Find Fresh, Organic Food at Duke Farmers Market
Season opens April 19
Interest in organic food has hit an all-time high in recent years, as consumers start to pay more attention to what they're eating, where it comes from and how it's treated.
According to most recent studies by the Organic Trade Association, American shoppers bought $31.5 billion of organic foods in 2011 with fruits and vegetables making up about half of that total. At Duke, faculty and staff can join the organic movement during the upcoming season of the Duke Farmers Market, which opens April 19.
The market features about a dozen vendors, including the Duke Campus Farm - a no-pesticide, all-natural practice farm - and Whitted Bowers Farm, a certified biodynamic and organic farm from Cedar Grove in Orange County.
"What we want to show is that shoppers can taste the difference between store-bought produce and the farm-fresh fruits and vegetables we offer at the Duke Farmers Market," said Lauren Updyke, health education manager for LIVE FOR LIFE, Duke's employee wellness program that organizes the market. "The produce found at our market is often picked the morning of the market and brought directly to Duke employees."
The 2013 market will be open every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through June 28. The market will operate every other week from July 12 to Oct. 4. The market is between the Bryan Research and Nanaline H. Duke buildings off Research Drive. Click here for a map.
Last year, the Duke Farmers Market was named among the "10 Most Impressive College Farmers Markets" by BestCollegesOnline.com, a website that covers higher education news and provides information on colleges across the country.
"There's such a great variety of organic and seasonal foods," said Joanne Grosshans, a program coordinator with the Pratt School of Engineering's Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. "The market is only about a block away from me, too, so it's very convenient."
Grosshans said she likes to buy organic produce as often as she can, but it can be hard to find quality fruits and vegetables at big grocery stores. Her favorite item to find at the Duke Farmers Market is strawberries which she'll take home and enjoy with her family, she said.
"It's important for me to teach my two girls about healthy eating habits, where our food comes from and how it's prepared," Grosshans said. "I don't want them thinking that everything comes in a package from the grocery store."