Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JUNE 20-26, 2018 UCW 15 LESLIE PYO, Assistant Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Local farmers markets do their part to save the world by LESLIE PYO COVER STORY Local farmers markets are more than just fun, they're a homegrow n solution to food deserts, which are (usually low-income) urban areas where residents must travel long distances to purchase fresh, nutritious food at an affordable price. Food deserts ex ist across the count y, state and countr y. If you do have access to fresh food, shopping at farmers markets is still a smart choice, as the produce will likely be fresher than what you could purchase at a t ypical grocer y store. Supporting farmers markets also reduces the use of fossil fuels needed to transport supermarket produce around the world, and it's a way to directly invest in the local economy. More than just investing dollars, farmers markets offer the unique opportunit y to invest in communit y – to get to know the people growing the food you purchase. You can ask about their growing methods and learn about why they might choose to go 100 percent organic versus simply pesticide- and herbicide-free. You can even ask to visit the grower's farm, and in many cases, you'll get a yes. Here is a brief list of some of the many farmers markets in the area to get you started. Murchison Road Community Farmers Market • 1047 Murchison Rd. (North section of Bronco Square parking lot, in front of Fayetteville State University Bookstore) • Wednesday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., through October • 910-672-2413 This market was established in 2014 by four Fayetteville State Universit y Business School students. These students applied for and received grants to start a farmers market when neighbor- hood markets in the Murchison Road area closed, creating a food desert. Grants came from the Ford Motor Company via the Ford HBCU Com- munit y Challenge (Start-up Award), the USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program and the cit y of Fayetteville. SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) is accepted at this market. The second Wednesday of each month (July 11, Aug. 8, Sept. 12 and Oct. 10) is Healthy Wednesday. Communit y and service organizations are in- vited to share information about healthy lifest yle choices. Simple but important screenings, like testing blood pressure and blood sugar levels, are provided free that day. Participating organizations include Cumberland Count y Department of Social Services, CC Department of Public Health, Cape Fear Valley Health System, FSU Student Health Services, Communit y Health Interventions and Miller-Motte College. Local chefs also visit on Healthy Wednesdays and provide cooking demonstrations using the produce that is available that day from the market. Other agencies that offer services to improve lifest yle are also invited to Healthy Wednesdays: Legal Aid of North Carolina, Fayetteville Tech- nical Communit y College, The Salvation Army, American Red Cross and Fayetteville Police Crime Prevention and the Fayetteville Fire Department. Participating vendors selling goods include: • Spence Family Farm, Spring Lake. Fresh farm in-season produce. • Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Fayetteville. Garden-grown vegetables and potted plants. • John Parker, Parker's Ten Acre Farms, Cedar Creek. Pork products, chicken, eggs from open range chickens. • Ms. Cherr y's Baked Goods, Hope Mills. Baked items, like cakes, brownies and cookies. • 3BrotherLemonade Stand, Fayetteville. Fresh, made-from-scratch lemonade. • Rhonda Jackson, Cumberland Count y. Homemade soaps. City Market at the Museum • 325 Franklin St., outside the Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum • Wednesday, noon-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., year-round • 910-433-1944 Founded in 2012, Cit y Market at the Museum is a treasure in the heart of downtown Fayetteville. Vendors sell not just local produce, but also local honey and the work of local artisans – blended teas, handmade potter y, soaps, soy candles, jewelr y, handblown glass, clothing, baked goods, specialt y coffee and much more. Dirtbag Ales Farmers Market • 5423 Corporation Dr. • Sunday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., through October • 910-426-2537 Grab a cold beer from the Dirtbag Ales Brewer y and Taproom, then stroll and browse options that include fresh produce, local honey, craft kombu- cha, pasture-raised meats, eggs, fresh-caught fish and shrimp, clothes, f lowers, beverages, coffee and even homemade popsicles and ice cream. The market is dog-friendly and is next to a dog park, so bring your lawn chair and enjoy the fam- ily atmosphere on Sunday afternoons. This market was born out of a desire for Dirtbag Ales and Sustainable Sandhills to work together and show off the bount y of the Sandhills. Sustain- able Sandhills is the acting market manager; its mission is to save the planet while preserving the environment through education, demonstration and collaboration. Gillis Hill Farm Produce • 2899 Gillis Hill Rd. • Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., through January • 910-308-9342 or 910-867-2350 For the past 200 years, the Gillis family has owned and operated this farm. They have a road- side mart that provides, depending on the season, apple butter, apple cider, apples, beans, blackber- ries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, collards, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, gourds, greens, herbs, honey, Indian corn, grapes, Musca- dine grapes, nectarines, onions, peaches, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, raspberries, squash, straw- berries, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons, zucchini, pecans, jams and jellies. There are also seasonal Christmas trees, wreaths, vegetable plants, boiled peanuts, mums, strawberr y picking, corn mazes and hay rides. Murchison Road Community Farmers Market Murchison Road Community Farmers Market City Market at the Museum Dirtbag Ales Farmers Market Gillis Hill Farm Produce