Alternative 2020 Duke Spring/Summer Mobile Market

Due to the current social distancing advisories around COVID-19, limiting public outings to places like the grocery store has made access to fresh produce more difficult. Local farms in the Triangle area have continued to meet the growing demand for safe produce by selling their produce directly from their farms, or by delivering it safely to your home.

The Alternative 2020 Duke Spring/Summer Mobile Market connects local farmers with the Duke community to help in meeting the demands for fresh, safe produce. All farms listed in the Alternative Mobile Market were previously approved as vendors for our 2020 Duke Farmers Market. To support our local farmers from the Duke Farmers Market, please consider purchasing local, fresh produce from our list of Alternative Mobile Market farms.

Alternative Mobile Market Vendors

Dandies Farm

Website: dandiesfarm.square.site
Owner: Bob Alberson
Phone: 919-280-4997
Location: 110 Equestrian Chase Rougemont, Rougemont, NC
Credit cards accepted? Yes

Products: Dandies Farm is always trying new varieties, and you can expect to see lettuce, kale, pac choi, basil, kohlrabi, fennel bulb, spinach, chives, arugula, radish, turnip, garlic, corn, melons, leeks, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, pepper, bell pepper, cucumber, eggplant, cabbage, onion, veggie seedlings, cut flowers (zinnias), strawberries, blueberries, muscadine grapes, figs, cut flowers, shiitake and foraged mushrooms.

Production practices: Now in their 13th year, Dandies Farm is located in Rougemont, N.C. in the protected Upper Neuse watershed area of Durham County. We sell conventionally grown produce three out of the four seasons at the Duke Farmers Market, Roots Market at Northgate Mall and various restaurants. We support the preservation and reclamation of Durham farmland and protecting the water we drink coming from the Neuse. We love to talk about and sell our "Fresher is Finer" produce to consumers, as well as future gardeners and farmers. Come by and share your stories and recipes!

How to buy: Place your orders online and pick them up at the farm.

Lyon Farms

Website: lyon-farms.com
Owner: Mark Lyon
Location: 1544 Munns Road, Creedmoor, NC
Credit cards accepted? Cash or check only

Products: Variety of fresh produce including strawberries, blueberries, peaches, melon, grapes, tomatoes, lettuce and greens, squash, brocoli, cucumber, sweet potatoes, beets, peas, bok choy, butter beans, cider, jams & jellies and more!

Production practices: Lyon Farms is registered in North Carolina as a "Century Farm" and it has been in Mr. Lyon's family since 1861. The Lyons have been members at the Carrboro Market for 13 years and are now producing year-round. Providing a wide assortment of quality fruits and vegetables as well as seasonal items.

How to buy: Pick your own strawberries or buy pre-picked produce at the farm. You can also purchase $20 boxes of produce to pick-up at pop-up locations in Durham, Raleigh and the surrounding area.

The Produce Box

Website: theproducebox.com
Location: The Produce Box "Hub" is located in Raleigh, NC
Owner: Courtney Tellefsen
Email: info@theproducebox.com
CSA Season: All year round

Delivery Locations: Home Delivery - See our website for delivery information.

Products: Choose from the largest variety of what's in season and discover the deliciousness North Carolina has to offer all year round. We source local fruits and vegetables, cheese and dairy, meat and seafood, and loads of artisan products.

Production Practices: We work with the largest network of over 100 farmers across the state of North Carolina to provide the best selection for you. Our farmers provide organic, pesticide-free, and sustainably raised options delivered right to your doorstep. Join our community and you can get to know the farmers whose hard work provides the produce, meat, and dairy that makes you feel good about the food you eat.

How to Join: Sign up here

Red Birds Farm

Website: redbirdsfarm.com
Owner: Dennis and Chrissy Moore
Location: 3249 Olivia Pope Way, Efland, NC
Credit cards accepted? Yes

Products: Broccoli, lettuce, kale, chard, pac choi, tomatoes, corn, squash, zucchini, beans, cucumbers, asparagus, herbs, and pastured eggs (Barred Rock, Buff Orpington, and Jersey varieties)

Production practices: Red Birds Farm strives to grow the way nature intended, utilizing only natural soil amendments to nourish their plants. No herbicides are used in production and only organic approved pesticides are applied where necessary. A heated hoop house allows them to bring fresh produce to your family all year long, and their feathered ladies work a chicken tractor around their farm, producing wonderful rich brown eggs.

How to buy: Make an appointment to visit the farm to buy produce.

Toad Hill Farm

Website: toadhillfarm.com
Location: Toad Hill Farm LLC is a small family farm located in Northern Durham, NC
Owner: Nicole Connelly and Mike Austin
Credit cards accepted: Yes

Products: Produce: lettuce, peas, carrots, radish, kale, collards, cabbage, bok choi, broccoli, scallions, onions, garlic, squash, cucumbers, beans, southern peas, okra, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, strawberries, figs.
Plants: lettuce, tomato, pepper, eggplant, herbs
Flowers: mixed cut spring and summer - including daffodils, tulips, cosmos, zinnias, sunflowers and many more

Production practices: This family-owned farm focuses on a diverse set of locally adapted and heirloom vegetables, fruits, and flowers and strives to use "toad friendly" farming practices with minimal tillage (most of it with hand tools) and very minimal, very targeted organic pesticide use. The farm is surrounded on three sides by streams which are part of the Little River watershed. These streams, woods, pasture and gardens house the farm's healthy namesake toad population for which they couldn't be more grateful.

How to buy: Join Toad Hill's email list to see what you can pre-order each week for pick up at the farm.

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 or if you are interested in the option to establish customized CSA delivery at your work site, please contact Courtney Brooks at courtney.c.brooks@duke.edu or 919-681-0547.