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Learning the Power of Produce

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Power of Produce Club, photo by Pattie Garrett

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

School’s out for the summer. No lunchboxes to fill, no homework, fewer structured activities, and more free time. It’s a perfect time to add a Wednesday family outing to the Saratoga Farmers’ Market for the Power of Produce Club.

Power of Produce, or POP, is a free 12-week program at the market. It begins next Wednesday, June 26, and runs through early September. The goal is to help children learn more about where their food comes from.

POP Coin

Children can join the POP Club by visiting the Saratoga Farmers’ Market with their parents. Each time members visit the market they receive a $2 POP coin that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, children receive a POP passport that is stamped at each visit. After receiving four stamps, children are eligible for a prize. Although the club is open to children, it is especially geared toward those aged 5-12.

Buying produce with a POP coin gives children a chance to meet farmers, learn money skills, and make smart food choices.

In addition to the POP coins, the POP Club features weekly activities and music. The Christopher Dailey Foundation sponsors the program and several community partners host the club’s activities. Opening day will feature music by first-time market performer Jeannine Ouderkirk, a Humpty Dumpty craft activity sponsored by the Saratoga Springs Public Library, and a sampling of Shushan Hydro Farms’ cherry tomatoes.

Friends of the Market host POP Club, photo by Pattie Garrett

Julia Howard, formerly the market coordinator, started the POP Club at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market four years ago. This summer, her five-year-old daughter Taiga will be a club member.

“With a climate crisis and pesticide-ridden foods in our present day, it’s so important that children understand where their food comes from,” Howard says. “It’s important that we give them the tools to be involved in agriculture and community, to help them understand the impacts of climate change. The POP Club is a great outlet for children to get involved and to learn how to make changes on a local and worldwide level.”

To join, look for the green POP Club tent at the Wednesday market, across from the market information booth.

Saratoga Farmers’ Market Helps Children Learn the ‘Power of Produce’

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By Julia Howard, Market Administrator

As Saratoga-area children anticipate their last day of school, the first question on many parents’ minds is “what are we going to do all summer?” The Saratoga Farmers’ Market’s Power of Produce Club offers children and families a free and easy answer to that question.

Power of Produce Club (also known as POP Club) is a 12-week program that begins next Wednesday, June 27, and runs through early September. It takes place each Wednesday, 3-6 p.m. at the farmers’ market, and gives both children and their parents a chance to learn about local foods and farming in a hands-on way.

POP Club is open to children of all ages and abilities. Each time participants visit the Wednesday market, they will receive a $2 POP coin that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from a farmer of their choice. The coins are geared towards children between the ages of 5 and 12. In addition, children will receive a stamp on a POP passport. After receiving four stamps, children will be eligible for a prize.

The goal of the project is to help children see how food and farming are intrinsically connected to strengthening community ties. By buying produce from our vendors, children form what might turn into lifelong relationships with local farmers. At the same time, children gain basic money skills and participate in weekly activities that offer a sense of how to enjoy local produce when it is at its finest.

Power of Produce Club is made possible by support from The Christopher Dailey Foundation and the Rotary Club of Saratoga Springs. In addition, local activities are being organized by numerous community partners like The Children’s Museum of Saratoga, Cornell Cooperative Extension master gardeners and food and nutrition educators, and several of our local farmers.

The first event takes place next Wednesday and will feature live music by the Zucchini Brothers, balloon twisting by Mr. Twisty, an activity on healthy snacking, and more free activities. At POP Club, children will have an opportunity to make a fruit and yogurt cone, using local ingredients.

To join us, look for the green POP Club tent at the Wednesday market, across from the market information booth.

The Saratoga Farmers’ Market is 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Find us on Facebook,  Instagram, Twitter, and check us out on the FreshFoodNY app. E-mail friends@saratogafarmers.org for volunteer opportunities.