Saturday, November 15, 2014

4MRMarket Report: Start Your Holiday Shopping!

Get some holiday shopping out of the way
with Felicity's Handcrafted Soaps! (photo: FHS)
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)

This Sunday, we'll have Kenyan fair trade baskets and jewelry from Whitney's World for her final visit this season. Also, in addition to their usual products, Felicity's Handcrafted Soaps will have gift sets, lavender lotion bars, and vanilla sandalwood lotion bars. Felicity says they're great for dry winter skin! Stock up on these great items if you're looking for a gift for family and friends.

With only 2 Sundays of 4MRMarket left, be sure to get your farm-fresh goodies while you can! Fortunately, this very cold weather will break a bit by Sunday, with temperatures in the mid to upper 40s for the market.  We'll have our full compliment of vendors this weekend, so come on by!

We've been getting lots of questions to the tune of, "where's the beef?!"  Well, we finally have an answer about when The Stiflers Farm will be back:  they return with their pasture raised beef for the last market of the season *next* Sunday (Nov. 23).

Charity Watch


A dozen freshly planted trees adorn 4MR Park near Mark Dr.
The trees are in! Over a dozen trees were planted on Thursday in 4MR Park behind Mark Dr.  They look great and will grow into a mix of shade and ornamental trees.  

4MRMarket is donating $1,000 to the tree planting efforts. Along with the $1,000 4MRMarket won from ActionAlexandria Green Ideas Challenge (funded by Dominion Power) and $1,000 from crowd funding through Citizinvestor, that's $3,000 for trees in 4MR Park and surrounding areas!

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. 
  • The Stifler Farm aka "What's For Dinner Now" - (Will be back next Sunday, Nov 23) Farm-raised Black Angus beef, humanely raised on lush pasture fields of the Shenandoah Valley, naturally farmed pork--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 the market tent this week) 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.  Also look out for lavender and vanilla sandalwood lotion bars! 
  • Whitney's World, Kenya Microcrafts - Fair trade handmade baskets and jewelry from Kenya.
  • Melted Food Truck (Alexandria) - Melted aims to bring gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches to the DC area. Whether at your office, on the street, or at your event, you'll find masterfully crafted artisan breads and high-quality cheeses, toppings, and sauces to keep you comfy and cozy all day long. In Cheese We Trust!

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