and the vegetable combination called a mirepoix. Your mirepoix and the garlic should be roasted as well to maximize flavor.
Ingredients:
12 cups filtered water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2-4 lbs bones
Mirepoix (all chopped to ¼-inch pieces):
1-2 medium onions, about 8 ounces
1 large carrot, about 4 ounces
2 celery ribs, about 4 ounces
5-6 large garlic cloves
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
Fresh bay leaf
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Fill a pot with the water to boil. Chop the mirepoix to ¼-inch pieces. Roast and caramelize the bones, garlic cloves, and your mirepoix for 30-45 minutes. You want the bones to be a deep brown color.
2. Once well browned, add the bones, garlic, mirepoix, the tasty brown bits on the roasting pan called fond, spices, and apple cider vinegar to your pot of water. Bring the water to a boil and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for at least 8 hours to 24 hours; the longer it cooks, the tastier and more nutritious it will be. Don’t let the broth boil again. Every few hours, check to ensure water is covering your ingredients and skim the top if any foam is visible.
3. Once done, let cool and remove the bones. Strain your broth through a colander lined with cheesecloth. Store in the fridge for a week, or freeze and it can last up to 6 months.
Whether you sip bone broth on its own or use it in your cooking, be sure that you do try it. It’s an easy and economical recipe to boost your nutrition on a cold winter’s day. Stay warm and healthy all.
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!
M@D is Open for Orders! Jan. 22, 2022 Newsletter
WHAT DO FARMERS DO IN WINTER?
As it turns out – LOTS! While it’s normal to have fewer fresh vegetables available during the winter months, we thought you would enjoy a peek into the work that makes it possible for us to offer wholesome sustainable foods all year long. Enjoy!
3LC Apiary:
- Review the remaining winter stores in each hive; this includes both visual checks of the upper hive boxes and weighing of the hives each month.
- Check for varroa mite loads and treat hives that are too high with a natural organic acid treatment.
- Repair hive equipment and build new hive equipment
- Watch flight activity at the entrance of each hive to see if the bees are bringing in pollen in the late morning when temperatures exceed 50*F; this is a sign that the queen is still on the job.
- Clean out and refresh oil pans under the screen bottom board – this is also a good check on mite loads and overall bee colony activity based on what is falling through the screen into the pan
D’s Jellies: On cold days, we stay inside where it’s warm. If we have warmer days, we enjoy sitting on our front porch. In February, new potatoes will be planted in our garden. I begin looking for canning jars for my Jellies. We make plans for the rest of our garden as well as for bedding plants for pots and our garden shed flowerbed. January and February are good months for planning!
Avalon Farms:
Crop planning (what, when, where, how much and how often)
Seed buying
(Both of above require lots of seed catalog reading and comparing.)
Infrastructure
- building additional wash station
- building greens washer/bubbler
Cleaning and maintenance
- need to sanitize walk-in cooler
- organize barns and storage
Lots of thoughts about how to realistically improve operations and production.
Researching and trying to learn new things.
Spend as much time as possible sitting in the sun on the porch. It’s so nice to actually enjoy the sun light as opposed to the summer heat.
Rest. Make lots of plans. Dream of weed/bug free gardens.
GROWER & MARKET NOTES
to our new customers!
We’re glad you found us and hope to be a blessing to your and yours.
It’s winter, it’s COLD and what better time to take advantage of the many benefits of bone broth? Several growers offer beef bones for broth and when they’re available chicken feet make a fine broth as well. Check this out!
Health Benefits of Bone Broth
A great source of collagen Collagen is a key building block for the cells in our joints, skin, GI tract, and all of our connective tissue. A decrease in our body’s collagen has been linked to the aging process.
Boost of protein Collagen turns into gelatin when it’s cooked, which provides a great source of amino acids (the building blocks of protein). Gelatin is the substance that gives your bone broth a slight gelatinous texture when refrigerated. But don’t worry, this goes away when it is warm.
Bonus win: Specific amino acids in bone broth have been linked to reducing inflammation, supporting a healthy gut, and our body’s production of collagen.
