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April 4, 2020 M@D Newsletter
A Different Perspective
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes
Open Letter from ER Physician
Editors Note – what follows was written last week by the E.R. Physician husband of one of our Market customers. Please share it as you see fit! We appreciate both Basford’s so much and encourage you to pray with us for all of our medical front line soldiers and their families.
Dear America,
I am sorry that you are struggling in this time of uncertainty and quarantine. Death does not care about your suffering, but I do. I want deeply to help you through it. I want to ease your suffering and free you from fear. I am not quarantined. I am an emergency medicine physician, and I am not alone. Along with me, thousands of healthcare workers and hospital support staff are braving work each day for you. We go to work because of you. We ask that you stay home for us.
I say braving because, like you, we are afraid. We are afraid because each patient that we touch may be the one that gives us this virus, this uncertainty, and this fear. We touch you because you are afraid, and at the very depths of what we do, we want you to be free from this fear. Each day, when I come home from work and I kiss my wife, I fear that this singular act of love will be the one that kills her. Every member of my hospital staff feels the same way. The fear is palpable. We fear for our own lives, but more than that, we are afraid because of our love for those around us. We deserve to be free from this fear, and that is why I am writing this.
You are right to say that this virus is not as deadly as Ebola or the bird flu. You are wrong to say that it is no worse than a bad seasonal flu. People in contact with this virus are more likely to contract it and somewhere between 5 and 10 times more likely to die from it than the seasonal flu. Not only do symptoms last longer that the flu, you can give it to your loved ones without knowing it, as some who are infected barely develop any symptoms; those that do succumb die of suffocation.
But you are young, America. You are not Italy, Spain, or China. You are healthy and vibrant. Your liberties and your freedoms set you apart. Your government has no right to make you stay home or arrest you if you don’t (they do have this right, though). You are unique in the world. You are right that this virus will likely not kill most of you. As I write this, current projections suggest that as many as 150,000 Americans will die directly from this disease before the end of summer. This number will be much higher if we don’t stay home, but so many of these deaths can be prevented by just staying home. The economy will recover. It will recover sooner if we end this plague now.
Social distancing isn’t about letting the virus fizzle out over time—social distancing will draw the disease out for quite a while, but that isn’t the point. The point is, that if we don’t let the virus fizzle out over time, our hospitals will not be able to take care of you, your spouse, your children, or your parents. If our hospitals are overrun with respiratory disease, we will not be able to take care of the healthcare problems that don’t stop just because the emergency department is busy with COVID 19. I will not be able to take care of your mother having a heart attack or your infant child with a seizure. When a drunk driver hits you on the way home from the grocery store, I will not be able to take care of you. I will have to tell your mother that her daughter died because I didn’t have any room to take care of her. You or your family might die because I am sick at home because I didn’t have a facemask.
In a few weeks, our capacity to take care of COVID 19 patients may overwhelm our nation’s hospital capacity. If and/or when this happens, people will die. They will not necessarily die solely because of COVID 19, but they will die from all of the other things that kill Americans—heart attacks, strokes, car wrecks—they will die because our liberties made it seem more important to prove that we are all Americans than to keep our families alive by just staying home.
If you care about your family, stay home. If you care about your freedoms, stay home. If you want this to end, stay home. If you care about America and the freedoms on which She was founded, stay home.
If you are still having pool parties and barbecues to prove that you are not afraid, shame on you. If are still holding church services to prove a point, shame on you. If you think that shopping or visiting your friend is more important than the health of your fellow man, shame on you. If you are so arrogant to believe that these rules do not apply to you, shame on you; you are the reason that I and my colleagues are afraid to go work. Surprisingly enough, though, you are also the reason that we still go to work.
Grace and Peace,
Jesse Basford
MARKET CHITCHAT
WOO HOO! NEW PRODUCTS!
Red round radishes
Leeks
Spring Onions
Asparagus
More covid-19 procedures: This week we added a couple of things to our arsenal against infection. We now have a hand washing station at the Market Shed and now have masks. Of course the masks are not medical issue but they do the job of keeping the bulk of our own germs close to us and not you. And if nothing else they are cute.
I guess it’s ok to mention that your Market manager has been in contact with other farmer’s markets around the state because our business model and new pick up procedures are working so well for the current situation. Some of this came to fruition Friday when Elizabeth Thompson who runs the farmer’s market in the Decatur area visited us Friday. They are working to implement a similar system for their farmers and customers. Unfortunately covid did not allow most of you to meet this delightful lady. We wish her and her market family there well as they take this bold step!
On a different note, we learned from our locallygrown.net developer that he’s been swamped helping other new locally grown markets like ours around the country get up and running.
What follows is a “tweaked” reprint from last week’s newsletter for the benefit of our newbees.
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 of debit/credit cards on site. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy.
2. You may use PAYPAL curbside on Friday. Not quite as efficient as we have to verify receipt but it does work.
3. Debit/Credit – yes, we still take cards using our regular system. We just have to get 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.
