The Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market is set to wrap up for the season this weekend.
The market’s last day this year in the Mount Pleasant Street Plaza is Saturday, according to a post on its Facebook page. It is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Vendors are slated to sell meat, eggs, squash, sweet potatoes and Christmas decorations, among other items.
“Squash and root vegetables are the stars of the late market season,” the Facebook post says.
The market also is set to have live music and a bike clinic.
Farmers and other vendors are scheduled to return for the market in April.
Photo via Facebook/Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market
A farmers market in Columbia Heights is slated to close for the season this weekend, but not before holding one last holiday sale.
The Columbia Heights Farmers Market, located at the intersection of Kenyon and 14th streets NW, is selling Christmas trees and other yuletide goodies this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The market’s vendors will sell trees, olive oil, holiday plants from Plantmasters, cookies from Bjorn’s Bakes and other assorted gifts and local products, according to a representative of Community Foodworks.
The neighborhood’s outdoor market is scheduled to return the second week of April.
Photo courtesy of Columbia Heights Farmers Market
Shaw locals will soon have a new destination for fresh fruits, vegetables and other locally sourced products.
A new farmers market from Community Foodworks will open at Old City Farm and Guild (925 Rhode Island Ave. NW) Sunday, according to Old City owner Frank Asher.
The market will carry produce from Three Springs Fruit Farm and Pleitez Produce alongside coffee from Qualia Coffee, baked goods from Bonaparte Bread, meat from Liberty Delight Farm and products from other vendors Sundays between 10 a.m and 2 p.m.
Get your salad tomorrow at our pop-up farm stand from 4-6pm! We've got lots of mesclun mix! #shawdc #bloomingdaledc pic.twitter.com/l7vENRBkol
— CommonGoodCityFarm (@CmmnGoodCtyFarm) April 6, 2016
A pop-up farm stand is coming near Howard University tomorrow afternoon.
Common Good Community Farm‘s stand on V Street NW between 2nd and 4th streets NW is slated to have lettuce, mesclun and radishes from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, the organization’s program and outreach coordinator Josephine Chu wrote in an email to locals today.
Founded in 2007, the farm grows food, has educational programs and helps feed low-income D.C. residents.
Spring is here. Well, more or less, anyway. As flowers begin to pop up across the city, so too will local farmers markets.
Wondering when the market near you will open? Here’s a helpful guide:
Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant are set this weekend to lose their weekly farmers markets for the winter.
The markets at 3210 Mount Pleasant St. NW and the intersection of 18th Street and Columbia Road NW are scheduled to end their 2015 season Saturday.
The Mount Pleasant Farmers Market is scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., while the Adams Morgan Farmers Market is slated to go from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Columbia Heights residents have just two Saturdays left to peruse their local farmers market for fresh fruits and veggies.
The Columbia Heights Farmers Market, located at the intersection of Kenyon and 14th streets NW, will close for the season after next Saturday, Dec. 12.
Community Foodworks Outreach Manager Dalila Boclin said that the market’s vendors will sell Christmas trees, apple cider, wreaths and handmade art and gifts this and next week.
The market will reopen in April, Boclin said.
Photo courtesy of Columbia Heights Farmers Market
The popular farmers market at the corner of 14th and U streets NW will stock its carts with cherries, and several types of berries as well as pasta from local producer Cucina Al Volo this weekend from 9 a.m to 1 p.m.
Other newly added foods include apricots, red currants, spicy amatriciana sauce, fennel, and radish kimchi.
The market will also stock its normal supply of local fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese and herbs.
The market’s director, Robin Shuster, says the market will additionally sell a large number of freshly harvested whole carrots that can be used in a wide variety of dishes.
“Don’t throw away fresh carrot tops,” says Shuster. “You make pesto and other things from it.”
Photo via Facebook.com/14UFarmersMarket
The Columbia Heights Farmers Market is now open for business on Wednesday evenings.
From 4 to 7:30 p.m., the market’s local vendors will sell produce at the intersection of Kenyon and 14th streets, NW.
The market is also open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
Community Foodworks Outreach Manager Dalila Boclin says that Wednesday hours were added for convenience as well as accessibility.
“We recognize that it would be hard to get all your shopping done on Saturdays before 1 p.m., so we wanted to add the day to give another market opportunity for the farmers and customers,” says Boclin.
The market will now also include the option to purchase pre-assembled bags of local vegetables, fruit, meat and cheese on a recurring basis through an aggregated Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
Unlike some other CSA programs, Boclin says the new CSA program focuses on flexibility of service.
“You pay week-to-week as you go, and if you’re out of town for a week, you can skip a week for free,” Boclin says. “It’s not like you’ve sold your soul for vegetables.”
