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#MCFarmFreshDay kicks off the semester with new monthly schedule, local farmers on site

Bethlehem, Pa., September 16, 2015 —ɫ��ɫ College’s Farm Fresh Market is back for year number two—with a few changes in tow. The first #MCFarmFreshDay started the Fall 2015 semester off on a fresh foot on Monday, September 14 in the entrance of the HUB. The market, previously held every Friday, will now be held monthly. The next market is Wednesday, October 7 and will continue on the first Wednesday of each month for the duration of the semester.

This month’s #MCFarmFreshDay featured a local celebrity of sorts: Scholl’s Orchard, whose local (and delicious) apples and peaches were the talk of the town between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. today. Students, faculty, staff, and members of the greater community could skip the grocery store and purchase Scholl’s apples and peaches right on the spot, or dip their regionally-famous apples into some warm caramel while discussing the benefits of local produce with Susan Hurd, RD LDN. This semester, each market will bring a different local farmer to campus, ready to discuss what it takes to grow top-notch produce while offering samples and goods for sale.

“Sourcing locally is so important because we know where our food is coming from, we know these were grown just minutes away from ɫ��ɫ College,” said Angelica Hunte, marketing coordinator for ɫ��ɫ College Dining Services, amid the bustling lunch hour. “Showing people where they get their food from and actually meeting the people who grow it is educational and what we’re trying to bring more of to campus.”

The ever-popular Popcorn Pit made another appearance this month, selling his flavored popcorns by the bag. Joe Conicelli from Peanut Butter & More also brought dozens of his freshly ground peanut, almond, and cashew butters in five gourmet flavors. He grinds the nuts and packages his butters locally, utilizing the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley as his local commissary. Old Mill Gourmet rounded out the roster of vendors at yesterday’s market, selling fresh fruit smoothies from their truck just outside the HUB.

Later in the afternoon, students from Sandra Aguilar-Rodriguez’s Colonial Latin America class presented on the history of peaches and apples. “Since my research was on food, I embed a lot of food into my classes here at the College,” said Aguilar-Rodriguez. “We talk a lot about food production, and one of the components of this class is the opportunity to reflect on these foods not only in our history, but in our current times.”

The market will continue to push its reach farther out into the greater Bethlehem community this semester by offering community-friendly events like face painting, storytelling, live entertainment, and even petting zoos featuring hogs, goats, and horses.

“It’s nice that here at ɫ��ɫ they bring the farmers, the school, and the community all together,” said Hurd, who will be leading a PAWS Lunch & Learn talk on sustainable, local and organic product (and the difference between them!) on Tuesday from 12p.m.-1p.m. in the HUB’s UBC Room. Along with educational discussion about these sometimes-confusing packaging terms, Chef Daniel Lieber, director of culinary sustainability for Sodexo and a member of the committee for the Fresh Farm Market, will be making homemade applesauce. “I think it says a lot about the school to take that initiative on.”