This Week at Our Reston Market
Wednesday 3:30–7pm
11890 Sunrise Valley Dr.
Parking lot of the National Realty Building
Map

Vendors Absent This Week

Fabbioli Cellars and Stag Hill Soaps will not be with us this week.

On the Way In and Out

The first good eating apples of the season are in — the Ginger Golds at Tyson’s. And while I prefer to use a mix of apples in my Healthy Homemade Applesauce, if you want to get a head start on mini-containers for the school lunches, the Ginger Gold is a good apple to use by itself in the recipe.

Valley View Bakery will be bringing new bread selections and maybe some mini–fruit tarts. I sampled one of their large peach tarts last week; it was so good that I suggested that they offer smaller ones at the market.

The corn just keeps on coming — new varieties almost every week. Check out Heritage Farm, Fossil Rock, and Montoya’s — someone is bound to have your favorite. And if you want to know, ask about GMO seeds.

Fossil Rock also has a bountiful harvest of Sungold tomatoes, blackberries, hydrangeas, and a bigger supply of the award-winning Silver King corn. Fresh-cut herbs are also available.

Wicked Oak will have chicken parts, newly processed pork cuts, and chorizo sausage. Yay! I can use beans from Heritage Farm and the chorizo to make beans and rice this week! Here’s a recipe.

Heritage Farm needs to move those chicken legs and wings that are left over after they remove and bone the breasts and thighs. They will be discounting both this week, and we will have some new recipes for you, too. These parts are great on the grill and good for the kids.

Celtic Pasties will have Beef & Guinness, Cottage Pie Style, Mango Chicken, Summer Squash, and Cheese & Onion.

Upcoming Special Events

Annie returns next week with a lesson in summer salads. and of course she will also do a dessert. We will post the menu on our Facebook page as soon as I get it.

This Week at the Market

Make a point of looking at everything that is crammed under the Heritage Farm tent. I have been talking to them about some rearrangement of their little store, and they may even bring another pop-up tent this week to alleviate the crowded aisle that the waiting line creates.

Many of you may not even know that they have the best yogurt ever and usually plenty of it, even if the bin on the table is down to one or two containers. I wonder whether you see the butter, also on the checkout table, or the whoopie pies or the Brussels sprouts that are at the other end, near the freezer cart. Are you aware that they have pork and lamb in the freezer and fresh chicken in the cooler under the tent? And lately their great yellow corn has been in a box under the table. They are also bringing cups of ice cream again. You can sample a new flavor before you buy a pint or a quart.

I hope this encourages you to look around. We ask for your patience while they work on improving sight lines and access to everything they bring.

From the Market Master

Dear Shopper,

I thought I would share some tips on shopping at a farmers’ market by Andrew Knowlton from this month’s Bon Appétit magazine. I realize I may be preaching to the choir, but when did that ever stop me? I also have some comments that reflect my personal observations from more than 10 years as a market manager and longer than that as a shopper.

1. Yes, eggs, milk, and produce are more expensive than at the supermarket. But where else can you get just-laid eggs with bright-orange yolks, milk capped with cream, and vegetables that go beyond garden variety? What’s more, the taste is exponentially better. So don’t hassle the farmer about price.

We do not permit haggling, which sometimes confuses our shoppers who are new to American markets. In many countries around the world, haggling over price is expected, and proficiency in the practice is revered. But not here.

In the U.S., where prices are posted everywhere else you shop, you can expect that to be the case at a farmers’ market, too. It helps the farmers by not putting them in a position of having to deal with numerous hagglers, and it certainly moves the lines along faster. Maybe if the markets were open all day long, we might appreciate the dramatic and/or comic relief.

The other, more subtle message of this tip is the assumption that prices are higher, though for better and healthier products. And that is true. Pound for pound for the same items, you will often pay more at the market. But not always, and often in-season produce will be cheaper at a farmers’ market.

There is another consideration, however. If you are shopping at a market to improve your diet and your health, then eventually you will be substituting fresh foods and healthier prepared foods for junk. You will be buying four pounds of potatoes for the same price as a one-pound bag of potato chips. You will be buying two pounds of peaches for the same price as two packages of cookies. And you will be buying yogurt and berries for little more than the cost of a couple of boxes of sugar-laden cereal. If you are doing that, then you really can save your money and your health at the market.

2. We all want beautiful corn, tomatoes, and peaches, but that doesn’t give you the right to shuck, squeeze, and poke every single one in search of perfection.

Amen! And while some of our farmers are availing you of a bin or box in which to shuck your corn on site, please don’t pull down the husks just to see what it looks like. Learn to look for the plump, tightly wrapped ears that will be the sweetest and juiciest, and don’t expose the corn to the drying effects of the heat and sun so that no one will want them.

3. When it comes to plastic, let me just say: Bring your own %*!)@ bags.

Knowlton does have a point, though I wouldn’t use his language. But some of our farmers use recyclable bags, and some use biodegradable bags, so no one is going to question your personal choices at the market. And if you do use the reusable bags, make sure to wash them occasionally.

4. Leave the dog at home.

As long as your dog is well-socialized and not aggressive towards children or other dogs, we are happy to see them at the market. We will ask you to remove any dog that growls or lunges, but we have only seen that happen once in five years. Since that incident, that dog has received additional training and is now a welcome visitor.

5. Unless it grows in your region, don’t expect to find it at your local market. Of course, if you live in California, you can ask for anything….

Don’t expect to see out-of-season produce at our markets, though you probably know by now that you will find it at many of the markets in our area where “producer-only” or “local-only” is not enforced. We do make allowances for products such as coffee and chocolate that are not grown in our area and that require processing, which qualifies them as “value-added” products such as baked goods and prepared foods.

6. Each visit, buy one ingredient you’re unfamiliar with—perhaps garlic scapes, fava beans, or pattypan squash. It’ll make you a better cook.

This is a great idea, and we will probably have a recipe using such items either as handouts at the market or on our website. And if we don’t, you can email me to ask for one.

7. To shop like a chef, go right when the market opens. You’ll have your pick of produce. Bargain hunters go 30 minutes before closing, when many stands offer discounts.

Our markets are not open all day as some are across the country, and in most cases you will find what you came for up until the last 30 minutes of the market. But if I announce something in the newsletter or on a Patch site that is new to the market, expect it to sell out early, even for only that first day. I have been encouraging more of our vendors to offer last-minute discounts on some items.

We are lucky to have organizations that glean from several of our markets, so we do not feel compelled to get rid of everything each market. Our farmers are conscious of the fact that their leftovers feed people who would otherwise not enjoy much fresh food at all.

8. I love free tastes of peaches, too, but they’re samples, not meals. Leave some for others.

Max Tyson of Tyson Farm says “Hallelujah!”

9. If you’re new to a market, walk around before buying: You might find a better selection a few booths away. After you’ve shopped there a few times, get to know your farmers: Not only will you get cooking advice, you’ll feel more connected to your food.

Several years ago, I quoted Alice Waters on this topic. She has always felt that the communion between the shopper and farmer is the essence of buying local. And she should know.

10. Want to be a farmer’s best friend? Bring small bills and change.

It doesn’t take too many visits to a market to realize the need to have cash in hand. We do encourage all of our vendors to accept credit cards in this area, where you can go all day and not need cash for anything. But some vendors will never do that, and we want you to be prepared. They are often the small farmers who come the longest distances to market and who need to keep it simple. Your continued support of all of our vendors is much appreciated.

Photo by Sarah Sertic