Stones River Market:  Market is OPEN -- See you Wednesday

Welcome to another week of great products on the Stones River Market. Market is open today from 8am until Monday evening at 10pm.

Please share the Stones River Locally Grown Market information with you family and friends. If there is any certain things you’d like to see available please let me know. We are in planning stage of events for this year, Meet Your Farmer is planned for March or April, a Market Birthday in July, any suggestions is appreciated.

Few of our Growers are off this week, restocking, resting and traveling.

News from our Growers:

Farrar Farms: Great response last week we are having our Meat Special again this week. Buy $25 of Beef and get a FREE pound of Ground Beef!

Trinity Rose is back this week with Herbal Healing Elderberry Syrup and Gluten Free Biscuits.

Carole’s Herbs (CS3 Farms): Have several delicious herbal teas available, Healing Salves and Oils and highly requested Mustards.

Dogwood Valley Greenhouse: Christmas has come and gone, and now the “winter doldrums” set in. How about some pretty houseplants to help cheer you up? Dogwood Valley Greenhouse has African violets just coming into bloom, as well as some nice foliage hanging baskets.

It’s almost time to get a jump on spring by starting garden plants inside! But you don’t have a good place to do that? Dogwood Valley Greenhouse can grow them for you! This year we want to grow what you want in your garden. Let us know what you’d like us to grow for you. We will purchase and plant the seeds, and you can buy what you need at planting time. Some possibilities are: tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables, perennial and herb plants, bedding plants, and hanging baskets. Message us on the market to let us know what you’re interested in, and we’ll contact you with details.

Flying S Farms: A favorite of our customers is our Almost Seedless Blackberry Jam it is back on the market again. We will be Jammin’ tomorrow and will add more to the market, be sure to check back. Mustard and Turnip Greens, Carrots and Savoy Cabbage are available this week.

See you “On the Porch” at Quinn’s Mercantile Wednesday January 23rd from 5:00 – 6:30pm, please contact me if you are unable to make delivery or are running late, please phone, email or text me so we can make arrangements to get your order to you.

How to contact us:

Email: [email protected]
Website: stonesriver.locallygrown.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/StonesRiverMarket
Locations: Quinn’s Mercantile on Wednesdays: 307 North Spring Street, Murfreesboro
map: https://goo.gl/maps/GAkJS1wawbr

Dothan, Alabama:  January 19, 2019 M@D Newsletter

This Week’s Newsletter:
Food for Thought
Delivery Update
Market Chitchat
Grower Notes

WEATHER, WARMING & HOPE

This week Avalon Farms sent a note that their broccoli and kale may be damaged by the hard freeze expected on Monday morning. The truth is, this holds true for all our growers and their products as we are all subject to the forces of nature. Even as I write the temperature is dropping and a tornado watch has been issued.

It’s no secret that weather affects farmers. It can show up as a late cold snap that destroys all the blooms destined to become fruit or a hard freeze like the one that took out all Mr. Danny’s lettuce beds last year. Hortons farm has experienced poor honey production some years because of too much or too little spring rain affecting nectar production and the bees ability to forage. No matter what a farmer is working to produce, there’s a “sweet spot” with perfect weather conditions always hoped for. Anything on either side of that can decrease production.

That’s the bad news and every farmer knows it. We all go into our work year with hopes and plans for the best knowing it might not work out. It’s the reason irrigation systems, greenhouses and tunnel houses are widespread because they reduce the odds of failure.

The issue is not all doom and gloom. Climate Collabrative reports that a return to organic methods of production may actually help reverse the damage done by big-agra methods in regards to greenhouse emissions claimed to affect weather.

Many organizations like At the Epicenter believe that organic farming is a low cost solution to global warming.

“Agricultural activities responsible for greenhouse gas emissions include the use of nitrogen fertilizer, synthetic herbicides and insecticides, fossil fuel consumption associated with farm equipment, and the transportation of materials and products to and from the farm. The manufacture of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides also constitutes a major source of energy use in conventional agriculture.” That’s the bad news.

