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Meetings
The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 5:30pm at the Hippodrome Theater in the Board Room.

Keep It Clean Campaign

FRESH, LOCAL FOOD AT THE
UNIVERSITY FARMERS’ MARKET

Every Tuesday
From Now until October
10:30 am – 2:30 pm

The University of Maryland Medical Center has partnered with University of Maryland at Baltimore and the local community to bring you the new “University Farmers’ Market”, a weekly market of local farmers providing fresh fruits and vegetables, artisan cheeses, eggs, poultry, seafood, meat, baked goods and ice cream. The market will take place in the park across the street from the hospital’s main entrance, along the Paca Street sidewalk.

By hosting a farmers’ market, UMMC and its partners are helping to improve the availability of fresh, locally grown food to its employees, patients, visitors and area residents and businesses. Purchasing food from local farmers not only supports the local agricultural community and the local economy, but it also decreases “food miles.” Food travels on average 1500 miles from farm to plate. However, when purchased “locally”, food travels an average of 60 miles. This significant decrease in the distance traveled cuts down on fuel consumption, greenhouse gases, air pollution and the likelihood of related diseases, including asthma, lung disease, lung cancer and heart disease. It also cuts down on the use of plastics used in packaging and allows farmers to pick their food when it’s ripe, maximizing the nutrient content in the food and providing you with fresher food that tastes better.

As health care workers, it is important for us to model healthy eating and be environmental stewards that support public health. Buying local food fulfills several of these healthy lifestyle choices. Plus, this market will host many farmers that use environmentally sustainable practices, including fewer pesticides, no antibiotics or growth hormones, and they raise their animals outside on pasture.

One final offering of this market is an opportunity to guarantee your supply of fresh produce all season long by purchasing a share of a farmers’ crop through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). In this model, you pay at the beginning of the season for a share of the farmers’ harvest throughout the year. Your share is delivered to the market weekly. This option is available from a few of our featured farmers. Read their websites below to learn more.

The University Farmers’ Market is proud to feature the following farmers:

Calvert Farms - certified organic farm located in Cecil County, MD offering a variety of fruits, vegetables and fresh cut flowers. Calvert Farms also offers a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Learn more at www.calvertfarms.com

Ferguson Family Farm – located in Baltimore County, MD offering naturally raised Berkshire pork using sustainable agricultural practices, such as rotating pastures and not using growth hormones or antibiotics. Learn more at: www.fergusonfamilyfarm.com

FireFly Farms - located in Garrett County, MD offering fresh, artisan cheeses, using goat’s milk sourced locally from family farms. Learn more at: www.fireflyfarms.com

Kilby Cream - located in Cecil County, MD offering farm fresh homemade ice cream, using milk from their own Cecil County dairy. Learn more at: www.kilbycream.com

Tomatoes, etc. Produce Farm - located in Carroll County, MD offering a large variety of gourmet vegetables, as well as strawberries, melons and cantaloupes. Learn more at: http://freshfarmmarkets.org

Tuckey’s Mountain Grown Berries, Fruits and Vegetables - located just 15 miles north west of historic Gettysburg, PA, offering a full line of berries, fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, jams and jellies and fresh fruit pies. Tuckey’s also offers a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Learn more at: www.localharvest.org/farms/M23019

Two Oceans True Foods, Inc (Formally Carriage House Farms) - located in Baltimore County, MD offering chicken, turkey and eggs from animals raised outdoors on pasture without synthetic hormones or antibiotics. Also offering frozen and portioned sustainable seafood. Learn more at: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M18351

Support of the farmers’ market supports UMMC’s Sustainability Principles, put forth by UMMC’s Green Team. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

If you have questions, contact:
Denise Choiniere, RN
UMMC Environmental Health Coordinator
dchoiniere@umm.edu
410-706-2352