Market News

Botanical Harmony Farm has plenty of duck eggs this week! Stock up for Easter baking or incredible soft or hard boiled eggs!

Linda from Dogwood Valley Greenhouse sends this cheery Springtime note:

It’s really coming spring at Dogwood Valley Greenhouse! Apparently, once the ball gets rolling, it’s not going to stop. The daffodils are past, and now the early perennials are taking their place. Imagine my surprise to find several blooms in the greenhouse, even though the weather is returning to more “seasonable” temperatures. The market software won’t let me feature all these bloomers, so here is the list for this week (with many more waiting their turn for next week):
Catchfly, Creeping Phlox (one color now, more coming), Primrose, Pulmonaria, and variegated Vinca. Please notice that they are all in very limited supply, which means if you want one of these specifically, you should place your order early. Also I have a decent selection of good strong herb plants, still small but ready to grow for you (Cat Mint, Greek Oregano, Peppermint, Salad Burnet, Chocolate Mint, Orange Mint, and others). Lastly, although not blooming, Lamb’s Ear and Valerian (Garden Heliotrope) are growing like crazy and would love to do so in your garden. Don’t forget our beautiful houseplants (a selection of potted ones and some really nice Wandering Jew hanging baskets). If there is anything specific you’d like for your spring garden, please let me know so I can be on the lookout for you.

So excited for gardening this year! Linda’s plant starts are hardy and always grow beautifully for me!

There will not be delivery ervice this week. We apologize for this inconvenience. Delivery returns next week!

Gracie Martin, MTSU journalism student and Quinn’s Mercantile employee came out last week to interview Tracey and Michael Raines (Frontier Family Farm) for a school project. The focus was on how unique our online market is for our community and we agree! Our market is so special and we appreciate Gracie using us as her subject! Can’t wait to see the interview and hopefully share!

Check out all the excited listings on our incredible market!

See ya on the porch!!

Tracey & Ashleigh

We always have a few new farmers, waiting their turn to join our market and offer their wonderful products to all our customers. In order to add more farmers, we feel it would be best to grow our customer base a bit. We want to be able to offer you and your friends some new local farm products.

The farmers and market managers would really appreciate your efforts to help spread the word about our fantastic market. What a great local resource for fresh, local farm products. Please pick up a few business cards to hand out to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Advertising is very expensive, and we want to use our slim market funds in a responsible manner.

To Contact Us

Our Website: manchester.locallygrown.net
On Facebook: Manchester Locally Grown Online Farmers’ Market
By e-mail: tnmomof10@gmail.com
By phone: (931) 273-9708

Our pickup location is across the street from the Manchester City Schools administration building:

Good morning!

Welcome to this week’s offerings from your online farmers’ market. Everything you see on our website is the “cream of the crop” from local farmers, the best products picked and made with pride especially for YOU! When you place an order with our farms, you know you are supporting your friends and neighbors, most located within 30 miles of Manchester, Tennessee.

The market will remain open for your orders till Tuesday at 10 pm.

Please be sure to read the section of the page entitled “Important Ordering and Pickup Information.”

Farm News of the Week

ARE WE ORGANIC OR NOT?

With all the beautiful new produce being listed recently we’ve been questioned about why some is listed as “organic” and others, from equally reputable farmers, is not. The quick answer is simple, and the complete answer is more complex.

So – simple answer first! It has to do with finances. USDA allows small farms that make less than $5000 a year to use the word ‘organic’. The upside of this is that small farms have an advantage. The downside is that there’s no regulation and any small farm can claim ‘organic’ whether they actually are or not. This is why we encourage our consumers to educate themselves to ask the right questions! (See last week’s Weblog Newsletter about Greenwashing.).

Large or small, the integrity of the farmer determines the integrity of the food.