The good news is that there’s plenty of science to support organic farming as a solution for climate change. “Organic farmers do not rely on fossil-fuel intensive synthetic inputs to manage pests or increase soil fertility. Studies show that diverse crop rotation strategies and soil-building practices required by USDA’s National Organic Program reduce overall emissions per land area farmed, while simultaneously sequestering carbon in the soil. Every carbon molecule that is stored in the soil is one that is not contributing to climate change in our atmosphere.”

Even if organic methods of production don’t help the weather there’s no denying that they help the soil, the quality of food being produced and ultimatly our fellow man. We here at Market At Dothan are humbled and grateful to work in this manner and be part of the solution to what’s broken in our food system and our world.

FOR OUR DALEVILLE & ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS

“Good service requires adapting to find newer and better ways to serve.” That being said, our delivery schedule for Daleville and Enterprise pickup is being modified.

Daleville Order Pick Up – FRIDAYS, 11:00am – 11:30am behind Daleville Chamber of Commerce, 750 Daleville Ave., Daleville AL 36322.
Enterprise Order Pick Up – FRIDAYS, 12:00pm -12:30pm at Grocery Advantage, 1032 Boll Weevil Circle, Enterprise, AL 36330.

This is the view from the parking area behind the Chamber building. It has street parking with easy access.

THIS WEEK’S GROWER NOTES

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

SMART DOC RESOURCES:editor’s note – this message comes to us from Africa! You can find photos of this adventure on Virgina’s facebook page. Greetings from Smartdocs.  We’re still a go these next couple of weeks even though I will be visiting Africa and look forward to studying with  my friend the rootman(the original herbalogists) and hopefully will be back with some new ideas and products. In the meantime, Clifford will be hydro and gardening so he will be the contact for questions.  Also I want to thank our fellow farmer friends from the Market (Greg and Carol) from Mayim farms for a great presentation at the Backyard Garden and Farmers’ Workshop. I look forward to more information and workshops and will pass info about these great free sessions on to you all.  Greg is a wealth of information and we look forward to meeting with him. Happy gardening (& eating)

Blessings, Virginia And Clifford

PS  Don’t forget our Hydroponics 101 workshop at the Dothan Nurseries on Feb 16th from 10-12!

BAIN HOME GARDENS: Good day! This week’s farm tidbits included finalizing our succession planting schedule through Spring. Last year, we did not do well with succession planting which lead to gaps in availability of produce. This year we are eliminating that problem with planning and STICKING TO SAID PLAN! Easier said than done!
Included in this planning is our “grow to order” produce. We have received some requests to grow specifics from some of you marketeers. If you have a request & haven’t had the opportunity to reach out yet, now is the time! You can message us via our Facebook page or over on our Webpage . Till next week – from our family to yours!

AVALON FARMS: The history of Avalon Farms,  part 2. (See last week’s newsletter for part 1)

The story of those ladies homesteading here has always meant a lot to me. Being a woman who chose a male dominated profession back in the 80s, I’ve faced a few you-can’t-do-that scenarios, but I did. (It took me 4 years, 1 semester and 1.5 babies to complete my Bachelors Degree in Computer Science.) Sort of like some of the looks I get when I say I have a sustainable market garden that produces clean, nutrient dense food. “You do what?”

A year after we moved here in 2007, we found ourselves unemployed with 3 kids at home. I’d always helped my Dad with the garden when I was a kid so I was inspired to plant a BIG garden to help support the family. For 3 years, as Wendy’s Produce,  we farmed and participated in 4 farmer’s markets, including the first 2 years of the Market at Dothan. From those years came our family motto: “it’s better than picking peas in July!”

When hubs was blessed with an engineering job at Ft Rucker we had to reevaluate the farm. With 2 kids away at college that only left me and the youngest. He and I did one more summer, then I was offered an engineering job.  That was 6 years ago, and one very stressful office job later for me. I wish I had never hung up my farming hat. Sad how much time I lost.

