Transcript for WP#3

Sound effect of leaves rustling and birds chirping

Tyler Hilt: Every other Tuesday in the fall and in the spring a large crowd of people and a large number of tents gather just west of the memorial union for the morning’s farmer’s market.  Farmer’s markets have been around for ages, as an easy place for farmers to sell their fresh produce and crops which coincidently provides a great place for anyone looking for some fresh food to buy things easily and cheaply.  The markets help many people out providing inexpensive places for the farmers to sell things as well as for buyers to get good prices.  The main push behind the farmers market here on the ASU campus is to try and give rise to the notion of better sustainability in the environment, give the students of ASU an easy place where they can get healthy and fresh food.  A good majority of the food items sold at the market are from local farms around the phoenix valley area.

Interview attendee:  I think that it’s really cool that somebody would take the time to hold one of these Farmer’s markets so that all of us students can enjoy it!  The fact that I’m helping the environment at the same time is pretty cool too.

Tyler Hilt: There is a very wide variety of foods available for you to purchase at the market, such as anything from fresh baked bread, all kinds of muffins, and any other kind of baked goods that you can think of from companies such as “The Bread Basket” to fresh made cheese by the “Arizona Cheese Company” to fresh locally grown produce from companies such as “TJ Farms” and also “Tiger Mountain Foundation”.  To go along with all the fresh foods that can be purchased at the farmers market there are also a bunch of food vendors serving ready to eat food like pies and sausage, pork and biscuits and gravy for breakfast, and even tamales for all the authentic Mexican food lovers on campus. If you are not sure what you should by and you just want to try some things to begin with, you are in luck!  Most of the vendors selling the items like bread and jams and other things will very gladly let you try a small sample to let you see just how good all of their fresh made foods are.

Interview of a girl attendee:  I absolutely love coming here and trying all of the stuff there is to eat.  I really want to try the tamales but the line is super long!  I love getting the jam as well as it is always super good.

Tyler Hilt: Now you may be wondering with all this talk of fresh produce and good food why would anyone even think to bring something like this to the ASU campus?  Well the answer to that question begins all the way back in the fall semester of 2007 by a group of nine students for a class project.  Initially it was just a project for their class and there were no more events for the next two years.  In September of the 2009 school year the ASU Wellness committee along with the Health and Counseling Student Action Committee decided that they would bring back the farmers market for a onetime event to promote wellness around campus.  The lone farmers market event had so much success that every year since the farmers market has been in its usual place right next to the fountain just west of the Memorial Union building. 

Sound effect of fountains

Interview attendee:  You know this is the first time that I have been to a farmers market.  One of my friends told me about it after they went a couple of weeks ago and they told me to check it out and I think it was pretty cool just wish they had more stuff but I think I will come back the next time that one is held, it definitely speaks for the push of the school to become more healthy.

Tyler Hilt: The farmers market allows many people to add a certain amount of sustainability to their lives while they live here at the bustling Tempe campus.  The event helps by cutting pollution because transportation distances and costs are cut because the food doesn’t have to travel to huge warehouses and other such things before even making it to the store for you to buy.  The food such as produce essentially comes directly from the farms and is transported directly to the market.  If you wish to take part in one of the farmers markets and buy something there are many dates that it is open per year and a wide range of times open as well.  Begging on the last Tuesday of September in the fall the farmers market is open every other Tuesday until the Tuesday before thanksgiving in November.  If you missed all of these dates and still want to go and experience it the market reopens the third Tuesday in January and is every other Tuesday until the second to last Tuesday in April.  On the day of the event the market opens at nine o’clock in the morning and goes all the way to two o’clock in the afternoon giving a wide range of times for people that have classes during this time to go.  Be sure to make it down to one of the events in the spring all of the fall dates of now passed.