So, Farmer's Markets are cool. Michelle Obama is into them. They have got to be in if the First Lady is spending her valuable time promoting FM's in DC and in the entire nation. Indeed, Mrs. Obama has been able to get a FM to open just blocks from the White House.
But what about those of us who live in Northern Virgina? We don't have the time or the parking space that Mrs. Obama has to go into DC. What is available near to where we live.
Why Go? This quote sums it up:
- I love farmer's markets- I buy as much of my groceries from them as possible. I never buy fruit & rarely buy groceries from the store when farmer's market's are in open (May-Nov give or take). I also buy most of my bread/pasta/cheese/yogurt from them, but not meat or eggs because they are too expensive. Occasionally flowers if they are priced right. I get all my plants/herbs from them in spring.
Where to start:
In my quest to find a simple list of FM's in NoVa I decided to Google it and found a great list at About.com.
- You can find this list here = http://tinyurl.com/ylhhh38
But, Really What Is Each Place Like?
I wanted to get a better sense of the character of each FM. What is good? What should you look out for? What vendors are a must? So, I did what any self respecting social media "guru" would do, I decided to survey my friends and family through this Google Document Survey located here. Go ahead, take it yourself.
- Old Town Alexandria Upper King Street market on Wednesday afternoons (http://alexandriava.gov/FarmersMarket). This is a small market but convenient to walk to from my office. I like the produce from one local farmer (from Charles County, Md).
- Click here to see a FC FM photo stream.
- I go to the FC Farmers Market. I can walk over there with the dog (though can't take the dog into the market), get to visit lots of friends & neighbors, enjoy the energy of the place, and love the bread samples.
- Falls Church Farmer's Market Saturdays--best selection in the area; uniformly fine products;open all year. Great to shop when it opens at 8am; very crowded by 9am.
- If we're going to the FM in Virginia, we go to Falls Church. I like it because there's a wide variety of farmers/vendors, and I run into lots of people that I know.
- Falls Church City - like the variety, can walk to playground, Pancake House, etc.
- I go to the Farmers Market in the City of Falls Church (off Park Street) primarily because it's on Saturday and I work full-time during the week. The other nice benefit is that we usually go to the nearby park afterwords. The market seems to have a great variety of vendors and offerings such as jams, soaps, meats, coffee, fudge, etc. in addition to the standard fruits and vegetables.
- The Columbia Pike market in Arlington on Sunday mornings (http://www.columbiapikepartnership.com/MARKET/index_E.html). This is also a relatively small market, easy to find parking, not too crowded. Also, I often see my old neighbors there, which is nice.
- I don't live in Arlington anymore, but when I used to live in an apartment on Lee Highway, I went to the Arlington Courthouse Farmer's Market. I went because it had a great collection of food, because you could meet the people that grew or made the food, because they expanded beyond produce to introduce other artisanal foods, because it was a great place to bump into neighbors and friends, and most of all, because I could WALK to it! :)
- I prefer the Annandale (Mason District Park) market. I go there before work on Thursday mornings, arriving just as it opens at 8. I like it because it's uncrowded at that hour; it's easy for me to make my purchases and get on the road to work by about 8:15. I'm a fan of Twin Springs Fruit Farm at the Annandale Market.
- I have been going to the Thursday Farmer's Market at Mason District every Thursday for the past 6 years. I was addicted to the apples from the market... ate about 3 a day!! Ever since then, I got to know most of the farmers personally. They have seen me through two pregnancies and have seen my kids grow. I can actually leave my kids with some of them while I shop! They all know my kids and me by name and we have such a great time every week we go! I love the produce (I buy lbs and lbs of tomatoes every week!!) and breads and flowers and honey and EVERYTHING there! After we are done shopping (and socializing), we usually go to the playground or play soccer on the field, and have a picnic lunch. Thursday is definitely by far my favorite day of the week, partly because of the Mason District Farmer's market. I am already waiting for the first week it starts up again next spring!
- I go to the Annandale Farmers Market. I like the location and the time of the week. The parking is not always the best at this location and I miss the kettle corn stand!
- I go to the Annandale Farmers Market regularly because it is close convenient and vendors have good fresh fruits and vegetables. They also have a good mix of organic farmers and conventional farmers. It is less crowded than Falls Church which I use occasionally because it has more vendors with a wider variety of specialty and prepared foods (crab cakes/ breads, etc.)