'Farm to fork' with Duke Mobile Market

Since he and his wife are vegans, Daniel Gauthier often works a bit harder to find ways to include a variety of fruits and vegetables in their diet. With Duke's Mobile Farmers Market, there's no trouble at all.Whether it's lettuce, squash, collards or whole wheat flour, Gauthier can pick up all these and more each week by simply swinging by the mobile market at Sarah P. Duke Gardens on his way home after work on Tuesdays."I was never a real big fan of beets, but I got a bunch of them in the late fall and made beet soup that I really liked," said Gauthier, a professor in the Department of Physics. "We also got a lot of nice squashes for Thanksgiving and Christmas that were great."Gauthier said he decided to buy shares and pick-up weekly packages of fresh produce because he likes the idea of supporting local farmers. It also helps that he gets to try new recipes, depending on what kind of produce he gets from vendors each week."Some of the squashes I received I had never heard of, like the delicata squash, which is sort of like an acorn squash," said Gauthier, who will participate again this spring. "You may be able to find them once in a while in stores, but this is a perfect way to keep trying new things."Employees can sign up for the spring season of the market by registering directly with farmers and vendors and pre-purchasing shares of the harvest. Contact information for each farmer is on the market’s website. Costs for fresh produce start at $10 per week. Goods are picked up from 4 to 6 p.m. each Tuesday at the gardens.In 2010, about 210 faculty and staff participated in the mobile market, organized by LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke’s employee wellness program. The mobile market increases Duke and Durham community access to healthy, local food. Last season, Duke mobile market participants contributed more than $40,000 to local, sustainable farming.In addition to produce, faculty and staff can also sign up to receive local, pasture-raised meat, seafood from Beaufort, flowers or gluten-free food. "The best part of our mobile market is there truly is something for everyone," said Diana Monroe, health education specialist for LIVE FOR LIFE. "This is the perfect way for faculty and staff to increase the amount of fruits and vegetables they eat and find farm-fresh alternatives to packaged foods."