Micronutrients
Bone broth can be an extra source of vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. If the bones used for the broth contain a portion of bone marrow, the broth will also have iron and some trace minerals—zinc, manganese, and selenium. Since the exact recipe varies in the type of bone, source of bone, and cooking time, the amount of each micronutrient will vary as well.
How to Consume Bone Broth
Use it to hydrate foods. Bone broth is delicious to rehydrate your pastas, rices, quinoas, and grains. Swap your water for bone broth at a 1:1 ratio. If you added salt to your broth, be sure that you aren’t adding too much additional salt to your grain recipes.
Add it to soups. Use it just like any type of stock. Bone broth is a fantastic and nutritious base to any soup or stew. For any recipe that calls for “stock,” use bone broth instead.
Incorporate it in sauces. Using a concentrated bone broth is especially delicious as your base for a sauce. A great example is to use bone broth instead of chicken stock in a velouté.
Sip it on its own. It’s simple; just drink it warm and enjoy.
Stay Well Friends!
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!
M@D is Open! Jan. 15 2022 Newsletter
MORE CURES FOR BEATING WINTER BLUES
Last week we looked at causes and a few cures for winter blues. This week we’ll conclude this topic with some more great tips.
8. Express Gratitude: Doing for others and being grateful is emphasized by most long-standing religious traditions and spiritual practices. It creates a surge of feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.
According to gratitude expert Robert Emmons, PhD, gratitude may work by reducing underlying negative emotions such as regret, envy, frustration, and resentment. One common way of developing a habit of gratitude is by journaling, and some find that sharing those grateful thoughts with others even better. A practical way to do this is to put pen to paper and actually write actual thank-you notes for any gift or act of kindness or hospitality you received during the holidays.hese neurotransmitters are essential for making you feel motivated, energetic, and interested in life.
9. Stop Idealizing the Holidays: Stop comparing your last holiday to the idealized holidays of your childhood, the movies, or what you imagine others are experiencing. The actual holidays are short, only a few days out of the year and should not color your feelings when they’re over. This is where meditation can really help.
10. Clean Up Your Diet. For many inthe US, the carb fest starts on Halloween and continues through New Year’s Day, quite literally a 3-month-long sugar binge that contributes to mood swings, irritability, and brain fog.
Replace unhealthy processed foods with plenty of vegetables, high-quality protein, and mood-boosting healthy fats like those in nuts, avocados, fatty fish, and coconut.
11. Cut Yourself Some Slack. IBe patient with yourself and know that, just as surely as spring follows winter, your post-holiday blues will fade with the change of the seasons. And speaking of cutting yourself some slack … Save yourself some heartache and skip making any New Year’s resolutions.
This is not the time to heap on unrealistic expectations — only 8% of those who make resolutions achieve their goals.
This doesn’t mean you should not take steps towards improving your health, but there is no point setting yourself up for failure when you’re already feeling down.
If these things fail to lighten your mood you may wish to consider the following:
12. Light Therapy: By far the most popular, well studied, and successful treatment for winter blues is the therapeutic use of light. Light therapy involves sitting close to a light box for 30 minutes a day, usually shortly after waking up.
These boxes generally provide 10,000 lux (a measure of light intensity) which is about 100 times brighter than typical indoor lighting, but only 1/5 the brightness of a sunny day.
During your session your eyes must be open, so you can use this time to read, eat, chat on the phone, or catch up on work. The light helps lower the abnormal high melatonin levels that people with winter depression often have.
The Center for Environmental Therapeutics recommends using white light rather than colored or full spectrum light. If you choose a fluorescent lamp, pick one with a screen that filters out UV rays which can harm your eyes. If you are working with a health care professional, follow their instructions on how long and when to use your light box.
Note: Do not self-prescribe light therapy if you have bipolar disorder as it can trigger mania.
13. Consider a Dawn Simulator This is a little-known remedy that works much like light box therapy. A dawn simulator is basically an alarm clock that works by gently waking you with light rather than sound. It mimics natural sunrise by starting with a dim light that gradually brightens over 30 to 45 minutes. It is reported to be much easier since your “session” is over by the time you get out of bed!
Research shows that using a dawn simulator not only improves well-being and mood, but also increases mental performance, by modulating cortisol and melatonin production.
15. Music: Winter is not the time to listen to melancholy music. Focus on upbeat tunes that make you happy. And dance! It’s great exercise.
