August 12, 2006

Save the date -- Bart Seaver from Cafe' Saint-Ex will be in the market on August 19, 2006.

The week of August 6 – 12 is National Farmers Market Week. According to the Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA, farmers markets have continued to rise in popularity, mostly due to the growing consumer interest in obtaining fresh products directly from the farm. The number of farmers markets in the United States has grown dramatically, increasing 111 percent from 1994 to 2004. According to the 2004 National Farmers Market Directory, there are over 3,700 farmers markets operating in the United States. Thank you for supporting the Arlington Farmers’ Market and your continuing support of our farmers from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Washington Post Food Section Article, Peak Season

Kudos to Krishna Brown and company, who recently had their first major write-up in The Washington Post's Food Section! ShoeBox Oven, a purveyor of baked things both sweet and savory at the Market, was noted in the recent Wednesday article for its unique delicacies.

Some of the specially named treats were called out, including Amor and the Samurai, as well as the addictive Pao de Queijos, or specialty cheese bread from Brazil. Congratulations to ShoeBox!

Visit this link to read the article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080100656.html?sub=AR

Here's a great recipe to try:

Summertime String Beans

Serves 4-6

1 pound string beans, both ends removed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for just 4 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse in cool water; set aside.

Sauté the onion and bell peppers together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper for 5 minutes. Add the string beans and serve hot or at room temperature.

Adapted from "Barefoot in Paris" by Ina Garten

With more than 30 vendors, there's fresh everything at the market. Meat, Cheese, Milk, Butter, Bread, Baked goods, Flowers-- potted, cut, or dried, Sorbet and Specialty items.

Throughout the August heat, you will be able to find plenty of fresh Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Onions, Eggplant, Potatoes, Greens and other staples from many vendors.

Several vendors will have Peaches and Nectarines, including Sylvan Farm, Toigo Orchards, D&S Farm and Twin Springs Fruit Farm.

Look for Italian Plums later in the month at Toigo and Rice’s Farm and Twin Springs, which will also have a new crop of Apples soon.

Blackberries are near the end at Pleasant Fields Farm while D&S, and Westmoreland Berry Farm will have them for several more weeks. Blueberries may be around for one, maybe two weeks.

Watermelon is in at Pleasant Fields.

A variety of beans will start coming in in August. Lima Beans and maybe Black Eyed Peas at Musachio Produce Farm, and String Beans at Pleasant Fields.

Potomac Vegetable Farms will continue a variety of herbs, and try the dandelion greens.

Gardeners Gourmet will have additional greens such as a mix of 4 Kale varieties, and expect to have 6 to 10 varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes each week. They ask you not to refrigerate the tomatoes, as they loose flavor, and the skin gets hard.

Wheatland Farm will be harvesting Okra soon, and bringing in 5 Squash varieties, including a Middle East Squash good for grilling.

As September approaches, look for autumn greens, such as Collards, Spinach, Kale, Turnip and Beat.

These are just a few hi-lites to look forward to among the tables of fresh food at the Producers only Arlington Farmers Market.

Interested in volunteering to support your local farmers and producers? To volunteer, e-mail Monica Lear at lear@vt.edu