Community Foodworks, formerly known as Columbia Heights Community Marketplace, also operates farmers markets in Brookland and Arlington.
Cherries and Berries at 14th & U Framers Market (Luis Gomez Photos)
This Saturday the 14 & U Farmers Market is a cherries and berries market. From 9 am to 1 pm enjoy strolling through the market, picking up sweet cherries, raspberries, red currants, blueberries and a few blackberries are all around. Here some recipes for you.
Market Highlights
- Do stop by Itbi at 10 am for a cooking demo with two summer salads: Kale and mixed root vegetable slaw.
- Panorama is bringing as always their delicious croissants, bear claws and pretzels, and a great selection of pastries and baked goods.
- Cherry Glen Goat Cheese’s Bryan will have a sampling of the best French style goat cheese you will find. Fresh chevre only a day old, ricotta, and five different kinds of soft, wedge shaped Monocacies.
- Mountain View has carrots, squash, kale, radishes, beets and cut herbs.
- Truck Patch is bringing turkey and turkey breast this week.
Come early for your full selection of your favorites vendors at the market. Market hours are 9 am to 1 pm, Saturdays only.
So there you have it. Enjoy the market and try to keep cool during this weekend.
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From Namita Koppa. Email her at namita[AT]borderstan.com.
The 14th & U Farmer’s Market. (Luis Gomez Photos)
This summer, I have three goals:
- Read more books, namely Michael Pollan’s Cooked and Mark Kurlansky’s Salt, Cod, and The Big Oyster.
- Spend more time in DC Public Libraries (related to #1).
- Only buy food in restaurants that I cannot make at home already. This is not only a budgetary measure, but a dietary one as well.
Not too strenuous a to-do list, right? I think I have a fighting chance of actually accomplishing these!
I really enjoy Sunday mornings. Like so many others in Borderstan, I head to our local farmers’ markets (Dupont and U Street) to grab a sample from Dolcezza, check to see how large duck eggs actually are, and if I’m lucky, buy a bunch of pineapple sage or chocolate mint. Lately, rather than heading out for a traditional brunch, I’ve taken to finding a nice spot in the shade, indulging in a treat from one of the markets, and reading. It is a little window of heaven before I #GSD for the upcoming week.
Both Dupont and U Street markets boast fantastic options for sweets and treats. My tastes lean toward sweet, but plenty of savory ready-made treats are available, too. Here’s my top five in no particular order:
- Panorama Bakery’s sticky buns – a gooey, delicious mess better than any cinnamon roll I’ve encountered. Say hello to Emmanuel, who will explain how any product Panorama bakes is made.
- Chocolate almond croissants from the Bonaparte Breads – enormous enough for two, maybe three people. Fresh almond filling (not the stale amaretto flavoring many croissants include), semi-sweet chocolate, and delicious butter!
- Keswick Creamery’s quark with fresh preserves over bread of your choice. The quark is creamy and slightly tangy, making it a delicious counter-balance to sweet, chunky preserves.
- Honey Greek-style yogurt from Blue Ridge Dairy Company. Rich, creamy, yummy!
- Pumpkin whoopie pies from Pecan Meadow. A bit surprising from a producer that sells mostly meats, but these whoopie pies are phenomenal.
My next goal may have to be Sunday night workouts to combat all this deliciousness. Bon appetit!
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The 14th & U Farmer’s Market. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Summer is here and the temperatures have risen. Make sure you wear a hat and some skin protection as you head out this Saturday to the 14 & U Farmers Market. We are told that the list of summer produce is extensive:
- Sugar Snap Peas, Sweet Garden Peas, just dug baby Yukon Gold potatoes, Leeks, baby zucchini with their flowers, sweet Candy Onions, Spring Onions, Green Garlic and Shallot scopes, Spinach, Broccoli rabe, Green Kale, Toscano Kale, Redbore Kale, Baby Beets, Turnips, Sweet Hakurei Salad Turnips,
- The Northern Neck strawberries are slowing down but the Pennsylvania berries are taking their place — look for Sweet Charlies, Earliglows, Ovations and Chandlers. Asparagus too.And don’t forget the rhubarb
- Strawberry rhubarb, chocolate pecan pies, chard with roasted garlic and goat cheese quiche are at Whisked. Panorama has a double-decker table of Damien’s Breton and Parisian pastries and breads.
- Peonies, poppies, hanging baskets, hundreds of potted herbs and vegetables and summer flowers.
- Grillers: tons of steak at Pecan Meadow and lots of cuts of pork like Porterhouse and the Porcine version of New York Strip. (Ask Truck Patch). Sausages at both. Lamb, goat, rabbit, duck, Eggs from chickens, ducks and geese.
