September/October 2024
Supporting local farmers’ markets plays a vital role in the sustainability movement. By purchasing locally grown produce at the Carmel Farmers Market, you reduce the environmental impact of long-distance food transportation and promote eco-friendly farming practices. Additionally, it fosters a stronger local economy and encourages the preservation of green spaces, all while enjoying fresh, seasonal products that contribute to a healthier lifestyle.
Urban Awareness Gardens
Jason Michael Thomas, owner of Urban Awareness Gardens in downtown Indianapolis, creates elegant, 100% locally farmed and foraged dinners in a private, urban setting. Leveraging his television appearances and social media influence, he educates the public on the vital importance of the sustainable food movement. Thomas also promotes a healthy lifestyle by teaching others how to seek out the most natural and flavorful local foods. Thomas has also been a vendor at CFM since 2020. Though he won’t be participating in this year’s Winter Market in Carmel, he encourages everyone to come out and support the local farmers, many of whom he also supports and knows by name.
A Native Hoosier With a Penchant for Healthy Food
Thomas began his food industry career at 15, working as a busboy at The South Bend Country Club and eventually becoming a grill cook before attending the University of Notre Dame. His time studying gastronomy and wine in France opened his eyes to the inequalities of the industrial food system, inspiring him to bridge the gap between farm and table by creating Urban Awareness Gardens in downtown Indianapolis.
A dedicated advocate of the sustainable food movement and regenerative agriculture, Thomas sources and forages any produce and protein he doesn’t grow himself from local purveyors. Every event he hosts features beautifully crafted dishes made from ingredients he personally cultivates, including 60 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, berries and fruit trees.
Advocating for Food Sustainability
When asked how we as a community can support local, micro and urban farmers and assist with the food sustainability movement, Thomas replied, “I tell everybody to go to the farmers’ markets and get to know your farmers. They’re proud of what they do, and they can explain their practices in a way that makes sense. You’re not going to get that at the grocery store… you’re being told lies in the marketing and the greenwashing.”
Thomas added, “If, for some reason, you can’t make it to the market on a Saturday morning, I will be happy to deliver. It’s been a fun little side hustle, and it helped us get through last winter. It’s 100% local products coming to you.”
Thomas is a huge proponent of educating the public about their food sources, the impact of supporting local farmers vs. corporate farms, and basic growing skills for whatever space they are working with—urban, suburban, rural.
“I do think people should receive an education on how to grow food,” Thomas expressed. “I think this should be part of the public school curriculum because it has an equalizing factor in our society—especially now. The first step in this education should be to define what healthy foods are. Additionally, we should support small farms as much as we possibly can. I’m not saying we should abandon the industrial model immediately. In fact, I think we should take our industrial and technological prowess and apply it to doing things that we know is the healthiest way to do them.”
Thomas continued, “Once in a while, we get the people who say, ‘You can’t feed the world without pesticides,’ and I tell them that I’ve got a small group of people doing a lot that shows you can, but they lack the support and demand, and it is a pricier product. We know that our country has plenty of tax dollars, and whether the government chooses to spend it on other things that are arguably necessary or not, I think we could allocate a little bit more to the local [agricultural] infrastructure that is true security for our food, our farmers and our rural communities as well.”
Thomas explained that we are just 36 hours from a food crisis in this country and reminded us that we got a sample of that during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“I believe that people should always have the right to grow their own food and raise chickens,” Thomas emphasized. “We are nine meals and three days from absolute anarchy. If there was a fuel shortage, the grocery stores have three days of stock, and that would be gone in one day if people knew something was wrong. It’s far past time to really invest in our local [agricultural] infrastructure. To me, it’s about shifting back to nature. Again, I don’t think we can just abandon all of our technology… it’s amazing what we can do. Let’s just take another look at it, step back and try to imitate what nature already does.
“I don’t claim to be an expert farmer,” Thomas added, “but I have become an expert urban farmer and know what to do with two-thirds of an acre. We’ve got a lot going on downtown, and for the people that say we can’t feed the world… I’m pretty sure that if we had [an urban] farm on every block, that would be a good start. There’s a lot that can happen in a small space.”
To contact Jason Michael Thomas for more information on his urban farm, products, CSA delivery service and private dinners, visit jasonmichaelthomas.myshopify.com. Be sure to follow him on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok @jasonmichaelthomas.
Eat Fresh and Support Local All Winter Long!
Join us in supporting the Carmel Farmers Market at its new Winter Market location, fondly known as The Six Eleven, located at 611 3rd Avenue SW, every Saturday from 9 am – 12 pm, from October 19 through March 29.
Come visit CFM’s 40 vendors at the Winter Market every Saturday morning beginning October 19 through the end of March in its new home, 611 3rd Avenue SW. Parking is free in front of the building and on both the building’s north and south sides. Please do not park in the lot of CFM’s neighbor Salon 01. They need all their parking spaces on Saturdays for their clients.
See you at the Winter Market! For more information on the CFM Winter Market, visit carmelfarmersmarket.com.