It’s always the same old story. You want to start eating better, but after a long day you inevitably find yourself stuck on campus calling a honey bun from the vending machine “dinner.”
Well, things are about to get a little easier because a new group is coming to campus that will help take the guess work out of eating right. Farm Fresh Miami, a South Florida produce-buying club that sorts and packages organic produce for delivery, is creating a new pick-up location at the UM Farmers Market.
“I want to make it really convenient for the UM community to receive produce,” Farm Fresh Miami creator Erika Lisman said.
On Wednesday, Lisman and her friend Martina Hamlin took signatures at the Farmers Market to gauge interest, as well as to inform the UM community about what exactly a produce-buying club is.
“Many people are scared of the commitment,” Hamlin said. “It’s intimidating to hear about, but as soon as you see a bag you want to do it.”
These magic goodie bags are filled with a variety of vegetables including assorted greens, broccoli and more.
Right now, the local harvest season is just beginning. Since it will last for about six to seven months, the group is encouraging the local community to take full advantage of it. According to Lisman, eating food that was grown just a few miles away as opposed to 1,500 miles away makes a difference to your diet and the economy.
“You’re empowering local farmers and pumping local money into local initiatives,” Lisman said.
Lisman also hopes to get students to sign up for different positions to assist with sorting, which will allow them to get a free bag of produce.
“Produce clubs save your money because you can eat organically for a lot less than you would otherwise,” she said. “Even if you don’t believe in green movements, it just makes more sense and the food tastes better.”