BLOOMINGTON – The tents are up and vendors are ready, with proud displays of local produce, meats, baked goods, and other delights at the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market. Faithful customers are out – shopping, visiting, and mingling from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Showers Common area.
Saturday will be a typical farmers’ market scene, robust with fresh, healthful, local food and lively connections between consumers and producers.
Some of the produce that will be available at Saturday’s Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market will include apples, beans, beets, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cabbage, kale, lettuce, basil, potatoes, pumpkins, salad mix, spinach, squash, tomatoes, turnips, bouquets, dried flowers, cheese, flour, gourds, honey, jams, jellies, meat, and eggs.
About 40 Indiana University off-campus students paid a visit to the Market last Saturday to take part in a pilot civic stewardship program entitled, “A Day at the Farmers’ Market”. Working with Market staff, and IU student-intern nutritionists, Camille Jordan, residence life coordinator, enlisted her residents to come and interact with local growers and producers of natural foods.
Some of the key goals were to learn how to make healthy food choices, distinguish between locally grown vs. conventional produce, and discover healthy alternatives to snack food.
Not only did the residents become familiar with how to financially support small businesses, but they learned how vital a farmer’s market is to their local community.
