Fresh Local Foods Obtained with Food Stamps

Fresh Local Food with Food Stamps

How and where we as consumers use our food stamps could be used as a tool in our treatment and sense of wellness. Processed foods usually are the least expensive and low in nutritional value. Many of us are also on medications that may be effected by poor eating.  Some may not know that if you have EBT/Food Stamps you can utilize them at some Farmer’s Markets. The process is easy and there are people at the Farmer’s Market to help consumers utilize the market to the fullest; even if you do not have food stamps there will be a bilingual case worker to sign consumers up for food stamps and file the paperwork.

The key word in describing the health benefit of locally grown is “fresh.” Since the produce is local, it is fresher than produce that has come from the mainland. Fresher produce means better and more nutritious. How? Fruits and vegetables lose their optimal nutritional value as soon as they are picked. When picked, vitamins such as C, E, A, and some B vitamins begin to deteriorate and thus decrease. Other factors such as the exposure to air, artificial lights, and temperature changes can also contribute to the decrease in nutritional value. Thus, the longer the food sits the more it decreases in nutritional value. That is not to say that you will not get much out of eating fresh produce even if it was picked a week or two ago. It still provides a lot of nutrients but it just won’t be as optimally rich as when first picked. Another health benefit to buying locally grown is that you are getting produce at its peak state. Local farms can allow their fruits and vegetables to ripen longer or even fully ripen, which also adds to nutrition.

Tandis Bishop DTE Nutritionist

The two Farmer’s Markets closest to St Luke’s are in Bethesda and Silver Spring. I have been to the Silver Spring Market and found the experience pleasant. Located between Ellsworth Dr. and Fenton St. and Georgia Ave., the Nearest Metro is Silver Spring Metro (Redline) and the Public Garages are free on the weekends, the Market is open Saturdays 9am-1pm (April to December) and Saturdays 10am-1pm (January to March). 

                To redeem food stamps go to the information booth located at the middle of the market. At the information booth you swipe your card and tell them how much you want to spend. You will be given $1 tokens to use at the booths and receive your “Double Dollar” coupons to match your EBT dollars up to $10. They will also provide you with a tote bag to collect your food if you ask. I had brought my own bag but accepted the extra because I realized I would be buying produce and meats. I bag them separately to avoid cross contamination. I also learned to bring a special small bag to hold the tokens. They are wood and the little larger than a quarter. At the Silver Spring Market I found cheese (goat’s milk cheese), tree and field fruits (apples= tree/ raspberry= field), vegetables, honey, eggs (fresh eggs vary in color, don’t let the shell colors through you off), meat (frozen and packaged well), pies, preserves, salsa, breads and much more. I walked the market first to see all the venders and if anything caught my eye. Many of the booths provide easy recipes for the products they are selling.  I then sat down and made a list of what I wanted and what was on my list (that I had made prior so I would not get too overwhelmed) and compared them. I had withdrawn $40 of food Stamps and had received the extra $10 from the Double Dollar coupon resulting $50 to spend. The vendors were courteous and informative about the products. Have you ever tried purple cauliflower or squashes that don’t look like zucchini? This way you try new foods and learn the wide varieties without the Balducci price. I bought bison meat (buffalo) because it is leaner than regular red meat (usually cow) and was raised in a humane way. The vendor had recipes and information about bison. One tip is to do a long marinade and watch the meat closely because it cooks faster and can dry out. The recipe she gave me was for a root beer glaze that made the meat tender and flavorful. There may be long lines; be patient and use your skills for calmness during the wait.

The Farm Fresh Markets have 11 locations in the Chesapeake Bay region. The Farm Fresh Markets are known as producer-only. This means that the farmers can only sell what they grow, raise or make on their farms. The farms are within a 150 mile radius of Washington, DC. Fresher foods and lower carbon footprint is the result.

What is a carbon footprint - definition?

A carbon footprint is defined as:

The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

In other words: When you drive a car, the engine burns fuel which creates a certain amount of CO2, depending on its fuel consumption and the driving distance. (CO2 is the chemical symbol for carbon dioxide). When you heat your house with oil, gas or coal, then you also generate CO2. Even if you heat your house with electricity, the generation of the electrical power may also have emitted a certain amount of CO2. When you buy food and goods, the production of the food and goods also emitted some quantities of CO2.

Your carbon footprint is the sum of all emissions of CO2 (carbon dioxide), which were induced by your activities in a given time frame. Usually a carbon footprint is calculated for the time period of a year.

The best way is to calculate the carbon dioxide emissions based on the fuel consumption. In the next step you can add the CO2 emission to your carbon footprint. 

n  Time for change website

n  For more info about carbon footprints  and other environmental information go to:

n  http://timeforchange.org/what-is-a-carbon-footprint-definition

The other locations in the Washington DC area are:

Annapolis/ Bethesda/ Ballston/ Crystal City/ DuPont Circle/ Foggy Bottom/ H street NE/ Penn Quarter/ St Michaels/ Silver Spring/ by the White House.

            So if you want an interesting day trip go to the White House Market(located 810 Vermont Avenue- McPherson Square metro blue and orange line)  and take pictures of the White house or take a tour of the mall(before the market, so you won’t be weighed down with bags). To get more information about the different markets and information go to www.freshmarket.org.

 Article by Nicole Black