Farm to our market
Wellness Program, Human Resources sponsor summer farmer’s market.
by Nancy Bartosek
Peyton Scott, president of the North Central Texas Farmers Market Association, sells tomatoes to David Grebel, director of extended education.
Farmers and local producers are on campus this summer, courtesy of the TCU Wellness Program.
Sun-drenched, fresh-off-the-vine tomatoes (Yum!) Texas roasted, organically grown, free-trade coffee. Handmade Shea butter soaps and fragrant sachets. Homemade doggy biscuits so healthy that you could eat them (though I can’t imagine why).
All these and more were on sale at the first of three farmer’s markets that will be held in the Kelly Center parking lot over the summer. The one today (Friday, June 12) was a bit downsized, due to destructive storms that blew through this week, said Wellness Committee co-chair Pat Jolley.
“There were three or four vendors who didn’t have anything to bring because the storm damaged their crops,” Jolley said. “So hopefully there will be more vendors for the other two (in July and August).
Peyton Scott, president of the North Central Texas Farmers Market Association and one of the vendors, sold all of the heirloom tomatoes he brought, and whetted appetites with talk of his Sugar Queen cantaloupe and Cannonball watermelon that will be ready in a week or so.
Me? I took home something from every vendor, including the edible doggy biscuits that are supposed to help keep down fleas. Tonight my family will enjoy burp-less cucumbers and dripping-with-flavor tomatoes.
All of these vendors and more can also be found at the Farmer’s Market on the Benbrook Circle in west Fort Worth on Wednesday and Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon.
But that’s too far for many, like David Grebel, director of extended education, who lives in Arlington.
“This is great,” Grebel said as he paid for some tomatoes and sweet onions. “I’m really glad they are doing this.”