Saturday, July 11, 2015

4MRMarket Report: The Produce of Summer

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)

Gettin' corny with C&T Produce!
This is one of the best times of year to make trips to 4MRMarket!

C&T Produce has new options almost every week as everything is coming into season. Sweet corn? Check! Peaches? Check! Multiple types of tomatoes? Check... and the list goes on for dozens of items!

Not to mention, SweetCentral will be back with their artfully crafted cupcakes and other baked treats this weekend! Try it out, you will be happy you did. You'll also find lots of new craft vendors that tend to drop by over the summer, such as...

New Vendor Alert

Papazian Jewelry Designs is our newest local artisan to join the fray! In owner and designer Diana Papazian's own words:
"Drawing on my background as a painter and sculptor, I find inspiration for my jewelry designs in organic forms and phenomena. The themes in my hand crafted works often play upon the dualities of growth vs. decay and order vs. chaos. I favor materials, techniques, and tools that allow me to express my voice directly and naturally."
Necklace by Papazian Jewelry Designs

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, apple cider donuts, 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) - 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 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.
  • Sweetcentral Cupcakes (Springfield, VA) - Artfully crafted cupcakes in assorted sizes from Elda, plus other tasty new offerings this season!
  • RETURNING JULY 19 -- Selo Market & Eatery (Alexandria) - They combine locally grown products and worldly influence in everything they do. With a focus on detail and design the market represents their love and passion for food, from childhood memories to experiences traveling and living abroad. "Selo" means "village" to Matt and Joanna it also means home-grown and local, meant to be shared with family, friends and community.
And the talented Crafters:
  • Felicity's Handcrafted Soaps - (Alexandria) - All Season - Specialty crafter of all-natural hand-made soaps and knitted items
  • Papazian Jewelry Designs (Alexandria) - Unique hand-crafted works of wearable art in copper, silver, brass, semi-precious stones, and glass.
  • Whitney's World, Kenya Microcrafts - Our popular purveyor of fair trade handmade baskets and jewelry from Kenya is back for her monthly visit to the market!
This Week on 4MR Stage...

We welcome back 4MRMarket veteran Matt Buchanan from 10-Noon!

Matt Buchanan plays folk, rock, alternative, and blues, and you may have seen him playing at St. Elmo's Coffee Pub in the past.

Our musicians volunteer their time on Sunday mornings to make yours even brighter! They graciously accept tips and friendly applause, so please help support music at 4MRMarket!

http://www.reverbnation.com/mattbuchanan

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