4. Cash and Checks – please put them in a plastic baggie or bank bag. If you want to put them in your trunk/tailgate that would eliminate the need to come near the drivers window
II. Curb Service. It’s OK to pull up next to the building. In fact we recommend it as tractor trailers sometimes need to share that space. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
GROWER NOTES
AVALON FARM:
Leeks! Decided to start offering the leeks. They are approximately an inch in diameter and will be sold in groups of 3. Fresh dug, with all those lovely leaves. Google “leek leaf uses” and you’ll get things like: stock/soup, chips, salad toppings and wraps! Let’s not waste them!
Spring onions. Apparently there are a myriad of definitions of that term. What I’m calling Spring Onions are young, not fully mature bulbing onions. An order will consist of young Kinston Sweets and Creole Reds.
Red round radishes are a nice size finally. They are listed again. There are some purple and green mini daikons growing alongside them that are just starting to bulb.
Asparagus are showing up daily but not in full production yet. A few bunches will be listed in the hope of better production this week. (Keep your fingers crossed.)
All the transplants of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are out in the field. Have some new greens transplants to plant out still. And it’s time for the 2nd succession planting of summer squashes.
Be safe. Don’t eat all the goodies the first day!
Big cyber hug from Wendy, Avalon Farms.
HORTONS FARM: What a day! We got to witness one of nature’s marvels in our front yard today. As a beekeeper having a swarm is embarrassing because it means I failed to prevent it. On the other hand, they’re just so cool to watch! These bees didn’t like my husband’s almond tree and moved to a flowering crabapple in the shade. I’ll be collecting them and rehoming them to a hive in the pasture a bit later today.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
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!
MArch 28, 2020 M@D Newsletter
Roslyn’s Ramblings
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes
Unprecedented Times
“The Governors coming on in 15 minutes!”
That was the word we got from JD during Market Pickup yesterday. After Gov. Ivey’s last appearance announcing the shut down of schools for the remainder of the year we had a bit of anticipation about what to expect.
As we all know now her announcement put a lot more people out of work. That hurts. And at the same time we can’t forget it’s the cost of saving this very precious thing we call life. We can come back from economic disaster but there’s no coming back from death.
It made me think of another group of people, another time in another place who had their lives turned upside down overnight.
It was a group of school children who were told to pack their things and leave together. They were separated from the home and friends they knew and marched for miles to a place where they had to sleep on the floor with very little food. After a time there they were forced to march many more miles to a fortress of sorts where they were kept at gunpoint for several years.
Many of you are familiar with this story. It is the experience of my sweet mother in law who grew into a lovely young woman after WWII was over, married, raised a beautiful family and has spent her entire life serving others. What she lived through was traumatic and hard, but her final attitude toward it helped shape her into someone who has given back to humanity after experiencing some of humanity’s worst. Mom Horton lived through extraordinary times that went down in history just as the event we’re experiencing will go down in history.
A wise woman once told me, “You only have today.”
She was right. TODAY we each have a choice. We can choose love. We can choose faith. We can choose to do the right thing. And we can choose to make the most of this precious thing we still enjoy called LIFE.
MARKET CHITCHAT
I have to hand it to our customers – GENIUS! Yesterday several of you had your ziploc payment baggies in the truck so there was no need to approach the driver at curbside pickup. Just goes to show there’s always room for improvement and you guys knew just what to do!
I may get in trouble for this, but one person who needs to be recognized is our customer Stephanie Dellafiora. Early on she stepped up to keep all of us SAFE by donating a respectable amount of Melaluca disinfectants, hand sanitizer, etc. Our new early Friday protocol starts with spraying everything in the Market Shed down. Stephanie is a Melaluca consultant and if anyone would like to know more about these great GREEN products we’ll be glad to put you in contact with her. For what it’s worth these are the products your Market Manager uses at home.
We get to tweak pickup protocols every week as we learn what works in our current situation.
1. Order Payment:
a. Voluntarily prepay by 6 pm Thursday if possible. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling of debit/credit cards on site. paypal.me/MarketAtDothan. Your invoice will be marked PAID and pickup is fast and easy.
b. paypal.me/MarketAtDothan curbside. Not quite as efficient as we have to verify receipt but it does work.
c. Debit/Credit – yes, we still take cards. We just have to get within 6 feet for you to put your card in the chip reader.
d. Cash and Checks – please put them in a plastic baggie or bank bag. If you want to put them in your trunk/tailgate that would eliminate the need to come near the drivers window.
2. Curb Service. It’s OK to pull up next to the building. In fact we recommend it as tractor trailers sometimes need to share that space. Have your trunk/ hatchback open and we’ll load you up!
GROWER NOTES
MAYIM FARM: Just a quick note…we have increased our seedling/transplants and are continuing to plant these in the ground daily.
Hopefully we will have some of your old favorites available again and new products ready for market in a couple weeks.
We are also planting more of our medicinal type plants, focusing on those that might be helpful in these times.
