New Program Partnership

Posted on: August 2nd, 2017 by Robert Ingraham

It is becoming widely known that eating local, in-season produce is best for our health, but this notion can seem daunting and out of reach for most of us.  The City of Sheboygan and the Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization (SCIO) have partnered to produce a program through WSCS entitled, Market Fresh Meals to help bring this healthy practice into more Sheboyganite’s homes.  This program runs on WSCS, and can be viewed through Video on Demand at WSCSsheboygan.com anytime. Five episodes will be produced this season, each bringing you a healthy, easy recipe that can be created with local produce and products found at the SCIO Farmer’s Markets. When you can’t grow your own food, the next best option is to buy from vendors you can trust, who grow in the area, and harvest their goods a matter of hours before they are sold.  You can find these vendors at the SCIO Farmers Markets happening twice a week in Sheboygan, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, June through October, and on Thursdays in Plymouth.  The Sheboygan markets are held at Fountain Park, and the Plymouth market is at the Fairfield Plaza.

Market Fresh Meals is more than a mere cooking show. Made possible thanks to a generous sponsorship from Aurora Health Care, these programs provide information on the health benefits of  local ingredients, and helpful health tips from Aurora’s own Wellness Coordinator, Michelle Urbanek.  Michelle is joined in the Relish Kitchen on 8th Street by Farmer’s Market Manager, Maria Liesegang and together they cook up healthy options with a dollop of good food information.  Some episodes of Market Fresh Meals include segments at the Sheboygan Farmer’s Market, highlighting helpful vendors, and the SCIO information tent with resources explained by SCIO’s own Executive Director, Heidi Gudmundson.

The City of Sheboygan recognizes the health of the population of Sheboygan as an important component to the success of our great city.  Access to healthy food is an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to health, and healthy eating, but it is important to also hold an understanding of how to source, choose, prepare, consume, and store healthy food. We aren’t all natural chefs, but we all have bodies that can benefit from the nourishment that accompanies a lifestyle where eating fresh local food is paramount. Market Fresh Meals offers information and easy, approachable recipes and methods of preparation.

The first episode of Market Fresh Meals is available now and viewable on WSCS, via  under Video on Demand, or by visiting SheboyganCountyInterfaith.org. This first episode shows you how to prepare pan fried tilapia, couscous, and a spring green salad – topped off with local microgreens. Four more episodes will be accompanying this one, each highlighting new market items available as the season progresses, culminating with an episode featuring fall vegetables.

Market Fresh Meals wouldn’t have been possible without the formation of important partnerships. The City of Sheboygan Department of City Development partnered with SCIO to make the production of Market Fresh Meals a reality, and WSCS brought technical expertise, filming, and direction. Relish, located on North 8th Street has been a terrific partner, allowing Market Fresh Meals to be filmed in their newly completed demonstration kitchen.  And of course, none of this would have been possible without the generous sponsorship Aurora Health Care provided.

If you would like to find out more please tune in to Market Fresh Meals, and don’t forget to visit your local farmers markets.  These markets are an awesome asset to our community and will help each of us live our most healthy life.

By Nancy Maring, City of Sheboygan Neighborhood Development Planner