Posts in Story
How an Appalachian Apple Became The Gold Standard

It’s fall.  Here at Bob’s this means three things – pansies, mums, and apples.  Apples are pretty amazing.  We owe modern apples to central Asian farmers thousands of years ago who first domesticated apples.  However, we can look a little closer to home when it comes to the most popular varieties of apples today.  Two popular varieties have their origin right here in West Virginia.  Grimes Golden and Golden Delicious, West Virginia’s official state fruit.  In 2013, the Golden Delicious was one of four apple varieties featured on 33-cent stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service.

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Flooded Gardens: Produce Safety is Key

Many of us watched in horror as flood waters ravaged communities around West Virginia over the last week or so. The flooding has been devastating with lives lost, homes lost and memories washed away. This flood will have an effect on many of our communities for years to come.

As the waters recede and clean-up efforts continue, there’s one area of concern that many may not have thought of: the safety of garden produce in flooded areas.

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Bob's Behind-The-Scenes

During my 40 minute drive to Bob’s HQ each morning, I like to listen to podcasts.  Among my favorite podcasts is Freakonomics Radio.  Last week host Stephen Dubner explored the complexity of making something as simple as a pencil.  The episode featured a famous economics essay, “I, Pencil: My Family Tree” by Leonard E. Read.  When you visit one of our markets, you are only seeing a small part of a huge supply chain.  Let’s take a look at how a plant grown from seed gets to one of our markets.  Since spring is just around the corner, let’s take a look at growing pansies.

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Christmas in August

MASON — Heat and humidity, county fairs, back-to-school, football.

These are the things most people think about when you mention August. But what about Christmas?

At Bob’s Market and Greenhouses in Mason, over 50,000 pots of poinsettias have been planted this week and last, according to Scott Barnitz, vice president.

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