We had such a blast at the FRESHFARM Markets’ 15th anniversary bash yesterday at Dupont Circle. There were scrumptious eats from some of our favorite farmers and restaurants — the foodie tot was especially pleased to catch up with her personal pickle purveyor, Sarah of Gordy’s Pickle Jar. The boy loved watching the giant paella created by Jaleo/Think Food Group. There were crab cakes picked on the spot by the Hyatt Chesapeake. Fabulous Pleasant Pops to keep cool — their blueberry pancake was every bit as awesome as it sounds. And the kids loved rocking to local bluegrass band Newgrass Effect, too.

During the cake cutting ceremony, local politicians, including Councilmember Jack Evans and a representative from the DC Department of the Environment, lauded FRESHFARM Markets for their impact on the community. Chef Nora Pouillon, founder of the first certified organic restaurant in the country who inspired the creation of FRESHFARM Markets, remarked, “We never imagined it would be so big and so wonderful, and have so many farmers.” Chef Ris Lacoste, of Ris, noted that she spent $30,000 on market produce for her restaurant last year. Founding market farmers Bev Eggleston (Eco-Friendly Foods) and Mark Toigo (Toigo Orchards) were among the farmers on hand, too.

But enough chit chat, here’s a slideshow of the fun. The FoodieTots look forward to spending the next 15 years with you, FRESHFARM! (And hey, they’ll be old enough to volunteer for the 30th anniversary party.)

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A quick note for those of you in DC: 15 of the best local ice cream vendors will be competing for the title of Best Frozen Treat in DC on Saturday, August 20, 1:00 to 4:00pm. The DC Scoop is a free community event taking place rain or shine outdoors at the new Union Market (6th St NE and Florida Ave). For the kids, in addition to sweet treats, there will be a hands-free ice cream eating contest, face painting, balloon artist and live music. More info can be found on www.facebook.com/thedcscoop.

Washington, DC’s first ever Farm-to-Street Party takes place tomorrow, Saturday, July 16, on V Street, NW, between 13th and 14th Streets. (Right outside Busboys & Poets.)

Part of the inaugural Eat Local First DC local foods week, the Street Party will feature activities for kids, a chance to soak Busboys & Poets owner Andy Shallal in a dunk tank, a pie-eating contest, and of course, locally-sourced food, beer and wine. The event is sponsored by Think Local First, a coalition of locally-owned businesses supporting sustainable economic development in DC. Buy tickets online ($15, includes 2 food tickets) or at the door.

I’ve lived in Virginia for more than a decade (gulp), and yet I still have trouble thinking of May as strawberry season. Growing up, the grange down the road from our house hosted an enormous strawberry shortcake festival every Father’s Day weekend. On the bright side, Virginia’s accelerated berry season means I get to enjoy my favorite dessert for Mother’s Day — but I still feel a tightening in my chest as Memorial Day approaches and I realize it’s already time to think about preserving strawberries for winter. (My plans? More freezer jam — easy and so heavenly to open up a jar mid-winter and enjoy the scent of fresh berries again.)

We’ve enjoyed a handful of fresh berries from our own garden — the first batch went directly into the boy’s mouth, the second time around there were enough to share one with the baby, too. We still are a long way off from meeting our strawberry consumption demand with entirely home-grown berries, though, so we’ll be back to market and perhaps a farm over the weekend to stock up.

I loved the pictures Fun Mama shared of her adorable toddlers picking berries at Wegmeyer Farms in Loudoun County. (They helpfully advise parents to dress children in red or other stain-appropriate clothes for the outing.) Great Country Farms in Bluemont, Va., hosts their annual Strawberry Jubilee this weekend — but check their website first and get there EARLY as they sell out of berries. (Really!) You can find a pick-your-own farm near you at the PickYourOwn website. Have you gone berry picking with your kids yet this year?

We eat most of our berries straight out of hand before I can do much else with them, but here are some foodie tots-approved strawberry recipes we’ve enjoyed in years past:

• strawberry cream tart
• strawberry cupcakes
• strawberry agua fresca
• kale salad with strawberries
• and of course, strawberry shortcake

(PS I do realize it’s not Wednesday, but yesterday just got away from me. You know how that goes, I’m sure. If you’d like to share a photo of your kids in the garden for a future “Worm Wednesday” post, please e-mail it to foodietots@gmail.com, or leave a link to a recent gardening post in the comments.)

Happy Earth Day! I was going to write with some Foodie Tots tips for going green — you know, plant a garden, join a CSA, go meatless, yada yada yada, but I’ve got some other exciting news instead. The Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture — an awesome new nonprofit effort launched by local Neighborhood Restaurant Group — is just dollars away from raising the necessary funds to launch DC’s first ever Mobile Food Market. Check out the video, and if you’re so moved, consider chipping in a buck or two to get the bus on the road! (As of this post, they just need $90 dollars in the next 24 hours — so close!)

mobile market on kickstarter

I am so excited about what Arcadia has in store and look forward to visiting the farm later this spring for a first-hand look.