Crop Rapport: Keeping it FRESH at Crystal City

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

At 97 degrees yesterday, it was a scorcher more typical of this area’s July-around-the-corner weather than the balmy, breezy days that have soothed our disbelieving souls in recent weeks. But I was eager to step out to the Crystal City FRESHFARMS Farmers Market, just a stone’s throw from the Crystal City metro stop on the blue line.

The first sight to greet you as you round the corner of Crystal Drive (between 18th and 20th streets) is the cheery green and yellow Sweetflow mobile. The farmers market here is a well-organized aisle of blue and white tent coverings gently shading the fruits of labor of 16 vendors.

The market is a relatively young one. Although it opened in 2009,  its current manager, FRESHFARM Markets has only been in charge of  Crystal City since 2010. This is FRESHFARM’s first Virginia venture; all its other markets are located in D.C. and Maryland.

FRESHFARM makes on-site visits to all vendors to ensure that Crystal City is a producer-only market, and that agricultural products are not simply being resold. FRESHFARM Markets also works in partnership with the Arlington Food Assistance Center in order to provide the Center with leftover produce from farms and producers at the end of the market day. This is a particularly important endeavor given the new 10-cent-per-pound produce fee facing area food pantries.

Market attendance is already up since last year. I (wrongly) anticipated that the market would be busiest after 5 p.m. when people start to leave work, but according to Cindy Olson, the farm market manager, the early bird gets the worm here. “It gets busy early,” she said. “Today, we were super busy at 3:30 p.m. with about 150 people [shopping].” Many of these shoppers look forward to the market as a good afternoon break and can’t wait until the end of the work day.

The Crystal City market is relatively small but offers a great cross section of options for the farmers market enthusiast. In addition to beautiful produce (cherries are in season and yesterday marked the debut of peaches), you will find locally pasture-raised bison (Gunpowder Bison & Trading), chicken, beef, pork, seasonal floral bouquets (from Gainesville, Virginia’s LynnVale Studios), fresh-baked breads by Atwater’s Bakery, and both goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheeses. Today’s market also featured the tranquil vocals of Betsey O’Malley.

While visiting the market, I was particularly enticed by the sheep’s milk cheese produced by Everona Dairy. Emily Thompson expertly guides her customers through a selection of artisan cheeses, butter crackers (including herbes de provence, cinnamon, and cocoa varieties), and the dairy’s own version of membrillos, a spread of dried fruit and nuts formulated to enhance the flavors of the various cheeses. (Everona has future plans for a more traditional membrillo made with quince.)

Customer Steve Polk has become a regular at the Everona table and is practically a co-salesperson. He keeps returning for the Stony Man cheese: “It reminds me of a mild Parmesan, which I love. And it has a sweetness I can’t describe.” For me, the “perfect bite” is Everona’s Marble cheese (not a blue, but veined with vegetable ash), the cherry and peach membrillo (call it adult candy), and a corn spice cracker (that heats the tongue slightly):

Steve is right when he warns that my purchases may last only three days. Try one day!

Next time you are looking for a Tuesday market in Northern Virginia, swing by Crystal City. If you are interested in volunteering to transport market donations on Tuesday nights to the Arlington Food Assistance Center, contact puwen.lee@afac.org for more information.

Want to learn more about eating local? Be sure to visit Crystal City next week between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. when Diane Welland, M.S., R.D.,  will be signing her book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local.”

