This Week at Smart Markets Springfield Farmers' Market

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If you missed the market last week, you missed some great music and all the fun that came with it. Everyone who was there liked it so much that we hope to bring the music back before it gets to cold to play.

We are also looking to schedule a cooking demo focused on Thanksgiving fare — stuffing with local ingredients, hors d’oeuvres, and side dishes, too. Check your newsletter each week for additional details.

We have decided to extend the market at least through December this year, and based upon the support we have for a winter market, we will decide what to do in January, February, and March by mid-December. If you are not accustomed to shopping at a farmers’ market in the winter in this area, you will be surprised by what we can grow all through the year and what we can pick and keep fresh and crisp in a good cold-storage facility, such as the one Tyson Farms has for apples and root veggies. We should also pick up a few new vendors who have been doing markets that close in October.

In the meantime, buy soup bones and a whole stewing chicken and make some homemade stock this weekend. For depth of flavor and the richness that comes from slow simmering of bones, there is absolutely no comparison with canned or boxed varieties. For the health benefits alone, it is worth it to make your own, but homemade makes everything better — from soups to stews to sauces and gravy.

Watch for new desserts and other items to show up at Valley View Bakery, Soul Cakes by Tanya and Kylie’s Pop Shop. We are trying to get ahead of all of your event needs for adults and children and want you to know what our bakers can do for you. Ask about preordering anything from cake pops to three-layer cakes for school events, birthday and Halloween parties, and of course Thanksgiving dinner. And the best ice cream on the planet can be found down at the corner at Windmill Meadows.

If you haven’t tried the alfajores (Peruvian shortbread cookies) at Delicias del Sur, please request a sample. They are are wonderful to serve with tea or coffee or with a bowl of fresh fruit.

See you at the market!

From the Market Master

It’s always fun to pass along good news in the world of health and nutrition, especially when it broadens our understanding of the importance of a healthy diet to our overall good health. The Washington Post pointed out Sept. 23 that a large majority of older men and women are now taking calcium pills and spending a total of $1.2 billion on them. Surprise! They don’t really need to and maybe shouldn’t be.

According to the Post, “recent evidence suggests that getting calcium from pills might not be as safe or effective for some people as getting it from food.” The article recommended food-based sources of calcium, including dairy products, leafy greens, and fortified foods.

And what do we have in abundance in our farmers’ markets now? Leafy greens — not just several varieties of kale, but chard, collards, mustard greens, and beet greens. Just imagine the farmers we would have competing to sell at farmers’ markets if even half of the expenditure on calcium pills was diverted to greens!

McDonald’s once again deserves a nod for its renewed and expanded commitment to introducing more fruits and vegetables as alternatives to french fries in their adult-oriented value meals and to aggressively promoting healthier beverages for its Happy Meals. This is a long-term program that will be phased in slowly — primarily to develop the supply chain, I suppose — but there is no doubt that these efforts will have an impact on the American diet. Since McDonald’s began encouraging children to choose milk instead of a soft drink with their Happy Meals, their milk sales have increased by 50 percent since the mid-2000s. They have also learned from experience that they cannot dictate those healthier choices, but they can offer them and let the customers move to them at their own pace.

There is reason to believe that those choices will improve over time. Science has finally caught up with the common sense of centuries, and proof is pouring in that what we eat can make us healthy, wealthy, and wise. How and what our children eat can affect their their ability to learn, as well as their ability to earn. The choices we provide as responsible adults influence and maybe control what they eat as kids. Those choices also build a foundation that affects what they choose for themselves as adults.

This process must involve — and ideally be led by — our schools, where all of our children are exposed to some of the worst foods they can eat. Even in our area, there is progress here too. Visit Realfoodsforkids.org to learn more about what is happening in Fairfax County. They need volunteers to expand their good advocacy work throughout the county; check out what you can do for the school in your neighborhood.

And one last thing: Guess what? An apple a day can keep the doctor away! According to a Sept. 26 Post article, apples were recognized for their health benefits by ancient Roman and Anglo-Saxon civilizations. More recently, apples have been proven to lower bad cholesterol when eaten every day and also seem to prevent strokes. The Post also pointed out that apple skins are loaded with fiber and quercetin, a phytochemical with anti-inflammatory and heart-protecting qualities, and may reduce the spread of cancer cells.

With all those locally grown great greens and appealing apples out there now, this is the time of year to get healthy, and I can’t imagine two better-tasting ways to do that. Buy a mess of greens and a bushel of apples and get crackin’.

And remember the children out there who aren’t yours when it comes time to devote some of your valuable time to a valuable effort such as improving the health of the community.

Photo by Sarah Sertic