Market hours are 9 am to 1 pm, Saturdays only.
So there you have it. Enjoy the market and try to keep cool during this weekend.
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From Chelsea Rinnig. Email her at chelsea[AT}borderstan.com
Chelsea’s cucuzza – one of the weird finds at the famers’ market. (Courtesy Chelsea Rinnig)
Some of the farmers at the market have unconventional offerings at their stands. I call on you, shoppers, to stray outside your comfort zones and pick up something new this week to try. Start a dialogue with the stand workers; as a vendor myself, I can tell you we are more than happy to share our recipes and ways to enjoy your new, unfamiliar bounty!
In the height of summer’s lushness, here’s the best of weirdest that I’ve found:
Cucuzza – the weirdest thing I have found at the market lately (pictured), cucuzza is a type of squash that is sweet and almost reminds me of cucumber. Slice it in half down the middle, brush with olive oil, and grill on high heat. Slice and serve. Or, cut it into chunks and roast at 425° for 25 minutes or until browned. It works great with fennel in a salad. Move over paddypans, because cucuzza is way weirder.
Canary Melon – yellow and vibrant as the name suggests, canary melon is like a cantaloupe on steroids. The meat is juicier and sweeter than other melons, which I often find bland and disappointing. They are also relatively inexpensive and can be used in typical melon recipes. Try it with feta, mint, and balsamic vinegar for a light, summer treat. The best melons for picking have a spot of discoloration on one side – it means the melon has sat still and had plenty of time to ripen in the sun without rolling around.
Mushrooms – while button mushrooms may sound weird, other varieties can definitely rank high on the weirdness scale. However, their umami flavors do wonders to any dish. Mushroom stands at the markets often will sell a mixed carton with different types to try. Give them a whirl and sauté them in your next pasta or risotto dish. To avoid rubbery, undercooked mushrooms, cook on medium high heat in olive oil until the mushrooms seem to have expelled their water – this means they are fully cooked. I like to then deglaze the ‘shrooms with about a quarter cup of white wine and scrape off any burned bits from the pan.
Japanese Eggplant – narrow and bright purple, Japanese eggplants are like any other eggplant. I find them to be slightly more flavorful and sweeter than normal, round eggplants. Taste test and compare for yourself – or give it a try in this recipe from a couple weeks ago.
Quark – completely unrelated to science, quark spreads like cream cheese and tastes sharp and sour. Vendors who sell quark often also make different flavors. My favorite lunch after the market is to buy a bagel from Atwater’s, dill quark, and a cucumber from my stand. It’s so delicious! Not to mention, it’s lower in fat than most cheeses.
From Candida Mannozzi. You can reach her at candida[AT]borderstan.com.
Hot peppers are thriving in the heat wave. You’ll appreciate them come winter. (Candida Mannozzi)
Is Borderstan ready to harvest? I know I don’t need to remind you that it’s HOT out there; a summer heat wave is upon us. I’ve noticed less variety than usual at the farmers’ market, because many anticipated crops are struggling to ripen, or simply aren’t making it in the heat wave.
For instance, my favorite summertime legumes (the many different kinds of long and string beans) seem to be in very short supply this year. The news from across the country is sobering too: droughts, failed crops, herds at risk of being culled, anticipated shortages, and price hikes.
Thriving in the Summer Heat Wave
This has made me doubly excited to see the miniature Thai hot peppers on my deck turning to their bright red “pick me now!” color, in the past week or so. The plant is flourishing in the searing temperatures. I enjoy seeing the tiny peppers turn from dark green to orange to fire engine red. As I lay them out to dry, they look like a pixie’s duffle-coat buttons.
After harvesting them, I have fun stringing them up in my kitchen, making their festive mark on the place and giving me the feeling a mariachi band will burst through the doors at any moment. At the risk of being excoriated by the purists, I confess I grind them into my guacamole and they give it just the right kick! Humor this Latino-Asian fusion, will you?
I look forward to the many winter stews I’ll spice up with their fire, the tomato sauces that will get an extra kick from these little peppers, the separate bottle of olive oil I’ll cure with a couple of them, to drizzle over pizza or focaccia. I imagine all the outdoor heat they’ve stored in their flesh and seeds, to be released in the dishes I’ll make once the temperatures plummet back down to a wintery “shiverrrr” from the summer heat wave.
So, as I make my tiny, urban harvest in this summer heat wave, I imagine a time when I will actually be asking for more fire. Thanks to my Thai peppers, I’ll have the means to access it. Happy harvest and late summer, Borderstan!
