Farmers Market Odyssey #1: Fresh on Q! in Texas Township

As I continue to learn about sustainability, one of my goals this summer is to go to as many farmer’s markets as I can around Kalamazoo. When I go back up to school, I want to continue to find new markets around East Lansing, too. Buying from farmer’s markets just makes sense; it’s locally grown, fresh food, and you’re supporting business and farmers in nearby towns. The produce traveling a shorter distance from field to plate, and the fact that they’re in-season both contribute to lower prices. That sounds sustainable and logical to me!

The market I was able to go to this week was Texas Township Market (Fresh on Q!). When I got there it was raining, but that didn’t matter because Texas Township has built a great pavilion for the market to keep the tables (and you) dry from the rain (or in the shade on a sunny day!). Walking up, I could smell the barbeque from one of the food trucks drawing me in closer. There were multiple food trucks/ stands selling hot foods including barbeque, wood-fire pizza, and Mexican-style foods. I visited the market around 6pm on a Tuesday, and I easily could have eaten any of those for dinner!

One thing that I believe makes Texas Township Market unique is the amount of baked goods that were offered. Some available items included muffins, pies, cookies, gourmet desserts, cinnamon bread, take-n-bake varieties, and more. Some sellers had organic, others had gluten-free; it’s safe to say that you can find something that suits you.  Another noteworthy aspect of this farmer’s market is the friendliness of all the sellers. Almost every table I walk past acknowledged me with a “hello” or a simple smile. The approachability of everyone there made it a very comfortable and relaxed experience.

Now, of course, I get to the produce. The selection at Fresh on Q! is great; along with the food and treats already mentioned, the fruits and vegetables look delicious. On a rainy day, it was so nice to see the colorful array of produce.  I wandered down to the end and I saw a basket of mini cucumbers, which I had to get. At the same table they had container labeled “HUGE zucchini” for $1.00 each, and they weren’t kidding. I bought a zucchini that is bigger than my forearm for a dollar! Other sellers had great deals, too. For four dollars you could get one and three-quarter pounds of green beans – that’s a hefty amount of beans. A pint of red juicy raspberries cost $3.00, and ears of corn were only $0.50 each! It’s hard to beat these prices, but even better, it’s hard to beat the freshness that comes with buying from farmer’s markets.

Fresh on Q! is located in Texas Corners on 60^th Avenue right next to the fire station. It’s open on Tuesdays from 4-7pm and Saturdays from 8am-noon. If you haven’t been by this market yet, I encourage you to check it out! If you already go to the Texas Township market, keep it up! You’re benefitting your community, local farmers, small business, and yourself.

Thanks for reading!

Kara

Introducing Kara Harrison - summer guest blogger!

This is the first of a series of blog posts by Kara Harrison, a dietetics student from Michigan State University who will be working with us at the BHLC for the rest of the summer.

My name is Kara and I’ll be helping to keep the Kalamazoo Valley Healthy Living Blog up to date for the next few weeks. I’ll be writing about what’s going on around Kalamazoo, the Food Innovation Center, and more! But, before I get into all of that exciting stuff, I want to tell you a little about myself.

I attend Michigan State University and will be graduating this coming May with a Bachelor’s of Science in Dietetics with plans to become a registered dietitian. While at school, I am an intern at Spartan Performance where we take a holistic approach to training young athletes. As an intern, I teach everything from the basics of an athletic stance, sprint mechanics, strength training, mental skills, and nutrition at our clinic. I also go out to local schools and club sports teams to perform training sessions and give large group nutrition talks.

When I’m home for the summer, I work at the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo in Portage; this summer is my sixth one working as a camp counselor at the Y. During my time at summer camp, I created a nutrition education activity for the campers. I called it “Fresh Food Friday” because every Friday I would bring in some type of fun, healthy snack that the kids and I could make together while learning a little bit about the nutrition aspects of the foods. The campers and my boss loved it so much that I began doing the activity at least three times per week! So, now it’s called Fresh Food Fun.

Being from the area (I went to Mattawan schools for all thirteen years), I am very excited to be working alongside the Food Innovation Center! The visions it’s working towards and projects that it will be taking on will be beneficial for the whole community. Something that we can all take part in and improve upon is sustainability! Learning more about sustainability and its practices is one reason why I’m looking forward to spending time at the Food Innovation Center this summer.

I will be keeping everyone updated on local farmer’s market finds and Food Innovation Center news. Until next time – thanks for reading!

Good Food Kalamazoo!!!!

On June 7, almost 50 professionals, activists, and advocates for good local food in Southwest Michigan gathered at KVCC's Anna Whitten Hall for the awkwardly-named but very exciting "Good Food Kalamazoo Re-Kickoff Meeting".  Here are the meeting overview slides.

We started with a brief overview of the Michigan Good Food Charter, as a guide for our work.

Then, we heard a presentation from economist Ken Meter: Finding Food in Southwest Michigan. Meter's analysis of economic, health, and environmental data gave us a clear picture of how our local food system is doing, and where we need to work for growth and change. Read Ken Meter's Finding Food in Southwest Michigan study to learn more!

Megan Phillips Goldenberg and Vicki Zilke of New Growth Associates shared the results of a supply-and-demand analysis that will help to guide the development of KVCC's Food Innovation Center Food Hub.

Then, the meeting attendees worked together to create a conceptual map of our food system. This is a visual representation of how Kalamazoo's businesses and organizations work together, and what services might be missing. Check it out:

(Translations of the organization abbreviations coming soon...)

The next Good Food Kalamazoo meeting will be on September 27 at 2:30pm, location TBD in downtown Kalamazoo! Mark your calendars and plan to join us!