Redland Rambles

Correction: The CNN report on the Roots in the City Farmers Market has been rescheduled and will air on Tuesday May 4 at 10 pm on the Anderson Cooper show.

The media — most recently national TV news, along with local newspapers, TV and local food blogs — has been all over Roots in the City Farmers Market. It’s a small market, just four or five tents by the side of the road in a very poor neighborhood. From a distance it doesn’t look too special. But it is, and that’s why the media keeps coming back.

The big deal is that the Roots market is the first farmers market in Florida specifically created to use the Double Value Coupon Program, funded by Wholesome Wave. The coupons enable people purchasing with food stamps (SNAP/EBT) to buy twice as much, up to $20, using special tokens. The program is already in 80 markets in 12 states, but those markets already existed and had food stamp program in place before Wholesome Wave came in.

Melissa Contreras (left) explains tropical fruit.

National TV news visited last week. On Wednesday April 21, a CNN crew consisting of reporter John Zarella, his cameraman Mike, and a field producer who was darting around with a notebook, hung out at the market all afternoon. Most of the people who created the market were on hand for interviews. Founder and Chef Michel Nischan chatted with a lot of enthusiasm on camera. Chef Michael Schwartz and Dr. Marvin Dunn (and several family members) were on hand for interviews, along with people from the Human Services Coalition. A school group came by, and the kids looked at, touched and tasted different fresh vegetables. Several people who came to shop were also interviewed. Some came over from downtown (where more than half of the shoppers are coming from), and some from the neighborhood.

Melissa Contreras, who was helping out at the Redland Rambles tent, spoke on camera about different tropical fruits — tamarind, canistel and black sapote — that were available. Farmer Teena Borek sliced up a hothouse cucumber and was handing out samples, and suddenly everyone around was eating cucumber and liking it. Mike the cameraman was bedazzled by pretty vegetables and took lots of video of carrots. And cucumbers. And greens. Zarella stopped to buy a small bottle of tupelo honey from the Redland Organics tent before they wrapped up for the day.

Mike the cameraman really likes carrots.

The market has plenty of funding, and is gradually picking up steam. According to Caitlin McLaren of the Human Services Coalition, the Wholesome Wave Foundation gave them a grant of $11 thousand to pay for tokens and farmers. By the fourth week of the market, they still have plenty of money left, having spent about $400 in matching funds. It’s taken a while but the market finally has more EBT than cash sales. Farmer Margie said that about half her sales are EBT and she’s getting regulars. “One lady was already here at 12 waiting while we were setting up,” she said, and added that several homeless people come by from week to week to get food.

Douglas Dunn, who helps run the Roots community garden, explained “The market attracts a lot of white Hispanics. About 70 per cent of the customers work close by and drive by, or have read about it in the paper. It’s going to take some time to get the word out.” As Douglas explained that to me, a man walking across the street called out, “Do you take food stamps?” Yes was the answer. The man stopped for a moment, said he’d be back and headed down the street.

Hani and Mary Lee talk about goat milk ice cream on camera.

Unfortunately the growing season is winding down as the weather gets hotter, and the market will close sometime in May. There might be fruit sales in the summer, but that isn’t certain yet. It all depends on what the farmers have to sell. Market manager Maggie Pons said they’re definitely going to be back in the fall. Hopefully the market will take off, for the sake of the people who need it the most.

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