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t m c » p u l s e | j u ly 2 0 1 5 9 meaning they follow many of the same practices as organic farmers. The market also takes the word "farmers" in its title seriously. Although there are a number of stalls selling prepared foods each week, Leaver said priority is given to those interested in selling produce and protein they have grown and raised. That fact is not lost on those who travel many miles into the city of Houston to set up shop. "I love the Rice market," said Patricia Tieken of Shiner Pork and Beef. "It's the only market I go to where more than 50 percent are actual farmers. That's what people hopefully come to farmers markets for—to support small farmers—and when you come to Rice, you're supporting small farmers." Tieken, her husband, and their four children run the 100-acre farm where they raise English Large Black hogs and Beefmaster cattle to produce heritage pork and grass-fed beef. They have been participating in the Rice market for about two years. "When you come here and you buy bison, or pork and beef, or vegeta- bles, or honey, you can't get this quality of food anywhere else," she said. "It spoils you." Rice's support of the weekly farmers market goes beyond playing host. The chefs at the campus serveries often buy produce from the market and post signs at their cooking stations noting when ingredients are purchased locally. If a farmer who sells at the market has a sur- plus of a particular product, the server- ies will sometimes do "food rescues," meaning the chefs will purchase that surplus item to serve to students. The market also employs a student intern. Current market intern, Belle Douglass, a rising senior, is co-president of a campus club called Real Food Revolution. "We are very focused on promoting local and sustainable food and farming practices," said Douglass. "We throw an event every semester where we have an on-campus chef make a three-course meal featuring local foods, a lot of which they buy at the farmers market." Douglass described Rice's student body as very environmentally focused. "They like to know in the servery if things were purchased here, and there is definitely a positive response when they are," she said. The market hosts several major events each year that are popular among students. This past year, they held Oktoberfest, Mardi Gras and Cinco de Mayo events. "Some of our Rice chefs will cook onsite with food purchased from the market, we'll have a band play and a few local craft breweries—such as No Label, St. Arnold and Karbach—will join us as well," said Leaver. "It's almost like a street festival, but better. It's a lot of fun, and we encourage the community to join us at these events." The true value of the Rice Farmers Market, however, goes beyond the uni- versity's boundaries. The vendors and market staff described it as being more than simply a place to buy food. It's an education—a way to learn more about where your food comes from and how it's cultivated or raised. It's a commu- nity gathering place, where students, professors, university staff and those living in the neighborhoods surround- ing the university can come together. "The Rice market has a real mixture of clientele," said Mike Palmer, who owns Cellar Farms with his wife Cindy Palmer. "We have the college students and also people from different cultures who shop here. We hear a lot of differ- ent dialects." Cellar Farms sells a variety of sus- tainably grown produce, as well as the honey produced by the bees they keep. The Palmers hang a sign at their stall advertising local pure honey in both English and Chinese. "That's what we really like about this place," said Palmer. "It's a good open market with a lot of different cultures. The individuals around here just enjoy good fresh vegetables." By shopping at a farmers market, you are given the opportunity to ask the farmer about how they grew their produce or how they're raising their animals. — BETH LEAVER Manager of the Rice University Farmers Market

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