This Week at the Smart Markets Oakton Farmers' Market

It’s not going to be very pleasant again this week, but we will be out in force if all the vendors escape the worst of the weather in their home communities as the forecasters expect us to do.

We were expecting to welcome a new vendor, but since they will be coming all the way from the Williamsburg area, I suggested they wait for a better day. You will love them, I am sure, but I did not want them to suffer a bad outing just because all of our loyal shoppers would be rushing through the cold rain to get it done and get home. Watch for Rockahock Farm to join us next week instead.

The rest of us should be on hand. Celtic Pasties will have Beef & Guinness, Cottage Pie Style, Breakfast, Late Thanksgiving, Chicken Alfredo, Mango Chicken, Spinach & Feta and Cheese & Onion. Kylie of Kylie’s Pop Shop still has her cider and homemade caramel for that hot cider she’ll be bringing. Tyson Farms will be with us, as will Angelic Beef and Heritage Farm and Kitchen. I have not heard yet from Uncle Fred’s BBQ, though the rain can create problems for him. Check our Facebook page for the latest from him and anyone else who has not specifically let me know if they think their products can survive the rain.

We will try to leave some spaces open in our own lot to make it easier for you — check as you pull in to see what we have been able to manage for you.

And thanks again for your support this winter; I know I speak for all the vendors. The weather may have worked against us about half the time, but you all have made it worth trembling in the cold and blowin’ in the wind.

See you at the market!

From the Market Master

Dear Shopper,

If you are new to this epistle, I should warn you that I have a wandering mind, more like a marauding mind at times. I have a tendency to grab at ideas, insights, research, and news stories and accumulate them like plunder until something clicks and I see a pattern worth commenting on.

In the past week, I have seen a newspaper article about school lunches in Japan, some research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s review of how food and beverages are marketed to kids, and a report on a recent government survey on our children’s eating habits. And then I read an article in my most recent Bon Appetit magazine about Google’s lunchroom offerings and what they have learned about guiding their employees to make healthier choices in their own cafeteria.

I am reminded as I read these things that we at Smart Markets, our vendors and workers and shoppers, are in the vanguard of a serious nationwide movement toward eating healthier. If the strident language and calls to action make it seem more like a battle than a mindfulness exercise, that’s because it is. We are up against a well-financed campaign waged successfully and largely unchallenged by major food companies and their lobbyists for more than forty years. And for most of that time, we have been on the losing side, even as we were gaining weight. It has affected the health of billions of people worldwide, but the greatest danger is to the children in our own communities.

Let me quote from the latest Healthy Eating Research produced by the Robert Wood John Foundation:

Unhealthy foods and beverages are often inexpensive, typically contain few nutrients and have high amounts of excess calories, total fat, trans fats, added sugars and sodium. The abundance, affordability and widespread availability of unhealthy foods also discourages young people from consuming recommended levels of nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy, as well as essential nutrients such as calcium, potassium and fiber.

The basic finding in this latest research is that self-policing by the industry is not working and that more pressure and regulation are needed to compel the major offenders to reduce their advertising and insidious marketing to children to bring down the climbing obesity numbers.

In the meantime, what can we do? While applauding the grass-roots and national efforts to improve our school lunches, we still need to recognize that the major changes we need will be a long time coming. Those big food corporations count on schools to peddle their wares just as they rely on grocery stores to give their products a wide berth and great product placement. That’s where those good ideas come in, and next week I will share some of them and reduce them to some small, positive, and practical steps for your home. Offering better choices is not enough; we have some work to do to make them attractive, tasty, and filling. Watch this space for some good ideas and some good news from the battlefront next week.

The Lagniappe

It has been recently revealed that onions are “nutritional powerhouses” which have been shown to “protect the brain, keep the heart healthy, strengthen bones, reduce cancer risk and aid digestion!” And all you have to do to avoid the bad breath resulting from any rush to include more onions in your diet is to focus on the sweeter varieties and “grilling, sauteeing or roasting (them) to bring our their natural sweetness.” Who knew?

It only makes sense that these onions and other members of the allium family would be as nutrient-dense as most other root vegetables that absorb just about everything that the good earth has to offer. Here is one of my favorite onion recipes which, when stirred into the Comforting Shredded Beef, makes it even more wonderful. But all alone, it is a great side dish for beef or pork, providing that proverbial comfort on a cold winter evening.