FoodieTots.com

It was a busy weekend in Washington! We had a great time catching up with our favorite local food champions at the EatLocalFirst2013 Farm-to-Street Party…..

…. especially FRESHFARM Markets, Washington’s Green Grocer, Gordy’s Pickle Jar (their Sweet Chips are the foodie tot’s favorite!), Route 11, and My Organic Market (MOMs) and Arcadia’s Mobile Market. The mushroom and squash tacos from Chaya DC were awesome, as was the popcorn macaron and caramel ice cream sandwich from Milk Cult. I couldn’t pass up the floral Cherry Blossom kombucha from Capital Kombucha and the Cherry Root flavor from Barefoot Kombucha (tastes like cherry soda!)….

Any street party where the samples include kale salad and vendors give away free local peaches is a favorite of ours.

And we went back-to-school shopping at the newly-opened H & M in Old Town, Alexandria. The new store features a large children’s section, and they rolled out the red carpet for local foodie tots this weekend.

The kids were greeted with black-tie clad waiters proffering chocolate chip cookies, entertained with a tattoo artist and balloon creations, and catered to with pb&j, macaroni and cheese bites, and my favorite, skewered watermelon cubes.

All while I picked up some back-to-school bargains in (relative) peace. Two thumbs up from the foodie tot crew!

Hope you’re having a fun and delicious summer. We have a great giveaway coming up tomorrow, so stay tuned!

July is the month for cherries and berries at DC farmers markets — what have you been baking with these beauties?

FreshFarm Crystal City — July from Colleen | GlassBottle on Vimeo.

This week’s #MarketVine is from FRESHFARM Crystal City, with one of our favorite vendors: Kuhn Orchards of Adams County, Pennsylvania. The fourth generation family farm grows some of the best stone fruits and berries around, including rare berries like gooseberries and currants. And their berry sampler cups are the best-ever “fast food” snack for hungry foodie tots while roaming the market.

Visit FRESHFARM Crystal City
Tuesdays, 3 to 7pm (Seasonal: April to November)
251 S. 18th and Bell Sts. (Across from Crystal City Metro)

The DC Scoop, an annual taste-off of some of the District’s best* frozen treats, returns to Union Market this Sunday, July 21.

Taking place from 1:00 to 4:00pm, participants will taste and vote on ice cream, gelato and other treats from over a dozen local purveyors. Three well-loved children’s performers will keep the kids entertained, including foodietot-fave Mr. Skip. And kids can enter an ice-cream eating competition, to be held at 3:00pm.

*I’m not sure how a “best of” can take place without the Dairy Godmother, but the competition is still pretty stiff. We’re especially fond of Dolcezza and Pitango, in particular.

Click here for more details.

Here’s a quick look at what you’ll find at the farmers markets this week, in the DC Metro area: asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, blueberries, even some cherries coming in!

Westover Farmers Market ~ May from Colleen | GlassBottle on Vimeo.

(Vine from the Westover Farmers Market in Arlington, Sundays, 8am-noon.)

We took advantage of the unusually mild weather this past holiday weekend to finally check out the Delaplane Strawberry Festival in Virginia’s Fauquier County. The annual event is packed with old-fashioned family fun, from the cupcake walk and face painting to tug-of-war, potato sack races, hay rides and pony rides. There were food vendors and live music, too. There’s not much better than chowing down on crab cake sandwiches while the kids dance to bluegrass under a bright blue sky.

We capped the day off with strawberry sundaes. Unfortunately they’d sold out of fresh berries, and other local farms were struggling to keep up with demand over the busy weekend. Our cool spring has delayed our summer berries and fruits, but I hear there will be plenty of berries available by this coming weekend.

Whether you pick your berries at the farm or just pick them up at market, here’s a fun salsa recipe that incorporates the radishes that are also in season.

Recipe: Strawberry Radish Salsa
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• 1/4 cup chopped radish
• 1 finely chopped green onion
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine chopped strawberries, radish and green onion.

2. In an even smaller bowl, whisk together honey and vinegar until honey is dissolved. Pour mixture over strawberries and stir gently to combine.

3. Let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.

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That’s the view from Sky Meadows State Park, where the festival was held. Mark your calendars for Memorial Day weekend, 2014. We’ll see you there!

(As a reminder, here are some of our favorite places to pick strawberries in Northern Virginia — but remember to ALWAYS call first to confirm availability before you make the trip.)