With summer fading into fall, Homegrown Alabama is stocking up on colorful and seasonal produce, ripe for Tuscaloosa residents’ choosing.
Homegrown Alabama’s farmers market is held every Thursday from 3-6 p.m. and usually hosts anywhere from 300-500 members of the Tuscaloosa community, many of whom are UA students and faculty. With its location on campus in front of Canterbury Chapel on Hackberry Lane between Bryant Drive and University Boulevard, the market is a convenient stop for students to pick up fresh, locally grown food and other products.
UA grad student and current market manager Mo Fiorella said she believes the market is both figuratively and literally putting healthy food options on the table for students.
“If nothing else, Homegrown Alabama creates an event that draws the attention of students and the campus community and makes them aware of food,” Fiorella said. “No ‘out of sight, out of mind’ excuse will work when you walk by the market on your way home from class.”
This accessibility to students is continued in Homegrown Alabama’s acceptance of Bama Cash, as well as debit and credit cards to buy tokens that work as cash for the market vendors. Homegrown Alabama has also made an effort to provide healthy and simple recipes featuring seasonal fruits and vegetables that are conducive to dorm living. Fiorella said much of Homegrown Alabama’s popularity with UA students is due to its management by fellow UA students who are passionate about the movement to eat local.
“It’s a student group, run by students, not for profit,” Fiorella said. “I think the students care about local food or food in general, but they also help to create and enjoy the community that surrounds the market.”
Taylor Holmes, a sophomore majoring in biology, said she attends the market as an alternative to buying processed foods that have become staples among college students.
“I like that I can use Bama Cash at the market just like at other dining options on campus, but I get fresher foods that I can cook myself,” she said. “I would much rather buy from local farmers than chain grocery stores where I don’t know how many pesticides and additives are going into their produce and other products.”
Homegrown Alabama also hosts special events on the first Thursday of every month. Next month’s event will be a Back to School Tailgate featuring live music, crafts and a barbecue recipe sampling. In October, the market will continue the production of its annual Fall Festival, which will include fall recipe samples and cards, kids activities, face painting, a cakewalk and live music.
While Homegrown Alabama has expanded its market exponentially in its six years on campus, its mission, according to its website, has remained the same: “We want to know where our food is coming from, and we want you to know, too.”
