Big splashy raindrops only briefly deterred the crowds anxious to sample the delicious wares of this season’s Farmers Market before they returned to mop up fresh greens and wholesome goodies and treats. Sheltering from the sudden rain under the New Deal Café’s canopy, market shoppers conversed with friends and neighbors again encountered with the opening of the market. When the clouds cleared and the sun came out, the market was again in full swing.
Full- or Part-Time
This year offers an even wider variety of vendors than previously. With limited space in the parking lot, the Farmers Market board has cannily integrated multiple vendors, some full-time and some on specific weeks. The market’s website (greenbeltfarmersmarket.org) shows which vendors come which weeks. Some are just one week a month – so plan ahead. But just showing up will be rewarded with a wide variety of choices ranging from staples to surprises.
They’re Back
Many vendors who have graced the market for a decade or more so value its friendly feel and meticulous organization that they just can’t help reappearing season after season, year after year. Three Springs Fruit Farm, Pat Hochmuth, Two Oceans,
Zeke’s Coffee, Stone Hearth
Bakery, El Piquin, Mystic Water Soap, Ferguson Family Farm, Glade Link Farms, Jack Creek Plants and Fajardo’s Produce Farm (formerly Pleitez) are all favorites back this year and form the heart of the market, greeting each other and Greenbelt familiars after the winter hiatus.
Faithful Friends
Of slightly more recent vintage, but now believers, other market stalwarts include King Mushrooms, Roy’s Kitchen, Tag Team Kitchen and Woodland Harvest, all of whom have several years of Greenbelting. Returning vendors of more recent vintage also include STRIB’ble Treats from Greenbelt’s own LaWann Stribling, plus Puzzle Pieces Dining, Metro Microgreens and Magnolia’s Candles and Soaps. Elk Run Vineyards and Jubilee Farm Fermentations provide artisan wine and beer to complement any meal. Mel’s Munchies, Plexus Herbs herbal products and Power Ups herbal teas round out the offerings.
New Kids in Town
Several new vendors add spice to the occasion, in one case literally, with Amity Kitchen bringing the piquant flavors of Thai food. Sweet Intuitions makes their debut with classic global and island flavors and Atwater’s Foods brings traditional homemade soup, jam and chicken salad. Also a debutante is Earth’s Backyard, focusing on natural growing practices and vegetables and herbs from the African diaspora. Mother Molly’s, another new entrant, was inspired by two great-grandmothers who loved making preserves and jams.
I Scream Ice Cream
But, as with any festive occasion, one can’t leave without ice cream. Back to popular acclaim is a market founder from 2009, Simple Pleasures Artisanal Ice Cream. Terri and Rodney Russell offer special market flavors using fruit sourced from the market and cream from Cloverland Dairy, free of antibiotics, pesticides and hormones.
SNAP Match
Through the Maryland Market Money program, the Greenbelt Farmers Market will also match up to $30 in SNAP benefits spent at the market – so a $10 charge on a customer’s EBT card will give them $20 to spend. Other programs to aid families are described on the market website.
Schedule Through Fall
The market runs weekly until the week before Thanksgiving, with the exception of Labor Day weekend, when it takes the day off in favor of the Festival. The weekend after Thanksgiving is the holiday market when it welcomes regular and new market vendors on the same weekend as the city’s holiday festivities.
Volunteers Needed
Market Manager Julie Clare and board members Scott Fifield (president), Terry Kucera (vice president), Carissa Ralbovsky (treasurer) and Greg Rusk (secretary) seek additional volunteers for market duties and also those interested in a role on the board. Contact them via the website.
