Month: March 2019

Join us for the Durham CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, April 7!

This year the Durham Farmers’ Market is walking in the 2019 CROP Hunger Walk!

Every year, 25% of the money raised by the event is distributed between 12 local hunger fighting agencies, including the Durham Farmers’ Market’s Double Bucks program. The CROP Hunger Walk started in collaboration with Church World Services, who receives the remainder of the money raised to help fight hunger worldwide. Church World Services helps communities that are battling hunger by assisting with the planting of fruit trees and constructing of reservoirs and irrigation systems. Locally, Church World Services helps immigrants and refugees access food in their new communities.

The Durham Farmers’ Market is committed to increasing access to fresh, local food to all members of our community. With the help of our generous partners, including the Durham CROP Hunger Walk, we match SNAP/EBT transactions dollar-for-dollar up to $10. This means that if a SNAP customer spends $10, they will receive $20 to spend on fresh produce at the market. The Durham Farmers’ Market also participates in the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), which provides Seniors and WIC participants with vouchers to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at the market. Through the Double Bucks program, the Durham Farmers’ Market is also able to match FMNP vouchers, dollar for dollar.

In 2018, the Durham Farmers’ Market expanded the Double Bucks program offering a cash match incentive. The market now matches up to $10 in cash for SNAP recipients who are out of benefits for the month, WIC recipients, and community members who live in Section 8 housing or a housing authority site. In 2019, the market’s goal is to eliminate the $10 matching cap and offer dollar-for-dollar matching to all food program participants.

Please support the Durham CROP Walk by making a donation! And don’t forget to join our team. We cannot wait to walk alongside you!

Join us for the last Winter Market of the season on Saturday, March 30!

We hope you’ll join us tomorrow for the last Winter Market of the season. Wahoo! The Main Season Market kicks off on Saturday, April 6 and we’ll return to our regular hours of 8:00 am-noon. This will be our 20th anniversary season and we’re excited to celebrate with you over the upcoming months. We’re planning several special events so save the date for our first event on April 20 from 9:00-11:00 am. Also, don’t forget to re-stock on your mid-week groceries at our Wednesday Market, which begins on April 17 from 3:00-6:00 pm.

We hope you’ll join us at the CROP Walk next Sunday, April 7! Part of the funds raised through the walk support our Double Bucks program, which can match SNAP/EBT transactions dollar for dollar up to $10. Since we started accepting SNAP/EBT in 2014 and launched the Double Bucks program, more than $72,000 has been spent on local, fresh produce, meat, eggs, cheese, bread and more at the market. We are incredibly grateful for the CROP Walk’s generous support and look forward to this community event. Check out their website for more information and don’t forget to join the Durham Farmers’ Market’s team!

Finally, mark your calendars for CFSA’s Annual Piedmont Farm Tour on April 27-28. You can purchase your buttons and pick up a map at the Info Table. This is an event you don’t want to miss!

What’s for dinner?
Kale Nacho Chips

Who doesn’t love nachos? If you want to add extra veggies into your diet, make kale the base of this meal. You can easily make kale chips and top with your favorite nacho ingredients. The possibilities are endless! Recipe from The Minimalist Baker.

Ingredients

Kale Chips

  • 1 large bundle kale
  • 2-3 Tbsp coconut oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Black Beans

  • 1 – 15 oz. can black beans, slightly drained
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder

Sweet Potatoes

  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 large sweet potato

Toppings

  • Fresh chopped cilantro
  • Pasture-raised meat
  • Farmers’ market cheese
  • Ripe avocado
  • Green garlic
  • Scallions
  • Favorite salsa (or make your own!)

Check out the full recipe and instructions online. Happy cooking!

Want to learn more?

Read the rest of the March 29, 2019 newsletter or sign up to receive the next newsletter in your inbox.

Celebrate Spring with your favorite farmers on Saturday, March 23!

We hope you are enjoying the first week of spring and that you are looking forward to a time of renewal and growth. And we also hope the weather will warm up soon so we can all get outside and into our gardens! 

Save the date for the CROP Walk on Sunday, April 7! Part of the funds raised through the walk support our Double Bucks program, which can match SNAP/EBT transactions dollar for dollar up to $10. Since we started accepting SNAP/EBT in 2014 and launched the Double Bucks program, more than $72,000 has been spent on local, fresh produce, meat, eggs, cheese, bread and more at the market. We are incredibly grateful for the CROP Walk’s generous support and look forward to this community event. Check out their website for more information and don’t forget to join our Durham Farmers’ Market’s team!

Big news! The Main Season Market kicks off on Saturday, April 6 and we’ll return to our regular hours of 8:00 am-noon. This will be our 20th anniversary season and we’re excited to celebrate with you over the upcoming months. We’re planning several special events so save the date for our first event on April 20 from 9:00-11:00 am. Also, don’t forget to re-stock on your mid-week groceries at our Wednesday Market, which begins on April 17 from 3:00-6:00 pm. We have spring fever and cannot wait to jump back into the main season with you! Until then, prep your garden beds and enjoy the remaining weeks of stillness before the hustle and bustle of the spring season arrives.

