Eat A Rainbow Relaunch
Chef’s Corner
Article By: Mitch Samples
My name is Mitch; I am a chef by trade, a romantic by birth, and an unrequited poet of questionable talent. Most Saturdays you can find me at the Downtown Cary Farmers Market talking with anyone who cares to listen. Those who know me will tell you I am happy to talk to you about anything that’s on your mind. It’s my way of making friends and being a good neighbor. My favorite topic though, is anything revolving around food, which I suppose is the reason I love the Market so much.
Markets are something that have become very popular in the world today, popping up like so many wildflowers in bloom this time of year. This is a positive step forward to a healthy food culture. Along with having the best farmers around helping to make this possible, the Market is also a venue for local artisans to show their wares. Woodworkers, soap makers, coffee roasters, tea purveyors, and bakers are there to share the morning with you and make it a
little bit better than it might have been prior to your arrival. The Market prides itself on being a community hub, so over the season you will also be treated to local musicians, kid-friendly activities, and educational programs such as Eat a
Rainbow. This week we will be the re-launching of the third season of just that. It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt, but with more vegetables.
Everyone knows good nutrition is integral to a healthy life, but always counting calories and
vitamin intake can be a little dull and even off-putting. The Eat a Rainbow campaign aims to take the boring out and put the soaring in. Basically, it instructs us to eat a larger variety of differently hued natural foods every day; thereby we ingest the widest variety of nutrients available with minimal effort or tracking. We’ll be providing kids, and anyone else who wants to participate in this week’s challenge with a paper plate. The idea is to build healthy food memories by searching for foods of different colors among the vendors, collecting stickers representing a rainbow to stick onto
the plates, and presenting your rainbow-colored plate to the Market Chef for a special sticker prize.
So, as we prepare ourselves to celebrate the rebirth of nature’s bountiful rainbow, we ask that you join us at the Market in celebration.
Hope to talk to you there on Saturday!