Written by Kendra Charles
With the words “local” and “organic” on everyone’s lips, the most local of choices are at your neighborhood farmers’ market. Across Virginia, markets are a gathering place for farmers and their customers. It is a social experience, bringing together like-minded individuals with the desire to reduce their carbon footprint and support local growers. We asked three local farmers to discuss what types of produce to look for at stands this summer.
Amy’s Garden, Charles City
Amy’s Garden grew out of an ambitious backyard garden in the City of Richmond. Owner Amy Hicks and her husband began selling their produce to Ellwood Thompson’s and to local restaurants in the mid-1990s and have been certified organic farmers since 2000. Look for Hicks’ stand at the South of the James and Byrd House Markets in Richmond and the Williamsburg Farmers’ Market.
Hicks speaks fondly of her specialty products, like her Japanese eggplant, which ranges from light lavender to dark purple in color. It’s long and slender, and has a sweeter taste than most eggplants. Another favorite is Korean melon, which is small and oblong, with yellow and white stripes, and is crisp “like a pear.” According to Hicks, July will bring various peppers, sweet and hot, and even little orange and yellow snack peppers that you can pop right into your mouth. She expects to have fresh figs the first week of August. Amy’s Garden also sells heirloom tomatoes coupled with other ingredients for making a delicious homemade salsa.
ORGANIC SALSA
Recipe courtesy of Amy’s Garden
Ingredients
1.5 lbs. fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, diced
1 hot pepper, finely chopped (Tip: Peppers get hotter from the bottom up, so start with the bottom end and not the stem.)
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced
Optional ingredients
Salt
Juice of a fresh lime
Cilantro
Preparation
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and enjoy!
—–
Dayspring Farm, Cologne
Charlie Maloney and his family have been farming for 25 years, with his four children being an intricate part of the development of the farm. Dayspring Farm is committed to education, bringing in interns every summer. For the past eight years Maloney has been an instructor of sustainability and agriculture at the College of William & Mary and incorporates sustainable and ecological practices into his farming.
This summer Dayspring Farm has a new variety of tomato, called Indigo Rose, which is a beautiful cherry tomato ranging from deep red to purple in color. Maloney describes another tomato, the Juliette, as “a versatile—large grape- to small plum-sized—tomato that is great for cooking, drying and fresh eating.” Dayspring sells summer squash in various shapes, sizes and tastes. August brings sweet peppers ripened to perfection, and the peppers are plenty: Red Carmen, yellow and orange Flavor Burst, and red Jimmy Nardello peppers (a sweet, old Italian variety that’s great for frying and drying) are just a few of the varieties you’ll find locally.
FRIED PEPPERS
Recipe by author
Ingredients
Peppers (4 or 5, the variety of your choice)
Garlic (5 or 6 cloves, minced or whole)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Fry garlic over medium heat until golden brown on both sides. Add peppers and salt and pepper. Cook about 30 minutes or until the peppers are browned on all sides.
—–
Radical Roots Community Farm, Harrisonburg
West of Richmond is Radical Roots Community Farm. Just outside of Harrisonburg, Radical Roots uses an intensive permaculture design on five acres where they have a variety of edible fruit trees and naturally conserve and utilize water in water catchment areas. Some of their more unique items include the Striped German Tomato, which farm manager Katherine Stewart describes as a “cool tri-colored tomato, yellow with red coming out at the blossom.” Stewart also recommends their Islander sweet pepper. It starts purple and ripens to orange, but in-between has a brilliant tie-dye effect. July brings garlic, and at Radical Roots Farm it is Music garlic that awakens the senses. Harvested in late June, the garlic cures for two weeks before it’s brought to market. Radical Roots attends the Charlottesville and Harrisonburg Farmers’ Markets.
STRIPED GERMAN TOMATO SALAD
Recipe by author and Katherine Stewart of Radical Roots
Ingredients
1 tomato
Handful of sliced fresh basil leaves
Balsamic or rice vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional: fresh sliced mozzarella)
Preparation
Slice tomato and spread slices on a plate. Add a splash of oil and vinegar. Sprinkle salt pepper and basil over the tomato slices and enjoy!
