The UC Davis Farmers Market

By:  Debbie Dang, Nutrition Peer Counselor, UC Davis Fitness and Wellness Center

Guess what’s back Aggies? That’s right! The UC Davis Farmers Market!

The UC Davis Farmers Market (UCDFM) is a seasonal opportunity for students to have better access to fresh and local produce! This market is a smaller-scaled version of the main Davis Farmers Market (occurs at Central Park on Wednesdays and Saturdays), and is geared more towards students!

The campus market has two seasons, Fall and Spring. Fall markets run on Wednesdays from October 4^th through November 8^th. The UCDFM occurs at the Memorial Union North Quad from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM! Spring dates are Wednesdays from April 4 through June 6 at the same location. UCDFM vendors accept a variety of payment options including cash, debit, EBT, credit, and even Aggie Cash! Using your EBT card gets you additional ‘market match’ dollars – up to $10 more produce.

So what are some reasons you should shop at UCDFM?

1. Convenience
   The UCDFM is perfect for students because it is located at the hub of campus, the Memorial Union. Buy some ripened, ready-to eat produce to add to your lunch!
2. Taste
   Locally grown produce tastes better than conventional produce because it is fresher, seasonal and travels less distance compared to produce from the market.
3. The Environment
   Local, family farmers likely use fewer pesticides and minimal processing—techniques that increase sustainability in production! And because the produce travels a shorter distance, this reduces the carbon footprint of the food’s production.
4. Local Agriculture
   As the global economy is expanding, family farmers struggle to keep up with large agribusiness. When you buy from small, local farmers you help them stay competitive in the food market!
5. The Community
   Contribute to UC Davis’ strive to promote nutrition and sustainability by meeting our farmers and supporting different school organizations like Healthy Aggies, the Student Farm, and the UC Davis Olive Center!

Here are some highlights you want to check out!

• Free Samples with Healthy Aggies
  Healthy Aggies is having free food demonstrations at the UCDFM and providing free samples and recipe sheets. Ingredients are provided by the Coho and local vendors.

• Raw and Infused Honey from Pure Honey
  Sourced in Winters, CA, Pure Honey provides a unique array of honeys that are only available in this region! You can choose from this selection:Raw Honey
  Orange Blossom
  Wild FlowerInfused Honey
  Lavender
  Cinnamon
  Habanero
  Caramel with HoneyFor more information, you can visit their website at http://www.PureHoneyCA.com
  

• Olive Oil and Vinegars for sale at the market
  
  The UC Davis Bookstore is collaborating with the UC Davis Olive Center by selling our very own Olive Oil and community produced vinegars! You can choose from this tasty selection:Olive Oils
  Wolfskill Reserve Estate—an herbaceous, grassy olive oil that is blended with picual, mission, arbequina and empeltre olives)
  
  Gunrock Estate—A tribute to UC Davis’s mascot, Gunrock, this olive oil is blended with 20 different olive varieties to create a stone fruit and grassy taste.
  Roasted Garlic Olive Oil—A simple, must-have olive oil flavored with roasted garlic.Vinegars
  Barrel-aged Balsamic Vinegar—An all-round sweet and tart vinegar that is perfect for not only for dressings and marinades, but also ice cream and berries, too!
  
  D’Anjou Pear White Balsamic Vinegar—A flavorful vinegar that is tart, yet sweet.Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar—This vinegar is a mixture of the classic Californian mission fig and a traditional vinegar from Moderna, Italy.

  More information is posted on the UC Davis Olive Center website at www.olivecenter.ucdavis.edu/products
  

• Fresh Produce and Products from Various Vendors
  
  Don’t miss out on fresh produce from our local farmers! The Student Farm will also be there to sell fresh produce that is produced on campus. They are dedicated to providing fresh flowers, vegetables, and culinary and medicinal herbs to our students.Check out the Student Farm on Facebook or their website, here.Support your local farmers and join the health community by eating fresh produce!