15. Talk it Out: Consider Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) a try if none of the above works. Also known as “talk therapy,” it seems to be more effective in the long run. During therapy, you’ll learn how to overcome your tendency to hibernate and challenge negative thought patterns that contribute to your seasonal malaise.
A wonderful alternative to a therapist is to engage with people you love. Of all the excellent advice listed above this is the one we recommend most. No doubt there are others who also need a change of scenery, the kindness of a friend, and with the surge in January illness, maybe even a pot of chicken soup.
GROWER & MARKET NOTES
Has anyone else noticed the tulip poplars blooming this week? It looks like another mixed up winter in LA with things blooming before they should!
What a blessing to see more eggs and chicken products listed from GROWS IN ROWS:
New – Gizzards
New – Chicken Feet (makes the best bone broth ever!)
New – Blanched Black Eye Peas
HORTONS FARM: We’re timidly relisting some of the herbs. Trusting that the incoming cold doesn’t affect them.
Coming next week: What do Farmers do in the Winter?
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!
M@D is OPEN! Jan 8, 2022 Newsletter
CAUSES & CURES: BEATING WINTER BLUES
Wouldn’t it be lovely to start the New Year feeling energized and ready to take on the world? Unfortunately that’s not the case for most people. Even children get winter blues and while there is no medical consensus as to what causes this, there are theories and proven effective ways to deal with it. While nutrition is one of many factors involved we thought the topic timely and important enough to tackle.
Causes
Abnormal Neurotransmitter Levels: The theory is that a lack of sunlight affects the workings of the hypothalamus which, in turn, affects the formation of neurotransmitters, chemicals that brain cells use to communicate with each other. People experiencing winter depression typically have low levels of serotonin (the happiness molecule), and high levels of melatonin (the need to sleep molecule).
They also tend to have lower levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. Both of these neurotransmitters are essential for making you feel motivated, energetic, and interested in life.
Circadian Rhythm Dysfunction: One study that followed patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), an extreme form of winter blues, concluded that this disorder is similar to jet lag. It’s thought that people with SAD release melatonin too early or for too long a period during the winter, contributing to their lethargy.
Vitamin D Deficiency: For much of North America and Europe, the UV index reaching 3 or above only happens during the summer months which may explain why an estimated 77% of Americans have subpar levels of vitamin D. This deficiency may be responsible for the depression and anxiety some people experience during the winter months. The only way to know how low your vitamin D level is and how much vitamin D you need to get it back to normal is to get your vitamin D level tested.
Other factors:
Genetics: It’s thought that there is a genetic component to seasonal blues since it often runs in families, especially those with a history of depression or substance abuse. Interestingly, some researchers believe that winter depression might be a survival mechanism that helped our ancestors survive harsh winters. Just as bears, chipmunks, and hedgehogs hibernate in the winter, it’s possible that some of us have an inherent tendency to semi-hibernate during the darkest months to conserve energy.
Post-Holiday Depression: There’s a subcategory of winter blues known as post-holiday depression. For some the holidays are fraught with pitfalls that can leave one feeling down: eating badly, drinking too much, sleeping too little, and neglecting normal exercise.. Both financial and unresolved family issues can worsen this.
How to Beat Winter Blues
Thankfully, winter blues usually subside on its own with the warmer, brighter days of spring, but there’s no reason to wait until then to feel better. These proven remedies can have you feeling happier and more energetic.
1. Eat a Serotonin-Boosting Diet. If you’ve got winter blues, you may find yourself craving and eating more sugar and refined carbohydrates than usual. A healthy diet should emphasize vegetables, fruit, lean protein sources, and healthy fats, but you don’t have to completely give up eating carbohydrates. In fact, there’s one dietary “trick” that raises levels of mood-boosting serotonin — consuming carbohydrates on their own, separate from protein.
2. Take the Right Supplements:
FISH OIL may be the #1 supplement for treating winter depression. Iceland is one of the northernmost countries in the world, yet has one of the lowest rates of a serious form of seasonal depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The secret is believed to be their huge consumption of fish — 225 pounds per person per year! That would be a challenge for the rest of us, so taking a high quality fish oil supplement is recommended.