-Johnisha M. Levi

Northern Virginia’s Farmers Markets and Hours

Annandale Farmers Market • 6621 Columbia Pike, Annandale – Thu, 8-noon
Arlington Farmers Market • N. 14th St. & N. Courthouse Road, Arlington – Sat, 8-noon
Ashburn Farmers Market • 44036 Pipeline Plaza, Ashburn – Sat, 8-noon
Ballston Farmers Market • N. Stuart St. & N. Ninth St. – Thu, 3-7 p.m.
Brambleton Farmers Market • 22875 Brambleton Plaza, Ashburn – Sun, 9-1 p.m.
Burke Farmers Market • 5671 Roberts Parkway, Burke – Sat, 8-noon
Cascades Farmers Market • 21060 Whitfield Place, Sterling – Sun, 9-1 p.m.
Clarendon Farmers Market • 3100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington – Wed, 3-7 p.m.
Columbia Pike Farmers Market • S. Walter Reed Drive & Columbia Pike – Sun, 9-1 p.m.
Community Farmers Market • West & Main Streets (Sat), North St. & Old Lee Highway (Sun), Fairfax – Sat: 8-1 p.m.; Sun: 10-2 p.m.
Crystal City Farmers Market • Crystal Square Arcade between S. 18th and 20th Streets – Tue, 3-7 p.m.
Culpeper Farmers Market • E. Davis & Commerce Streets – Sat, 7:30-noon
Dale City Farmers Market • Dale Blvd. & Minnieville Road, Dale City – Sun, 8-1 p.m.
Del Ray Farmers’ Market • E. Oxford & Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria – Sat, 8-noon
Fairfax Farmers Market • 3720 Old Lee Highway, Fairfax – Tue, 8-noon
Falls Church Farmers Market • 300 Park Ave., Falls Church – Sat, 8-noon
Fredericksburg Farmers Market • George and Prince Edward Streets, Fredericksburg – Mon-Sat, 7-6 p.m.; Sun, 12:30-4 p.m.
Frying Pan Farmers Market • 2709 West Ox Road, Herndon – Wed, 8-12:30 p.m.
Great Falls Farmers Market • 750 Walker Road, Great Falls – Sat, 9-1 p.m.
Haymarket Farmers Market • 1500 Washington St., Haymarket – Sat, 8-2 p.m.
Herndon Farmers Market • Lynn and Station Streets, Herndon – Thu, 8-noon
Kingstowne Farmers Market • Kingstowne Center & Kingstowne Blvd., Franconia – Fri, 4-7 p.m.
Leesburg Farmers Market • 20 Catoctin Circle S.E., Leesburg – Sat, 8-noon
Lorton Farmers Market • 8990 Lorton Station Blvd., Lorton – Sun, 9-1 p.m.
McLean Farmers Market • 1659 Chain Bridge Road, McLean – Fri, 8-noon
McLeans’ Lifestyle and Farmers Market • 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean; Saturdays, 9-1p.m.
Middleburg Farmers Market • 300 W. Washington St., Middleburg – Sat, 8-noon
Mount Vernon Farmers Market • 2501 Sherwood Hall Lane, Alexandria – Tue, 8-noon
Oakton Farmers Market • 3200 Jermantown Road, Oakton – Wed, 8-noon
Old Town Alexandria Farmers Market • 301 King St., Alexandria – Sat, 5:30-11 a.m.
Old Town Manassas Farmers Market • 9201 Center St., Manassas – Thu, 7-1 p.m.; Sat, 7:30-2:30 p.m.
Nokesville Farmers Market • 13005 Fitzwater Drive, Nokesville – Sat, 8-noon
Purcellville Farmers Market • 751 E. Main St., Purcellville – Sat, 8-noon
Reston Farmers Market • 11400 Washington Plaza W., Reston – Sat, 8-noon
Rosslyn Farmers Market • Wilson Blvd. & N. Oak St.- Thu, 11-3 p.m.
Upper King Street Farmers Market • 1806 King St., Alexandria – Wed, 3-7 p.m.
Vienna Farmers Market • 131 Church St. N.E., Vienna – Sat, 8-noon
Wakefield Farmers Market • 8100 Braddock Road, Annandale – Wed, 2-6 p.m.
Warrenton Farmers Market • Branch Drive and Warrenton Village Center (Wed), S. Fifth & Lee Streets (Sat) – Wed, 7-1 p.m.; Sat, 7-noon
West End Farmers Market • 4800 Brenman Park Drive, Alexandria – Sun, 9-1 p.m.

Or click here for our full list of local farmers markets

Tags: Arlington Food Assistance Center, Atwater's Bakery, Bigg Riggs Farm, buffalo, butter crackers, cherries, Cindy Olson, Crystal City, Crystal City Drive, Crystal City Farmers Market, Diane Welland, Emily Thompson, Everona Dairy, farmers markets, farmers' market, FRESHFARM Markets, Gunpowder Bison & Trading, Gut Check, Johnisha M. Levi, LynnVale Studios, membrillo, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, peaches, sheep's milk cheese, Sweetflow Mobile, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Local, Tuesday farmers markets