Market to Mealtime

When a group of small children is crowded around a table at the farmers’ market clamoring for a free sample, one assumes it must be freshly-baked pie, ice cream or, at the very least, some type of sweet fruit they’re tempted to taste.

But kale wraps?

Indeed, children and adults alike were lined up at the Crossroads Farmers’ Market in Takoma Park to sample the tortilla-wrapped leafy greens being served up by nutrition educators from University of Maryland Extension (UME).

“We’re encouraging people to try different vegetables using what the market has available,” Montgomery County UME educator Rebecca Davis told the crowd as she mixed up freshly cut tomatoes, avocadoes, carrots and onions to layer on top of the kale leaves and wheat tortilla.   

In truth, a pilot program currently being administered through UME called Market to Mealtime goes a lot deeper than simply pushing local produce. Its mission includes partnering with farmers’ markets to persuade people to diversify their diets with nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables they might not have experienced before, and then demonstrating easy ways to prepare them.

Leafy Greens Love

This fall, for the first phase of the program, educators with UME’s Family and Consumer Science (FCS) and Food Supplement and Nutrition Education (FSNE) programs are concentrating on leafy greens like spinach, kale and Swiss chard.

“Leafy greens pack a lot of nutritional punch and at the same time are really, really cheap a lot of places when they’re in season,” said Stephanie Grutzmacher, Ph.D., an Extension family health specialist who is spearheading the Market to Mealtime program.

The program is also teaming up with Eat Fresh, Maryland, a network of farmers’ markets attempting to expand access to low-income shoppers by accepting federal food benefits such as SNAP and WIC coupons.

“I think people think less about using their benefits at the farmers’ markets,” Grutzmacher said. “A lot of times people don’t use the fresh produce vouchers at all because they’re not sure what to do with the fruits and vegetables.”

At the Crossroads Farmers’ Market and others participating with Eat Fresh, Maryland, shoppers can exchange their benefits for tokens to use like cash. Market to Mealtime provides recipe cards and nutritional handouts alongside the food demonstrations to help alleviate some of the intimidation that comes with trying new ingredients.

“People are often really surprised that you can have stuff raw. You don’t necessarily have to cook it,” said Michelle Dudley, co-manager of Eat Fresh, Maryland and former manager of the Crossroads Market.

Forming Healthy Family Habits

Takoma Park resident Gloria Salazar says she is always looking for easy ways to incorporate more fresh vegetables into meals for her family and intends to try the kale wrap recipe in her home soon.

“It’s crunchy, fresh and tasty, not too salty or strong-tasting. I could eat the whole thing,” Salazar said.

While kale might seem like a hard sell to kids, UME educators know that tempting the youngest taste-testers is often the key to forming healthier habits with adult members of a community.

“I feel like (kids) are the most important and that’s the way you get people to change things for the whole family,” said Allison Milchling, market manager for Crossroads. “Proving that it’s actually delicious has been really fun.”

“There’s nothing more edifying than having a child say I took that recipe home and we made it and liked it,” said UME’s Davis.

Vendors at the famers’ markets are also altering their habits for the Market to Mealtime program. For example, Pennsylvania produce farmer Kevin Tuckey typically only brings apples, peaches, plums and other fruit to Crossroads on Wednesdays. Now that UME is spotlighting leafy greens, he’s found reason to make space on his table for kale – a product he couldn’t sell before. “If it’s not something they’re used to using - even if it’s only two dollars - they’re not going to buy it,” Tuckey said.

Additionally, Chipilin – a leafy green native to Latin American – is popular with many Hispanic patrons of Crossroads. However, UME’s demonstrations are making Chipilin marketable to members of other cultures while at the same time causing Chipilin fans to branch out into other greens territory.

“We have people buying kale who have never bought if before,” said Dudley.

Up Next… Roots and Fruits

Currently, Market to Mealtime is partnered with more than a dozen farmers’ markets throughout Baltimore City and County, Montgomery County and Charles County. Organizers hope to expand in the coming seasons and will move on from leafy greens to instead promote root vegetables and various fruits.

Grutzmacher says her team is also looking at ways to collaborate with farmers to create different pricing systems and food kits that will make recipe ingredients sold at markets easier to purchase with federal benefits.

“It’s all about encouraging people to try new things and also eat more of what they’re already eating that’s healthy for them,” Grutzmacher said.

For more information, contact Sara Gavin at 301-405-9235 or sgavin@umd.edu.