Ambar Ramirez
Words & photos by Ambar Ramirez
Nearly every day it seems that a study comes out with information about harmful chemicals and components being found in our food. Whether it’s microplastics, micropollutants, Red 40 or GMO, they are making their way into our food, grocery stores and bodies. With the influx of information regarding our apparent disregard for nutrition labels, manufacturing morals and harmful digestives, it makes sense that we are naturally entering an era where people care more about the food’s nutritional value rather than what it looks like. More than that, because, of course, our consumerist tendencies go further than just what we eat, we are seeing a focus on supporting and buying local.
And in Murray Hill, there’s a farmer’s market setting the standard as to what our future can look like in regard to how (and where) we get our food and how we can be more conscious about the food we are getting.
Murray Hills Farmer Market started back in 2022 when Miranda Jayde, marketing manager and founder, and Nadia Korths, co-founder, noticed a lack of access to sustainable products in the Murray Hill area.
Folio: What inspired you to start the Murray Hill Farmers Market, and what values do you aim to promote through its existence?
Miranda Jayde: The Murray Hill Farmers Market was brought into the world to promote the importance of regenerative agriculture, to create a more connected local food system, and to foster a sense of community around locally grown food. I started volunteering at a farm and gained a huge respect for agriculture, then co-founder and friend Nadia Korths suggested to me, “What if you were to start a farmers market in Murray Hill?” Noticing that I had some ideal skills for management as well as connections, particularly in the local agriculture scene and in the neighborhood, Nadia and I combined our brains and hearts to develop a model for a small- to medium-sized farmers market — proportional to the area it resides — that is centered around sustainability and food sovereignty, the two core values of the market.”
This model can be replicated in other parts of town in order to move toward the vision of a neighborhood that embodies natural beauty, ecological health and an abundant capacity beyond the standards we have become accustomed to. Where a problem exists, there also exists an opportunity for a solution, for growth, and for connection; in this case, connection to our food and to each other. A complex issue such as this one can be frustrating because there is no quick fix. It takes a whole lot of time and people that care enough to make change happen.
Folio: Can you tell us about the process of selecting vendors for the market? What criteria do you prioritize in choosing participants? Any specific vendors you want to highlight?
Jayde: The five categories of vendors are directly linked to the mission:
- Food grown/produced locally
- Value added products/cottage industry foods (ex: pickles, breads)
- Food related products (ex: wooden cutting boards/spoons)
- Health/wellness/lifestyle (ex: candles, detergents, sustainable home goods)
- Farming/gardening related products (ex: seeds, plant starts)
We have decided not to include any jewelry, art, craft or clothing vendors for this market, as we are holding a strong focus on our mission and core values. A few vendors that are an excellent representation of MHFM are ChanDanko Farms, Harmony Mushroom Co., Clinical Traditions Co., Prema Bakes and Seitanic Jax. The folks behind all five of these businesses are hyper-local (live within five miles of the market), practice or support sustainable agriculture, and play a role in bringing wholesome, high quality food/medicine directly to consumers. They are quite charming as well!
Folio: How does the market educate consumers about the importance of supporting local food systems and the benefits of consuming fresh, locally sourced produce?
Jayde: The vendors are the market, and due to our careful selection of vendors that align with our values and mission, each week they naturally educate the people who come by sharing the stories and experiences of how they grow and/or make what they offer. We would like to, in the future, offer workshops and demonstrations during the market as an educational component. The best example of this would be an event we put on last year in March called Hug-A-Farmer Day, in collaboration with the Duval Soil and Water Conservation District, with the simple intent of appreciating the farmers in our local food system and strengthening the network in Jacksonville. There were some activities including a farm passport, where customers collected stamps from each of the farmers and could exchange it for a seed pack prize. Hugs were exchanged, and six farms/farmers each received a gift basket of local and farm related goodies! We’re in the midst of planning a second Hug-A-Farmer Day for 2024.
Folio: In what ways do you engage with marginalized or underserved communities to enhance their access to fresh, nutritious foods through the market?
Jayde: Accessibility … we are bringing some of the best quality groceries around Jacksonville directly to a diverse historic neighborhood that people can easily walk or bike to. Murray Hill is, relatively speaking, a food desert, meaning there are no grocery stores directly in the neighborhood. An important goal we have is to become a part of the FAB (Fresh Access Bucks) program, which not only accepts SNAP/EBT as currency, but doubles their money for grocery-type foods. It’s a huge deal for low-income folks to be able to shop high quality, locally grown food: This directly ties into food sovereignty. Food sovereignty is the right to local, healthy food. It suggests a smaller food system in which the people who produce, distribute and consume food are at the heart of the food system rather than larger corporations. We hope to add the FAB program into our structure as soon as we can manage it.
Folio: Community engagement is often a cornerstone of farmers markets. What initiatives or activities do you organize to foster a sense of community among vendors and shoppers?
