The Union County Farmers’ Market celebrated Healthcare Day, and several local agencies participated with free information.

Medical Assistant Cari Wilson, with her daughter Makena helping, represented the Caring Medical Center (part of the Summit Medical Group) located on Durham Drive. Cari shared some of the services that Dr. Chinta (Chintalapudi) now offers. While the clinic does work on appointments, they also function well as an Urgent Care facility and walk-in clinic. Bone density scanning is performed to screen for osteoporosis or determine your risk of future fractures, and Caring Medical now offers that testing here in Maynardville. Because of their partnership with the UT Medical Center, mammograms are offered 5 times a year. No need to travel to Knoxville! Caring Medical continues to offer rapid testing for flu, strep, and COVID. They are set up to test for urinary tract infections, treat cuts and lacerations, and they have x-ray capabilities. The staff includes Amelia Case, FNP (Women’s Healthcare and Pediatrics), Christie Mase, FNP (Women’s Healthcare), Gibson Calfee, PA (Men’s Healthcare), and Army Veteran Douglas White, FNP (Urgent Care).

The Union County Health Department had two themes for this Market: Good Nutrition and Check Your Blood Pressure. Annamarie Cooksey had Educational Activity Books for kids called Good Nutrition Starts With My Plate. Their message is that households need to prioritize diets built on whole, nutrient-dense foods and a reduction in highly processed foods laden with refined carbohydrates, added sugars, excess sodium, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives. The Activity Book is a good start to educating young’uns about healthy eating habits. Journals were available for any child who wanted to record his/her eating journey. Squeeze-toy vegetables were handed out to delighted kids. Free blood pressure checks were being performed for anyone who wanted theirs checked.

The Union County Health Department offers Telehealth, Immunizations, Birth Control Services, Woman/Infant/Child (WIC) Services, Health Education, Birth & Death Certificates, Health and Community Resources, and Help to Quit Smoking.

Union County chiropractor Darrell Johnson, P.C. was available to discuss the importance and function of the spinal cord. There are 33 vertebrae (spinal bones) in the spine. Dr. Johnson had a spinal cord model showing the 5 sections of the spinal cord: the cervical spine (neck, 7 vertebrae), thoracic spine (mid-back, 12 vertebrae), lumbar spine (lower back, 5 vertebrae), sacrum (pelvic region, 5 fused vertebrae), and coccyx (tailbone, 4 fused vertebrae). There was a small model of individual vertebrae with a disc between them. Discs act as shock absorbers and flexible cushions between vertebrae, and allow for bending. He was available to answer any questions marketgoers might have about how this very important structure of the body functions and what happens when it doesn’t work right. The spinal cord is important for posture, but foot alignment is also essential. Feet are your foundation, supporting your entire weight and influencing your joints, muscles, and posture. When your feet are misaligned, it can lead to a chain reaction of issues throughout your body, including back pain, knee pain, and hip discomfort. Orthotics support your feet, redistribute pressure, and correct biomechanical imbalances. Dr. Johnson can assist with evaluating the need for orthotics.

You can tell that it is blueberry and peach season in Union County! Every year at this time, you can catch the Rev. Ray Headrick of Clear Branch Baptist Church with an offering of his blueberries. He has several different varieties that have been maintained for the past 10 years, and this is his 5th year to bring them to the Market. After so many years of growing, some of his plants have gotten so tall that he must pick and prune them using a ladder! Blueberries require maintenance and upkeep. This requires not only pruning off the dead twigs and branches, but thinning them to open up the center of the shrub to sunlight and airflow. Thinning stimulates the bushes to produce larger and sweeter berries. But blueberry season is short-lived!! Depending upon the weather, fruit usually starts coming in around the beginning of July (it was earlier than that this year), and they last about 6 weeks (again, weather dependent – a heavy rain will send much of the crop to the ground). So, you have maybe 4 more weeks to get your supply for cupcakes, pancakes, snacking and freezing. You can call him to pick some up at (865) 919-7502.

James Hansard and his sister Sandy Hansard Spangler were back at the Market with the Hansard Orchard peaches. These trees were planted by their father, Jack Hansard, back in the 1980’s, so they are an established orchard and are well-known for their fresh and delicious peaches. Peach trees need full sunlight, annual pruning, and pest management. Can’t just plant them and collect fruit. James said for the trees to produce the sweetest peaches, the weather needs to be dry March through May. But then the rain is really needed just when the peaches get ready to ripen. That’s what makes the perfect peach. With weather and crops, it can be difficult to project when the harvest will be over, but generally, you should be buying as many of our local peaches as you can between now and the end of August! To ripen peaches quickly, put them in a brown paper bag with a banana or apple (they release ethylene gas) and check for ripeness in 24 hours. If you purchased more than you can eat right now, refrigeration would slow the ripening process.

Abigail Thomas, Union County Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Science, was back as Market Chef for today’s free samples of easy-to-make healthy foods! Using an air fryer, she made a granola and a corn salsa. An air fryer mimics deep-frying by circulating super-hot air around food. It is a high-powered convection oven that uses a powerful fan to achieve a crispy exterior with little to no oil. The granola takes 15 minutes in an air fryer. The smell was permeating the Market, and people were wandering over to see if the samples were ready yet. Abigail used old-fashioned rolled oats, nuts, honey (from Nana’s Beach Honey at the Market), cinnamon, vanilla extract, and served it over vanilla yogurt for a healthy breakfast that tasted like a sinful dessert. If shucking corn (Abigail’s were from Seven Springs Market to Table) for the Corn Salsa seems like too much work, you can thaw frozen corn and use that as well. Add tomatoes (vine ripened from Running Buck Farm), onion, scallion (from Sarah’s), cilantro, lime juice, and a little jalapeno, and (voila!) you have salsa perfect for chips, tacos or burritos.

Farmers’ Market favorites Ann’s Baked Goods and Mama T’s Smudnart had other commitments and were not at this Market.