Fresh produce hit the stands once again as EWU’s Fresh Market reopens for the school year.

Although canned tomatoes and frozen corn may seem to be the only way to get some healthy vitamins on a college budget, there is still a way for EWU students to get their daily dose of fresh fruits and vegetables each week. Largely sourced from local vendors and EWU’s own vegetable garden, the Thursday Fresh Market aims to provide students, faculty and staff with a new—and healthier— food option.

Started, funded and maintained by EWU’s Dining Services, the Fresh Market has run as an offshoot to the Eagle Express Market since the 2012-13 school year as part of EWU’s Sustainability Project.

“We wanted something unique to give to the students,” Mitchell Shaffer, program assistant for Dining Services, said.

Shaffer watches over the tables and doles out everything from apples to garlic each week to the many patrons that wander by. Most of the fruits and vegetables are locally sourced from vendors and farmers in the area, with the occasional seasonal foods being sourced globally. The campus garden also provides vegetables when they are  available.

EWU Dining Services’ Local Partners include LINC Foods, Charlie’s Produce, Truitt Family Foods and Pacific Seafood.

The Fresh Market has managed to make quite an impact since its humble beginnings in 2012. EWU’s Dining Sustainability website states that the stand has been “exceptionally well-received” by students over the years.

“I think it’s a great idea to give people an opportunity to buy healthier food on campus,” junior Alex Braatz said.

Trends vary from week to week so it’s difficult to say what the market’s most popular items are, but according to Shaffer, berries such as blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are often gone by the end of the day, along with bananas and apples.

“It all depends on what people are eating each week,” said Shaffer.

Regular produce includes everything from potatoes, onions, and garlic, to pineapple, kiwi, and lemon. The produce sold is generally consistent throughout the year.

As well as providing fresh produce each week-the market also sells a featured bakery item made from scratch in the kitchens of Tawanka. Popular baked items include apple fritter bread, jalapeno cheese bread and the occasional seasonal cookies and pies.

The Fresh Market’s original location was in the Pence Union Building before the renovations began in the Fall of 2016. Now it is found in the main lobby of Tawanka, a few doors away from the Express Market. The stand will move back to the PUB once it reopens where there is a lot more foot traffic.

The stand will remain in the warm lobby of Tawanka until the PUB’s renovations are completed in the Fall of 2018. It has and will continue to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursdays throughout the school year—summer quarter excluded—providing students, faculty, and staff a healthy and sustainable food option on campus.