Jayde: Our host, Fishweir Brewing Co has been a huge help because they have already worked toward great community engagement over the years. It’s probably the most family-friendly brewery I’ve been to — which is a huge plus for the farmers market. Lots of parents enjoy bringing their kids along to MHFM; they can enjoy a craft beer and enjoy live music while their kiddos run around the backyard and get some energy out. We’ve got a couple of yard games like corn hole and giant Connect 4 to entertain folks of all ages.
Korths: There is the weekly relaxed evening vibe among the vendors and shoppers. We are enjoying local musicians, watching children play together in Fishweir’s Backyard while sipping an inhouse brew. There’s something magical about people sharing their love of local, regenerative and community together over and over again each week.
Folio: In what ways does the Murray Hill Farmers Market contribute to local regeneration efforts, both environmentally and economically?
Jayde: MHFM prioritizes selecting vendors/farmers that practice regenerative farming, which goes a step beyond organic/sustainable farming because not only are they not spraying harmful chemicals and preservatives (which are terrible for our health), but they are using farming practices that enhance our soil more and more after each harvest. Farming regeneratively, or supporting those that do, is one of the greatest environmental impacts you can have as an individual. Some regeneratively minded vendors/farms you can find at the market include Clover Farms, Bee Grateful Apiaries, CartWheel Ranch Meats, Southern Acre Farm, and Bee Pollen Farms.
Aside from the agricultural part, Murray Hill Farmers Market is naturally regenerating community amongst neighbors and the local economy by keeping our dollars circulating right here! This creates strength and resiliency in our community, especially when it’s tied to our food, health and overall wellbeing. It’s a big deal!
Folio: Could you share any success stories or notable impacts the market has had on local farmers, artisans, or the community at large?
Jayde: Since day one of Murray Hill Farmers Market [Sept. 28, 2022], we have been fostering a sense of community with each other. It’s something that comes natural when you bring people together that deeply care about the same things — for us it’s supporting local and highlighting agriculture. Someone came up with ‘the Farmily’ as a nickname for our group and it stuck. Many of the vendors support each other by collaborating on products, selling each other’s products at other markets and also trading/bartering items; for example, “I’ll trade you a bunch of carrots for a slice of cake!” In my eyes this is a success story.
Folio: How do you address accessibility and inclusivity within the market to ensure that all members of the community can participate and benefit?
Jayde: We don’t expect all of Jacksonville to come out to Murray Hill in the middle of the week for their groceries: Our goal is to be accessible to the folks in and around the neighborhood. A bigger picture vision that could address accessibility issues would be having a farmers market in every borough of Jacksonville, so that we all have access to fresh seasonal food within walking/biking distance. We hope to be an example for other neighborhoods to work toward a stronger local food system.
Folio: As an organizer, what challenges have you faced in maintaining the market’s ethos of promoting local, fresh food, and how have you overcome them?
Jayde: It’s a little challenging to turn down vendors that don’t fit the ethos of the market, but having the categories and core values to back me up makes for a perfectly understandable explanation, that way it’s never personal. The biggest challenge for me personally has been marketing/promotion and dealing with the responsibility of customers showing up to shop! As a founder, the market is so much deeper to me than it may appear to a first-time market goer, so I’m hoping stories like this one will help the community to truly understand why we’re here and what we stand for. If people don’t show up and shop, the Murray Hill Farmers Market cannot serve its purpose.
Folio: What strategies are in place to minimize food waste and encourage sustainable consumption practices among vendors and shoppers?
Jayde: Vendors are encouraged to use compostable packaging when possible, and we even have a resource section on our website for this! We do not allow styrofoam at the market, and we discourage the use of unnecessary plastic. I’d like to highlight one of our regular vendors here, Seitanic Jax! They always have a small compost box next to their table that all of their food scraps go into. This sets an excellent example for other vendors as well as customers.
Currently, MHFM is a drop-off option for Apple Rabbit Compost subscribers. I would love to someday have their resource recovery bins at the market every week, which separates waste into 3 categories: compost, recycle, and landfill. This is a very educational practice that definitely aligns with our values.
Folio: Are there any plans or aspirations for expanding the market or introducing new initiatives in the future?
Jayde: The goal is the same now as it was in the very beginning: to have a great selection of high quality, locally grown/produced food staples that folks tend to need on a weekly basis. We want to continually solidify this, so we can really become a one-stop shop type of market where you can get all of your grocery and home goods for the week — one that is consistent and reliable for the neighborhood. To some extent we have already accomplished this, but, of course, there’s also so much room for improvement,” It’s a win-win-win. Food that’s healthier for you, your community and our environment. And we’re pretty good at having fun while we do it!
Every Wednesday from 5 to 8pm, Murray Hills Farmer Market is at Fishweir Brewing Company. For more information on the market or how to get involved, check out murrayhillfarmersmarket.com.
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