Been doing farming now full time (by myself) for 3 years. Each year I learn a little more and do a little better. I’ve had a lot of “well that didn’t work” and “have to figure out a better way” moments. I won’t say that I “love” farming. It’s hard physical work.  The endless to do list and summer temperatures are daunting, but I will say I love providing healthy, tasty food to our community. Hearing one of you say how good something tasted makes all the hard work worth while.

Just bought my first pair of overalls. They’re from Duluth Trading, not Sears and Roebuck, but I think they still count. I’m committed to seeing this adventure through. I think those ladies that originally worked this land would approve.

HORTONS FARM: Last week we shared a little about the sowthistle growing on our property. So far we’ve only found the one plant by the chicken coop, in which case we’ll need to let it bloom to reseed.

What we are seeing a lot more of is chickweed.

Many of you know that I had to fetch my mother from an upstate hospital last month following a pneumonia scare. While there with her I mentioned (after listening to her coughs) that I’d be making her some chickweed tea once we got home. So what does my sassy mom do but share that with a nurse! Thankfully this nurse had gone through an alternative medicine course and was delighted! I’m glad to report Mom took our advice and recovered much faster than she would have otherwise.

I must confess to feeling like the lone ranger encouraging the use of chickweed tea for respiratory ailments for many years. It was very satisfying to be supported by a medical professional. It was even more satisfying to see an article about chickweed in the current Mother Earth News! If you can get your hands on the Feb.March 2019 issue it’s got some great information.

Spa City Local Farm Market Co-op:  Market is Open (Cleaner Version)

The Spa City Co-Op is now open for ordering at spacity.locallygrown.net.
Please place your orders before 9p on Tuesday and plan to pick up your orders at EmergentArts between 3p and 4:30p on Friday. If you are unable to pick up your order at this time, please make arrangements to have your order picked up for you. Remember to scroll all the way down and click “place this order”.
Spa City Co-Op has no paid positions, so we need volunteers to run every market. You receive a $5 gift card and your membership is extended by two months. You also learn about locally grown foods and crafts, and the farmers that produce them here in Arkansas.
Have a great week and we will see you Friday.
Barbara Schuette
Market Manager
612-220-9010
[email protected]

CLG:  State of the Market Address

Good afternoon,
We aren’t having market this week because the Art, Pray, Love event is happening in the parish hall. Art, Pray, Love is the annual art show held by St. Peter’s Episcopal Church to benefit their Guatemala mission trip. The annual art show and silent auction features premier Arkansas artists. Tickets are now available for purchase at the church.

I thought I would take this opportunity to write a State of the Market Address, similar to the President’s State of the Union Address. I’ll break it down into 3 parts:

Our Past: Our market was started by Cody Hopkins in the spring of 2008. A few years ago, Cody passed the torch to Carissa and Steve. It is now our pleasure to serve our Members and Growers. Since our inception, our goal has been to connect our local Growers with people who are searching for naturally raised food. To that end, we have been successful as evidenced by the enthusiastic people coming to market each Friday to pick up the meat, vegetables, eggs, etc they ordered a few days prior. We have enjoyed watching our Members turn into friends, and also watching their babies grow up. We love to have kids and pets come and visit on Fridays.

Our Present: We currently have over 20 active Growers providing over 500 products each week, and depending on the season, we see between 50 and 70 Members each Friday. If you arrive early on Fridays, you see tables overflowing with the orders for the week. Here’s how the market works: Members can place orders from Sunday at 6pm until Tuesday at 10pm. By 6am Wednesday, I have emailed each of the Growers with the ordered items, which they will gather and deliver to St. Peter’s on Friday between 9am and 2pm. Steve & Carissa arrive at noon and set up tables and organize the orders. At 2pm, our volunteers arrive and conduct inventory. Customers start arriving at 3:30pm and the local food that was ordered online a few days ago is taken home by our wonderful Members to become healthy meals for their families.

Several of our Growers have been with us from the beginning, and we get new applications every month. We are very selective when approving new Growers, with quality and consistency being key factors in maintaining our market. In our efforts to grow our customer base, we have tried several types of advertising, and have found that our current members are most effective in spreading the word. Please talk to your friends and co-workers so they too can enjoy the benefits of eating local, healthy food. Just ask for a few flyers you can post at work or school.

