The Houndstooth Gourmet

(flowering chives from New Morning Farm-Dupont Farmers Market_

Wow! What a wonderful weekend we had here in the Washington DC area. These are the days we cling to when the summer turns up the heat and humidity.

Since I was a bit under the weather on Friday, Frank went to the Kingstowne farmers market. Frank noticed a few new vendors at the market. Salsas Las Glorias was selling fresh salsa and tortilla chips. He bought a pint for $6.50, and I can tell you that you won’t find this comming out of a jar. Short of making it yourself-this salsa is the freshest you can get. I believe Salsas Las Glorias is also at the Ballston farmers market on Fridays from 11-3.

Bees n’ Blossoms from Providence Forge, VA sells all things bee pollen and honey. It’s good to see so many local honey vendors thriving. BnB sells honey, honey jellies, honey and wine jellies, herbal honey, creamed honey, honey with bee pollen, bee pollen, bee pollen tea bags and bees wax hand cream. These folks take their honey seriously, and are passionate about the health benefits of bee honey and pollen.

Susie’s Cookies also joined the market with handmade gourmet cookies.

Other market favorites returned, such as Crackpot Gourmet, who supplied Frank with a jar of their new jelly. It’s delicious with a spicy sweet flavor. Smita of Crackpot Gourmet has asked us to help come up with a name for the jelly-Frank and I have some ideas and I’ll let you know the winning name when I hear!

Middleburg Creamery’s truck returned to the market with their terrific ice creams. The owner has sold her little country cafe in Middleburg, but she still supplies the ice cream to the store. She is now focusing on making ice cream and selling it at farmers markets and fairs.

Saturday, Frank and I went to the farmers market at Del Ray. The market was teaming with customers who gathered on the picnic benches to catch up with one another. On the produce front, the mainstays are still asparagus and strawberries. Terrific sweets are sold by Bonaparte Breads, Gracie’s Pastries and Kudzu Cookies.

A nice surprise awaited me at the Alexandria City market-West Virginia’s Spring Valley Farm joined the market and had their first Saturday on May 24. They were quite popular right away. SVF had gobs of strawberries, greens, and even ramps. Of note was their lower prices here as compared to their prices at the Dupont Market. Strawberries were $1.50 less, and ramps were $1 less in Alexandria, compared to Dupont.

Frank and I (along with Tucker) enjoyed a nice breakfast of Emine’s sweet and savory baklavahs along with a large cup of freshly squeezed orange juice.

On Sunday, Frank and I loaded Tucker in the Subaru and headed into DC to go to the Dupont farmers market. The market stalls were overflowing with gorgeous flowers, produce and baked goods. I picked up goldent beets at New Morning Farm, garlic scapes at Next Step Produce, and from Keswick Creamery-a dozen of my favorite eggs and some Ba Ba Blue Cheese. It was a lovely morning at the market. Well, except for the crazy homeless guy who accosted my husband and dog while they waited for me to get coffee from Starbucks.

Check out the post below to see photos of the DC Mall, Monuments and Rolling Thunder which I took after our Dupont Market visit. My favorite picture of a boy looking at the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial made it into DCist today. Yay!

Tags: District of Columbia, Washington, Alexandria, farmers markets by Ramona
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Frank and I are fortunate to live near Washington, DC, where we can see the Monuments, walk the Mall, and see events like Rolling Thunder. After the Dupont Market on Sunday morning, we spent time on the National Mall and the Vietnam Memorial. Enjoy…..back to our normal programming tommorow!

Tags: District of Columbia, Washington by Ramona
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The skies opened opened up this weekend, and it’s still raining! Fortunately, it didn’t deter people from going to the markets. The Del Ray market held its full compliment of vendors including Three Way Farm, whose tables were repleat with strawberries, asparagus, rainbow chard and baby arugula. I bought a quart of strawberries, a large bunch of rainbow chard, and baby arugula.

Asparagus is still in season, and a farmer from Culpepper, VA had beautiful, thin-stalked bundles for $2 a bunch. And, I’m still digging spring onions which I found for $1.25 a bundle.

You know what I’m not digging? A $.50 hike in the price of a saltena at Marcela’s Bakery stand. Not that they aren’t worth it, because they are all that and then some. But, so far this season, there are no napkins, no forks and dammit, no firey green jalapeno sauce. What up with that?

A gentlman in front of me asked for the sauce and was told that they will have some next week. We’ll see. At least my saltenas were put in a plastic container. It came in handy right after my purchase, when a bucket of water rolled off the edge of the canopy onto my head and right down my neck!

On Sunday morning, Frank and I got to the Dupont market just before the bell rang. I wanted to be sure I could ge my favorite eggs from Keswick Creamery, along with a feta sampler-a terrific bargain at $5. Speaking of cheese, Everona Dairy debuted at the market. Everona produces artisinal sheep’s milk cheese from their dairy in Virginia’s Piedmont region, where the climate and terroir is perfect for cheese making.

