Hello! This is my first blog entry, and I can’t wait to share with you about my first week working for CCE at the farmers markets. The week started out with a few orientations and trainings with my supervisors, and I got to tour the CCE Tompkins County kitchen where I will be cooking food for the markets. I met a woman working for SNAP-ed (food stamps education program) who will also be at the markets, and I learned all about the kitchen where I will be working. I will be going to the kitchen this week to prepare my first produce filled recipe~ beet and apple slaw!
My first market was with my supervisor Emma Kett. We met up at the Trumansburg Market on Wednesday, and we set up our CCE Wayne County FMNP table together. We put out recipes, brochures about FMNP and food assistance programs for senior citizens with low income and WIC participants, healthy eating guides, and samples. We talked all about the different education activities I can use at my table, and we talked all about what to expect at the markets and how to best serve the community. Then the market began! We had quite a few visitors, and it was so lovely to watch the town of Trumansburg come alive. There was live music, children running around, families enjoying time in the sun, and vendors of every kind. There were fried chicken and BBQ trucks, craft booths (ceramics, weaving, and clothes), coffee vendors, produce booths, and so much more. I loved talking to people about their gardens, handing out samples and free pens, talking with kids about their favorite fruits and vegetables, and just engaging with such a wholesome and open community. The highlight of the market was talking to a couple who had been married for 48 years about their backyard garden full of beets, carrots, and greens. They were so lovely, and they took recipes, cooking guides, and healthy eating tips from our booth.
Finally, two of my favorite professors from Cornell came to visit me at my first market! Dr. Felice and Dr. Gaines are some of my biggest role models, and they have been mentors to me throughout my academic career in nutrition at Cornell. Seeing them in person at this market made me smile so big. It was so incredible to have so many loving faces around me, and I felt so grateful that the job I am doing is serving the community while also bringing me so much joy and connection.
Can’t wait to start this next week strong with three markets and some time in the kitchen. I will write about how it all goes next week. Until then, happy eating!