In the past 10 years, we have never increased our fee structure to Members or Growers. Statistic show that only 12% of your food dollar makes it back to the people growing food purchased at supermarkets, while we return a whopping 87% directly back the local families growing our food! Our products may cost a little more, but that money goes directly to the people keeping us healthy. When our Growers wake up early each morning, their first thoughts are to tend to the animals or vegetables they are growing for us. It’s hard work, but we support their way of life and appreciate all they do for us.

Our Future: We are very optimistic that our market will continue to attract discerning shoppers who want more than what Big Agriculture offers at the supermarket. Our members want tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes, and fresh, free-range eggs with orange yolks instead of the pale yellow ones that are several weeks old by the time you take them home. For those folks, we work hard to bring you the best every week, year-round, in a convenient online experience.

Several of our Growers are in the process of expanding their operations with high tunnels and low tunnels, both of which extend the growing season, which is why we have broccoli, radishes and lettuce in the middle of January! Several others are planting and harvesting more due to the increased demand.

We are looking forward to an awesome 2019 and we are so glad you all are along for the bountiful season of eating healthy!

With profound humility,
Steve

Have a great week, and we’ll see you next Sunday when the market opens. Be safe!

Spa City Local Farm Market Co-op:  Market is Open

The Spa City Co-Op is now open for ordering at spacity.locallygrown.net.
Please place your orders before 9p on Tuesday and plan to pick up your orders at EmergentArts between 3p and 4:30p on Friday. If you are unable to pick up your order at this time, please make arrangements to have your order picked up for you. Remember to scroll all the way down and click “place this order”.
Spa City Co-Op has no paid positions, so we need volunteers to run every market. You receive a $5 gift card and your membership is extended by two months. You also learn about locally grown foods and crafts, and the farmers that produce them here in Arkansas.
Have a great week and we will see you Friday.
Barbara Schuette
Market Manager
612-220-9010
[email protected]

Champaign, OH:  Morning Morgantown

We’ll find a table in the shade
And sip our tea and lemonade
And watch the morning on parade
In morning, Morgantown
Ladies in their rainbow fashions
Colored stop and go lights flashing
We’ll wink at total strangers passing in
Morning, Morgantown
Morning Morgantown
Buy your dreams a dollar down
Morning any town you name
Morning’s just the same
I’d like to buy you everything
A wooden bird with painted wings
A window full of colored rings
In morning, Morgantown
But the only thing I have to give
To make you smile, to win you with
Are all the mornings still to live
In morning, Morgantown
Morning Morgantown
Buy your dreams a dollar down
Morning any town you name
Morning’s just the same
Morning’s just the same
(Morning Morgantown-Joni Mitchell)

Just some mellow Joni to get your Saturday started on a lovely note…

We are here for you, all weekend, with all of the products you have grown to love, hoping that we can take this winter weather anxiety away from you, if not just for your culinary shopping, your bath and body shopping, your artistic shopping, your candle light shopping, your pet treats shopping…we can’t make the weather go away, but we can help to make it all more bearable, knowing that once you get to us, we will have you packed up, ready to get right back out the door, and be on your way with loveliness…

Also, on this mellow morning, this is also a reminder that in these months of winter blues, not only can you chase them away with the proper nutrition, but also with exercise of all kinds. And, while we can get you the food end of things, your pick up location, the YMCA can give you the workout you need to keep you happy and healthy during these winter days.

I am totally loving the cycle class that Paul, the CYO of the Y teaches, on Wed, Friday, and Saturdays, but our market also brings you another cycle instructor on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with Marc Stadler of Valley View Farms…and, our own puppy treats curator, Kim, not only runs the front desk at the Y, but she also teaches a dance/aerobics class on Monday evenings! And, a whole lot of our customer base are members of the Y, and involved in all kinds of classes!