Owner, Dr. Pat Elliott, was on hand to give out samples and answer questions. All of the cheeses looked beautiful, but alas, I had spent my lot and will have to wait until next week to purchase some Everona cheese to enjoy at home. I’m looking forward to filling you in on my purchase!

Surprisingly, Spring Valley Farm from W. VA had ramps, along with New Morning Farm, where I purchased a bunch for $3. It’s been interesting to see how the ramps grow (and become stronger in flavor and scent) larger over the month or so that they’ve been available. New Morning also had long, firm stalks of rhubarb which I purchased at $3.60 a pound. I’m going to combine the rhubarb with strawberries to make a dessert, and use the rest to make a compote which I will pair with pork loin.

So, I have lots of wonderful fruit and produce to work with this week. Stay tuned for recipes and photos!

Until the next At The Market, eat and buy local when you can, and enjoy the photos.

Tags: District of Columbia, Alexandria, farmers markets by Ramona
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Well, it was another busy weekend at the farmers markets. Saturday was gorgeous out, so Frank and I packed up Tucker and headed into Del Ray. At the farmers market, I saw a few additions including Toigo Farm, Local Honey, and the praline lady (the name escapes me right now).

 When we arrived, the saltena stand was waiting for a fresh delivery from Marcela’s Bakery, a few blocks away on Mount Vernon Avenue. In the meantime, I spoke with Whitney Long at the Local Honey stand. They are a co-op of three bee keepers who make various appellations of honey. I bought a small jar of honey which hails from West Falls Church-that’s in Northern Virginia. I’m thinking it might go nicely over fresh ricotta, which I’m slated to make using my new New England Cheese-making Kit!

When the saltenas arrived, Frank and I each enjoyed the chicken stew filled pockets-with our hand! There were no napkins, or forks for that matter. It was a bit touch and go, but we ate them without making a mess of ourselves too badly.

Sunday was rainy and it was a bit jarring to see lightning and thunder first thing in the morning. Nevertheless, Frank and I donned our rain gear and drove into Washington DC’s Dupont farmers market. I met Country Pleasures Farm, who has been at the market for 15 years or so, but was just returning for the 2008 season yesterday. I was drawn to their stand, where the blue-checked tables held jams, sausage, scones, tulips, apples, apple sauce and a cooler full of Angus Beef products. Processes by an Amish family in PA, the beef products included pulled bbq beef, cured beef, hot and mild beef sausage grillers and beef jerky.

I came away with a pack of spicy sausage sticks (I am getting addicted to these things, with so many stalls carrying them!) and a few black twig apples. The owner informed me that these apples go terrifically with Calvados, so I’m thinking of making a pork dish with them.

Spring Valley Farm was once again carrying morel mushrooms, so I bought another small box along with 2 heads of tat soi.

I also spoke with the folks at Clear Spring Creamery, and they hope to have their Camembert-style cheese next week. Meanwhile, their cheddar curds were so tasty, I bought a container!

Until the next at the market-eat and buy local when you can.

Tags: District of Columbia, Washington, Alexandria, farmers markets by Ramona
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What a fantastic weekend, folks! Once again, the weather forcasters told us we would see rain all weekend, yet the sun was shining through high clouds most of the day. OK, one or two showers came, but overall, the days were beautiful. The temperature was in the ’70’s on Saturday!

This weekend, Frank and I got a double-dose of farmers markets. We awoke early on Sunday and since the sun was out, we headed into D.C. for the Dupont Farmers Market. Frank and I arrived before the bell rang (at 9 a.m.) and Frank queued for our favorite eggs while I scoured the stalls for ramps, the harbingers of spring. I found them at Spring Valley Farm, just picked from the hills in West Virginia.

Ramps, or wild leeks, are members of the onion family. Emerging in springtime, ramps have a small white bulb, and green leaves, often tinted with a burgundy outer sheath-all being edible. Ramps are commonly found from the Carolinas to Canada, and are especially beloved in West Virginia, where festivals are held to honor them and herald Spring.

I also purchased morel mushrooms from Spring Valley Farm (you can see a theme dinner coming, can’t you?). Morels are another rite of spring. Consisting of honeycombs and ridges, morels are earthy and well, mushroomy! A little goes a long way, and while not cheap, they are hand picked in the wild and worth the splurge (a recipe is forthcoming, I promise).

And that glorious sour cherry jam smothering Keswick’s quark that you see in the photos? I had to buy it. It’s from Quaker Valley Farm, were they have many varieties of jams and fresh homemade pies. I think I’ll purchase a small one next week for Frank and I. Blueberry, Cherry or Apple? Decisions, decisions.

Until the next At The Market, eat and buy local when you can. Enjoy the photos!

Teaser photo: stay tuned for the recipe

Tags: District of Columbia, Washington, Alexandria, farmers markets by Ramona
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