Greenbelt Farmers Market Kicks Off Buy Local Challenge

Today the Greenbelt Farmers Market will kick off its Buy Local Challenge, an initiative that encourages city residents to buy and eat local food.

Buy Local Week runs from July 20 to July 28. Participants can pledge to “eat at least one local thing from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week.”

Buying from farmers markets allows residents to directly support local farmers. If each Maryland household purchased $12 worth of produce every week from a farmers market for 8 weeks, $229,569,600 could go directly to the local farmers.

Many of the sample recipes on the Buy Local Challenge website can be prepared with food at the Greenbelt Farmers Market. The Sauteed Summer Squash with Tomato and Corn can be made with summer squash, tomatoes and corn from Pat Hochmuth Farm and Zahradka Farm.

This is also the third Sunday of the month, which means Sweet Earth Essentials Aromatherapy will set up shop and offer handcrafted oils, balms and scrubs.