All Posts Tagged With: "farmer’s market"

Week 8

There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace. ~ Aldo Leopold

When we connect with what is real in this physical world, we are so much the richer for it. The land, the soil, the rain, sunlight, heat, cold – these are all conditions of life on earth that we might ignore or take for granted. There is a great, mysterious engine behind all of this, which quickly leads to the spiritual. When we connect with this source, our awe and wonder deepens. This week, connect with wonder by asking: where does your breakfast come from?

More: Find a farmer’s market anywhere in the U.S. by visiting Local Harvest.

Read the Weekly Green from Week 7 here.

We always love to hear from you! How juicy is this quote for you?

A guest article by Stefanie, founder of the Focus Organic website. Stefanie is, like many of us, trying to live a more green life herself. She shares what she’s learning with the visitors to her site, and also learns from them. She believes that, in our quest to be more eco-friendly, we can better ourselves, our lives, and the planet. Implementing even just small changes into our daily lives can make a big difference. Welcome, Stefanie!

In spite of tough economic times, people are still slowly realizing that switching to an organic lifestyle may be an important decision. While the growth of the U.S. organic food industry has slowed, down from 18.3% growth in 2007 to 15.8% growth in 2008, reaching a sales total of 22.9 billion USD, it is still growing, and seems it will continue to grow. The organic industry as a whole, including non foods, grew 17.1% in 2008, while organic non-food sales alone grew 39.4%. Organic food sales now account for 3.5% of all food sales in the U.S. (Source: Organic Trade Association )

Says something, doesn’t it? In spite of tough times, more people are still willing to pay a bit extra to ensure their health. We’ve heard it all when it comes to naysaying the organic lifestyle – "There’s no proof organic food is better for you," "We don’t know the chemicals are doing us any harm," "Organic food tastes like dirt," etc. I’m calling the nonsense police on these claims.

"There’s no proof organic food is better for you"
Besides the obvious chemical problem traditionally grown food has, which we will get to in a minute, there have also been studies done comparing nutrient value of organically grown to traditionally grown foods. One study, whose results were published in March of 2008, says, "There were 236 valid matched pairs across the 11 nutrients. The organic foods within these matched pairs were nutritionally superior in 145 matched pairs, or in 61% of the cases, while the conventional foods were more nutrient dense in 87 matched pairs, or 37%. There were no differences in 2% of the matched pairs." Want to read the full (53 page) report? "New Evidence Confirms the Nutrititonal Superiority of Plant-Based Organic Foods"

"We don’t know the chemicals are doing us any harm" Continued

One Straw Farm is the largest organic vegetable farm in Maryland and has been in operation since 1985. Located in White Hall of I-83 and a pit stop away from Heathcote Community in Freeland. The farm supplies families, restaurants and wholesalers with a seasonal collection of certified organic produce. You can receive produce individually through a member fee or visit over 30 different markets, grocers and restaurants in the Baltimore area including Mill Valley Garden Center and the Waverly Farmers Market. The farm has 750 members all of which are within a 50 mile radius. Their website has a helpful harvest chart which lists when and what produce will be available. There’s a great article in Baltimore Eats, November 2008 Vol 3-#11, about how Drew and Joan Norman got One Straw started.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sd2wGzD2hw[/youtube]

Go for Change and Jana Murrell, Miss Earth US 2008, interviewed Cheryl Wade, Ilya Goldberg and Mick the Pirate at the Mill Valley Garden Center and Farmers Market to get caught up on some exciting developments in local food production and how you can fill up at Baltimore Biodiesel.

Upon reading about us in City Living Baltimore Jana Murrell contacted GOforChange to find out more about Baltimore’s growing eco-scene. Jana, who is enjoying her new reign as Miss Earth United States 2008 , has worked as a newscaster in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, is currently a traveling physical therapist.

In her capacity as Miss Earth US, Jana has been involved with several eco-related promotions to build awareness for environmental causes. To continue her support, Miss Murrell and the team at GOforChange visited the Mill Valley Center and Farmers Market on Friday Aug. 1st from 6-8pm to highlight the garden center, great local vendors and the Baltimore Biodiesel Coop .

Read on for more details …… Continued

The Takoma Park Farmer’s Market consists of about two dozen producers that line Laurel Avenue every Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It began in 1982 as both Washington, DC’s first Sunday market and one of the first "producers-only" markets. Everything sold at the self-governing market is fresh and local – produced by the people who sell it. Products sold at the market must be produced within a 125-mile radius of Takoma Park, meaning some non-regional products like bananas must be excluded. Visit the website for more information on the market or the participating farms.

The Riverdale Park Farmer’s Market, situated just north of Washington, DC in a historic region of Prince George’s County, is open every Thursday from March to November. As a “producers only” market, everything is locally grown or made. To expand on “everything”, the market offers organic and conventionally-grown fresh vegetables and fruits, award-winning honey, European-style baked goods, pasture-fed meat, bedding plants, artisan breads, hand-made soaps, pottery, jams and jellies, fruit syrups, fresh cut flowers, as well as talented local artisans and musicians. Its site offers subscribers a list of vendors, market dates, and special events.