One of our core values for Carole and I is…plants over pills. This also includes our food as medicine.
We are striving to make these personal choice options to all…
Stay healthy…Greg and Carole
DANNY’S GREENS: Our green onions are just now getting big enough to pick so they are listed along with the salad greens and a bit of kale and collards.
HORTONS FARM: Spring has Sprung and with it all the less pleasant aspects that go along with it in the deep south. We have a few products that should help if any of these ail you:
Fire Ants – there are multiple home remedies that will relieve the pain, but Fire Ant First Aid is still the only product out there that can prevent pustules when used right away. It’s especially effective on children’s tender skin.
Plantain antiseptic salve. Keep this in your glovebox or purse. It will cover, protect, soothe and kill germs till you can get that injury looked at.
Allergies – Stinging nettle provides time proven respiratory support. We offer both tinctures and capsules. Makes a great vitamin supplement even if you don’t have allergies.
Cuts, Scrapes, Burns. Local Honey may be sticky but it’s a proven to kill germs, create its own natural hydrogen peroxide and promote faster healing through enzyme activity.
AVALON FARM:
Oh, kale no, the veggies aren’t ready yet. ; )
Sorry to disappoint. Things are growing but it will be a while yet. I did see the first couple asparagus stalks. So that’s exciting. Should be able to list those in a couple weeks.
Stocking up on chicken feed, especially for the meat birds. If things go sideways I want to have enough feed on hand to grow these 50 out to eating size.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
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!
March 21, 2020 M@D Newsletter
Making the Most . . .
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes
. . . Of A Tough Situation
It seems like the whole world is on lockdown. Granted some places are locked down tighter than others but the whole planet is affected by covid-19 in some way. Last night I listened to Pastor T.D. Jakes encourage us to be intentional in staying connected. Matthew McConaughey put out a great motivational speech. We could spend the rest of the newsletter just listing challenges to come out of this better and whole.
Then there is the humor. Thank the Lord for humor! It is the relief valve for the pressure cooker we find ourselves in.
Lastly, there’s the practical. Families with children are discovering new ways to occupy, challenge and engage their kiddos. What follows below are a few ideas and resources that have crossed my path this week.
Lastly, what’s for us grown ups who suddenly have all this TIME on our hands to do? The sky is the limit on that one! The sites that follow have plenty of inspiration.
| ehow.com | instructables.com | wikihow.com |
| monkeysee.com (food) | makezine.com | youtube.com |
| http://bizarrelabs.com | soyouwanna.com | about.com |
| techcrunch.com | videojug.com | expertvillage.com |
MARKET CHITCHAT
We were kind of holding our breath prior to pickup time yesterday hoping/praying that the new protocols to practice social distancing and sanitary transactions would prove successful. We ended the day with a huge weight lifted off our shoulders because the protocols WORKED. If you missed it in any of our previous newsletters here’s how we’re handling Market Pickup for the foreseeable future:
1. Prepay online if possible. This eliminates passing paper currency back and forth or handling of debit/credit cards on site. The website to make your payment is paypal.me/MarketAtDothan. We’re working on setting up Venmo for those who do not use Payapl and will announce that if/when that takes place. We recommend doing it when you get your order confirmation with the correct total + tax.
2. Curb Service. Pull up to the Market Shed with your trunk/ hatchback open and close to the entrance. If you’ve prepaid we’ll place your things in the back so all you have to do is close the vehicle and drive away. So simple, so EFFECTIVE. If you’ve not prepaid please have your correct cash or check in a ziplock bag or bank envelope. If you’re using debit/credit, we have plenty of disinfectant on hand to protect you from our germs.
A huge THANK YOU to all of you who got to be guinea pigs doing all this for the first time yesterday. You truly are the best and we’re thankful to continue the privilege of serving you.
GROWER NOTES
DANNY’S GREENS: We’re going strong over here and have limited quantities of collards and red russian kale this week in addition to the salad greens. The carrots and beets will be ready in a week or two.
LAURA’S CONFECTIONS:
“President declares a national emergency; Panic; Mixed Messages; Fistfights over Toilet Paper, Wine; Empty Shelves; Cancellations; and a host of other illogical and sometimes dangerous behaviors are all contributing to a societal devolution that, no doubt, will terminate with the Zombie Apocolypse.
I have lived long enough to witness many healthcare crises billed as worldwide pandemics which spike then disappear as our attention span diminishes and we move on to other more mundane tasks of daily living. What I do find somewhat alarming is that the industry being hit hardest centers on foodservice and I believe it is time to remind everyone at Market at Dothan the practices I employ to ensure my baked goods are prepared, handled, and packaged with the utmost of care.
