农贸市场:水果、蔬菜和乐趣

当波士顿大bobapp学(Boston University)的学生被要求描述他们的校园时，玉米穗、成箱的西红柿和新鲜出炉的派都不是最令人期待的答案。尽管这所大学被认为是一个“城市校园”，但波士顿大学通过在乔治·谢尔曼联合广场每周举办一次农贸市场，努力营造出一种小镇的感觉。今年是农贸市场的第三个年头，由餐饮服务可持续发展总监苏珊·哈珀(Susan Harper)经营，从8月到10月，每周四下午都会有各种各样的当地小贩。哈珀通过localharvest.org等网站和访问其他农贸市场寻找潜在的供应商，她说她试图选择能够吸引学生以及波士顿大学社区其他成员的供应商。“我尽量有一个非常全面的产品选择，”她说。“今年，水果和蔬菜与鸡蛋、蜂蜜、面包和植物相平衡。我们还邀请了一些手工艺者和珠宝制造商。总体目标是支持当地可持续的农业和企业，并将他们与学生联系起来。”对于传媒学院的大一新生特拉维斯·布莱斯来说，农贸市场是他在波士顿大学建立自己利基市场所寻找的联系。他说:“我看到沃伦塔农贸市场的巨大海报，很兴奋，因为我一直想在这里找到这样的东西。” Brace, a Virginia native, has already partnered up with local farmer Peter Medaglia, working the Gold Meadow Farms farmer's market stand, in the short time he has been on campus. "I kind of just fell into this job," Brace said. "Last week I was here and explained to Peter that I worked on a farm stand in Virginia and asked him if he needed help, and here I am, today." A self-declared patron of farmer's markets, Brace said he believes it's important for students to buy "fresh and local" and know their vendors. "When you're in college, you're at an age where you have to start making decisions for yourself about your food," he said. Similarly, Aggie Pavlidis, an employee of The Danish Pastry House and vendor at the BU farmer's market, says she also believes in the importance of "buying local." "It's important to support local growers and businesses because [the support] helps to provide jobs," she said. Surrounded by tables of homemade desserts ranging from chocolate-chip cookies to fruit-filled tarts, Pavlidis, like her fellow vendors, offers to answer questions from potential customers. "My biggest joy is educating people about organic food and the importance of using fresh products," said Erin Willet, vendor and owner of Smaht Fahm in Lunenburg. Willet, a relative newcomer to the farmer's market scene, sells eggs, honey, jams and breads, under the slogan "Smaht Food for Smaht People." According to Willet, Harper contacted her via localharvest.org and asked her to participate in the university's weekly farmer's market. "We've done well, business-wise, but more importantly, I've grown up on college campuses and love the diversity here," she said. "I love meeting new students and re-introducing them to "honey like grandma made.'" Like Willet, Pavlidis said she believes farmer's markets in urban venues are important because they give students the opportunity to avoid the supermarket and have personal connections with their vendors. "Farmers' markets like this are a good way to get the farm feel into the city&-they get you out of that city bubble that so many people get trapped in," she said. The farmer's market runs from noon to 5 p.m., every Thursday, until Oct. 14, in the GSU Plaza.