Want to learn more?

Read the rest of the March 22, 2019 newsletter or sign up to receive the next newsletter in your inbox.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the farmers’ market on Saturday, March 16!

Are you looking for tasty recipes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? You can find almost all the ingredients you need to enjoy the holiday at the market, including meat, potatoes, cheese, and much, much more. Check out these recipes for inspiration and we look forward to seeing everyone wearing green at the market tomorrow.

Big news! The Main Season Market kicks off on Saturday, April 6 and we’ll return to our regular hours of 8:00 am-noon. This will be our 20th anniversary season and we’re excited to celebrate with you over the upcoming months. We’re planning several special events so save the date for our first event on April 20 from 9:00-11:00 am. Also, don’t forget to re-stock on your mid-week groceries at our Wednesday Market, which begins on April 17 from 3:00-6:00 pm. We have spring fever and cannot wait to jump back into the main season with you! Until then, prep your garden beds and enjoy the remaining weeks of stillness before the hustle and bustle of the spring season arrives.

Want to learn more?

Read the rest of the March 16, 2019 newsletter or sign up to receive the next newsletter in your inbox.

Spend your Saturday morning with your community on March 9!

March is well underway and we’re counting down the days until spring officially arrives on March 20. Even though the weather is a little colder than usual, now is the perfect time to prep your garden beds for all of the beautiful plant starts that will arrive at the market soon. It’s also the time to savor the hearty flavors of winter produce before the lighter textures and colors arrive in the warmer months.

Bundle up, grab your umbrella, and we look forward to seeing you at the market tomorrow. As a reminder, the winter market will operate through March 30 so enjoy the weeks that remain in this season. And don’t forget to spring your clocks forward one hour on Sunday when the time changes. See you soon!

What’s for dinner?
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Bowls

We love root veggie season and want to share one of our favorite recipes with your family! This recipe yields 2-3 servings and, even though this is a vegetarian meal, we encourage you to mix in your favorite meat to add even more protein to your meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Roasted Sweet Potato

  • 1 large sweet potato, peel and diced
  • Coconut oil (or oil of choice)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Quinoa

  • 3/4 cup quinoa
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Juice of half a lime
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Cilantro Cream Drizzle

  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt or skyr
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon honey
  • Juice of half a lime
  • Pinch of salt, garlic powder, and chili powder

Other Ingredients

  • 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
  • Greens of choice (kale, spinach, lettuce, etc.)

Instructions

Roasted Sweet Potato

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees then line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the diced sweet potato in the coconut oil and spices and lay it out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
  2. Roast the sweet potato for 12-15 minutes or until it is fork tender.

Quinoa

  1. Rinse and drain the quinoa then put it in a medium sized sauce pan with the water. Bring the quinoa to a boil, then cover it with a lid and lower the heat to medium low.
  2. Cook the quinoa for about 15 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed.
  3. Remove from the heat and season the quinoa with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, lime juice, and cilantro.

Cilantro Cream Drizzle

  1. In a blender add all of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

Assembling the Bowls

  1. In 2 or 3 serving bowls, lay a bed of greens (your choice!) on the bottom and divide the quinoa mixture.
  2. Top the quinoa with the black beans and roasted sweet potato.
  3. Drizzle the cilantro cream on top with a spoon. Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

Read the rest of the March 8, 2019 newsletter or sign up to receive the next newsletter in your inbox.

Try new recipes with your favorite winter veggies at the market on Saturday, March 2!

We absolutely love winter veggies at the Durham Farmers’ Market! The variety of greens can be used for salads, stir fry and sandwiches. Roasted sweet potatoes are a delicious staple in our weekly meals and can be used to make tasty pies or even muffins.

What we really enjoy during the winter is taking these veggies and making satisfying recipes that we can have in the fridge and eat during the week. This way, we know that we’re eating something that is both healthy and will warm us up after a cold morning outside. These enchiladas have sweet potatoes and kale in them, both easy to find on Saturday at the market! We usually finish these off in a couple of days but they freeze well if you want to make an extra batch to have as a freezer meal for busier days.

Winter veggies also lend themselves well to preparing ahead of time and making harvest bowls throughout the week. Think roasted carrots, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes on top of a bed of rice with a tasty dressing. The combinations are endless!

One of the best recipes we’ve tested this winter has been an amazing pad thai recipe. This meal replaces noodles with veggies and is a wonderful representation of so many tasty veggies that are grown by the fabulous farmers at the Durham Farmers’ Market!

We love to talk about food and recipes at the market. Our farmers are experts on preparing everything from collard greens to bison meat chili and enjoy sharing their recipes and getting to know YOU, our loyal market customers. We look forward to meeting you and talking about food soon.

Want to learn more?

Read the rest of the March 1, 2019 newsletter or sign up to receive the next newsletter in your inbox.