I am obsessively clean and acutely aware of the responsibilities that fall to me in the preparation and bringing to market not only exceptionally delicious confections but the health and well being of my customers. I wash my hands with hot soapy water dozens of times a day drying them with a clean paper towel. Every morning my kitchen surfaces are disinfected, the floor is swept and every other day washed. The refrigerator interior and exterior are kept spotless. All door handles and cabinet hardware is cleaned daily. Every single piece of hardware I use for baking has been sterilized in the dishwasher and put away on sanitized shelves behind closed doors or in drawers. Ingredients are properly stored in sealed containers and/or refrigerated. My stovetop and oven are immaculate. Even my recipe binders are cleaned with disinfectant wipes. All products used for packaging are stored on disinfected shelves behind closed doors. The ingredients I use are of high quality and safe for consumption. Just the other day I learned two things. The baking powder I use contains aluminum and the lemon and orange extracts I’ve been using contain terpenes. Terpenes are the waxy part of the fruit and cause the extracts to go bad quickly. The source of this information came from Olive Nation where I purchase vanilla extract. I have ordered from them aluminum-free baking powder and organic, terpene-free extracts.
Very soon I will add to my repertoire Lavender Buttermilk Scones. Yesterday I placed an order for “Organic Dried Culinary Lavender”.
Finally, I would like to share with all of you something I discovered completely unrelated to what we do at Market At Dothan. It is called an Aviation Cocktail which tastes like Spring. In a shaker with ice add 1 oz. FRESH lemon juice, 3/4 oz. cherry liqueur, 1 3/4 oz. high-quality gin, and 2 ozs. Creme de Violette liqueur. Shake and pour into a martini-type glass. I wouldn’t normally mention something so off-the-beaten-path, but I think we’ve all been somewhat traumatized by the Coronavirus scare and we deserve to sip on Spring."
AVALON FARMS:
What a beautifully colored ladybug on this potato plant!
What’s happening down on the farm with this virus threatening, gatherings canceled and physical set-up farmer’s markets in limbo? We are all unclear on what the future holds. So the question arises, do I continue with “the Plan” for planting, scale back or ramp up?
For today I am continuing “the Plan”. That means squash and cucumber seeds went in the ground this week. The 2nd round of potatoes (both fingerling and new potatoes) will be planted today. There are transplants in the greenhouse. Tomatoes and fish peppers are ready to get planted. Eggplants and more peppers in a couple of weeks along with several new to me Asian greens that are quick growing and sound delicious.
Squash should start making in 45 days (give or take). Cukes take a couple weeks longer. Greens should come in sooner (I think).
Other things currently growing in the ground but not ready for harvest are leeks, garlic, onions, radishes and sugar snap peas.
Also part of “the Plan”, 100 fluffy baby chicks were delivered this week. 50 are meat birds. 50 are layers. The cycle continues.
I’m doing what I can to hurry spring production and get some kinds of quick growing green things available as soon as possible.
We still have plenty of fresh eggs, whole chickens, feet and livers available, along with watermelon radishes (Cube and roast in the oven – yum!)
In the meantime, remember Who is ultimately in control. Take care of each other and be safe.
MAYIM FARM: Needless to say, these are unprecedented times. Carole and I are taking every possible precaution suggested by the CDC and our market manager to prevent any kind of contamination on any of our fresh veggies and medicinal products.
We believe as a whole these times will change our attitudes for the better on food and medicine supplies, IE local food and herbal medicines. In our view, not a necessarily bad thing. There has been very little information given from any source I have seen, on what to do before getting the virus other than washing your hands.
It has been our main focus and continues to be, with our medicinal products to bring back the knowledge of our grandmothers on using herbals and keeping us healthy. We are not medical practitioners nor can we give advice other than to say “what we do personally”. We are farmers with a passion to help people. This is why we do what we do.
We are continuing to grow and make our medicinal products available. While we are unable to prescribe for any particular ailment, there is a wealth of information available to educate yourself on these formulations and products. We suggest everyone do that for yours, and your family’s benefit. As you might expect, there is increased demand nationwide for herbal products. Several national retailers have completely shut down all herbal product ordering. All orders from M@D have priority over any of our website sales. If we can be of service in these changing times please let us know. We are here for you! Sincerely, Greg and Carole Stay Healthy!
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
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!
Special COVID-19 M@D Newsletter
To our Friends -
In last Saturday’s newsletter we mentioned that so much changed in a week . . . that’s no longer the case because of all the changes that have happened TODAY!
Last Saturday we were asked if we would close. I stand by the original answer that we will if we need to. After thinking long and hard about what it means to “love thy neighbor” we are staying open for the foreseeable future. As much as your Manager would love to just bunker down isolation is not what serving and loving our neighbors looks like, at least at this time.
Being a very small business definitely has its advantages for M@D. We don’t exceed the government’s “10 or less” group guideline during the few hours on Friday when we actually see each other. Our growers and producers are already extremely safety conscious and we’re implementing additional protocols for both customer and Market staff safety.
So here’s what you can expect:
1. Curb service. We prefer you pull up to the Market Shed rather than get out. It’s not that we don’t want to see you, we would just rather go overboard to protect all of us. So stay in your car and be patient with the person ahead of you if need be.
