Farm Market Crawl: Montgomery Farm Women's Co-op Market

This week’s market visit is a bit outside the norm. I trekked around the Beltway to an indoor market nestled in the heart of Bethesda.

The sits in its own building at 7155 Wisconsin Avenue. It’s open year-round each Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Co-op is one of the oldest markets in the area, started by a group of women in the midst of the Depression who were facing drought, declining farm prices and foreclosures. They started the market in an effort to make ends meet by selling their produce and wares to nearby DC residents.

The market, which offers a host of fresh produce, plants, meats, poultry, baked goods, handmade jewelry and arts and crafts, boasts more than 75 participating vendors each week.

With such a large variety of products, produce is still king at the Co-op, with vendors like John Paul of Olney, Burtonville’s and Windy Hill Produce offering a multitude of the area’s freshest fruits and vegetables. The moment I saw the fresh blueberries, I knew a cobbler was in my future. Not in the mood for cobbler? The berry mixture will make a tasty pie filling when paired with your favorite pie crust.

Blueberry Cobbler

Makes 6 individual cobblers.

2 pounds fresh blueberries

¼ cup sugar

3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¾ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter 6 6-ounce ramekins.

Place blueberries and sugar in a medium pot over medium heat. Whisk lime juice and cornstarch together in a small bowl and stir it into the berries. Simmer the berries until the sugar dissolves and the berries soften, about 5 minutes. Pour the berries into the ramekins while you make the cobbler topping.

Whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk and melted butter. Spoon the batter evenly on top of the fruit.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cobbler is golden brown and the juices bubble. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.