It was HOT today, but that didn’t seem to slow things down at the Takoma Park farmers market. It was one of the biggest crowds I’ve seen all summer. We (me and Art D.) didn’t have a shopping list, so there was nothing on the agenda to find today — other than fill the “nomming” bowl, of course. And fill it we did.
The Pluots (plum/apricot) from Blackrock Orchard were one of the first things that really our attention today. They looked yummy and ripe. I’ve been hearing about pluots in the media lately because of the new book by Chip Brantley: The Perfect Fruit: Good Breeding, Bad Seeds, and the Hunt for the Elusive Pluot. Yes, there is now a book about the Pluot. Are these going to be the newest “it” food? Will they become the pomegranate or bacon of 2010? Only time will tell!
Tomatoes were fantastic again this week too. It was a veritable “tomato extravaganza!”
Potomac Vegetable Farm had an amazing selection (photo above), in all colors shapes and sizes. To be fair, a lot of the vendors did — but PVF had the best sign and they are who we bought from this week. Plus, they were cutting up lots of yummy samples for me to taste. One of the employees was even helping promote the tomatoes by chomping down on a HUGE yellow tomato like it was an apple.
We were also happy to see J&L Edleman Homestead Farms back — they were missing a couple of weeks ago. I picked up a couple of their great “snack size” cantaloupes. They are always really sweet and the small size makes them less threatening. Don’t judge me.
Finally, of course, we get to the cookies. One of the great things about Takoma Park Farmers Market is the community atmosphere. Kids were having a bake sale to raise money for two charities, and well — it was chocolate chip cookies! We bought a half-dozen and into the “nomming” bowl they went! And then promplty into our stomachs.
DC Harvest is a family effort by Art Drauglis, Carly Lesser (aka Ketzirah) and Amy Monsarrat. Amy has a long history of environmental activism and social justice work and Ketzirah has strong focus on the spiritual side of local and seasonal eating. Art works for a CSA, cans, gardens, and is a rockin farm-to-table cook. All three have made the DC region their home for a decade (or more) and know from experience the difference eating locally can make.
Tiffany Bridge
August 16th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
We didn’t make it out to a market this week because we’re heading out of town on Thursday and didn’t want to load up on the produce, but we had both a teeny watermelon in this week’s CSA box and a small canteloupe in the fridge from last week’s. Perfect for two.
We cut up the canteloupe this morning and I think it might be the most delicious one I’ve ever had.