Saturday, May 3, 2014

4MRMarket Report: "What's Growing These Days?" Edition

Week one of the market brought old favorites
and new vendors back to Mt. Vernon Ave!

Early season produce is a real joy!!

It's the first time of the year you get a taste of something fresh, crisp, and in-season! So, what tasty morsels are on the vine or branch or in the ground? We're glad you asked!

C&T Produce already has strawberries, chard, lettuces, asparagus, sugar snap peas and even greenhouse grown tomatoes! There's no comparison to fresh, local strawberries and asparagus, so get in on it while it lasts. The season for both is short, and once you convert to cooking with in-season ingredients, you'll have trouble going back to tasteless grocery store varieties from thousands of miles from home!

And don't forget the Stiflers are also back with What's For Dinner Now. Their pasture-raised, grain finished Black Angus beef and naturally farmed pork is always in season!

Start getting ready for Mom's Day!

Don't forget our great artisan vendors when shopping for Mom.  You have one week left to find that perfect gift, so why not go with one of our artisan produced soaps, baskets, or beauty products on offer from Felicity's Handcrafted Soaps, Whitney's World, or Charlette Marie Beauty, respectively?

It's not only great stuff, but you'll be supporting local businesses in the process!

Composting at 4MRMarket

Community Composting returns to 4MRMarket this Sunday, May 4th!!

Thanks to the City of Alexandria, we are finally able to help offer this service to the neighborhood after several years of spinning our wheels trying to figure out how to do this ourselves.

Bring your (non-animal) food scraps to 4MRMarket in any type of container you choose, or purchase one on-site for a very low fee. You'll be rewarded with a small bag of very fine soil for your gardening needs.
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4MRMarket Vendors this week:
  • C &T Produce (White Oak, VA) - A huge selection of locally grown produce from a locally, family-run farm in Stafford, Virginia.
  • What's For Dinner Now  - aka The Stifler Farm. Farm-raised Black Angus beef, humanely raised on lush pasture fields of the Shenandoah Valley, naturally farmed pork...and now... Uncle Frank's Grilling Sauce!!
  • Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese and yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and Pennsylvania honey.
  • St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - Brewed coffee, tea, and always a few extra goodies!
  • Whole Health (Alexandria) - Organic teas and body scrubs from one of the largest Message and Acupuncture Therapy businesses in Northern Virginia 
  • Sweet 'N Savory (Alexandria) - Your local Bulgarian baker! Maker of Savory and Sweet Breads, Breakfast Pastries, Fruit Pies, Breadsticks, and Granola.
The Artisans
  • Felicity's Handcrafted Soaps - (Alexandria) This specialty crafter of hand-made soaps and knitted items will be at the market every other Sunday!
  • Charlette Marie Beauty (Centreville, VA) - A naturally effective, eco-friendly, line of handmade bath and body skin care goodies. Her products are made with bio-dynamic, natural botanical active ingredients.
  • Whitney's World, Kenya Microcrafts - Fair trade handmade baskets and jewelry from Kenya.
  • Others pending!


See below all the ways to help and participate in the market!

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The supercool 4MRMarket t-shirt
BUY. Proceeds of our 4MRMarket T-shirts go to support the expansion and revitalization of 4MR Park. They cost $12 and come in 4 colors. See us model a few at the market.  You can pre-pay online via Pay-Pal (send money to 4MRM@arlandria.org).

DONATE. Help 4MRMarket help 4MRPark. Tax-deductible donations can be made to support us in our efforts to revitalize Four Mile Run Park. Donate to the City's Living Landscape Fund to fund tree and other amenities at 4MRExpand More information here.

HELP. If you'd like to volunteer with the 4MRMarket, come talk to us any Sunday. You'll be able to volunteer to help process SNAP/EBT and Credit / Debit Card sales, help us keep our books, help set up or tear down for the market, or help us find musicians to play the market. You can also find a Market Manager to ask to help, or email us at 4MRMarket@arlandria.org for more info.

READ. Keep up to date on all the goings on by following 4MRMarket on FacebookTwitterGoogle+ or via our website and blog.


SPREAD THE WORD.  Please tell folks about us. And tell folks about some of the great things we're doing. For instance, all SNAP/EBT participants can take advantage of the Inova-sponsored "Double Dollar" program again this year 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. And C&T Produce now accepts SFMNP vouchers!
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Buy Fresh Buy Local 4MRMarket products.
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 9am until 1pm from April 27th until November in Four Mile Run Park at 4109 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. 

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