This Week at the Smart Markets Bristow Farmers' Market

This Week at our Bristow Market
Sunday 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Piney Branch Elementary School
8301 Linton Hall Rd.
Bristow, VA 20136
Map

The answer to the famous question “Where’s the beef?” is “Right here!” Mike Burner took a steer to a Blue Ridge abattoir a few weeks ago, and this week he will bring a wide range of cuts for your grilling pleasure. This is grass-fed and grass-finished beef, which guarantees a lean but tender product that needs to be cooked slightly differently. Here are some guidelines for you. Mike will also have chickens, eggs, and that wonderful jam that Lauren makes from market fruit. They also expect to bring lamb to market soon.

Max Tyson has lots of peaches, enough for everyone, and Ignacio has the first melons of the season, both cantaloupes and honeydews. Please stop by to visit with Luis and his son at Little Green Farm. They are working hard this year with their extension agent to expand their offerings and their ability to hold what they pick in cool storage until the next day for market. They have been with us since they first started farming on their own, and we think of them as the youngest of our brood. They also are a lovely family, with a daughter who wants to stay on the farm and help while studying to be a nurse.

We will miss Shelby with Cakes by Shelby for the rest of the summer season, but we are talking to other home bakers about bringing some of those “made with love” baked goods. Valley View will soon step up and fill the void with more seasonal pies and desserts. They are already bringing whole-wheat burger buns, and soon we hope to see cornbread. They make good cornbread.

Our BBQ vendor at two of our Fairfax County markets is in the process of purchasing Absolute BBQ from the Morris family. While all the signage has not caught up to the legalities, Hal Thomas brings a great palate, smoking expertise, and restaurant experience to the venture, and I expect that we can be patient while he masters all of those great sides that Martha used to feature. We will definitely be privy to the birth of a new restaurant and may even be the guinea pigs.

Nyall Meredith will not be with us again this week; he and Sherry are moving into their new home this weekend, but he is looking forward to returning next week with a full menu of pasties. Heritage Kettle Korn will have lots of summer coolers for us as well as their Kettle Korn.

As always, the Smart Markets tent will have new recipes for all those summer fruits and veggies and for the new meats in the market.

See you at the market!