Friday, June 5, 2015

4MRMarket Report: If April Showers Bring May flowers...

The Four Mile Run Farmers & Artisans Market (4MRMarket) will be open every Sunday from 9am until 1pm from April 19th through November in Four Mile Run Park at 4109 Mt Vernon Avenue, Alexandria. (click here for directions)

Squash Blossom that will soon turn into the tasty veg.
Photo credit: uconnladybug.wordpress.com
What do May flowers bring? Pilgrims! Or, more importantly, all those fruit and vegetable blossoms bring abundance of produce from C&T Produce in June! Squash, zucchini, tomatoes, green beans, blueberries, and the list goes on!

The Vendors!

Here is who you will find at 4MRMarket this weekend!

Food Vendors
  • C & T Produce (White Oak, VA) - A huge selection of locally grown produce from a locally, family-run farm in Stafford, Virginia.
  • Tom's Amish Cheese Store (Lancaster, PA) - Artisan Cheese and yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and Pennsylvania honey.  And now carrying all his great cave-aged cheeses at 4MRMarket!
  • St. Elmo's Coffee Pub (Del Ray) - Brewed coffee, tea, and always a few extra goodies!
  • Savory 'N Sweet (Alexandria) - Your local Bulgarian baker! Maker of Savory and Sweet Breads, Breakfast Pastries, Fruit Pies, Breadsticks, and Granola.
  • Second Rising Bakery (Alexandria) - NEW - Rebecca bakes delicious breads and cookies that are egg free and made with real butter, honey, and whole grains. Once this new business is up and running, it will help provide women that have been victimized by the sex trade to have a second chance.
  • She Peppers (Alexandria) - Backyard gardeners who have turned the peppers, vegetables, and herbs that we grow into delicious and unique bbq sauces, pepper sauces, hot sauces, dips, and rubs. She Peppers also sells seeds and seedlings of the various types of peppers, tomatoes, and herbs for patrons.
And the talented Crafters:
  • Felicity's Handcrafted Soaps - (Alexandria) - All Season - Specialty crafter of all-natural hand-made soaps and knitted items
  • Sun & Moon Accessories (Manassas) - All Season - handmade jewelry from mostly natural products (seeds, gems etc). hand sewn articles of clothing made from crotchet. Scarves and baby boots and hats.
  • Uncommon Knits (Leesburg, VA) - Handwoven linens made with 100% cotton and hand-stitched hems for your kitchen, dining room and bath.
This Week on 4MR Stage...


We welcome back 4MRMarket veteran Janna Audey from 10-Noon!

Janna performs a mix of her own material and adaptations of songs by her favorite artists and songwriters. Whether you see Janna by her lonesome for an intimate, storytelling show, as the duo alongside husband and electric guitarist, Rob Santos you'll understand what the Janna-buzz is all about. It's about the music, providing a sense of community, connection, feeling, laughter, positive energy, and FUN. http://www.reverbnation.com/jannaaudey.

As always, the concert is free. Janna and all our performers are volunteering to share their music with market goers, though they will gladly welcome tips and friendly applause for their craft!

Composting at 4MRMarket!

Bring your non-animal-based food scraps in any type of container you choose, or purchase one on-site for a very low fee.

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+, Email 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 to accept SNAP. 
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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
Subscribe to Updates: via Email
Contact us at: 4MRMarket@arlandria.org
Or call the 4MRMarket hotline: (804) 4mi-Run1