MARKETS IN FULL SWING
As the days slide into summer, more farmers markets are springing up across the Western Pennsylvania landscape for the 2018 season.
More efforts also are being made to improve Pittsburgh’s farmers markets, both by the city and nonprofit groups such as Just Harvest, which seeks to eliminate hunger.
A Farmers Market Study Community Outreach was created late last year to study how improvements can be made to the city’s farmers markets, support regional food producers, improve access to fresh food and promote healthy choices. The complete findings are expected in September, but the city has started implementing some of the initial recommendations such as adding signage, adding more staff at the markets and improved marketing and visibility.
Just Harvest’s Fresh Access program has expanded to 21 venues. It offers a token exchange that lets shoppers use credit, debit and food stamp cards at the market. It also allows Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program/food stamp recipients to receive an extra $2 to spend on produce for every $5 they spend at the market.
In addition, most farmers will accept Farmers Market Nutrition Vouchers for WIC (Women, Infants and Children) and seniors. The nutrition vouchers for seniors will be handed out at community senior centers across the city on Tuesday.
Farmers in the region are about two or three weeks behind because of the cold and wet winter that continued into early spring, says Aeros Lillstrom of Who Cooks For You Farm in New Bethlehem. So vegetable and fruit displays might be minimal currently as farmers are leaning on produce grown in their greenhouses or getting them from out of state. She says the assortment will increase as the weather gets warmer.