VITAMIN D When healthy adults with winter blues were given 10 to 20 mcg (400 to 800 IU) of vitamin D, their mood improved considerably.
TRYPTOPHAN is an amino acid that’s the precursor of happiness-boosting serotonin. Research has found tryptophan to be as effective for depression as antidepressant drugs. It is most effective when used with LIGHT THERAPY.
ST. JOHN’S WORT is specifically helpful for winter blues, but should be used with caution as it has many side effects and interactions.
3. Practice Meditation – this ancient practice has been proven to help.
4. Get Cozy. Scandinavians don’t look at winter as something to be endured. They embrace it, and one of the ways they do this is by getting cozy. The Danish call it hygge (pronounced hoo-ga). It is a time to slow down and enjoy being at home, reflecting, and spending quality time with friends and loved ones. It’s simply a matter of changing your mindset to embrace, rather than resist, winter.
5. Get Some Physical Exercise. Don’t take the idea of spending time curled up in front of the fire too far. It’s important to stay physically active. Exercise is one of the most important things you can do to stay happy all year long as it releases all the good brain chemicals: serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and endorphins. If exercise outdoors is not possible, exercise indoors with your yoga mat or treadmill near a nearby window to get more daylight, if you can.
6. Plan Something to Look Forward To. If you’ve always wanted to try a particular hobby, now is an excellent time to get started. It turns out that purposeful activities like knitting, sewing, woodworking, arts and crafts, and home repairs can focus your mind, thereby improving mental well-being. One study found that over 80% of knitters with depression reported feeling happier when they knitted due to an increase in their dopamine levels.
The heart of winter is also an excellent time to build anticipation by making long-range plans like next year’s summer vacation. Oddly, it’s been found that people who travel actually get a greater boost of happiness from the anticipation of the trip than from the trip itself. So even if you have to delay your trip, you’ll still get a happiness boost now just thinking about it.
One great way our Market vendors build anticipation is by poring through gardening catalogs planning your spring garden strategy.
7. Cross an Item Off Your “To-Do” List. Even a task as small as clearing out your junk drawer can increase your dopamine levels. Low dopamine is linked to apathy, boredom, and general lack of zest for life.
Next week we’ll share some more coping strategies.
GROWER & MARKET NOTES
As promised we have re-opened for orders!
By now you should have heard our exciting news going into 2022 – Market at Dothan now accepts EBT. We are hopeful this will be a blessing to our community. Please share this information as you have opportunity.
AVALON FARMS: It’s always hard coming back from a break, but it will be great to get the market going again. Indirectly we all connect on Friday mornings. I don’t get to see you all on Fridays but it still feels like a connection. 2021 was a complicated and tumultuous year for this farmer. I’m looking forward to and praying for smoother sailing in 2022.
There are so many things in the works here; garden bed preparation, seed ordering, planting schedules, transplanting schedules, calendars for schedules…You get the idea. Working on organizing sheds and barns. Trying to improve processes in order to provide better produce to you.
I have a confession to make, we ate all the broccoli! With the really warm weather it all just popped at once so it was picked and put in the refrigerator before it ruined. We ate SO much broccoli. Plus sent coolers full home with kids. That’s the way it goes. That’s why I have to work on all those schedules to try to avoid this next winter.
