Marketplaces more popular, accessible than ever

Farmers’ markets in Washington, D.C., have been revitalized and are popular than ever before, and the growing number of markets in the metropolitan area is matched by the increased foot traffic. Efforts are also being made to make them more affordable and more accessible to lower income groups, especially.

FRESHFARM Markets has been promoting farm-to-table eating in the District since 1997 and has helped to provide low-income residents the opportunity to eat fresh.

Co-Executive Director Bernadine Prince said she has seen an increase in foot traffic at the markets and lots of “foodies and people that work in the area.” Prince believes that recent food scares and an emphasis on health have driven people towards natural foods.

There are an estimated 27 markets all over the city, with five falling under the FRESHFARM umbrella. Of them, the market in Dupont Circle on Sundays has been the most popular.

Spots at the market, however, are hard to come by. “There is definitely a hierarchy,” said Brady Marz, owner of Picnic Gourmet Spreads. “Someone has to be killed to get a spot at Dupont.”

Marz still finds success at the smaller markets. By offering samples of his cheese spreads, such as tandoori garlic and Moroccan cilantro, he gets to see customers’ reactions first-hand, and says he looks at markets as “a free focus group.”

Walking the lanes of various markets, one can feel the sense of community. Wes Lanham, owner of The Bread Ovens at Quail Creek Farms, says the vendors barter, trade and socialize. Lanham, an award-winning former sous chef, offers mouthwatering breads, pastries and quiches fresh from his bakery in West Virginia. 

Though he sees a good number of locals at the Penn Quarter location, Lantham also gets tourists, especially in the summer. “They come to me for bread, then I send them to Everona for some cheese, and then across the way for some charcuterie and they have a perfect picnic lunch.”

 In comparison to the other FRESHFARM markets, the White House market on Thursdays offers the most prepared foods and caters to workers looking for a unique meal during their lunch break. Here, you will find fewer family farmers and more young entrepreneurs. This appears to be a departure from previous years, and doesn’t exactly jibe with first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign for healthier eating for American’s youths when the market first opened in 2009. A request for comment from the first lady’s office was not returned.

At the Red Apron Butchery food truck, owner Nate Anda offers gourmet hot dogs on fluffy challah bread with an array of toppings. One of he truck’s special of the day offerings was the Vietdog, a spicy hot dog topped with ginger aioli and Asian slaw. At $8 a dog they might not be cheap or healthy, but they are well worth the price for adventurous hot dog lovers.

For a lighter treat during the hot summer months, market-goers turn to Pleasant Pops. Started in 2009 by Brian Sykora and Roger Horowitz, the duo offer Mexican-style popsicles, paletas, in a number of inventive flavors depending on what fruits are in season.

Keeping it in the farmers’ market family, Pleasant Pops only uses ingredients bought from fellow vendors. Sykora says the most popular pop this season is the Strawberry Ginger Lemonade. The markets have been such a success, they hope to open their flagship store later this summer.

Some vendors, however, are unhappy with the rising trend in offering gourmet food. 

“There should be more produce than what you can get around the block,” said Kendra Connelly of Bigg Riggs Farm.

Local markets understand this concern, and are trying to promote the utilization of fresh market products. FRESHFARM’s Chefs at Market series books chefs to demonstrate and share recipes using ingredients found at the market. 

At the Dupont market on June 3, Marisa McClellan, author of Food in Jars, shared her recipe for Strawberry Vanilla Jam. “I love coming to the markets. It’s great to show people that there is more that you can do with produce than just eat it.” 

While many view healthy foods as pricey, government programs are trying to make natural foods accessible to all. 

Last month, the U.S. Derpartment of Agriculture awarded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with $4 million in funding for farmers’ markets, which will provide markets with wireless systems to make the transaction easier on farmers. 

At FRESHFARM, most vendors accept SNAP and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the markets will match any recipient up to $15 for extra spending. At the four participating DCGreen markets, the match program has just been introduced this year.

 “We are very pleased so far,” says Robin Schuster of  the14h and U and Bloomingdale markets.“People are very excited.”

 Kevin Concannon, under secretary at the USDA, said that not only are they working to make SNAP available, but also affordable. “SNAP recipients need to stretch their dollars. This is an effort to encourage low-income folks to eat healthier and have access to healthy foods.”

Concannon also challenges the theory that healthy food is expensive. “If you measure the cost of food by calories, it more expensive, but whether its fresh lettuce or apples, they have fewer calories and are less costly in terms of portion size than processed foods.”

So for residents at any economic bracket, this summer is the perfect time to switch from fake to fresh.