Keeping Healthy: Mobile Farmer's Market
By: Elsa Gillis
Updated: August 27, 2012
One Central New York Farmer is looking to change the way residents get fresh food.
"We started here at Excellus, we were selling produce to the employees, some vegetables; I used to set up a tent, but the weather, you know, the rain would come and it'd wreck things, and it'd be a lot of work... and I just happened to stumble upon a good deal on a bus and so I got it and we just started this year."
Eric Savicki, of Savicki's Farm Market in Clinton, says he travels with his mobile farmer's market to local businesses. He says most employees don't have time to go to farm stands during the day, and after work, they're closed.
"You get the freshest stuff possible obviously, helps the local economy, local growers, you kind of meet the person that grows your food. We're eating it, our families are eating it," he says.
And Savicki packs the bus with everything from strawberries to zucchini. And customers love it.
"Oh we always like the corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, and this year I think we even had more fruits than we had before...it's really convenient having it here, every Tuesday, you're able to come out and purchase items to make a healthy dinner with, everybody in the corporation really enjoys it," says shopper Kathy Tripoli.
Health and Wellness Consultant Pat Salzer agrees.
"Bringing the farmer's market to the workplace brings smiles to people's faces, and you see employees walking around with their produce bag, and it's so fun to talk about what people are cooking for dinner tonight."
Savicki says this year, the mobile market began in mid-June and will go through Labor Day - and he'll travel to almost any business, big or small.


