May brings the opening of the seasonal markets to Washington, DC and the suburbs, including two of our favorite, family-friendly Sunday markets: the West End Farmers Market in Alexandria (8:30am-1:00pm) and the Westover Farmers Market in N. Arlington (now 8:00am-noon). Yes, Westover was open through the winter but the full slate of vendors is now back for summer, with quite a few additions since last year.

New vendors at Westover include Cibola Farms (Virginia bison and free-range pork), Spring Valley Farm & Orchard of West Virginia, Shells Yes! with Eastern Shore crab, GrohNola, and Nourish Market from Falls Church selling prepared foods (and the best, naturally-sweetened strawberry lemonade right now).

We got some lovely organic greens from Over the Mountain Farm (MD) last week (pictured below). Fresh Joseph’s, the fresh-squeezed orange juice and mozzarella folks seen at West End, has also joined Westover this season.

Follow these markets on Facebook (Westover or West End) for updates and special events throughout the season.
(And follow Foodie Tots to see what we’re buying and cooking each week.)

Hope to see you at the market!

We were recently in a small market in our neighborhood picking up one or two things, when the boy picked up a shiny red apple and tossed it in the basket. I admit I felt more than a little silly telling him to put it back — but we had a bag full of fresh, local apples at home. The last time we were in the same market, I let the kids buy two of the waxy, Grown in Washington labeled apples, only to have them take a few bites and toss the rest. My kids are apple junkies, but there’s no time like fall in Virginia to appreciate the difference between supermarket fruit and fresh, local varieties. There are a number of orchards within an hour or so drive from Washington, DC, but we tend to return to Stribling Orchard just off I-66 in Markham, Va.

Stribling has a couple perks that make it the ideal apple picking destination for the 5-and-under crowd:

• You can pick up bags, but then drive into the area of the orchard where you want to pick.
• Sticks. Sure, the small trees have plenty of fruit within easy grabbing reach, but these cool picking sticks can be used to reach the primo fruit up high. If you have boys, you know what a powerful draw this is!
• Bathrooms. Actual running water bathrooms — for the essential hand washing before picnicking.
• Food. On the weekends they set up a grill offering burgers and hot dogs, and sometimes full barbecue (ribs, chicken and pulled pork). There’s also the bakery and store where you can find fresh baked cider doughnuts, pies and preserves.

Of course, it can also be quite crowded on the weekends so try to arrive early and be prepared for lines at check out and those bathrooms. Here are a couple tips gleaned from our annual apple-picking adventures.

Tips for a Happy Apple-Picking Outing:

1. Hats and sunscreen are essential. Stribling, and many other local orchards, are on top of hills which offer gorgeous views — and full sunshine.

2. Wear shoes you don’t mind getting mucky and put kids in long pants. There’s a lot of spoiling fruit on the ground and the kids will be traipsing through tall grass and other brambly undergrowth.

3. Try to find the variety you most want first. Once kids get on a roll picking, there’s no slowing them down and they may fill their bag at the first tree.

GIVEAWAY: So you’ve gone apple picking and now you’re wondering what to do with all those apples? I’ve started an Apple Fest board over on Pinterest. Pin your favorite apple recipe, then share a link in the comments here so I can repin it to the board — or tag your pin #foodietotsapplefest & I’ll find it!

Every apple recipe posted below or tagged on Pinterest will give you one chance to win a copy of the gorgeous book Apple by Nikki McClure. You can “like” FoodieTots on Facebook and leave an additional comment below for an extra entry (or note if you’re already a fan). Contest is open to US residents only and will close at 11:59pm Eastern on September 30. Good luck, and happy apple eating!

We’re long time fans of MOM’s Organic Market, but moving away from the Alexandria location has made it harder to visit — until now. MOM’s has opened it’s newest Virginia location in Merrifield. (Technically it’s in Fairfax but just outside Falls Church.) Merrifield is the site of the coming-soon Mosaic District shopping center which will also have a Red Apron Butcher (yay!) and Target (for those less organic needs). The ninth store in the local MOM’s family, the Merrifield store is holding it’s grand opening celebration this weekend, Friday 9/14 through Sunday 9/16, with lots of great samples and kids activities. The littlest foodie tot and I got a sneak peek today.

It may have helped that it was lunchtime, but the tot walked through the aisles exclaiming, “Purple milk? I LOVE purple milk. Bread? I LOVE bread. Cheese? I LOVE cheese,” and so on. (We also took home two free loaves of Spring Mill bread — a locally-baked favorite.)

After we finished shopping, we shared a beet burger and blueberry muffin from the Naked Lunch counter. (They’ll have kombucha on tap, if you’re into that sort of thing.) If you’re local, you’ll want to head on down and check it out!

MOM’s Organic Market – Merrifield
8298 Glass Alley
Fairfax, Va.
momsorganicmarket.com

It warms my heart around this time each year when my old garlic scape recipes suddenly see a spike in traffic — because it means people are hitting the farmers markets and trying something new. Garlic scapes, or curls, as our CSA farm calls them, are one of those things you won’t find in the grocery store.

The early shoots of the garlic plant, they pack a potent punch and crisp bite. I like to thinly slice them and toss ‘em in salads or scrambled eggs. Garlic scape pesto is a classic and easy way to jazz up pasta or chicken salad. My garlic scape chimichurri makes a great topping for grilled bison steaks. You can throw the whole scape on the grill, too. I’ve even quickly blanched them, cut into 1-inch pieces, and frozen them for stir-fry use later in the year. And I keep meaning to make garlic scape vinegar (perfect for salad dressings) — maybe this year I’ll finally get to it.

How do you like your scapes? Do you grow your own garlic?

I made a quick stop at the Falls Church Farmers Market this past weekend for Memorial Day grilling supplies, where I spotted the scapes pictured above. There were a couple other new arrivals at market this week, including kohlrabi nearly as large as bowling balls, broccoli and sugar snap peas a plenty. Coming soon: English peas and sour cherries.

It’s opening weekend at Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland seasonal farmers markets! Head out early to score the best asparagus and strawberries and give a local flair to your Cinco de Mayo fiesta. (It’s the perfect excuse to blend up a batch of our strawberry horchata! Or perhaps a rhubarb margarita.)

Some of our favorite family-friendly markets are reopening this weekend, including Alexandria’s West End Market (Sundays, 8:30am to 1pm at Ben Brenman Park) and Reston Farmers Market (Saturday, 8am to noon at Lake Anne Village Center). (All Fairfax County and Loudoun County markets are now open for the season). And a brand new market is opening in Arlington’s Westover neighborhood (Sundays, 8am to noon on N. McKinley Rd.).

(Psst…are you on Pinterest? I’ve pinned a few Mexican-inspired recipes for Cinco de Mayo.)