2. Plastic Bags. We’re dispensing with reusable bags for the foreseeable future. If you would like your fabric or plastic bag to take home for cleaning on Friday please shoot us a message at marketatdothan@gmail.com so we can have yours ready. We LOVE packing your orders in them but again, we’re going overboard here.
3. Please consider voluntarily prepaying your Market order online. As a bit of history, we chose years ago not to enable online payment as it would prohibit some of our vendors from participating in the Market. Now it appears to be a good idea! Voluntary prepayment would eliminate touching plastic (where the virus can live 3-4 days) or paper (where it can live up to 24 hours). Our payment url is paypal.me/MarketAtDothan for those who wish to help this way. Please do so by 6 pm on Thursday so we can mark your invoice.
4. We’ll be using hand sanitizer like crazy and disinfecting everything possible in the Market Shed where your orders arrive and are packaged.
5. Lastly – if you’re up to it take advantage of the Nursery before you pick up your order. Get out and walk around. Fresh air is good for you and the weather is so lovely this week. You don’t have to touch anything and may find something that lifts your spirits. That’s important. The nursery staff are some of the most caring people you’ll ever meet and won’t crowd you. Even with social distancing human interaction is still good for our souls. Who knows, getting some sunshine might just help keep you well!
So that’s it. As always we enjoy hearing from you and welcome input, ideas, etc. Serving you is a privilege and a joy we don’t take for granted.
Ros Horton
Market Manager
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!
March 14, 2020 M@D Newsletter - Open for Orders!
Coronavirus Update
Internal & External Protection
Market Chitchat
STILL NOT PUSHING THE PANIC BUTTON
So much can happen in a week.
And this has been one of those weeks. Last Saturday coronovirus still seemed very far away. This week it’s on our doorstep and knocking to get in.
I was asked this morning for the first time if M@D will close. Short answer – if we need to. Right now there doesn’t appear to be a need but we won’t hesitate if it helps the health and well being of our Market Family.
So this newsletter is a bit preppy. The next section down is a hodgepodge of ideas and products to consider for weathering this storm.
But first, a huge THANK YOU to our federal and local governments who have taken bold steps to slow this thing down. It’s going to infect who it infects and people are going to get sick. The real danger is the RATE of infection as the US don’t need a repeat of what’s happening in Italy where hospitals just don’t have the resources to take care of those who need care the worst. That’s where we, the public come in because we too can slow down and prevent spread. The steps we shared last week are a wealth of good advice.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
As stated at the top, this section contains some things you can do to prepare and protect that you may or may not have thought of. Not all products will be sourced through Market at Dothan and that’s ok – this about YOU being Ok.
1. Don’t listen to fake news. My best suggestion for accurate info and updates is to send Ignacio Handle a friend request on Facebook. Ignacio is the husband of Kelly Handle (St. Andrews Soap Company) and specialized in viruses in college. He even handled a corona virus in a lab setting once. He understood how serious this was long before all the toilet paper jokes started.
2. Masks: Early on there were a lot of photos of people wearing masks. Turns out masks mostly help in hospitals where there is close prolonged contact. If you just aren’t comfortable going into public without one you can make a simple one. YouTube has a bunch of “coronovirus face mask” tutorials. My favorite is made with a tissue, staples and rubber bands.
3. Viki Richter of Richter Farms recently experienced a run on colloidal silver. If you are not familiar with this product you should research and consider whether it would fit in your health strategy. It may be purchased online through Market at Dothan.
4. Gloves. With all the info about masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectants, etc., I had to ask about the use of latex or nitrile gloves. Here’s what I got from Ignacio Handle: Wearing disposable gloves could protect one in public “but you don’t want to put them on and go into your car. you would want to put them on after you leave your car and before you get back in right after you grab your door handle rip them off. Have someone from the inside of the house open the door for you.” So yes, disposable gloves can protect you in public if used correctly. They are available at many stores including Harbor Freight.
5. Disinfectants. Surfaces like faucet handles and door knobs are quick contaminates yet easily cleaned. My son in NC recommends alcohol in a spray bottle especially for anything electronic because it dries quickly. Hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle is also very effective as are your standard disinfectants like Lysol and Clorox spray.
6. Bone Broth is a known immune booster. Several of our vendors offer various types of bones for nutritious broth.
7. Elderberry is also a known immune booster. Hortons Farm has a few kits listed and will add more as soon as the next shipment of elderberries arrives. Apologies for the price increase as the price of elderberries has skyrocketed.
8. Stinging Nettle is known for it’s respiratory support, something that can be very useful with this virus. Richter Farms is offering fresh nettle and Hortons Farm has tincture listed.
9. Find a Sauna! Get some sun! Soak in a hot tub! Dr John Nicholls, a pathology professor at the University of Hong Kong, said there are three things coronavirus does not like: sunlight, temperature and humidity. “Sunlight will cut the virus’s ability to grow in half, so the half-life will be 2.5 minutes, and in the dark it’s about 13 to 20 [minutes]. Sunlight is really good at killing viruses,” Nicholls said.