Good nutrition, fitness, well being, health, it all goes hand in hand…

Ok…let’s see where this incoming weather takes us, while you all get those orders in…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Middle Tennessee Locally Grown:  Time to Order Fresh Local Farm Products!

Our growers are currently offering a very large selection of proteins — all different cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and chicken! It’s the perfect time to fill up your freezer with locally-raised meat for all those winter soups, stews and all of the other warm recipes you’ve been wanting to make.

(L to R, top) Grassfed Scottish Highland ground beef value pack from Solace Farm, RIbeye Steak from Triple T Cattle Farms, and Chicken Feet from Wayne Diller.
(L to R, bottom) Pork Chops from Sow’s Ear Piggery, Lamb Rack Of RIbs from Solace Farm, and Pork Spare Ribs from Weaver Farms

Andra Martens of Sow’s Ear Piggery hopes to return to market next week with some new cuts of pork.

Deb Wittig of Knottynuffacres will be off the market for a few more weeks.

Linda Reed of Dogwood Valley Greenhouse writes:
Christmas has come and gone, and now the “winter doldrums” set in. How about some pretty houseplants to help cheer you up? Dogwood Valley Greenhouse has African violets just coming into bloom, as well as some nice foliage hanging baskets.

It’s almost time to get a jump on spring by starting garden plants inside! But you don’t have a good place to do that? Dogwood Valley Greenhouse can grow them for you! This year we want to grow what you want in your garden. Let us know what you’d like us to grow for you. We will purchase and plant the seeds, and you can buy what you need at planting time. Some possibilities are: tomatoes, peppers, and other vegetables, perennial and herb plants, bedding plants, and hanging baskets. Message us on the market to let us know what you’re interested in, and we’ll contact you with details.

Northeast Georgia Locally Grown:  Market is open for orders!

Good Evening Locavores, Northeast Georgia Locally Grown is open for orders!
Go to the market >>
Fresh Vegetables
Clean Meats
Baked Goods with Organic ingredients
Pastured Eggs
See all products

PICKUP TIME is Wednesday from 5-6:30pm!

Thank you for choosing Northeast Georgia Locally Grown as a way to support your local producers. This online farmers market allows you to buy directly from multiple farms committed to chemical-free and local produce all year long! CHEMICAL-FREE means produce and pastures grown without synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides. LOCAL means within 80 miles from the market pickup locations (usually much much closer). Do you know someone who grows chemical-free food in the area? Get them in touch with us. Know someone who wants fresh food? Spread the word. Put the two together, and that’s growing organically!

Statesboro Market2Go:  The Market is Open!

The Market is Open! Find lot of fresh, delicious, local produce, milk, seafood, and meats. We also have items that are already prepared and ready to eat, made from local ingredients:

Victory Garden General Store has casseroles like chicken bog, baked spaghetti, pierogi kielbasa, poppyseed chicken, as well as sausage & cheese or bacon & spinach quiches.
Scratch Made has Roasted Pork Loin – slow herb roasted pork loin with marsala sauce on the side and served with a bacon sweet potato hash as well as a Chicken & Broccoli Casserole – chopped chicken breast, broccoli, rice and cheddar cheese.

Plus – make an easy, delicious salad: Ma’s Country Pantry has a January Special—$1 discount on their 4 salad dressings- Bacon Ranch, Roasted Garlic & Parmesan, Strawberry Poppyseed, and Vidalia Onion & Cucumber Dill added to fresh produce available from 24/7 House – hydroponic tomatoes, Bibb lettuce, and cucumbers.

Russellville Community Market:  The Market Opens at Noon!

To ensure your order is placed, make sure you click the “Place My Order” button once you have completed your shopping. You will receive a confirmation email.

Orders will be ready for pick from 4PM – 6:30PM this Tuesday at the Downtown Russellville Train Depot!

The Market Opens at Noon! Plenty of sweet treats and hearty meats on the market this week! Don’t forget eggs and veggies too!
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Photo courtesy of Kuroki Bakery: Artisan Breads & Pastries

Russellville Community Market

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