Morning Roundup: Goodbye, Abe Edition
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Wizards Owner Abe Pollin Dies at 85
A new poll by American Farmland Trust puts three D.C. area farmers markets among the top markets in the entire country (hat tip, WTOP). They may be considered some of the smaller markets in the United States, but they're big in our hearts (and stomachs). Smart Markets at Mason in Fairfax, the Crossroads Farmers Market in Takoma Park, and the Bloomingdale Farmers Market in D.C. all made the top 20 list of smaller markets, coming in at 3, 4 and 7, respectively. The rankings break the markets into small, medium and large.
The list is based on votes from the public, so we presume there was a pretty hard push from the enthusiastic Bloomingdale community. It is indeed a wonderful market, though certainly other markets in the city, like the FARMFRESH markets in Dupont Circle or Penn Quarter, have somewhat wider selections.
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I'm happy that more and more people are starting to go to farmers markets in the area. We really do have a fantastic selection.
Clearly the key is in the size categories. The Crossroads Farmers Market is the puny, windswept-parking-lot-at-a-noisy-intersection younger sibling of the much nicer Sunday Takoma Park Farmers Market held on closed streets in the center of "Old Town" TP. I've picked up a few decent items there, but with its weekday time slot and heavy focus on meeting the needs of the local Central American immigrant population, the only way it makes any "Best of ..." lists is when compared to other markets with 10 or fewer vendors, or somesuch.
looking at the trajectory of things, our little neighborhood market has come a long way in this, it's 3rd season. if you had asked me the first year, i might have expressed skepticism regarding the future of the market in bloomingdale. but, after a few stumbles, it's held its own and grown, steadily. i think the slow and steady growth bodes well for it (instead of rapid, unsustainable expansion).
and heck yeah, we stuffed that ballot box!
If our local farmer's markets are so "good"[0], then why the hell are they so damn expensive? I've seriously found equally good produce at a cheaper price at the grocery store[1]. . . hell, I'm pretty sure some of the local markets are buying their stuff at the store and reselling it -- especially when I see tags for Florida or California still on the fruit.
If you extend the "local area" to the Eastern Shore and Delaware markets that I have hit when I'm out that way, then yes, we have fantastic damn farmer's markets.
Seriously, what gives?
~EEE~
[0] To be fair, this is general complaint, as I haven't been to any of the ones mentioned in the article, but several others.
[1] Another disclaimer. . . I work in the suburbs and shop there often, or I shop near home at the outer edges of NW. If I lived farther into the city, I'd probably live at a farmer's market and get raped by the prices because it's better than living off canned goods.
TripeE, which ones have you been to?
The answer is, roughly, that DC is quite wealthy and the merchants charge more because of it ( wouldn't you? ). I'd bet most of the shoppers at these markets are buying the 'luxury' of locally farmed food.
In fairness, I'm not sure how space is allocated at these farmer's markets though - it could be that the rent is higher around here too.
My main comparison is Baltimore, where the markets actually have prices that are as good as, and frequently better than grocery stores. Better selection too, particularly at the Waverly Farmers Market.
Can anyone chime in with opinions on pricing at a lot of these places? I live in Arlington so I see the Courthouse market and sometimes the DuPont one. I enjoy them, but I'm definitely saving a lot (if any) money.
That last line should be definitely *not* saving a lot (if any) money.
The rules vary from market to market, but at the main Takoma Park Farmers Market between April and December all the food sold has to be produced by the sellers, and produced within a 150 mile radius of the Market. I think that Dupont and the other markets run by FarmFresh have similar policies.
You're paying a premium for local production, for reduced pesticides and other possibly toxic inputs, and less industrial farm practices, and while the prices and visible quality of grocery store produce may match, it definitely doesn't meet those other criteria. Frankly, I doubt whether there are many non-winter markets in the DC area carrying produce from Florida and California . . .
Fair enough. . . I do like the idea of quality, locally produced produce and I try to support it when I can. I've just found that often times it's a whole lot more affordable when I'm just a little farther out of the metro area. I suppose the premium there is that I'm driving closer to where the stuff is grown and I'm transporting it back.
I also get the market price issue. . . I guess I just don't feel like "premium price" should mean "more than whole foods".
~EEE~
The Dupont Circle Farmers' Market isn't the sort of place you go looking for bargains, but the variety and quality of produce and meat more than makes up for that, in my opinion. It's certainly not more expensive than Whole Foods.
I have found good prices and selection at the market in old Greenbelt (Sunday mornings.) And I'm pretty sure they have a rule that everything sold there has to be produced within a 100 mile radius.
One thing to factor into the price equation is that veggies bought at these markets seem to stay fresh a lot longer than store-bought veggies.
Beyond that, yeah, merchants charge what the market will bear, whether it's farmer's markets or an upscale shoe boutique. And these days most residents of neighborhoods like Dupont are solidly conditioned to the belief that paying more = better. You can't really blame the sellers for taking advantage of that.
Oh, please!!! The Farmers Market in Penn Quarter is b-o-r-i-n-g. Unless that is you have an unsatiable and unnatural fondness for cheeses, mushrooms, soaps and buffalo meat. The bakery place is okay but there's nothing new there that you couldn't find at a brick and mortar bakery. Although last year they used to have a carrot cake that would make you sell in your grandmother for but this year it's been absent. As have I ...
Does anyone here think that Whole Foods just puts some produce out and jacks up the price (even more) at these markets?
For lower prices and more value, go to the Adams Morgan market on Saturday mornings. One of the stands (it's the one closer to the SunTrust) sells organic and low-pesticide produce grown locally at truly affordable prices. The farmers who run it consider it unethical to charge stupidly high prices. Their stuff is decidedly cheaper than grocery store and better quality. Tasty! Maybe a little ugly. But who doesn't like their produce kind of ugly?
His prices are good but I'm skeptical about how local or organic his produce is. I've noticed that he carries some things that are so off-season, they can't be from around these parts. I've heard he gets some of his produce from a distributor in Jessup, but I've never asked him about it so who knows. Anyone else have info about his sources?
The farmer next to him (by the flower/nut stand) is 100% local and mostly organic, but I'll bet it's hard to compete with those suspiciously low prices.