—–
To The Market
PENINSULA
Open Daily
Toano Farmers’ Market
James City-Bruton Fire Department (3135 Forge Road)
Hours: 7:30 a.m. to sunset
Wednesday
Port Warwick Farmers’ Market
Styron Square
(Loftis and Nat Turner Boulevards)
Hours: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursday
Farmers’ Market at City Center
701 Town Center Drive
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday
Williamsburg Farmers’ Market
Merchants Square
Hours: 8 a.m. to noon
Saturday
Yorktown Market Days
Riverwalk Landing
Hours: 8 a.m. to noon
SOUTHSIDE
Open Daily
Virginia Beach Farmers’ Market
3640 Dam Neck Road
Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesday and Saturday
Chesapeake Farmers’ Market
Chesapeake City Park
Hours: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thursday through Sunday
Five Points Community Farmers’ Market
Church and 26th Streets, Norfolk
Hours: Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday
Old Beach Farmers’ Market
620 19th Street, Virginia Beach
Hours: 8 a.m. to noon
Saturday (cont.)
Suffolk Farmers’ Market
Suffolk Visitor Center Pavilion
(524 North Main Street)
Hours: 9 a.m. to noon
Smithfield Farmers’ Market
319 Main Street
Hours: 9 a.m. to noon
Norfolk Farmers’ Market
19 Maple Avenue
Hours: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Portsmouth Olde Towne
Farmers’ Market
Corner of High and Court Streets
Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
RICHMOND
Open Daily
Tom Leonard’s Farmers’ Market
(Behind Best Buy in Short Pump)
4150 Brookriver Dr.
Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Tuesday–Saturday
Chesterfield Farmers’ Market
Chesterfield Towne Center
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tues.-Fri.;
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat.
Tuesdays
Byrd House Market
224 S. Cherry Street (Oregon Hill)
Hours: 3:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Wednesdays
Lakeside Farmers’ Market
6110 Lakeside Ave.
Open from dawn to dusk.
West End Farmers’ Market
Gayton and Ridgefield Parkway
Hours: 3 to 6:30 p.m.
Thursdays
Open-air Farmers’ Market
The Great Big Greenhouse & Nursery
2051 Huguenot Rd.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Virginia Street Farmers’ Market
Near the Turning Basin and Canal Walk
Hours: 3 to 7 p.m.
Powhatan Farmers’ Market
3839 Old Buckingham Rd.
Hours: 4 to 7 p.m.
FridaysThe Market at First Fridays
311 W. Broad St.
(Next to Quirk Gallery)
Hours: 5 to 9 p.m., held on the first Friday of the month
Saturdays
17th Street Farmers’ Market
100 N. 17th St.
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lakeside Farmers’ Market
6110 Lakeside Ave.
Hours: 8 a.m. to noon
Monument Market
Corner of Monument Avenue and North Robinson Street
Hours: 8 a.m. to noon
South of the James Market
Forest Hill Park, at 42nd Street
and Forest Hill Avenue
Hours: 8 a.m. to noon, rain or shine
My Manakin Market
Bank of Essex
68 Broad Street Rd., Manakin Sabot (West of Short Pump)
Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Farmers’ Market at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
6000 Grove Ave.
Hours: 8 a.m. to noon
West End Farmers’ Market
Gayton and Ridgefield Parkway
Hours: 8 a.m. to noon
Brandermill Green Market
Market Square Shopping Center
9 a.m. to noon
Chester Farmers’ Market
The Village Green
Centre Street and Village Green Drive
Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Ashland Farmers’ Market
101 Thompson St.
Hours: 9 a.m. to noon
Listings compiled by Blair Koster
SALES UP At Farmers Markets
The state’s farmers’ markets had gross sales of $42.8 million in 2011, the Virginia Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announced. That was a 7.3 percent increase over
2010 and more than a 100 percent increase over 2006 sales.