The Kemp Mill Farmers Market is a project I've been working on for several years. I've received permission from the County to run the market at the Silver Spring Jewish Center. The Market will officially start in several months. The Market will be on Sunday afternoons.
I have the honor of being mentored by people like Jeremy Criss, Agricultural Services Division Manager at the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development, and Mike Tabor, a veteran farmer who sells at local markets. I am also grateful to Chuck Shuster and others at the UMD Extension for the knowledge and guidance they graciously share. And most importantly, I am indebted to the Silver Spring Jewish Center for hosting the Market.
The overarching goal of the Kemp Mill Farmers Market is to provide services and goods to members of the local Jewish community who are seeking to live sustainably. The secondary goal is to coordinate with local government officials, like Jeremy, and local non-profits, like Silver Spring Green, to ensure that this effort is well integrated with similar local efforts.
The market is about much more than providing a source of local food. It's about all aspects of living sustainably. Each week I hope to share with the listserv an aspect of living sustainably. This way I will build interest in the market. Farmers markets around here tend to come and go. It will take our collective effort to establish the Market among the fifty or so markets in the Greater Washington DC region.
For those who are new to living more sustainably, here is a simple way to get started. It is also a way to support the Market.
Use a fountain pen.
In the digital times we're in, a pen is almost a redundancy. There are computers and tablets and smartphones to write on. Still, a pen has its place, and fountain pens are sustainable in several ways. First they are reusable. Second, they can be economical. The economy comes in the long run. After the initial investment in pen and ink, it costs very little to refill a pen.
Fountain pens can also be frustrating. The pen and ink and paper have to be in harmony. Ballpoint pens tend to be more forgiving. Of course, you don't get to pick from a rainbow of ink colors with a ballpoint pen, and you don't experience the unique pleasure of pen gliding over paper that a fountain pen provides.
Because fountain pens are an acquired taste, the Market offers you the opportunity to test drive a Platinum Preppy fountain pen at no cost. Use it for a month. If you find you want to buy the pen, the cost is only $8. At no extra cost the Market will convert the pen to an eyedropper pen, if you like. Eyedropper pens hold enough ink for weeks of writing even with daily use.
Please email the Market if you are interested.
I look forward to keeping you posted on new developments at the Kemp Mill Farmers Market. The original Kemp Mill, located at the bottom of Kemp Mill Road, ran off the power provided by the Northwest Branch. Thus it stands as a fitting symbol for our sustainable efforts.
Peace, Joe Orlow The Kemp Mill Farmers Market A Division of Softwine LLC