Thomas Pietschmann, a virologist from Germany’s Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, stated the coronavirus is “not very heat-resistant, which means that the virus quickly breaks down when temperatures rise”.
10. Fresh Food. We realize that if we’re all quarantined this will be an issue. While we stand firm that our Market food products are the absolute best in nutrition and quality, we also realize that fresh food has a shelf life and that the Wiregrass is in between growing seasons right now so there’s limited fresh produce available. That being said what follows is basically blasphemy but worth putting out for the sake of helping our neighbors. Cabbage. NINE CENT a pound fresh cabbage. It’s not sustainable for sure, but if you’re in Dothan it’s on sale at ShurValu (in Porter Square) till Tuesday. Cabbage will keep many weeks in the refrigerator.
MARKET CHITCHAT
Lots of EGGS on the Market this week. With Easter a few weeks out it’s a great time to stock up on this goodness so they’ll be easy to peel come boiling time. If you’re planning to use them for coloring with the kiddos, hiding, or decoration, the naturally colored ones require no additional work and brown/buff eggs take inexpensive egg dies really well.
No GROWER NOTES this week. Everyone is busy with the warm weather working outside.
As of now our spring events are still on schedule.
Barring some unforeseen event we will continue our online ordering schedule till late June or early July for a small break. In both April and May we will have a one day pop up Market as follows:
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
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!
March 7, M@D Newsletter - We're Open for Orders!
Coronavirus Common Sense
Market Chitchat
DON’T PUSH THE PANIC BUTTON
Every year or so it happens – a new type of virus or flu and lots of media coverage about it. The most recent, novel coronavirus, has taken more than 3000 lives worldwide with very few cases reported in the United States, at least so far. With the deaths and worldwide attention though it would be very easy to fall into panic over the whole matter.
The problem with this one is that it’s so new. It has become dangerous very quickly because it is a first-of-its-kind type of coronavirus and all humans do not have immunity built up to fight it.
Most deaths (in China where the virus originated) have occurred where there has been prolonged contact, such as with health care professionals or family members serving as a caregiver. Because of this use of masks is recommended for health care professionals, caregivers and those with disease symptoms, but are not needed for the general public. Indeed, US Surgeon General Dr Jerome Adams tweeted on Saturday, “Seriously people – STOP BUYING MASKS!”
So what can the average person do?
*Wash your hands as much as you can, in particular before you eat anything, before you make food for other people and after you use the restroom.
*Use hand sanitizer when you just can’t wash. It’s not as good as washing but better than nothing. If you don’t like purchased hand sanitizers there are great dyi sanitizer recipes out there that use essential oils.
*Don’t touch your face. Every time you touch a door handle and then scratch your nose, you are susceptible to contracting viruses. If you need to scratch your nose or eyes, do it with a tissue then dispose of the tissue and wash your hands again.
*Disinfect and clean your home. Use isopropyl alcohol or disinfecting wipes to clean countertops and common areas, especially the surfaces where you eat and spend the most time.
*Limit the amount of time spent in crowded public places.
*Avoid people who are sick, including those who are coughing or presenting symptoms.
*Be sure you have plenty of the medicines you routinely take so that you can avoid trips out of the house to get them.
*Eat a healthy diet to boost your immunity. Try to include leafy greens like kale, spinach, collard greens, turnip greens and mustard greens. Also, get plenty of rest, and avoid stress.
*Take large doses of Vitamin C
*Use some form of elderberry to boost the immune system
In short, think about what you’re doing and use the same common sense we need be using with the common cold.
MARKET CHITCHAT
MEAT – It was so great to have Casablanca back from a family trip and Ricter Farms relisting pork after a long absence this week. Your Market Manager was able to bless a women’s conference via this “come back for more” keto breakfast casserole featuring some of their smoked sausage and Hortons Farm eggs today.
No GROWER NOTES this week. The changing of the seasons always means more work outdoors. Rest assured our farmers are busy working on future products to list.
Barring some unforeseen event we will continue our online ordering schedule till late June or early July for a small break. In both April and May we will have a one day pop up Market as follows:
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
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!
Feb. 29, 2020 M@D Weekly Newsletter - we are Open for Orders!
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes
We’re keeping it short and sweet this week! Hope you’ve enjoyed this beautiful Saturday. Lots of good notes and info from our fabulous Growers follows. Hope to see you Friday!
New & Relisted Products – Woo-Hoo!
- Pork Products from Richter Farms – See their Grower Note for details
- Irish Soda Bread from Laura’s Confections
- Escape Massage Oil from Bella Eden Farms
- Special Tortes from Laura’s Confections
- Frozen Soap from Bella Eden Farms
- Two new lotions from Bella Eden Farms
- Casablanca is back from vacation and their products are available again
Barring some unforeseen event we will continue our online ordering schedule till late June or early July for a small break. In both April and May we will have a one day pop up Market as follows:
DANNY’S GREENS: All winter it has taken 7-8 weeks to grow the lettuce you get every Friday. This is one of the reasons Danny has only been able to offer a few bags each week. Now that the days are longer and the garden is getting more sunshine the lettuce is growing a little faster which means 1) it will only take around 5 weeks to mature and 2) we can offer more each week.