HORTONS FARM: Blessings abound! While the rebuilding of our regular gardens is frustratingly slow, it’s nice to have something go right and to that end we have just listed some culinary/medicinal herbs from our newest garden project. We’ve been cutting and using them for a couple of months and they’re doing so well that we are able to share a limited amount with our Market family. To that end we are listing “New and Reslisted" items here:
New – Fresh Dill
New – Fresh Cilantro
New – Curly leaf Parsley
New – Fresh cut Thyme
GRIER ACRES: Nothing to report here much, Jeannie’s mom just went through her 2nd and hopefully final surgery associated with her stroke. We are just trying to get through things with her and will start back with our garden. We hope to have okra again. We bought onions but haven’t done our soil test yet to plant them. Jeannie saved a tabasco plant from the freeze. We also got a few pecans again this year. Mainly the smaller ones which I hear are better for pies/baking because the oil is more concentrated. Our best news is we have had 2 goats go into labor and they gave us 3 healthy appearing kids so far. 2 bucklings and 1 doeling. We are considering rehoming or slaughtering our buck. He has been here through 3 generations and he tends to stay in rut 365 days a year lol. We are thinking these 2 bucklings might be a good restart and making one a wether so we can put them together in a buck pen. We are slowly working on rotational pastures for the goats. We are looking for old trailers to make rolling goat tractors for housing. If you have one let us know—we are willing to purchase btw. It doesn’t have to be road worthy just in our pasture lol. Jeannie made some marmalade and orange peel candy with some gifted oranges and satsumas. She is so grateful for Ms. Melody coaching her through the canning process. Jeannie says she has been a godsend since her own mom who was a canner is no longer able to help her with these tasks. We are getting some collards but our garden is not being maintained so the deer and the gopher tortoise kinda took over. We also planted some fig trees so hoping that will develop into a crop. Our citrus plan froze a few years ago and we just don’t get any fruit. Hoping we eventually will get our own citrus.
Prayers for a better year for us all and peace for Jeannie’s mom. Hope you all have a safe and prosperous new year.
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!
M@D Special Announcement
WE’VE BEEN BUSY DURING CHRISTMAS BREAK
What a great way to start 2022! This has been one of our goals and now that it’s done we need your help getting word out that Market at Dothan is now able to provide Fresh, Local, Sustainable and Year Round food for more people in our community. We only ask that you please remember to mention it in conversations with others about local foods.
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
Dec 11, 2021 M@D Final Newsletter for 2021
FOOD FOR THE SOUL
We talk about food for the body most of the year around here. With this being the last newsletter of 2021 we thought we’d talk about something less temporal.
There’s something about Christmas that seems to drive our emotions. For some it truly is the most wonderful time of the year, and on the other end of the spectrum it can open deep wounds. While we hope and pray it’s wonderful for all of you, we can’t ignore that’s not always the case. So this part of our newsletter is dedicated to equipping you to deal with all aspects of the holiday season.
Dave Ramsey offers 13 great tips to reduce holiday stress in this great ARTICLE. The section about focusing on CONNECTIONS with others is superb.
Be sure to watch the 5 min video at the start of this slide show produced by IN HEALTH. Some of these recommendations mirror Ramsey’s.
In this list MAYO CLINIC wisely starts with acknowledging sadness and /or loss you may have experienced. The suggestions for breathers are great.
HUFFINGTON POST identifies things that can trigger anxiety and depressing during the holidays including trying to do too much.
Lastly (falling under the category of taking a breather!) a book recommendation by one of your Market Manager’s favorite authors, Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth behind the Birth of Christ by Timothy J Keller. THIS PAGE contains some excerpts.
GROWER & MARKET NOTES
This is our last order cycle for 2021
AVALON FARMS: We have made our escape to a mountain hideaway near Chattanooga. No worries, we’ll be back Tuesday in time to receive our onion transplant shipment. Those will be the next project.
Before leaving, the garlic beds were made and amended with: bone meal, alfalfa pellets and processed chicken litter fertilizer. Each little clove was tucked in for Winter. They will send up green shoots in a week or so, but don’t worry they can take our mild Winters with no damage.
There are 2 varieties of spinach growing. I’m hoping they will be available first of the year. For fun I planted a red stemmed variety in addition to the standard green. It worried me the other day, I thought they were turning brown! It was just the red color starting to develop in the stems. Silly farmer : )
Have a wonderful holiday! Safe, warm and dry. Grace and Peace to us all!
Wendy
Avalon Farms
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!
M@D is Open for Orders/ Dec 4, 2021 Newsletter
GROWER & MARKET NOTES
This newsletter will be short and sweet as it’s been such a BUSY day for the majority of our vendors. It’s quite possible that many listings will not be updated at 5 when this goes out so if you are one to place your order early, please check back tomorrow and Monday in case something has been listed that you want.
It was So Good to see so many of you at Open House today. Thank You for taking time out of your day to visit! We couldn’t have ask for better weather, a better place or better company!
Holiday Schedule
WE WILL BE CLOSED DEC 18 – JANUARY 8, 2022
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
Nov 20, 2021 M@D Thanksgiving Notes, Schedule, Announcements
Happy Thanksgiving!
