The Duke Mobile Farmers Market, a weekly market that brings farm-fresh produce and other goods to the Sarah P. Duke Gardens for convenient pick up. It's a form of "community supported agriculture" (CSA) that works when a customer buys a weekly "share" of items from a farm.
Duke Employees seeking access to fresh produce at their doorstep can have shopping done for them with the Mobile Farmers Market.
Farmers use the term Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) to describe the program where a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other local products are hand-selected, individually boxed, and brought from the field to you! Our program connects employees to local CSAs so you can have weekly boxes of fresh produce delivered conveniently to your home or workplace. Visit the Duke Gardens on Tuesday evenings for produce box pick-up or to purchase produce fresh off the farm trucks. Contact Cassandra Callas at 919-681-0547 if you are interested in the option to establish customized CSA delivery at your work site.
Farmers and Vendors
See a current of farmers and vendors that participate in the weekly market.
Delivery Locations
The Duke Mobile Market CSA Program is ongoing, with customized home delivery options in addition to the following delivery locations:
Sarah P. Duke Gardens Parking Lot
Time: Tuesdays from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Dates: April - October, depending on vendor
Location: Duke Gardens upper parking lot, 420 Anderson St.
Duke Campus Farm
Time: Fridays after 12 p.m.
Dates: May through mid-August
Location: 4934 Friends School Rd. across from the Carolina Friends School
Smith Warehouse
Time: Fridays from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Dates: May through mid-August
Location: Bay 2, Room 242
Duke School of Nursing
Time: Tuesdays from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Dates: May through mid-August
Location: School of Nursing Courtyard (atrium in the event of rain)
How to Sign up for a Mobile Market CSA
Signing up is easy and takes three simple steps:
- Browse our diverse list of participating Mobile Market farmers.
- Once you have found a farm you wish to support, visit their website for a registration form that will include detailed information on how to sign-up.
- Send your payment with your form directly to the farmer or vendor. If you have any questions, call or e-mail the farmer or vendor directly.
What's in a Box?
Joining a CSA is a great way to increase the quantity and variety of fresh, healthy produce you consume each week. Depending on the season and what the farm has in rotation, each week your box will contain a diverse assortment of about 5-8 varieties of vegetables and fruit. Some vendors, such as Bella Bean Organics, offer "pantry" items in addition to fresh produce. Every week, you will receive a newsletter from your farmer detailing the contents of your box and recipe ideas. You can expect some combination of:
May - kale, chard, snap peas, lettuce, carrots, salad mix, beets, radishes, salad turnips, broccoli, herbs
June - squash, cucumbers, beets, carrots, potatoes, salad mix, rainbow chard, kale, green beans, radishes, lettuce, potatoes, salad turnips, onions, garlic, herbs
July - cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, eggplant, leeks, green beans, onions, garlic, basil, rainbow chard
August - tomatoes, okra, eggplants, peppers, garlic, green beans, squash, watermelon and herbs
September - peppers, eggplant, okra, carrots, kale, lettuce, chard, radishes, turnips, and herbs
October and November - peppers, salad mix, beets, kale, sweet potatoes, carrots, Swiss chard, collards, turnips, salad mix, radishes, fennel, cabbage, herbs
Why Choose the Duke Mobile Market?
PROVIDES reliable and reasonably-priced source of diverse, fresh, high-quality, local and often organic produce to Duke Faculty and Staff
CONNECTS employees to farmers who bring fresh produce straight from the fields directly to the workplace
GIVES growers a guaranteed way to sell what the farm produces at a fair price
BUILDS local rural community's economy by keeping food purchases close to home
SUPPORTS traditional North Carolina farmers as they transition to environmentally sustainable and organic production methods
Questions/Comments
If you have additional questions about the mobile market, please e-mail Cassandra Callas or call the LIVE FOR LIFE office at (919) 681-0547.