Farmers Market -

by gansie

Market Style: Pimping the Plastic

Nope, as far as I know credit cards still aren’t accepted at the farmers market (pictured here: Dupont Circle). But an even sexier plastic is encouraged: tupperware.

This week I was stumbling around, trying to select the perfect 2-inch okra, while balancing another 10 okra (what’s the plural of okra?) in my not very large hands. It was an ugly scene. Forget about grabbing that golden tomato across the next aisle—no way that could survive in the makeshift basket between my wrist and elbow. And then I saw genius.

A woman grabbed a bunch of green beans and dropped them in her tupperware. She then dropped another handful in AND grabbed that last-of-the-season, golden tomato. My mouth dropped.

Instantly I grabbed my iPhone and asked if I could photograph her plastic. She backed away from the scale, but the foxy market attendant faux-humbly asked if I wanted him to slide in for the picture.

This saves plastic bags, lets the farmers keep their cardboard cartons (ie, for berries) and keeps smashable fruit from surrendering to the heavier contents of the rest of the market purchases. I know I always forget about the grape tomatoes in the bottom of my tote; there’s always a few that burst from the pressure of the heavier peaches on top.

Forget those spotted on-the-go, street-style fashion columns, here’s market style.

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by 80 Proof

Artsy Photo of the Day

The first of many pics from the Mt. Pleasant farmers market this summer.

by gansie

In Praise of Global Warming

In years past, many farmers’ market regulars couldn’t wait for October’s bounty. By then, they had their fill of roasted eggplant, grilled zucchini, and caprice salad—the foods that transform summer’s heat into a satiable experience. When a chill hit the air, seasonal cooks would normally turn to hearty greens and silky winter squashes. But a change in the earth’s climate has altered kitchen plans, forcing many cooks to find new uses for the abundance of summer crops creeping into autumn.

“Go global warming!” shouts Jaci Arnold, the self-described “biatch” of Richfield Farm in Manchester, Md., while selling produce at the Mount Pleasant Farmers’ Market. Somehow, heirloom tomatoes have found their way to 17th and Lamont Streets, NW in mid-October. “We should have had a frost by this time,” Arnold says. “Everyone complains about global warming, but they’re still happy to have a tomato in October.” Although she doesn’t cook extravagantly, Arnold has heard some pretty strange ways people use up the never-ending warm-weather vegetables, most notably a yellow squash ice cream. In fact, funky desserts seem to be the standard among this particular group of farmers and sellers in Mount Pleasant.

Zachary Lester, owner of Tree And Leaf farm in Loudon County, Va., transforms his quick-to-wilt purple basil, Thai basil, and Italian basil into an herbaceous ice cream. Robert Audia, of Carroll County’s Audia’s Farms, says his wife upped the ante at this year’s annual squash festival by presenting a squash cheesecake. Tia Sumler of Truck Patch Farms in New Windsor, Md., meanwhile, suggests a labor-intensive tomato granita: She blends a few tomatoes, sugar, and cherry bomb hot peppers until smooth; places it in the freezer; and every 30 minutes (for a few hours) scrapes and stirs the mixture to create an icy, crystallized treat. Sumler acknowledges it’s a pain in the ass, but “If you’re home anyway, it’s well worth it,” she says.