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During National Farmers Market Week earlier this month, I published several farmers market profiles on this site. Finding so many rich market stories, I extended this feature into the rest of August. This is part of that extended series.
Stay tuned to this page for more profiles, recipes, and tips inspired by D.C.-area farmers markets.
Profile #6: The Johns Hopkins Hospital Farmers Market
(Go straight to the slide show)
Many farmers markets support environmental ideals, but the Johns Hopkins Hospital Farmers Market is unique in that it grew entirely from a green initiative. This market, which just kicked off this year, had its genesis among the eco-minded volunteers of the JHH Green Team. True to its beginnings, in addition to providing an array of tasty foods, the market encourages zero-carbon foot traffic, draws its 11 vendors from as close by as possible, and advertises with trees in mind.
The idea for this new place to shop caught on right away, said market manager Roneet Mallin. “It was a success from the beginning, from the get-go,” she said. This popularity surely has something to do with eco-friendliness, but could also owe a lot to its offerings. Who can say no to fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, artisan breads and baked goods, salsas, chutneys, sauces, preserves, fruit butters, small batch roasted coffee, pastured meats, eggs, cheese, and ice cream all within a few steps of offices, dorms, and homes?
As the name suggests, the market takes place on the hospital grounds (next to the Outpatient Center, to be exact), and it serves JHH employees, patients, visitors, and community residents. Market hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Thursday.
Market history: Acolytes take on a market
The farmers market project started last year, when the subject came up at a JHH Green Team meeting. Members Roneet Mallin and Shannon Gregor were both interested, and a partnership was born. Mallin, a home health care coordinator for the hospital, started recruiting vendors, and Gregor, a project coordinator for the Admitting and Registration Department and Patient and Visitor Services, tackled logistical details.
The two were by no means experts. “When I first started calling vendors, I was literally calling blind,” recalled Mallin. She found potential sellers primarily through internet searches and a few leads from the Baltimore Buyers-Growers Meeting held in February. Eventually, she started figuring it out.
Meanwhile, Gregor was seeking permission for sellers to drive their trucks onto an area usually closed to vehicles and learning that the hospital would have to provide extra security for the market. Permission was granted and security proffered.
The market opened in June 2009 with eight vendors, and soon grew to 11. While they do not take head counts of customers, the organizers report hefty shopping traffic. And each market day brings glowing feedback. Now, Mallin said, other hospitals and clinics are calling to find out how they did it.
Special feature: Health at a hospital
Alongside the green ideals of the JHH market lie healthful goals. Mallin loves the idea of giving fresh, unprocessed meals a boost. “What’s easier? Going to a drive through or going to the market?” Mallin wondered. If the farmers market is close and convenient, healthier home cooking stands a chance. In the future, the organizing team would like to expand the project to involve the hospital’s Nutrition Department.
The market also nourishes the spirit. “A hospital is often very sad,” said Mallin, whose job sometimes has her setting up Hospice care, or seeing patients’ disappointment with going home still needing medical attention. “To me, this was the fun part… it was so positive,” she said.
Stand-out fact: Sticking to green ideals
With this market, Mallin and Gregor proved that a good old-fashioned endeavor need not rely on erstwhile advertising. Instead of plastering the area with posters or handing out flyers, they get the word out through email and ads on LCD screens situated around the hospital facilities.
Secret ingredients
Caffeine and protein sum up the unique offerings of this market. This is the only one in my profile series to feature locally-roasted coffee. It is also unique in offering nuts and chocolates.
Take your pick of the products—they all stand out and no doubt keep customers coming back.
Where to read more
See write-ups on the JHH Farmers Market in Charmed Magazine, the Baltimore Business Journal, and Hopkins' own JHU Gazette.
Ready to try the market for yourself? Here’s the info:
Johns Hopkins Hospital Farmers Market
Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
601 N. Caroline Street
Baltimore, Md.
2009 season: June to October
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