On a college campus in the early morning, you may see students running late to class, out for a jog, or rubbing their eyes en route to breakfast. But every Wednesday on Brown University's campus, you'll also see a sloping lawn framed by white tents and pickup trucks filled with young people scurrying around, hauling bushels of apples and baskets of tomatoes. The school awakens to this lively scene outside the main dining hall, and it's my favorite time of the week: farmers' market day.

My experience with markets has fortunately been extensive, and I associate them with leisure produce-perusing, but at Brown, the market takes on a different life. Students and staff may be unfamiliar with the assortment of still-somewhat-dirty vegetables and afraid to approach farmers for more information. As a market liaison for the Sustainable Food Initiative, our campus' food awareness group, I attempt to fill in the blanks and make the farmers' market a comfortable place for all.

The Sustainable Food Initiative works in unison with Brown Dining Services to put on this market and its accompanying Community Supported Agriculture program (CSA). My main role is as a market shares coordinator, and in that capacity I help to oversee the collection of share money and distribution of each week's produce. The program serves primarily as a means of connecting students to local, delicious food—but staff and faculty also participate. Shareholders bring reusable bags to our pick-up station, and leave with bursting satchels of peppers, apples, bread, and other seasonal treats.

The same vendors and volunteers have been coming to our humble market for several seasons, leading to a tight-knit and quirky community of farmers and students. Barden Family Orchards of North Scituate, Rhode Island, always deliver delicious apples of many varieties, as well as absolutely enormous pumpkins. Pak Express Farm of Cranston, Rhode Island, provides an enormous quantity of near-perfect eggplant, beans, basil, and other unique products. And the justifiably ever-popular Seven Stars Bakery consistently sells out of their fresh loaves of bread, sandwiches, and the best biscotti I've ever had.

Each week, I witness students discovering the market and our CSA program for the first time. Their looks of piqued, wary interest give way to smiles of surprise, and they inevitably pick up a peach or loaf of bread before rushing to class. While the university farmers' market is a different model than I'm used to, it provides a unique opportunity to educate as well as purchase delicious local food.

In Season

Apples
Squash
Concord Grapes
Peppers
Tomatoes
Arugula
Green Beans
Basil
Mint
Mustard Greens

Brown University Farmers Market
Thayer Street and George Street, Providence RI (map)
Every Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
September 8 - October 27

About the Author: A student in Providence, Rhode Island, Leah Douglas loves consuming and learning about as much food as possible. She blogs at Feasting on Providence.