Farmer's market with twist expands into southern Indiana

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) - Karyn Moskowitz, a Paoli native, is "veggie obsessed." She moved to Louisville from her rural town to establish farmers markets on the city's east and west sides, where access to fresh food was sparse.

But farmers and residents were leaving her markets empty-handed. The shoppers couldn't afford to buy the fruits and vegetables at the retail price at which farmers had to sell them.

That's when Moskowitz decided to get innovative - borrowing a system from a Cleveland organization that solved the problem and now allows her nonprofit, New Roots, to operate 10 of their Fresh Stop Markets in Louisville and one in New Albany - the first in Southern Indiana. The market opened in June after months of planning among New Roots, the New Albany Housing Authority (NA HA) and volunteers.

Two months later and NAHA's Brown-Starks Building welcomes an average of 45 families every other Thursday to New Albany's market.

Christine Boswell is part of one of those families. She moved among brightly-patterned tables Aug. 25, when picking up two ears of corn and then a bunch of radishes, placing each vegetable in the bag New Roots provides its customer.

Each of the foods she selected sat next to a chalkboard that told which nearby farm grew them. A spaghetti squash Boswell chose traveled to New Albany from a farm in Oldham County, Ky. New Roots' markets sell 25 percent of their produce, said Moskowitz.

As for Boswell, she snagged 15 to 20 pounds of organic food by the time she was ready to leave. It was her first time at a Fresh Stop Market.

"I didn't expect this," she said.

Here's how the markets work:

The customers are called shareholders. They have to say if they're coming to the next market a week before it takes place. They pay at that time, anywhere from $6 to $25, depending on their financial need. Shareholders on SNAP or who receive food stamps pay $12, WIC shareholders pay $6 and everyone else pays $25.

New Roots then orders the amount of produce needed for the next market from their base of farmers.

Farms such as the one in Oldham County don't have to worry about unsold food and shareholders get fresh produce at a discount. And that produce?

If you taste it, you'll "never be the same," Moskowitz said.

Candace Brewer certainly isn't.

THE SHAREHOLDERS

Brewer, the outreach leader for the New Albany Fresh Stop Market, barely left her house one year ago.

The NAHA resident was chained to her pill counter, she said. The 38 medications she said she took treated high blood pressure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and high cholesterol, among other ailments.

Brewer also didn't have a car. When she first moved to New Albany with her 9- and 10-year-old granddaughters, she had to walk three hours to get to Walmart.

Brewer takes only two pills now after being involved with New Roots since January. She promotes the New Albany market to the community, knocking on doors, handing out fliers and posting to the market's Facebook page. On Thursday, Brewer spent five hours preparing for and then working at the market.

The program gives her a reason to stay active, she said.

Brewer's eating habits have gotten better in the past seven months, too. Her weekly menus feature eggplant lasagna and vegetable spaghetti. As an added bonus, her grocery bills are lower, she said.

Brewer attributes the upswing in her health to the food she eats now. Moskowitz said she feels better since getting her food from the markets, too, but she doesn't go so far as to say organic food cures illnesses.

"You really have to try it and see what's right for you, your body and your family," she said.

Brewer does fit the description of who Moskowitz wants to help with the markets. Brewer lives on the cusp of a food desert as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food deserts are low-income areas where many residents don't have access to a supermarket or large grocery store. There are several in Clark and Floyd counties.

Seventy-five percent of the shares at the Fresh Stop Markets are reserved for families on WIC.

Moskowitz also looks to Brewer as an example because she's a community member who is heavily involved in the New Albany Fresh Stop Market. New Roots doesn't go to communities unless its residents make room for them. In New Albany's case, NAHA heard of New Roots and asked that a Fresh Stop Market be established in the area.

New Roots applies a similar approach to its farmers. They're in charge of delivering their food to the markets.

THE FARMERS

Greg Graft is the vice president and general manager of Grateful Greens in Clarksville. His business grows and sells all things leafy - from romaine to kale.

He doesn't mind delivering his produce to the different Fresh Stop Markets. Not when the system works so well for him.

"You couldn't ask for a better set up," Graft said.

He gets paid before he delivers, and he doesn't have to worry about whether or not his food gets taken home.

It's not like Graft doesn't get business elsewhere. He primarily sells to restaurants, caterers and hotels, which are particular about the produce they get. Still, he likes working with farmers markets, supplying them with his surplus crops.

Getting a spot in a farmers market is a process, though, Graft said. Some give trial runs to different farmers before letting them come regularly. Graft's been trying for a year to get into the New Albany Farmers Market.

Moskowitz appreciates Grateful Greens, she said, but Graft isn't the farmer who gives the most to New Roots. He can only provide greens, but the Fresh Stop Markets need a variety of produce.

New Roots has six main farmers who provide 80 percent of the food it sells.

New Roots is lucky to operate in Southern Indiana and Kentucky, where there are so many farmers, Moskowitz said. Fifty farmers contribute to New Roots, but the founder would still like to see more help out.

THE FUTURE

Moskowitz is interested in expanding her fresh markets to more areas in Southern Indiana, she said, but she won't go to a community unless she's wanted there.

A movement is already underway in Jeffersonville to start a Fresh Stop Market there. Moskowitz has been approached by some community members in the town, and she'll be attending a meeting there next week. No matter what, Jeffersonville will still have to wait until next growing season to get its market.

There are other signs that Southern Indiana values New Roots. The organization recently received a $15,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana to continue its expansion in the area. Moskowitz isn't sure how the money will be spent, but she can see it helping the market set up outside more often. Being outside means more people will see the market and sign up.

When Moskowitz first started New Roots, she wasn't sure how the markets would turn out. It was hard to persuade families to part with $12 for food they hadn't seen yet.

Now that Moskowitz is seven years into her project, she can see why it's done so well.

Of course it wasn't going to fail, she said, it's just a great model.

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Source: News and Tribune, http://bit.ly/2bxSFSm

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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com