We are happy to say farmers' markets all around the area are opening now. Among the many reasons we love local food, perhaps the freshness and nutrition are foremost. But, we also feel confident about the safety and quality of our food when we know and judge the producers ourselves. In this issue, we'll let you know about some local markets and producers, and point out a few recent articles on the difficulties with food imports.
Local For You, Local For Your Pets, Too!
This spring's pet food scare points out the value of feeding our pets from local, knowable sources, with the same care we use in choosing our own food. One place to find wholesome, local and organic food for pets is Bark.
You know Bark is a different kind of pet store when you walk in and notice the large freezer case right up front. Dog and cat owners can choose from a variety of raw meat options for their pets, many of which are certified organic or come from local farms and producers. One such company, Aunt Jeni's Homemade in Temple Hills, Maryland uses Bell and Evans chickens and turkeys, for the discriminating pet palate.
You might think you're shopping in a human grocery store when you spot Newman's Own Organics dry foods and dog treats, and Peanut Butter & Banana biscuits from Organic Doggy Kitchen, or homegrown hand-picked Pennsylvania catnip. Bark doesn't overlook small pets either, with special bird feed mixes and certified organic Maryland hay for rabbits and guinea pigs.
Bark is one of four businesses in Clarksville, Maryland that collectively make up Conscious Corner. The others are Roots Market, Great Sage restaurant, and Nest home and clothing store. A second and larger location of Bark has recently opened in Olney, and will soon be joined by another Roots Market.
If the latest food-contaminant scares have you spooked about the origins of your food, you might try certified organic tofu produced right around the corner in Virginia. The soybeans used to make the tofu are even grown in Virginia!
Located in Louisa, VA, Twin Oaks Community Foods is a worker-owned cooperative that's been in business since 1991. Charlottesville-based Sunergia Soyfoods is an off-shoot of Twin Oaks, which formed after a few members of the Twin Oaks community moved in 1997. Today, Twin Oaks also produces Sunergia's tofu with the same standards and organic Virginia-grown soy, according to Sunergia's recipes.
The two companies, Twin Oaks and Sunergia, are offering organic tofu in a variety of forms and flavors, as well as a few other soy products, at a host of local stores. Twin Oaks sells three flavors of Extra-Firm Tofu, two flavors of Vegetarian Sausage, Mushroom Pate, Tempeh, Soymilk and now available in bulk pack Italian Tofu Balls, while Sunergia sells ten flavors of tofu including Indian Masala, Pesto and Italian herb. (Note that Sunergia's soy cheese alternative, however, is produced in Canada with Canadian-grown soy.)
Olivia, an elementary school student living in Maryland, spoke to Local Mix about her love of local food, especially from her own garden:
"Butternut squash is one of my favorite foods, so I decided to plant it. I wasn't like my brother, who wouldn't eat anything that's orange. I like vegetables. And the butternut squash makes butternut squash risotto.
"It's sort of fun to take care of the garden. We do it every summer. You have to water it every day, when it's really dry. We don't spray at all. We pick off caterpillars and other things. We tie red ribbons to keep the birds away.
"It's fresh -- like the salad we're growing right now. I don't normally like salad. But I know ours is fresh and it's still good-tasting. We're growing greens like spinach, cabbages that look like lettuce, and kale, and sugar snap peas, and cantaloupe that accidentally sprouted from the compost. We'll probably grow tomatoes and butternut squash again, but they're not in yet. I planted the greens all by myself.
"I like the food at the farmers' market too, especially the honey. I liked the gooseberries there last summer. After we bought them, we went on a bike ride and ate them."
Farmers Market Season Opens!
Over the next few weeks, our area's seasonal farmers markets will begin opening again. Now is the time to brush up on your seasonal produce knowledge. Knowing what's in season will help you navigate farmers markets in two ways. First, you will always be able to tell if you are truly buying local. If you see corn in May in Maryland, you know that is not local! Second, you'll know what to expect when buying from local producers, depending on the season.
So for the first couple of weeks that the markets are open, you will find lots of seedlings, some early greens, perhaps some hothouse tomatoes and cucumbers. Small-fruit growers will have strawberries followed by other berries for the first few weeks, before tree-fruit growers will start their harvests of cherries, apricots and plums. Click the link at the end of this article to visit our web site and learn more about the seasonal growing calendars of our mid-Atlantic states. Here are upcoming openings of producer-only markets for our immediate area:
Riverdale Park Farmers Market Opens today, May 17, and continues every Thursday from 3-7 p.m., on Queensbury Road at the MARC station in Riverdale Park. All your favorite vendors will be back, including D&S Farms whose beautiful strawberries grace our newsletter this week. There will be some new vendors also, including a vegetable farm currently pursuing organic certification.
Crossroads Farmers Market This brand new market opens June 6 and continues every Wednesday from 3-7 p.m. at 7676 New Hampshire Ave (near University Blvd) in Takoma Park. This market will feature a wider variety of ethnic produce, and will be the first in the area to accept food stamps, credit and debit cards.
Hyattsville Farmers Market Opens June 19 and continues every Tuesday from 2-6 p.m. at the Queens Chapel Town Center, Queens Chapel Road and Hamilton Street in Hyattsville. Harris Orchard will be back to anchor this one with all their wonderful summer tree fruits, along with several vegetable vendors from Southern Maryland.
Some U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials have been concerned for years that our government could not adequately monitor the food streaming into our country from a host of trading partners. The agency simply lacks the staffing, and is operating on decades-old premises that no longer pertain to the current global environment. If you'd like to catch up on some of the issues surrounding the latest contamination problems with food imports, check out the following links.
All content of the Real People Eat Local website and the Local Mix email newsletter is original and the property of Renee Brooks Catacalos and Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen. We welcome your comments at feedback@realpeopleeatlocal.com.
