It’s been a rainy spring thus far in the Washington area, and I keep reminding myself that April showers bring May strawberries, June blueberries, and so on. Cherry blossoms have bloomed, and bringing even more reason for cheer, April marks the first re-openings of our area’s seasonal farmers markets.
Last week saw the opening of DC Fresh Farm’s Foggy Bottom (Wednesday) and Penn Quarter (Thursday) markets, and this coming Saturday is the official re-opening of my neighborhood market, the Del Ray Farmers Market in Alexandria. Judging from the lines at Smith Meadows’ stand lately at our “secret” winter market, Saturday is sure to be busy so get there early for the best selection. Mr. Biggs has already been back with greenhouse-grown tomatoes that will help tide you over till summer. And for other markets in the area, Fairfax County markets open the first week in May and the Alexandria Upper King Street market doesn’t open until June. See the end of this post for a complete list of opening dates.
Opening Day Find – Morels! Last Thursday at Penn Quarter’s grand opening, I snagged some of the first morels of the season from the Mushroom Lady; they will be available in greater quantities in the next few weeks. There were plenty of fresh greens to be had, but no signs of asparagus quite yet. Last year’s apples and pears are on their last legs, but fresh strawberries are still a few weeks away.
As the market season kicks into gear, watch for new features here at FoodieTots, particularly for those of you in the Northern VA/DC area. In an effort to make room for new resources on the sidebar, I’ve moved and expanded my “Eat Local, Elsewhere” blog list to the “Locavore Links” tab up above. Check it out and let me know of other locavore bloggers I should be following. Thanks as always for reading, and stay dry out there!
Read on for the complete Northern Virginia Farmers Market 2009 Schedule…
Northern Virginia Farmers Markets 2009 Schedule:
April 11, Del Ray Farmers Market, Mt. Vernon and Oxford Aves. (Saturdays, 8am-12noon, until mid-Dec. or later, t.b.d.)
April 22, Smart Market Fairfax, George Mason University (Wednesdays, 11.30am-3.30pm, through Oct. 28)
May 2, Smart Market Purcellville, Town Hall, 130 E. Main St. (Saturdays, year-round 10am-1pm, spring hours, 9am-noon, begin May 2)
May 3, Alexandria’s West End Farmers Market, Ben Brenman Park (Sundays, 9am-1pm, through Nov. 22)
May 3, Columbia Pike Farmers Market, Columbia Pike & Walter Reed in Arlington (Sundays, 9am-1pm, through Dec. 19)
May 5, Mount Vernon Farmers Market, Sherwood Library, 2501 Sherwood Hall Lane (Tuesdays, 8am-12noon, through Nov. 24)
May 5, Fairfax Farmers Market, Van Dyck Park on Old Lee Highway (Tuesdays, 8am-12noon, through Oct. 27)
May 5, Smart Market Fairfax Corner, 11901 Grand Commons Ave. (Tuesdays, 3pm-6.30pm)
May 6, Vienna/Oakton Farmers Market, Oak Marr RECenter, 3200 Jermantown Road (Wednesdays, 8am-12noon, through Nov. 18)
May 6, Frying Pan Farmers Market, Frying Pan Farm Park, Herndon (Wednesdays, 8am-12.30pm, through Oct. 28)
May 6, Wakefield Farmers Market, Wakefield Park, Annandale (Wednesdays, 2pm-6pm, through Oct. 28)
May 7, Herndon Farmers Market, Old Town Herndon, 777 Lynn Street (Thursdays, 8am-12noon, through Oct. 29)
May 7, Annandale Farmers Market, Mason District Park, 6621 Columbia Pike (Thursdays, 8am-12noon, through Nov. 5)
May 7, Smart Market Reston, The Pavilion at Reston Town Center (Thursdays, 3.30-6.30pm, through Oct. 29)
May 8, McLean Farmers Market, Lewinsville Park, 1659 Chain Bridge Road (Fridays, 8.30am-12.30pm, through Nov. 20 – closed May 15)
May 8, Kingstowne Farmers Market, Kingstowne Town Center near Sunoco station (Fridays, 4.00pm-7.00pm, through Oct. 23)
May 9, Burke Farmers Market, VRE lot at 5671 Roberts Pkwy (Saturdays, 8am-12noon, through Oct. 24)
May 9, Reston Farmers Market, Lake Anne Village Center (Saturdays, 8am-12noon, through Oct. 24)
May 9, Smart Market Oakton, Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 2709 Hunter Mill Rd. (Saturdays 10am-2pm, year-round but spring hours, 9am-1pm, begin May 9)
May 10, Lorton Farmers Market, VRE Parking Lot (Sundays, 9am-1pm, through Oct. 25)
May 15, Smart Market Centreville, Trinity Center, 5875 Trinity Parkway (Fridays, 3.30-6.30pm, through Oct. 30)
June 3, Alexandria’s Upper King Street Market at the King Street Metro (Wednesdays, 3pm-7pm)
Year-Round Markets:
Alexandria Old Town Farmers Market, Saturdays, 5.00-10.30am in Market Square, King and Royal Streets with free parking in the garage during market hours.
Arlington Farmers Market at Courthouse, N. Courthouse Rd. and N. 14 Street, Saturdays 8am-12noon (9am opening Jan. to mid-April)
Falls Church Farmers Market at City Hall, 300 Park Ave., Saturdays 9am-12noon (8am-noon May 2- Dec. 26)
See websites for more details and updates to the posted schedules.
- City of Alexandria
- Fairfax County
- Smart Markets (independent markets in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties)
3 responses so far ↓
1 Laurie // Apr 9, 2009 at 12:36 pm
We are jealous of your local foods already – we’re getting unseasonal snow right now! Thanks for your post – inspiring us to keep treading through the month.
Laurie
ecoki.com
2 FoodieTots.com » Blog Archive » Free Range, Grass-Fed Beef (and Pork and Chicken) // Apr 17, 2009 at 3:08 pm
[…] and Todd Gray of Equinox). Other smaller, family-owned farms are represented at nearly all of our local farmers markets. I’ve personally sampled and recommend the […]
3 Tiffany // Apr 19, 2009 at 7:09 pm
What a great roundup of all the market openings, Colleen! I’m so happy that winter is over; it’s so great to have more than root veggies to buy at market now. 🙂