Saturday, July 9, 2011

4MRMarket Report: "Beat the Heat, Eat Some Meat" Edition


Now that summer is official on in all its full steaminess, it's a great oppurtunity to get out early on Sunday morning to 4MRMarket....even if you were out late this Saturday night watching fireworks at Alexandria's Birthday Celebration.

And about those fireworks, look for the 4MRMarket team there tonight for chance at a special promotion for the month of July. And don't miss the very special and exciting, pre-fireworks announcements from the stage. There'll be a new development that we're very proud of and we'd be honored to have our friends there!! 4MRMarket has always been about getting by with a lot of help from our friends and hope tonight's celebration can be one way to thank you all.

While the "meat and potatoes" of any farmers' market is most certainly the produce, 4MRMarket has some especially great meat products that go perfect in the summer heat. So fire up the grill, throw on some fresh buttered corn from C&T Produce or Pleitez Produce, throw together a tasty garden salad or other delicious (but healthy) veggie side, and throw some delicious steaks from Stifler Farms on the grill. There are so many great reasons to call on 4MRMarket for in summer, not least of which is showing support for the efforts of your volunteer market staff that keep this great Arlandria market rolling!

 Don't forget, all the great summer veggies are now in season!  Stock up and get there early to beat the heat and get first pick of gorgeous super-sweet corn, cantaloupes, and so many other delicious market items!

Here is who you'll find at 4MRMarket this week:
  • The Stifler Farm aka "What's For Dinner Now" (Shenandoah) - Natural, locally farm-raised black Angus beef, and now fresh, farm raised Pork, including bacon and andouille, chorizo, and breakfast sausage! (all flash frozen for convenience) 
  • Pleitez Produce (Northern Neck) - A full range of locally grown produce, herbs, and more. 
  • Bread and Chocolate (Arlandria) - A range of baked goods. 
  • C&T Produce (White Oak, VA) - A huge selection of locally grown produce. 
  • St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - Brewed coffee, tea, and a few extra goodies. 
  • Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese, yogurt and Pennsylvania honey. 
  • Uncommon Knits (WV) - Handwoven linens made with 100% cotton and hand-stitched hems for your kitchen, dining room and bath. 
  • Ron RLR-Designs (Herndon, VA) - Artistic photo prints to dress up any wall
  • Yoli B. (Hanover, MD) - Hand-stitched kids clothing. NEW!
  • Sweet Hearts Patisserie (Fairfax, VA) - a Northern Virginia based patisserie specializing in gourmet victorian petit fours and other miniature sized pastries. Sweet Hearts petit fours are made in a variety of delectable flavors and designs, and make the perfect gift or tea time treat. NEW!
VeloCity bike co-op will be on-site doing teaching bike maintenance and repair.  In our 4MRMarket Tent come meet folks from the Dominion Green Power Program.

If you're a SNAP/EBT participant, remember to come out and take advantage of the Inova-sponsored "Double Dollar" program that doubles the first $10 SNAP participants spend at the market. 4MRMarket is the first farmers’ market in Northern Virginia (and still the only) to accept SNAP.

Please support your volunteer-run neighborhood farmers market. We can't do it without neighborhood support! We still need volunteers to help us find musicians to play the market and help staff the SNAP machine (after some training, of course). Find a Market Manager and ask to help, or email us at 4mrm@arlandria.org for more info.
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The Four Mile Run Farmers and Artisans Market (Alexandria, Virginia 22305) brings fresh, nutritious food to people of all income levels, provide an opportunity for local artisans and producers of goods to bring their wares to market, strive to reflect the diversity of the community, and improve the quality of life for Arlandria residents and visitors. It is part of an overall vision to expand and improve Four Mile Run park and the surrounding neighborhood.

4MRMarket is open every Sunday from 8am until 1pm from May through October in Four Mile Run Park at 4109 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. 

For more info see: http://www.4mrmarket.org/
On Facebook: facebook.com/4MRMarket
Contact us at: 4mrm@arlandria.org
Or call the 4MRMarket hotline: (804) 4mi-Run1