10th Annual Tomato Saturday

The Chico Certified Farmers’ Market and the Network for a Healthy California—Children’s Power Play! Campaign (Network) brought the community together on August 8th, 2009 to celebrate the 10th Annual Tomato Saturday and enjoy a fun day of healthy eating and local buying. Over 1,000 residents flooded the market for Tomato Saturday, a festival that reminds locals of the tremendous tomato season in Butte County.
This year, Tomato Saturday also provided an opportunity for local residents to get tips and learn about the resources available to help them eat healthy and stay active without breaking their budget. Families often find it challenging to get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables and be active every day, but it is possible to live healthy at a low cost.
“Shopping locally at farmers’ markets like the Chico Certified Farmers’ Market is a great way to not only stretch your dollar but to also put money back into our community,” said Emily Ruffner, coordinator, Network for a Healthy California—Children’s Power Play! Campaign. “It’s imperative that we start making healthy living a priority.”
In the Sierra Cascade Region, 60% of adults are overweight or obese and over 44% of children and adolescents under the age of 18 are either overweight or at risk.
Along with eating locally-grown fruits and vegetables, it’s also important to make sure kids get plenty of physical activity, especially during the summer months when there tends to be a lack of structured play. “Children are said to gain twice as much weight over the summer as during the school year, so it’s important to get them moving for at least 60 minutes every day throughout the year,” explained Ruffner. “Riding bikes in the park, swimming at One Mile, walking in the evening and playing in the sprinklers are great ways to be active in the summer and still keep cool.”
Tomato Saturday gave community residents a chance to become more aware of these issues and remind them that small lifestyle changes can have a huge effect on their health. It also provided a fun day for the family to get out and enjoy the summer months before diving into a new school year. Tomato tastings, kid’s activities and tomato competitions were also part of the festivities and allowed locals to showcase their fresh, locally grown produce. Community members brought in their heaviest, best tasting, most unusual, cutest and best dressed tomatoes. The tables were lined with tomato creations ranging from Mr. & Mrs. Tomato Head driving a watermelon, to a tomato lounging in a hammock. Over 30 colorful and healthy red, green and fruit salsas were lined up for attendees to judge with cash prizes going to the lucky winners with the best tasting or best-presented salsa.

Kayla Cook is the media coordinator/Power Play! Campaign assistant coordinator for Network for a Healthy California—Sierra Cascade Region. Network for a Healthy California is dedicated to empowering people to adopt healthy eating and physical activity patterns as part of a healthy lifestyle. For more information visit www.scnutrition.org or for nutritious recipes and tips on how to make healthy changes in your life go to www.cachampionsforchange.net.

By Kayla Cook