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The
Duke Farmers Market will return
just in time to help employees get their five servings of fruits and vegetables
a day. Beginning Friday, April 7, the market will offer fresh fruits and
vegetables, potted flowers and plants, sweet honey, baked breads, healthy
lunches, nutrition information, and performances by Duke entertainers. |
Find fresh strawberries and tomatoes at Duke
Duke Farmers Market Open in April
When Katherine Berezny is not working as a project leader at Duke Clinical Research Institute, she is growing strawberries on a farm.
Berezny will be among a dozen farmers and vendors offering fresh fruits, vegetables and baked breads at the 6th annual Duke Farmers Market, which opens April 7 and runs every Friday through June and bi-weekly through September.
"This season, we will feature more activities at the market," said Julie Joyner, manager for LIVE FOR LIFE®, which organizes the event. "We'll have additional entertainment options and special events which include preparing dishes with exotic fruits native to North Carolina. There will also be demonstrations on gardening, quick and healthy meals and fitness."
The market will be in front of the Medical Center Bookstore and along the walkway between Duke Hospital and the Medical Center. (Beginning May 4 at Durham Regional Hospital, the market will be outside of the Emergency Room).
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considers the Duke Farmers Market unique among prevention programs offered by employers throughout the nation. In 2004, it was named one of 11 winners of the second annual Innovation in Prevention Awards.
"The Farmers Market is just one way we can help employees make smart food choices so they can reach their health goals," said Jason Horay, health education manager for LIVE FOR LIFE. "There will be a variety of vegetables and fruits available at the market to keep meals interesting."
Ellen Dixon-Tulloch, a research specialist at the Engineering Research Center, has been a regular at the market since it opened in 2001. She enjoys the convenience of picking up nursery plants and fresh produce over lunch as an alternative to getting up early Saturday mornings for the first pick at a farmers market near her home.
"Fresh food tastes better," said Dixon-Tulloch, a master gardener. "I like to support local growers, and the quality is so much better."
In addition to produce, some vendors sell lunch items such as salads and empanadas. Musicians also perform as shoppers browse the stands.
Berezny, the project leader who harvests strawberries, fulfilled a longtime dream five years ago when she and her family bought 20 acres in Efland. Through trial and error, they found crops that work with the soil.
She usually joins the Duke Farmers Market vendors at her Windy Acres stand during her lunch hour. Expect her first strawberries of the season to hit the market in May. As the weeks unfold, strawberries will give way to cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, peas, a variety of beans and a boutique of vegetables such as purple-hull peas.
"Sometimes people ask us for special items, and we'll try to grow them," Berezny said. "We grow things I don't eat, because other people like them. It's custom farming."
--By Nancy Oates
Working@Duke Correspondent
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