This Week at the South Durham Farmers' Market

This Week at the Market:

• Music: Kaitlin Payne singing & strumming
• Education: Marcia E. Herman on making herbal teas from ingredients in the garden 
• Fresh this week: yellow squash, zuchinni, radishes, apples, beans, cucumbers,  squash, tomatoes, peppers and more!

Local to a Tea
Naturally high in energy, I am still learning how to handle my coffee, so I mostly stick to less caffeinated teas, and in the evening, I prefer comforting herbal teas, also known as tisanes. My tea habit is currently supported by imports from halfway across the world, and comes with multiples layers of packaging, but it doesn’t have to be this way.  Good tea can be local, inexpensive and made by you.

A tea garden could be just a couple pots of herbs, or it could be several beds dedicated to an array of herbs and flowers. Chamomile and mint plants are easy to grow and make excellent bedtime teas. Other great additions to a tea garden include: lemon balm, lemon thyme and lavender. You can even grow ginger root in a pot in order to make a stomach soothing brew. For a natural sweetener, you can include stevia in your tea garden or purchase Bull City’s golden clover honey.

Herb bundle from S&H Farm
Your homemade infusion can be made with fresh or dry herbs, but using fresh ingredients will lend extra flavor, aroma and health benefits to your beverage. Most herbs contain high concentrations of beneficial phytonutrients, and teas are an easy way to include more of them in your diet.

If you don’t have the time for a tea garden, you can still make yourself a fresher cup of tea by purchasing local herbs through vendors at the South Durham Farmers’ Market, like S&H Farm. This fall, S&H will continue to bring their herb bundles, and expects to have ginger root later in the season!

Tomorrow, Dr. Marcia E. Herman will be at the market to sample teas made from her own garden and share her in-depth knowledge of herbal tea-making. Her book, Sipping My Garden: A Simple Way to Make Herbal Teas, will be on sale at the market. We encourage you to come by at 10 o’clock for a special reading on teas for children from her book.

Farmer Foodshare Needs Volunteers!
We are proud to partner with Farmer Foodshare at the South Durham Farmers’ Market. Through the generosity of supporters like you, Farmer Foodshare has collected and donated over 140,000 pounds of food from Farmers’ Markets. Your donations provide healthy, quality food to the hungry and malnourished in seven North Carolina counties.

Donation Station at South Durham Farmers' Market
Currently, Farmer Foodshare is looking for volunteers to help man the Donation Station at the South Durham Farmers’ Market. Please contact Katy Phillips at volunteer@farmerfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer.

Learn more about agritourism in Durham.