Eagle Rock Farmers Market to Introduce Speaker Series

Ancient Greek philosopher Plato is credited for saying "knowledge is food for the soul."

If that's the case, patrons will be well fed body and soul by the launch of the Eagle Rock Farmers Market's Fresh@7 lecture series, which welcomes Los Angeles-based experts and activists to the market to discuss food and farming related issues.

The project is the brainchild of Eagle Rock Community Garden founder Mary Tokita, who was brought on as a consultant to help freshen-up the Eagle Rock Farmers Market.

The series first speaker is Yvonne Savio of the LA County Master Gardeners program, who will be on hand on Friday, April 5 at 7 p.m.

The Eagle Rock Farmers Market is held every Friday from 5-9 p.m. at 2100 Merton Avenue.

Scheduled lectures include:

April 19: Living the Vegan Local – Occidental College Vegan Club
April 26: Legalizing LA Street Food – East LA Community Corp.
May 3: Inside Urban Agriculture – LA Community Garden Council
May 10: Backyard Beekeeping Basics – HoneyLove
May 17: Lacto-Fermentation Demonstration – LA Bread Bakers
May 24: Grow Food, Not Lawns! – LA Green Grounds
June 7: Chickens @Home – Eagle Rock Backyard Farms

"The lectures are not going to be really intense; we'll keep it light, keep it short and keep it interesting," Tokita said. "We want to let people know there's a lot going on beyond going to the grocery store and that they can make a connection with local food sources and feel good about leading a healthy life."

In addition to the speaker series, Tokita has also recruited some new vendors for the market.

Soledad Goats, Mojave-based goat cheese farmers, are becoming a fixture at the market. Eagle Rock resident Shannon Russo, who makes caramels and chocolates out of her home, will be debuting at tomorrow's (Friday, March 22) market.

Tokita said she saw Russon selling her "Sweet Baby Candies" at the Old LA Certified Farmers Market in Highland Park, and recruited her to start selling her sweets closer to home.

"We've got a lot of things going on in Eagle Rock, and I'm trying to connect the local food movement with the market," she said.