Friday, November 21, 2014

4MRMarket Report: The Beef Returns for the Final 2014 Market

Where's the beef?  Right Here!  The Stiflers return this Sunday!


The Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market (4MRMarket) is open every Sunday from 9am until 1pm from late April until November 23rd in Four Mile Run Park at 4109 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. (click here for directions)


First off, 4MRMarket would like to say thank you to all of our vendors and customers for making 2014 another great year and a year of growth!

With the music floating through the air and children playing all around the Four Mile Run Park Plaza, it often felt like a festival atmosphere many weeks this season. We hope you found our little market to be a community asset this year and will set a new years resolution to bring a friend (or two!) next season to help expand 4MRMarket even further. We know we enjoyed being there week in and week out and we have all of you to thank for making season four of 4MRMarket happen!

The Stifler Farm (aka "What's For Dinner Now") will be back for the final 4MRMarket of the 2014 Season this Sunday (November 23rd) with their awesome farm-raised Black Angus beef, humanely raised on lush pasture fields of the Shenandoah Valley!!

Joyce & Mitch want you to know: "There are a few things that we are out of--we DO NOT have pork, skirt steak, tongue or ox tail. Otherwise, we'll have a full selection to chose from."

We'll also have Rockland's BBQ Food Truck at the market this Sunday!  And C&T Produce and Tom's Amish Cheese continue to have a great selection week in and week out!

Charity Watch


A dozen freshly planted trees adorn
4MR Park near Mark Drive
Over a dozen trees were planted a few weeks ago in 4MR Park along the Mark Drive alleyway. They look great and will grow into a mix of shade and ornamental trees.

4MRMarket donated $1,000 to the tree planting efforts and raised $2,000 more between the $1,000 won from ActionAlexandria Green Ideas Challenge (funded by Dominion Power) and $1,000 from crowd funding through Citizinvestor!

Don't forget to check out more information about the 4MR Park Community Fall Tree Planting at: www.arlandria.org

Composting at 4MRMarket

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.
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4MRMarket Food 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. 
  • Rocklands BBQ Food Truck (Alexandria) - The legendary local BBQ joint is now on wheels! They'll be serving up pulled pork and chicken with all the sides and fixins!
  • The Stifler Farm aka "What's For Dinner Now" - They're baa-aaaack!  Farm-raised Black Angus beef, humanely raised on lush pasture fields of the Shenandoah Valley--plus Uncle Frank's Grilling Sauce!! 
  • Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese and yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and Pennsylvania honey. 
  • Caffeine. - Serving freshly roasted pour-over coffee (hot OR cold) from various sources at their pour over brew bar!  Also selling freshly roasted beans so you can enjoy the magic 7 days a week!
  • Savory 'N Sweet (Alexandria) - Your local Bulgarian baker! Maker of Savory and Sweet Breads, Breakfast Pastries, Fruit Pies, Breadsticks, and Granola.
  • St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - (For Sale at another market stall this week as St. Elmo's Staff won't be there.  Check with the market tent.) Brewed coffee, tea, and always a few extra goodies! 
  • Felicity's Handcrafted Soaps (Alexandria) - This specialty crafter of hand-made soaps and knitted items will be at the market every Sunday.

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.

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.

VOLUNTEER. We love help with set-up and tear-down and/or processing SNAP/EBT and Credit / Debit Card sales.  Just find a Market Manager to ask to help, or email us at 4MRMarket@arlandria.org for more info.

FOLLOW. 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.

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