This week at Smart Markets Oakton Farmers' Market

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Unity of Fairfax is hosting a group of Tibetan monks this week, and they are expecting a large crowd of people to stop by this weekend to view their work on a mandala. You may have to drive around a little to find a place to park, but most of the visitors will be only staying for a short while, so there should be parking available throughout the market. You just may have to look for it. But you will also be permitted to park on the shoulder of Hunter Mill Road or against the curb where there is one. So take advantage of any spaces you see there and save yourself some time and distance. Read more here about what the monks are doing on their visit to Unity of Fairfax.

Other than what we hope will be only a slight disruption in our market day, we will have a normally full and hopefully busy market this week with everyone on site for the day except Fabbioli Cellars. We are expecting a new winery to join us as soon as they get a market sales staff trained. Then we will have wine every week as the two will rotate with each other.

Our resident plant expert, Joe Belsan, will hold forth twice during the market on the fall planting season and will have a handout for you. If you have questions about your own fall garden, please time your visit accordingly. During the next few weeks your planning and actions will determine your success in having fresh kale, mustard, radishes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. Any of these will last into December, depending on the weather. Joe will always take time to discuss your gardening issues with you. This week starting at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. he will discuss when and how to germinate seeds, how to calculate the planting date, where to locate seedlings for fastest growth, successful transplanting of the seedlings, insuring success of the harvest, and protecting the seedlings after transplant.

This will be the last week that you can sign up to take the free canning classes we will be offering over the next three months. Stop by the Smart Markets table for a free canning booklet, some free herb/spice and pectin samples, and to sign up to receive more information soon.

Heritage Farm and Kitchen is a veritable country store that pops up in our market each week with freshly processed chicken in the upright fridge under the tent and lamb and pork in the freezer on the trailer, a full line of Trickling Springs dairy products, and many Mennonite staples such as whoopee pies, jams, jellies, and a wide variety of pickles. There is so much under their tent that every week I learn that shoppers who have been coming for some time miss some of their inventory. Look up and down and all around, and if the yogurt container does not have at least eight different flavors in the small size, feel free to ask Mrs. Martin to check the cooler for you. Wonderful country eggs are at the check-out table.

Doug Linton is still offering great grass-fed ground beef at a much lower price than you will find anywhere in this area, even at other farmers’ markets, according to the latest Virginia farmers’ market price survey. I know that some prices seem high, but overall, our vendors’ prices are in the low-to-mid price range for most items, even compared to markets in more rural parts of the state.

Here is the recipe for the polenta dish that Annie made last week, but you will also find copies at the Smart Markets tent. It is a great chicken dish using thigh meat that can stand up to the salsa, and if you do not have polenta or are not familiar with it, you can serve the chicken with grits or rice instead.

Come for the peaches, tomatoes, melons, and peppers, and stay for lunch.

See you at the market!

From the Market Master

What a week we all experienced last week; the heat at the markets was as bad as most of us can remember. This week we are all looking forward to a little break and some rain for the farmers.

It doesn’t take many days of mid-90s temperatures to cause some withering in the fields. We are lucky at our Reston market to have farmers coming from the north, south, and west, as the weather in all those places can be very different on the same day. When it was raining here every day for two weeks, Tyson Farms in West Virginia and our sustainable farmers west of us in Virginia were not getting nearly so much rain. At the same time, Ignacio was losing newly planted crops to heavy rains that washed the seedlings away.

One thunderstorm with just two minutes of hail can wipe out a crop; tree fruits are especially vulnerable. But a week like last week can burn up a field in no time. We look at the weather as a matter of convenience; our farmers depend on it for their livelihoods. While we may lose a day at the pool, they could lose thousands of dollars and lots of invested time and labor. It’s important to think about what they go through to bring food to our tables.

For now they are all bringing their best and brightest crops to market, and the market really is abundant with the bounty of the good earth. We enjoyed the tomatoes, corn, and squash all weekend at my house, and I have a recipe for you today for Summer Bread Salad that is simple, fast, and really does taste like summer. Feel free to add and subtract as you wish—take out the beans, add corn. Use whatever herbs you have on hand and whatever tomatoes you picked out this week. Work color into the mix with a variety of tomatoes and peppers. Have your way with this recipe, and it will still reward your efforts.

Which reminds me of a couple more tips. I keep seeing a suggestion for cutting the kernels off an ear of raw corn that involves putting the ear of corn into a bowl and slicing straight into the bowl. That’s a pain in the neck! If the idea is to reduce the number of kernels that go flying off the counter and across the floor, then the easiest thing to do is cut the ear in half, which can be done with a sharp knife pushed into an ear that is lying on your cutting board. Wiggle the knife back and forth until you can just break the ear in half. Watch this video to see what I mean. A farmer taught me that, and I have used the technique ever since. You do not really have to cut all the way through the ear, which can be tricky.

Another technique tip for you: When you are using just-picked tomatoes from the market or your garden, they will peel very easily; the skins will almost slide off once you start on a section. Even if you are peeling as many as 10 tomatoes, hand-peeling them with a sharp paring knife is still faster than boiling a pot of water and dropping the tomatoes in for a minute and then “slipping off the skins.” This works as long as the tomatoes are fresh from the vine (a nearby vine, not one in California).