And that tells you something about the ones who don’t say “organic” doesn’t it? It’s true – farms that devote more time and energy to superior production are actually disadvantaged for doing a fabulous job. USDA sees it as a safeguard to prevent unscrupulous growers from taking advantage of consumers, but for those with integrity it is a bitter reality as they are expected to pay for certification (not cheap!) if they make a penny over $5000.

Please know that while Market At Dothan is not a certification agency, we do screen our growers about their philosophies and practices. Every grower who sells through Market At Dothan fills out an application form that requires information about how their farm products are grown. We’ve been out to a farm or two, or three . . . . and have seen for ourselves what takes place there. Not every farm makes the cut.

This is why we encourage you to learn about sustainable food practices and get to know our growers for yourself. And if you’re willing to muddle through the history and politics of organic agriculture the EcoTipping Points Project is an excellent, albeit long read.

IN SEASON

EGGS! We’re so thankful that everyone’s chickens are responding to the longer days and warmer temperatures. Rather than share a bunch of recipes with you this week we thought you may enjoy this excellent article on the health benefits of eating eggs. Just click the link below the photo.

Fifteen Things That Happen to Your Body When You Eat Eggs

THIS WEEK’S GROWER NOTES

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

AVALON FARMS: After a quick trip to the Huntsville area for a Produce Safety Certification class (more on that later) and of course a shopping trip to Unclaimed Baggage (If you like thrift stores you will love this place! www.unclaimedbaggage.com) we returned home to discover Spring has well and truly sprung.

In the above photos you will notice several spring happenings on the farm. The lovely white blossoms, across the top, are my favorite old sand pear tree blooming its fool head off.

Not so lovely is the fall planted cabbage that these warm temps have coerced into blooming. When things in the cabbage family bloom, it’s a bad thing for eating quality. This is what people are referring to when they say the cabbage “ran up” or “went to seed”. Pretty much it will flower, make seed and die. No bueno for dinner.

Lastly, but cutest, we have new twin baby goats. They were a surprise arrival early Friday morning. It is fun to go out to the pasture and discover new babies!! That puts us up to 15 goats total, 7 babies.

BAIN HOME GARDENS: Since we last blogged there have been many developments. For one, we planted potatoes! This is a first for Bain Home Gardens. We talked with Wendy of Avalon Farms, Vicki of Richter Farms, Kathy of Kathy’s Churpers, & Roslyn of Horton farms. We feel like their sage advice, along with loads of other research, will help us get the bumper crop everyone hopes for!

So are you ready for our next tip to manage allergy symptoms? It is simple but boy is it hard to do. DO NOT RIDE WITH YOUR WINDOWS DOWN! (Gasp!) I know it sounds ridiculously silly, however when you get into your vehicles, you SEE it hanging out on the windshield beckoning to be let in. If yours is like our van, the pollen has already infiltrated & decorated your dash! Yes, the weather may be a perfect 72° & it may be gorgeous out but fight the urge to roll the window down or open the sunroof. The high speeds & wind create a dangerous cocktail! This will mean high exposure for some, especially if you spend much time in your vehicle. Smiling one minute, sneezing the next!  It is a good practice to wipe down dashes and seats regularly with some car wipes. This will further limit prolonged exposure. We hope this tip helps you to stay well this allergy season.
From our family to yours – take care!

HAWKINS HOMESTEAD FARM: Hello Market Friends! Hoping you guys have enjoyed the weather as much as we have! With that being said though, temperatures are set to drop and we are in store for some cold nights. Do you have plants outside already? Well, there are a few things you can do to protect them. If you have seedling trays, simply bring them in. If something has already been planted in your garden, cover it up by using an old sheet or even a few empty pots you may have laying around the house. By covering it, you are providing the plant and the soil the extra bit of heat that it may need. Just remember to use a large enough pot to cover the plant without damaging it and to remove the pot and the covering in the morning as temperatures rise. March 15th is our official last frost date! That means that all danger of frost has passed and you can begin to set your plants outside. Just remember to “harden” them off first. We shared a great article about this on the Market Discussion Page. See you next week!