A n e w G r e e n b e l t Farmers Market season is coming up, and while the weather for opening day, Sunday, May 12, is not forecast (at the time of writing) to be great, what’s a mere spring shower to a populace clamoring for products straight from the farm? Bring an umbrella and reusable shopping bags and join the fun.
The market is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with flute music from Naomi Littlefield and Greenbelt’s favorite vendors back in action. There are more vendors than ever – with some visiting on a rotating basis. Descriptions, links and schedules are available on the website GreenbeltFarmersMarket. Org by clicking the “At The Market” tab and selecting 2019 vendors.
The most important new face is of Market Master Frances Ippoliti. She’s stepping into the yeti-sized shoes of Nancy Solomon, who was market master for a decade. Ippoliti is energetic and resourceful with a wide range of experiences behind her, here and abroad, and Solomon has been generous in passing on the accumulated wisdom of her time in harness. Board members stand ready to offer support as Ippoliti learns the ropes, so a successful first day is anticipated.
The first day of the market is the most hectic of the season – with health and fire inspections scheduled and vendors finding their locations and setting up equipment that’s been sitting idle for months. There’s much to do but it’s fun to see it all come together after months of planning.
New Vendors
There are several vendor newcomers as well as almost all last year’s vendors returning. We’ve squeezed in a couple of extra slots and alternated vendors to offer a wider range of products and a changing palette for each week. Hasting His Harvest is a newbie too, with herbal seasonings and plant-based meat substitutes to support a vegan diet. We have two seasonings vendors, Nativo (which joined us late last season) and freshman vendor Pepperly Love. Piquant indeed!
Tag Team Kitchen’s pizza kits are sure to be a family favorite for a quick and delicious meal, while Real Food, Real Tasty creates sauces that will set tastebuds a-tingle. Untainted, with its fastidiously-made body butters Farmers Market Reopens Sunday Bringing Bounty Back to Greenbelt by Cathie Meetre and scrubs, complements longtime favorite Mystic Soaps.
Returning Vendors Roy and RT and El Piquin will be serving up delicacies from their respective cultures – Indonesian curry and South-of-theBorder-inspired crêpes and tacos. Ok, so crêpes are French – but that’s south of Belgium, right?
Veggies are in abundance – Dicot Farms, Pleitez, Shlagel Farms, Patty’s Garden, Woodland Harvest and Pat Hochmuth Farms will have their early crops and last-season tubers and gourds. Fruits are well represented by Three Springs – and for lovers of the tasty and culinarily invaluable saprophyte (saprophytiacs?), Kings Mushrooms will now be at the market every week during the season with several exotic varieties and delicious mushroom soup to boot. Patty’s Garden and Jack Creek Plants have spring bedding plants ready to go (now the danger of frost is past) – and Glade Link will join the market with more plants and fabulous flowers once blooms are sufficient.
Other food groups are also well-represented. Ferguson Family Farms is a long-time market favorite back for its 11th season and Lynne Ferguson will have her tender, farm raised meat, freerange eggs and tasty sausages. Salmon vendor Two Oceans will be there to represent the forces of fish, while wineries Great Shoals and Elk Run alternate to go for the grape.
The market wouldn’t be itself without a cup of Zeke’s to fortify the shopper, plus baked goods and sweet treats from Stone Hearth, Heavenly-Created Desserts and I Confect. Let it be said, coffee goes really well with Simple Pleasures ice cream.
In a pickle or a jam? Then Number One Sons and Martha’s Jams and Jellies are the go-to solution. Artisan pickles and homemade jam are a perfect match to peanut butter. Not at the same time, of course.
SNAP and WIC
SNAP and WIC are back, though in a slightly different form – with direct support from the county for its administration. Support includes outreach to enable more local SNAP recipients to benefit from the market and hands-on presence at the market.
Thanks to All
The Farmers Market is grateful to the individuals who have donated to help GFM keep its place in Greenbelt’s heart: Velma Kahn, Bill Norwood, Lynn McKee and J Davis. It thanks the local organizations who sponsor. Their contributions help to defray the cost of insurance, materials, advertising and all the little things that add up fast. Kudos to Choice Clinical, New Deal Café, Greenbelt Co-op, Old Greenbelt Theatre, Freedom Realty, Proteus Cycles, Heavenly Well Acupuncture, Kim Kash and The Greenbelt Community Foundation for their foresight and generosity. Grateful thanks to the volunteers who return year after year and to the board members who shoulder a lot of work to grace the city with this mar