‘Taste Of The Market’ Launches at Rillito Park

On Sunday, October 22nd at Rillito Park Farmers Market (4502 N. 1st Ave), Heirloom Farmers Markets will kick off their newest weekly educational program Taste of the Market (TotM). Sponsored by Arizona Complete Health, TotM is a weekly helping of food literacy and education, which enables market customers to learn about the healthy, whole, and local foods that are accessible to them at the farmers market. By engaging visitors in an educational experience, including a taste test of fresh foods, TotM empowers individuals to choose foods that nourish their bodies while supporting small-scale local agriculture and local food producers. Each week’s TotM will have a theme in food literacy that teaches about food production or preparation and will allow all visitors to directly interact with food. TotM will be sustained by community partnerships with organizations that work for the health of the Tucson community, and will host educational activities through the program. By fostering positive experiences with healthy foods for customers of all socio-economic backgrounds, TotM aims to bring greater holistic health through education to the members of the Tucson food system.

TotM directly supports local farmers and food producers by utilizing their seasonal goods in taste tests, encouraging participants to understand the harvest that is available to them and feel more comfortable purchasing new vegetables. By providing a rotating selection of these seasonal goods for sampling, TotM will increase visibility of local products by making them available to thousands of visitors each week. In turn, TotM serves to take pressure off of local food producers facing challenges in acquiring sampling permits. All samples will be incorporated into the food literacy lessons and will further the mission of TotM.

This program is possible through generous support by Arizona Complete Health. In partnership with our sponsor, Heirloom Farmers Markets is hosting a Healthy Living Expo at the Farmers Market on November 11, 2018 from 9am to 1pm at Rillito Park Farmers Market. This event will strengthen our mission towards holistic health by providing visitors access to broader healthcare services while doing their weekly grocery shopping at the market.