August 31, 2022
An urban farm based in Montgomery County is hosting a community market focused on increasing access to healthy foods and promoting sustainable farming practices.
FarmerJawn's Autumn Community Market is taking place at FarmerJawn Greenery in West Mount Airy on Saturday, Sept. 3 from noon to 6 p.m. The event is free to attend with prior registration and will feature music, food and a variety of vendors selling sustainable goods.
"FarmerJawn was founded with the mission to bring health and wellness to low income communities as well as bringing forward the education behind agriculture and being able to grow your own food regardless of lack of space, or education," Kale Henderson, store manager and event facilitator, told Wooder Ice. "FarmerJawn also aims to bridge the gap between food waste, food insecurity, and the symbiotic relationship between the two."
A free plant workshop will take place at 3 p.m. to provide the education that FarmerJawn has become known for. The nonprofit's initiative focuses on teaching people to be more mindful about what they're putting in their bodies and how to integrate agriculture into their everyday life.
Participating vendors include tallow-based skin care brand Vellum Street Soap Co. and Spotted Horse Provisions, a locally-sourced jam and sauce company. New Jersey-based bakery Lizzie's Love Cakes and Corneey's, a food truck that specializes in street corn, also will be on site.
In addition to shopping and food vendors, FarmerJawn is hosting educational programming about the cannabis industry and child education.
FarmerJawn founder Christa Barfield got her start in community agriculture when she quit her health care job in 2018.
In the middle of her job search, she took an impromptu trip to the Caribbean island of Martinique, where she drank tea each morning made by an Airbnb host using herbs directly from his garden. When she returned to her home in Germantown, she decided to start Viva Leaf Tea Co., an agriculture-based tea brand, in 2019.
After favorable reviews, Barfield was approached by a real estate developer in 2020 to open several greenhouses in Elkins Park. She started FarmerJawn to teach people about urban farming and encourage access to nutritious foods in marginalized communities.
Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022
Noon to 6 p.m. | Free with registration
FarmerJawn Greenery
6730 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19119