GOOD FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The following thoughts are from Be in Health Ministries who have over 30 years of experience teaching and ministering to people who are afflicted with every manner of disease. They’ve seen many astounding results of healing and restoration by addressing possible Spiritual Roots of Disease® and offer help with Biblical insights as to why we get sick and how to overcome disease in life.
Some of the ideas and language may seem quaint, but the principals of gratitude & thankfulness for health and well being are sound and backed by science.
Thankfulness and Your Health – Real Solutions for Your Health and Wholeness
The Bible tells us time and again to offer up sacrifices of thanksgiving; to be thankful and grateful. At face value, this may seem like one of those good ideas that God would want us to do for Him for His pleasure. Yet as we really look deeper into His ways, His commandments and precepts, we find that they are specifically designed for our benefit and well-being. There is actually a link between thankfulness and your health. It hasn’t been until recently that science has been able to observe the neurological, physical and emotional benefits of gratitude.
It turns out that thanksgiving and gratitude can actually be a useful key to assist a person in their walkout. Studies have shown that when people daily practiced gratitude they experienced improvements in many different areas of their lives.
5 Ways that thankfulness improves people’s lives and health:
1. Improvements in their mental health, including a noted reduction of depression, PTSD and fatigue symptoms.¹
2. Improvements in the subject’s sleep, overall health, and sense of wellbeing.
3. Improved self-confidence in their own abilities to accomplish and complete tasks.
4. Improved cardiac function and reduced levels of inflammatory biomarkers in patients experiencing heart failure.²
5. Improved relatability and empathy for others resulting in healthier relationships as they expressed gratitude towards others.
But there is a catch!
If we take this concept at face value and run with it, we may conclude that thankfulness could be a solution to these issues. But these studies showed that it is only a contributing factor to the improvements. These people had to also practice reducing the negative expressions of thought and communication like fear, jealousy, and resentment.³ This is where what we know and teach at Be in Health® bridges the gap between our faith and these scientific observations.
The Word tells us to renew our mind and to cast down imaginations and any thought that is contrary to God’s ways.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2 KJV
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 KJV
The challenge comes when certain patterns of thought are so familiar to us that we don’t know the difference. We don’t even recognize them as negative programming from the enemy’s kingdom. For example, a person who has struggled with anxiety for most of their lives may not even recognize the thought patterns that they are continually ruminating on that keep them in that state. As a result, they may have never experienced the restful state of their body and mind being at peace or homeostasis in the absence of those stress hormones. (Fear, Stress, and Physiology)
This is why it is so important to first be well acquainted with God and His ways through reading His Word and personal relationship with Him. It’s only by His Spirit that these old ways can be held up against the light of His truth, sifted out and exposed in our hearts.
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Hebrews 4:11-13 KJV
As we repent (turn away) from these old, familiar ways, remove the works of the enemy in our lives, and practice casting down the programmed patterns of thought, gratitude is the next step to recovery. It is one of the final steps to freedom that is often overlooked yet absolutely essential in the completion of our victory and subsequent freedom.
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 KJV
These researchers discovered that people who daily participated in an activity of gratefulness for a period of twelve weeks actually experienced a rewiring of certain thought pathways and lasting benefits for months beyond that period of time. So when we practice thankfulness we are actually reprogramming our pathways of thought from the negativity of the enemy’s kingdom to the positive influence of God’s Kingdom. This is the key to real and lasting healing and freedom.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8 KJV
As we dig deeper and develop our own understanding of the benefits and perfectness of God’s ways, may we truly grasp it in our hearts and recognize His incredible love for us. Even though mankind has fallen in sin, He made a way of escape through Jesus Christ and the gift of His Holy Spirit so that we could experience the wholeness of life and health that He has designed for us.
