This Week at the Smart Markets Oakton Farmers' Market

This Week at Our Oakton Market
Saturday 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Hosted by Unity of Fairfax Church
2854 Hunter Mill Rd.
Oakton, VA 22124
Map

Good news for carnivores and vegetarians: The Taste of Local truck is back where it belongs, and so is Ignacio’s Produce after taking last Saturday off. Come early and stay late for a meal at the market and remember there is BBQ too for take-out.

Our very own Master Gardener Joe Belsan is back. He will bring a great variety of organic heritage tomato and pepper seedlings. He’ll also have an assortment of plants, including lemongrass and fig trees. And of course he’ll have jars of fig jam. Joe brings a small number of organically grown plants from his own garden and lots of good advice to go with them. He knows his stuff without having to look anything up in a book, unless of course you have a real stumper of a question.

Kylie will have a Mother’s Day mixed box of cake pops for Moms who could care less if it’s a cake pop if it’s delicious and decadent. She will also have some of those wonderful candies and just-popped Kettle Corn from Oliver, who will be heading out of town after he drops it off.

Good news from Heritage Farm: The fresh chicken is back and will be available all season from now on. And last but not least, Ignacio will have strawberries, and boy are they wonderful with Trickling Springs heavy cream. He will also have rhubarb. Look for my Strawberry-Rhubarb Sherbet recipe that was tested in the Washington Post kitchen and printed in last week’s Food section.

See you at the market!

From the Market Master

As the new markets begin opening each year, I get questions about what “local” means in a farmers’ market that carries roasted coffee beans, Kettle Korn and other foods not necessarily sourced locally.

We do guarantee that our produce is grown locally, which in this area can include on farms located in Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania in addition to Virginia. In fact, many of our farmers from outside of Virginia are actually closer to our markets than our Virginia farmers, especially those from the Northern Neck of Virginia who drive two hours each way to get to our markets.

But the U.S. and Virginia Departments of Agriculture recognize another product designation. “Value-added” applies to vendors, many of whom are cooks or bakers, who start with one or more raw ingredients and produce a product by adding skill, talent, or specialized expertise in order to render something palatable or edible. This is the category under which we accept Kettle Korn poppers and coffee roasters as well as bakers and short-order cooks. Many of these vendors are personally committed to using local ingredients when they can, and they buy from their fellow vendors as often as possible. Smart Markets encourages this but does not require it.

A significant element of our mission is to support the small food entrepreneur, which we believe is a good way to ensure that locally prepared foods will continue to be available in our communities. These foods are almost always healthier than fast foods. We therefore want to see these small businesses succeed, and if that means their buying of some ingredients wholesale for a while, then we accept that as part of their cost of doing business. We’d have no salsa in winter otherwise.

Most vendors are happy to tell you where their ingredients come from, and many actually make a big deal of it in their signage and printed materials. And if you want to support those vendors who are more committed to local sourcing, that is your choice. That too is what markets are about — giving you choices based on what is most important to you, your family, and its budget. While our mantra has always been that “food is cheaper than medicine,” we all know that our food budgets are a daily concern with immediate consequences.

Remember to ask what you want to know at the farmers’ market. Someone will have the answer!