What We Do
The mission of Friends of the Dane County Farmers' Market is to:
Encourage children and adults to think about how the food they eat gets to their fork.
Increase the community's nutrition and food-preparation knowledge by demonstrating techniques, providing recipes and giving out information about the benefits of consuming locally produced fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, cheeses, fish and bakery.
Provide opportunities for food from the market to be donated to food pantries, charities and those in need. Provide opportunities for everyone in the community to be a part of the sustainable, local food movement.
Friends of DCFM has a year-round presence at the Farmers' Market.
Spring and Summer:
School on the Square
Friends of the DCFM volunteers work with the UW Dietetics and Nutrition Club and market vendors to sponsor food and market products related programs for children and adults. Activities range from transplanting seedlings to making musical instruments with gourds, making edible jewelry from baby veggies and taking a sunflower quiz.
Children's Activities
Friends of the DCFM organize educational and entertaining events at the Market relating to where food comes from. Planting, tasting, learning about seeds, and growing are all part of the fun.
Adult Activities
Friends of the DCFM works with community organizations and market vendors to demonstrate and provide information and recipes on subjects such as over-wintering rosemary plants, composting, using the different parts of sunflower plants and making herb flavored vinegars.
Food Tastings
Friends of the DCFM works with the Madison Herb Society, market vendors, and area chefs to provide free samples and recipes featuring DCFM vendor products.
Working with REAP Food Group, Center for Integrated Agriculture, and the Dane County Farmers' Market, Friends of the DCFM works to provide this free guide listing farms and food-related businesses that sell their goods directly to customers in southern Wisconsin. Friends' volunteers distribute the Atlas at the early spring outdoor markets on the Square. The Atlas is available at the DCFM Information Booth until the supply runs out and at any of the locations listed here.
FoodShare
For the second year, Friends of the DCFM is working with volunteers to allow families and individuals to buy edible Farmers' Market products with their Quest cards or "food stamps." Friends of the DCFM volunteers set up every Saturday at the DCFM information booth at the State St corner of the Capitol Square from 7am to 1pm to assist FoodShare participants. FoodShare is also available at the Wednesday Farmers' Market, located on MLK Blvd, from 9am to 1pm at the Pecatonica Valley Farm stand.
Autumn and Winter:
FoodShare
Friends of the DCFM work with volunteers at the Monona Terrace and the Senior Center to provide FoodShare participants an opportunity to shop at the Winter Markets. Friends of the DCFM volunteers are located at the DCFM information booth to assist participants.
School on the Square at Monona Terrace
Friends of the DCFM works with market vendors to spotlight winter market products with information, food tastings and recipes.
Food Donations
Friends of the DCFM works with the Community Action Coalition to sponsor a Food Drive between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is an exceptional opportunity to supply local food pantries with fresh market produce during the winter months.
Reuse - Recycle
Friends of the DCFM sells canvas shopping bags to encourage the reuse of containers for market produce. To buy a Friends' shopping bag by mail print this Shopping Bag Order Form, fill it out completely and mail to Friends at the address on the form. (To view (and print) the Shopping Bag Order Form, you must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer. Adobe Reader is available as a free download.)
In addition, Friends collects and resells cookbooks to encourage the reuse of recipe sources among the Market community.
Friends of the Dane County Farmers Market 2011 Page built by Oshehoma Productions