This Week at Smart Markets Reston Farmers' Market

We have only two more markets left this season, and we hope to see all of you this week or next to say goodbye. And we invite you to come on down to our Oakton market on Saturdays all winter long. You’ll find these familiar vendors:

• Doug Linton’s Angelic Beef
• Taste of Local truck
• Heritage Farm and Kitchen
• Shenandoah Seasonal
• Sweet Nuna
• Tyson Farms
• Celtic Pasties
• Valley View Bakery
• Winfield Farm

You will also meet new vendors, including Celestun Nursery for the month of December with gorgeous winterberry branches and handmade wreaths and garlands for your holiday decorations. All are grown locally and picked the week before you buy.

Tyson Farms will be set up over at National Realty across the street from our Reston market selling local Christmas trees beginning next week. They are selling the freshest trees in this area, which he has already marked but which are harvested weekly for his stand.

This week at the market, Celtic Pasties has interesting pasties: Beef & Guinness, Cottage Pie Style, Mango Chicken, Chicken Alfredo, Early Thanksgiving, Colcannon, Spinach & Feta, and Cheese & Onion. Have some on hand in the freezer over the holiday weekend and no one will go hungry. Anyone can learn to pop one in the oven.

Flor will have empanadas that work well for a snack, light lunch, or side with squash bisque or tomato-carrot soup.

This week and next will be your last opportunity to stock up on Liz Soaps, and you will enjoy having a closet full of them to hand out during the holidays. Take a close look at Shade Farm’s selection of new products, which are also perfect for gift-giving — unless of course they never make it into the gift basket. I’m taking a jar of Country Pear Butter to our Thanksgiving to serve with country ham biscuits.

This week, we have winter squash for soups and pies; collards at Ignacio’s and Tyson’s; sweet potatoes everywhere; leaf lettuce mixes, arugula and broccoli rabe at Shenandoah Seasonal; and even tomatoes scattered around and many gorgeous root vegetables throughout the market. You can pick up sausage at Angelic Beef and Heritage Farm for your favorite stuffing and apples for the perfect pie. Pick up cake pops or Kettle Korn for the kids, leaving more decadence for the adults! And if you are a vegetarian or vegan, you will love your options at Postmodern Foods, not to mention being able to feel better the Friday following Thanksgiving after one of Denise’s healthy smoothies.

Special Pre-Thanksgiving Market: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27

You’ll be able to pick up a turkey if you ordered one, and Heritage Farm will have fresh turkey breasts in case you find you want a little extra white meat for your Thanksgiving meal. Shenandoah Seasonal will bring stewing chickens, which make the best broth for soups and stews. Looking ahead, Dan and Ali are perfecting some soup and quiche recipes to bring to our Oakton market in December. If you follow us there, Heritage Farm will also have their lean and delicious turkey sausage throughout the winter.

See you at the market!