RICHTER FARMS Well it has finally happened, WE HAVE PORK LISTED!!! I know it has been a looong time but we are getting back on track with our farm. Thank you for being patient as we continue on this farm journey. I have listed chops, ribs, country style ribs, ground pork, mild pan sausage and bacon(very limited supply).
The rain has kept things on the green side and goats are enjoying the green grass as are the chickens. The chickens are ramping up their laying and I’m loving all the beautiful ‘naturally dyed’ eggs in blues, greens, browns and white. We have some lovely beige and blue pullet eggs listed.
Again thank you for your patience and loyalty to the Market and all the vendors, we couldn’t do this without your support.
HORTONS FARM: Baby, it’s STILL cold outside! Even with the overall temperature improved today up here on our hill in Echo the wind is still cold and it bites. I’ve noticed several inexperienced beekeepers asking in social media about whether it’s safe to do hive inspections in conditions like this. The short answer – NO. Even though 60 degree is considered safe to open hives the chill wind can do serious damage to exposed comb.
On a different note, we had a BLAST at a local elementary school talking about honeybees this week. For you teachers out there, Ros loves to put her BA in elementary education and Master Beekeeper certification to use this way.
AVALON FARMS:
Moving time for the girls! They are always excited when we move them to fresh pasture. That’s their egg-mobile in the top picture.
Mobile is the basis of pasture raised poultry. Frequent moves to new pasture keeps them healthy, active and gives them plenty of tasty bugs and plants to eat. It also allows the pasture the time it needs to recover and flourish. This symbiotic sustainable relationship is foundational to pasture raised poultry.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
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!
Feb. 22, 2020 M@D Newsletter - We are open for orders!
Roslyn’s Rants
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes
WHAT A MESS!
Proverbs 14:4
Even if one does not hold to faith, there’s no denying that the Book of Proverbs in the Bible is rich with wisdom and insight. Things like “Pay that bill while you’ve got the money” (paraphrase of Proverbs 3:27) and “Keep the noise down if you’re the first one to wake up” (Proverbs 27:14) are examples of advice that can prevent problems and help one get along better in life.
Proverbs 14:4 puzzled me till our oldest daughter went to college. She called home one day laughing at a professor’s take on the verse. The missing word was . . well, poop (or any equivalent). Oxen produce poop. If you have a clean crib (stable) with no poop it means there’s no oxen. If you have oxen you are getting serious work done there will be poop. The whole idea is that there will less than pleasant aspects of any job where real work is being done. It may not be in the form that oxen produce, but there will be frustration, waste, confusion, deadlines, personality conflicts, etc. . . . i.e. “poop”.
I see you grinning! You know what I’m talking about!
At least on a farm we can collect that waste and do something useful with it – like compost it and return it to the earth to make our soil healthier and our plants grow better. Things like stress and deadlines though – my best advice is learn all you can to deal with it wisely and well. Who knows, you might wind up writing the next bestseller!
One of the things that has made me think about this is the recent hoopla about a presidential candidate’s disparaging remarks about farming. A lot of people have been deeply offended. I don’t know what he’s accomplished aside from creating a big smelly stink!
I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me its a gentle reminder that 1) When my own load seems heavy that I’ve not walked in anyone else’s shoes so I need to be careful not to think their load is any easier than mine. 2) If someone has a big mess on their hands, they may just be in the midst of getting a huge job done (like my garden right now). 3) Learn what you can and 4) Clean as you go.
Here’s hoping your messes are productive!
Thank you to everyone who braved the cold to come out yesterday. We thought several times about the “old days” when pickup was on the other side of the property under a tent and how fortunate we are to have electricity and protection in our current Pickup Location. Thanks JD – you guys are the best!
If you missed it last week we published our Spring Market Schedule. Barring some unforeseen event we will continue our online ordering schedule till late June or early July for a small break. In both April and May we will have a one day pop up Market as follows:
DANNY’S GREENS:This is the last week Danny will have carrots for a few weeks. He expects his next planting to be ready by late March.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
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!
Feb. 15, 2020 M@D Newsletter - We are open for orders!
Upcoming Events
Grower Notes
SPRING FARMER’S MARKET
we are partnering with GET GREEN ALABAMA to host what can best be described as a Farmer’s Market on steroids. Our friend Tenita Strand started Get Green Alabama last year as a so support the College Readiness Workshop and a way for local sustainable businesses to showcase their products. So it won’t be just food and farm products! Last year’s Get Green/M@D Farmers Market was SO MUCH FUN!
This is Dothan Nurseries annual Spring Open House which is one of the best springtime events in the city. The food, the fellowship and the Nursery Specials are always splendid. This year’s theme has not been announced yet so we’ll update you on that in the coming weeks.