GROWER & MARKET NOTES
MARKET & TURKEY PICKUP IS NEXT WEDNESDAY, 10am – 11:30am
| Avalon Farms – Veggies & Farm Fixins | D’s Jellies – Hand Batched Jelly from Home Grown Fruit |
| Bella Eden Farms – Hand Crafted Soap and Bath/Body treats | 323 Chaotic – Hand Crafted Modern Jewelry |
| Bella & Birch Designs – Unique Carved Artisan Goods | Casa Perdido – Fine Alabama Vinegars |
| Eagle Grove Services – Fresh Picked Satsumas | Grows in Rows – Farm Fixins and Baked Goods |
| Hortons Farm – Local Honey | JBW Farm Fresh – Local Grass Fed Beef |
| Humblebee Bakes – Macaroons | Lewis Farms – Vegetables |
| Martin Teas – Unique Teas for Special Occasions | Mount Moriah Farms – Goats Milk Soap, Soy Candles, Bath & Body |
| ScrappyChic by Vickie – Hand Crafted Items for the Home | Self Care Candle Company – Young Entrepreneur Guest Vendor! |
| Smores Dessert Company – Decadent Locally Crafted Sweets | Tranquil Pastures – Pastured Chicken and Grass Fed Beef |
| Little House of Treasures – coasters, clamshells, candles |
Holiday Schedule
Regular Weekly Ordering Through Nov. 19
Thanksgiving Week: Order Saturday Nov 20 through Monday Nov 22
PICKUP IS THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 24
Nov. 26th – Dec. 3rd NO MARKET
DECEMBER:
SATURDAY, DEC. 4th, DOTHAN NURSERIES CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE & FARMERS MARKET
9 am – 3pm – Until with VENDORS ONSITE
Vendors Listedin Grower Notes
Weekly Ordering will resume at 5 pm Dec. 4
and continue through the last pickup of the year on Dec. 17.
WE WILL BE CLOSED DEC 18 – JANUARY 8, 2022
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!
Nov. 13, 2021 M@D Food Ideas, Announcements, Etc
THANKSGIVING INSPIRATION
GROWER & MARKET NOTES
St. Andrews Soap Company is pleased to announce several new fragrances: Rose Bouquet – very sweet and floral scent, Candy Cane – peppermint scented, perfect for the holidays, and Rosemary Thyme
AVALON FARMS:
Wanted to highlight the salad turnips we are currently offering. These aren’t your standard turnips. They are smaller, with sweet tender crisp flesh. Cook as you would any turnip. As a crunchy addition to salad. Or, I like to roast the roots and saute the greens.
Scarlet Queen, a beautiful red salad turnip.
These slightly flattened turnips have sweet, crisp white flesh and spicy red skin. Internal red splashes of color add to the appeal when sliced. The dark green tops with attractive red stems may be used in salads or lightly cooked.
Hakurei, a white salad turnip sets the standard for flavor.
The smooth flat-round, white roots mature early, and are best harvested young up to 2" diameter. Eaten raw, the flavor is sweet and fruity, and the texture is crisp and tender. The tops are useful raw or lightly cooked.
Our Thanksgiving week order cycle will run from Saturday Nov. 20 to Monday, Nov. 22. Pickup will be Wednesday, Nov 24, the day before Thanksgiving. This schedule was set so that those who have ordered fresh turkeys from Grows in Rows can pick them up, fresh and unfrozen, within 24 hours of butchering. You just can’t get fresher than that!
| Avalon Farms – Veggies & Farm Fixins | D’s Jellies – Hand Batched Jelly from Home Grown Fruit |
| Bella Eden Farms – Hand Crafted Soap and Bath/Body treats | 323 Chaotic – Hand Crafted Modern Jewelry |
| Bella & Birch Designs – Unique Carved Artisan Goods | Casa Perdido – Fine Alabama Vinegars |
| Eagle Grove Services – Fresh Picked Satsumas | Grows in Rows – Farm Fixins and Baked Goods |
| Hortons Farm – Local Honey | JBW Farm Fresh – Local Grass Fed Beef |
| Humblebee Bakes – Macaroons | Lewis Farms – Vegetables |
| Martin Teas – Unique Teas for Special Occasions | Mount Moriah Farms – Goats Milk Soap, Soy Candles, Bath & Body |
| ScrappyChic by Vickie – Hand Crafted Items for the Home | Self Care Candle Company – Young Entrepreneur Guest Vendor! |
| Smores Dessert Company – Decadent Locally Crafted Sweets | Tranquil Pastures – Pastured Chicken and Grass Fed Beef |
| Little House of Treasures – coasters, clamshells, candles |
Regular Weekly Ordering Through Nov. 19
Thanksgiving Week: Order Saturday Nov 20 through Monday Nov 22
PICKUP IS THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 24
Nov. 26th – Dec. 3rd NO MARKET
DECEMBER:
SATURDAY, DEC. 4th, DOTHAN NURSERIES CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE & FARMERS MARKET
9 am – 3pm – Until with VENDORS ONSITE
Vendors Listedin Grower Notes
Weekly Ordering will resume at 5 pm Dec. 4
and continue through the last pickup of the year on Dec. 17.
