This Week at the Smart Markets Reston Farmers' Market

Visit our Reston Market
Wednesday 3–6 p.m.
12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.
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This Week at the Market

Smart Markets is officially the only game in town now — the Lake Anne market has closed for the season. We welcome shoppers from the other side of Reston to our new Reston location through December 19th. We will continue to have a great selection of winter veggies, meats, Trickling Springs Dairy, baked goods, canned goods, and the best pasta you can buy. Uncle Fred will be with us every week to remind you that exquisitely smoked meats taste even better in the wintertime.

Looking ahead, once we close at Reston, you can still shop all winter long with Smart Markets at our Oakton location, which is just down the road on the other end of Hunter Mill Road on Saturday mornings.

This week Celtic Pasties will have Beef & Guinness, Cottage Pie Style, Chicken & Pineapple, Mango Chicken Curry, Early British Christmas Dinner, and Cheese & Onion.

From the Market Master

Even if you were brave (or crazy) enough to venture out this past weekend, I feel confident that your Christmas shopping days are not over, and neither are your party times. And for those of you who do not celebrate Christmas, I imagine that the festive spirit of the holiday that you may be celebrating will also capture your hearts and minds and that you too are planning to be with family and friends throughout December. Whether you are hosting guests at your own home, supplying food for celebrations at other locales or cooking up something to share with a family in need, most of you will be in the kitchen many more hours than normal this month.

Even without that additional demand on your creative cooking talents, just keeping up with the family meals will be hard to manage. Add to that the continuing commitment that many of you have made to utilize local ingredients as often as possible, even in the winter months, and I can see where the temptation to take the easy route to simple take-out meals will be overwhelming.

But what if the easy route led you through the farmers’ market and enabled you to keep your commitment? Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to remind you once again how easy that is, no matter how hectic your schedule is. And hopefully we will help you stay ahead of the demand with a supply of home-cooked meals and party foods that help you to keep the faith and meet your needs.

This week I am including links to some of our market favorites. These recipes have been the most requested and most complimented, and the most appreciated when we have prepared them on site for sampling or brought them in for a market sampling day. All can be made in quantity and frozen for future use; several can be served in a variety of ways, and all can be made with mostly local ingredients even at this time of year. Enjoy!

• Cheryl’s Sweet Potato/Apple Bake
• Spicy Sweet Potato and Apple Hash
• Casseroles for Kids
• Annie’s Winter Squash, Potato and Chicken Stir-fry
• Easier Than Pie Chili
• Creamy Succotash
• Janssen’s Own Red Beans and Rice
• Roasted Coriander Chicken Thighs with Bacon, Sweet Potatoes and Turnips
• Sausage and Peppers Over Pasta
• Tex-Mex Beef and Beans Chopped Salad
• Daddy’s Famous Spaghetti Sauce
• Daddy Bill’s Birthday Stew