GROWER NOTES
We have the best Growers in the Wiregrass! Please learn more about them on our Grower Page.
AVALON FARMS: Avalon Farms
Work on the greenhouse should be completed this weekend!!! Huge one off the project list. The dream is that this will simplify spring and fall transplant production. Previously a spare bedroom doubled as a propagation room. Works great but limiting and involves a lot of toting plant trays in and out of the house. The worst though, was when some grasshopper or worm found the transplants outside. They thought it was a tasty salad bar!
And who knows, may be able to sneak in a few early cucumbers in this fancy new greenhouse.
HORTONS FARM LLC: PROGRESS! This week the foundation framework and some plumbing was laid for our new garden shed.
The photo on the left is my old shed that Michael destroyed. I loved that thing! It was built by my Mr. and sons around Y2K from recycled PVC found on the farm. It went through many covers over the years and served us well.
The new one being built (photo) will have have water and electricity and doors that close! This means that it can do double duty for extracting honey. SO EXCITED.
On a different note we are listing more eggs this week as the longer days have done wonders for our layers.
DANNY’S GREENS:This is the last week Danny will have green onions till late March. Limited lettuce and carrots are available.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
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!
Feb. 8, 2020 M@D Newsletter - Happy Valentines Day!
Roslyn’s Rants
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes
FOR THE LOVE OF KITCHEN GADGETS
I have to admit, I’m a sucker for a kitchen appliance or gadget. And I’m married to a man who is too. I’ve lost track of the times he’s brought home a duplicate something because he wasn’t sure what I had and wanted a backup of his favorites. “Just in Case”. I have a drawer of percolator replacement parts (his) and a cabinet in the pantry dedicated to Oster Kitchen Center replacement pieces (hers). Good old percolators and my kitchen center gadgets are no longer manufactured but they’re still going strong at my house.
The downside to hoarding vintage kitchen items is space. The upside is having it when you need it and being able to help others. Not only are all my items fully functional, I’ve been able to supply full units and replace parts for some of my children as well.
Food preparation is not stuck in the 1980’s though. My kids introduced me to sandwich and paniai makers in the 90’s. Somewhere in there my mom introduced me to the George Foreman Grill. Three years ago the Mr.‘s Christmas gift was an air fryer. The next year it was an Instant Pot. Last year Kathy Stewart (Kathy’s Kluckers) introduced me to the Sous Vide. I love them all!
I’ve done a bit of kitchen research and find myself chuckling over all the new designs for old standard favorites: potato peelers, salad spinners, colanders (the silicone ones collapse!), strainers, slicers, etc. The greatest advances seems to be in the electronic appliances that have a wide range of features and uses. One of the first things I did with my Instant Pot was make jam!
Rather than continue to (not) wax eloquent, I’m sharing some of the websites I need to avoid that have great kitchen products. If you find something truly remarkable (like this BluApple that removes ethylene gas from your refrigerator to keep food fresh longer) let me know.
GROWER NOTES
We have the best Growers in the Wiregrass! Please learn more about them on our Grower Page.
AVALON FARMS: Our products will be listed within the next 24 hours as our travel has been delayed and we’re actually not home yet! So please check in again soon. Ros has assured me that it’s ok to make multiple orders in one week.
HORTONS FARM LLC: It may be dreary outside but its one busy day here on the farm. Of course we’re working on the M@D newsletter but also have a canner of the Mr’s favorite split soup going among other things. This batch features some of Richter Farms jalapeno sausage. The dehydrator is stacked high with fresh chickweek and my mom and I just finished seasoning and sealing some meat for her to take home eventually.
Between weather and workers our infrastructure restoration has slowed down a bit. Finishing the garden fence is the next project and once that’s done I can move the perennials and start rebuilding the raised beds. I’d love for things to move along faster but there’s no lack of things to do until then! With any luck we’ll have some more pretty days soon to continue preparing the bees for spring.
LAURA’s CONFECTIONS: To all my wonderful, special followers and customers, don’t forget that if you know you can’t make something special for Valentine’s Day, I can!
MAYIM FARMS: The cold got a lot of our more tender greens in our absence while we were at SWAG but we’ve still got a good supply of collards and other cold hardy items.
FOOTNOTES
We would love to hear from you! If you have a favorite recipe, want to write a product review, have an idea or request for an article or information, let us know! You can reply to this newsletter or write marketatdothan@gmail.com.
Order Saturday 5pm to Tuesday 5pm weekly for Pickup the following Friday
Dothan Pickup: 10am – 12pm, Dothan Nurseries, 1300 Montgomery Highway, Dothan, AL 36303
Daleville Pickup: 11am – 11:30am, Parking area behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Pickup: 12pm – 12:30pm, Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise
Our Email: marketatdothan@gmail.com
Join our Online Discussions! www.facebook.com/groups/MarketatDothanDiscussion
Be sure to use our hashtag! #marketatdothan
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!