Rewind with RFD – Show 503

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Jim Allen visits Robinson Iron in Alexander City where they work wonders at restoring old metalwork pieces to their former glory. Plus, they’re just as talented at creating new metalwork masterpieces.

No child should have to suffer with an illness. Birmingham-based nonprofit Magic Moments is dedicated to giving sick children a reason to celebrate as they create once-in-a-lifetime memories. Melissa Bowman shares this heart-warming story.

For more than 20 years, courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail have hosted PGA and LPGA events. While a round at RTJ is always top-notch, it takes additional work and long hours to prep a course for professionals. Travel along with Mary Johns to the Capitol Hill RTJ location in Prattville.

If you have a small yard or no yard at all, containers are a great option for growing your own vegetables and herbs. Sidney Phelps explains the benefits and drawbacks of different types of containers.

Show 515 – Blessing of the Fleet

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In this episode, we cover a few hundred miles as we travel from the Southern tip of Alabama all the way to the northwestern most corner.

We start down in Bayou La Batre to visit a 70-year-old tradition — the Blessing of the Fleet. Shrimping is extremely important to this small fishing village, and the event allows locals to ask for God’s blessings and protection.

Then we jump from the Gulf to the plains to introduce you to rockstar business owner Stacy Brown. This Alabama chick has grown her business, Chicken Salad Chick, from its first location in Auburn to more than 100 chains across the Southeast.

Even during the summer, you’ll find teachers working hard to improve their classrooms. Nearly 90 educators gathered in Florence in late May for the Alabama Ag in the Classroom Summer Institute. During the free three-day program, participants toured farms and received a slew of inspiring ideas about how to incorporate agricultural lessons into their classrooms.

To wrap up the show, everyone’s favorite plant guru explains how eating healthy doesn’t always have to mean filling you plate with greens. There’s a whole rainbow of colors you can grow in your vegetable garden.

Rewind with RFD – Show 502

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Goat yoga is a popular exercise trend, but other furry, four-legged farm animals are also joining the fun at Humming Star Alpacas.

What’s a retired engineer to do after a successful career with NASA? Creating custom guitars is a fulfilling second career for Danny Davis and Tangled Strings Studios.

Farming used to be the way most folks made a living. Nowadays, working farms like Dream Field Farms are also finding success in opening their doors as tourism attractions.

If you have peppers ready to be picked, Sidney Phelps of Bonnie Plants has the perfect recipe the whole family will enjoy.

Show 514 – Baggage and Blooms

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The dog days of summer surely stretch longer in the South than anywhere else in the country, so beat the heat while watching brand new episodes of Simply Southern!

We start off in the (thankfully) air-conditioned shopper’s paradise of Unclaimed Baggage, the nation’s only lost luggage store. Co-host Jim Allen scours this unique Scottsboro shopping destination to find the best deals and most interesting items.

Now that you know the best place to claim a good deal on unclaimed goods, let’s head to the other end of the state for the best place to stroll through the landscape. It’s the Festival of Flowers, one of the largest outdoor flower shows in the nation.

If you just can’t get enough flowers, then you’re in luck. Our next stop is Dixie Green nursery in Cherokee County. This farm earned thhe title of Alabama’s 2019 Farm of Distinction.

Our resident gardening expert is enjoying some A/C himself as he joins us in the studio to answer viewers’ questions about vegetable and herb gardening, including

  • I would love to grow lavender and parsley. How do I get started?
  • I work at a daycare and the kids have set a raised garden. We were wondering what the best way to grow tomatoes would be.
  • What is the best plant food for vegetables and herbs, including tomatoes?

Season 5 episodes now on RFD-TV

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We are thrilled to continue offering our program through national cable network RFD-TV. Tune in on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. Central.

Today’s episode featured the hair-raising action of high-powered lawnmowers zipping around the track in Stevenson, Alabama. Then, we calmed things down a bit on the still waters of Smith Lake where we joined volunteers for Alabama Power’s Renew Our Rivers cleanup program.

With water still fresh on our minds, we got a view of west Alabama’s catfish ponds, home to some of the world’s tastiest, healthiest catfish.

Sidney Phelps rounded things out sharing his gardening expertise and answering questions from viewers, including:

  • What can I do on my collard plants to stop leaves from getting bugs on them and getting eaten up?
  • What’s your advice for growing tomatoes? Mine always seem to get blossom end rot and all kinds of bugs eating them.