I was thrilled to hear of a new market opening this year in Crystal City — conveniently located on my way home from the office — that takes place on Tuesdays from 3pm – 7pm. Smartly located on the stretch of Crystal Drive closest to the Metro station, the Crystal Farms Market is geared towards office dwellers on their way home and residents returning home from the District. The bright flowers and first May strawberries are a welcome burst of color amidst the concrete high rises.

Some familiar favorites — Bigg Riggs of WV, Cherry Glen goat cheeses (MD), Westmoreland Berry Farms (VA), Atwater’s Bakery and Toigo Orchards (PA). New-to-me were Mount Vernon lamb and several other bakeries, including Alexandria’s Great Harvest Bread Co. The dueling charcuterie hawkers advertised as participating (Red Apron and Meatcrafters) were nowhere to be found, but this market had a great selection of vendors for opening day and is sure to be a popular draw as the season progresses.

We picked up some lovely shitake mushrooms from Bigg Riggs which went into a fast scramble with eggs and an aged goat cheese (local but not from the market). Yum!