WE WILL BE CLOSED DEC 18 – JANUARY 8, 2022
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!
Nov. 6, 2021 Market Newsletter
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We’ve been announcing our Thanksgiving Schedule and Christmas Open House several weeks now and hopefully you have those changes and events noted on your calendar. Normally M@D shuts down the week of Thanksgiving, but this year we’re making it a short week and suspending online ordering following Thanksgiving so you can shop your FRESH, LOCAL, SUSTAINABLE and YEAR ROUND farm fresh foods directly from our vendors at Open House on Dec. 4!
Regular Weekly Ordering Through Nov. 19
Thanksgiving Week: Order Saturday Nov 20 through Monday Nov 22
PICKUP IS THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING, WEDNESDAY, NOV. 24
Nov. 26th – Dec. 3rd NO MARKET
DECEMBER:
SATURDAY, DEC. 4th, DOTHAN NURSERIES CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE & FARMERS MARKET
9 am – 3pm – Until with VENDORS ONSITE
Vendors Listedin Grower Notes
Weekly Ordering will resume at 5 pm Dec. 4
and continue through the last pickup of the year on Dec. 17.
WE WILL BE CLOSED DEC 18 – JANUARY 8, 2022
GROWER & MARKET NOTES
Why No Eggs? If you’ve been keeping up with our weekly happenings you’re aware that Avalon Farms no longer has chickens. This was a hard decision on their part but one that allows them to concentrate on growing vegetables. And do we EVER love their vegetables!!!
The other issue is BIOLOGY. The rest of us who have chickens get to deal with things like molting and the change of seasons – natural occurrences that affect how chickens lay. Molting happens when the chickens body diverts it resources into replacing feathers instead of producing eggs. Daylight affects laying too and the shortening days tell the chicken’s body to slow down on egg production as well, natures way of giving the chickens a rest during the cold winter while storing resources as we approach winter soltice.
Either way, we tend and care for our girls (and a few roosters) as their bodies replenish themselves in preparation for starting again when they’re ready.
Our Thanksgiving week order cycle will run from Saturday Nov. 20 to Monday, Nov. 22. Pickup will be Wednesday, Nov 24, the day before Thanksgiving. This schedule was set so that those who have ordered fresh turkeys from Grows in Rows can pick them up, fresh and unfrozen, within 24 hours of butchering. You just can’t get fresher than that!
| Avalon Farms – Veggies & Farm Fixins | D’s Jellies – Hand Batched Jelly from Home Grown Fruit |
| Bella Eden Farms – Hand Crafted Soap and Bath/Body treats | 323 Chaotic – Hand Crafted Modern Jewelry |
| Bella & Birch Designs – Unique Carved Artisan Goods | Casa Perdido – Fine Alabama Vinegars |
| Eagle Grove Services – Fresh Picked Satsumas | Grows in Rows – Farm Fixins and Baked Goods |
| Hortons Farm – Local Honey | JBW Farm Fresh – Local Grass Fed Beef |
| Humblebee Bakes – Macaroons | Lewis Farms – Vegetables |
| Martin Teas – Unique Teas for Special Occasions | Mount Moriah Farms – Goats Milk Soap, Soy Candles, Bath & Body |
| ScrappyChic by Vickie – Hand Crafted Items for the Home | Self Care Candle Company – Young Entrepreneur Guest Vendor! |
| Smores Dessert Company – Decadent Locally Crafted Sweets | Tranquil Pastures – Pastured Chicken and Grass Fed Beef |
| Little House of Treasures – coasters, clamshells, candles |
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!