Bites Nearby: Organic and Other Options from Farmers in Takoma Park

Choices are plentiful at the Sunday market open year-round.

What captures your attention as you walk through a farmers' market? Is it the color, freshness or price of the produce? Do you look for fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meats that are certified as organic? Do you ask the farmers about their production practices? The "Ecoganic Growers" sign caught my eye and led to an enlightening stroll through Takoma Farmers Market on Sunday. The family that owns Potomac Vegetable Farms tries to convey a specific impression with the use of the term ecoganic. "Ecoganic is a word that we selected to let people know that we were still practicing sustainable, organic methods, but we weren't certified organic any longer," said Michael Lipsky, husband of the owner. Lipsky's wife, Hiu Newcomb, has been a …

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How Do You Like Your Peaches?

Some of the best peaches are still to be had at your local farmers' market.

People have strong feelings about their peaches. Just ask Ben Wenk of Three Springs Fruit Farm. Earlier this season, he decided to add his voice to what he exaggeratingly called the “age-old debate” by blogging about which peaches are sweeter, white or yellow. Linda Lewis of Lewis Orchards in Dickerson said that she thinks most people like the type of peach that they ate growing up. She equated it to the rivalry between Coke and Pepsi: although Coke and Pepsi are both sweet and tasty, some people prefer one to the other, but others can drink both. Whatever your preference, some of the best peaches of the season can still be found at your local farm stand or farmers’ market. “Every variety gets better as the season continues,” Lewis said.  …

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Fresh Produce, Baked Goods and Friendly Smiles Are In-Season at Gaithersburg Farmers' Market

The market is loaded with fresh produce, goodies and personality.

On an understated corner of Gaithersburg, at the intersection of Fulks Corner Avenue and MD Route 355, is a farmers’ market with an incredible selection of fresh produce and delicious, homemade baked goodies, and a lot of heart. The rapport between the vendors and clients at this farmers’ market is incredible. When commenting at the Scenic View Orchards stall that I’d never seen such a diverse selection of peppers, Mona, a regular who comes every Thursday, piped in:  “Is it your first time here? You don’t know what you are missing.  You should come every week! There are such beautiful people here. It’s like my family!” Sue Velasquez agrees. She’s been coming for years. She appreciates Richard Masser, the owner of Scenic View Orchard, …

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Bethesda Central Farm Market Inspires Authentic Living

At the Bethesda Central Farm Market, inspiring people are living their dreams.

Do you have a secret dream percolating on the backburner? If so, take some inspiration from the Bethesda Central Farm Market, where vendors, through selling local produce, beef and even coffee, are living their dreams. Bethesda Central Farm Market is small compared to some other farmers’ markets in Montgomery County, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in personality and diverse products. Sandra Miller, for example, is a dynamic woman who owns Painted Hands Farm. Miller used to work in industry, but 10 years ago decided to buy her own farm. She said she found her previous work very interesting, but felt that by doing that work she was contributing to the problem. Now, she feels she is contributing to the solution, because people …

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Rural and Urban Intersect at Silver Spring Farmers Market

The Silver Spring Farmers Market has an urban twist.

Need a cool place to take a date on a Saturday afternoon?  Looking for a unique place to hang out with family or friends?  Try the Silver Spring Farmers Market.  It’s a farmers market, but with an urban feel. In the heart of downtown Silver Spring, the market begins at the corner of Ellsworth Drive and Fenton Street and continues on Ellsworth all the way down to Georgia Avenue. In addition to some wonderful local produce, you can find bison, grass-fed lamb, farm fresh eggs, locally grown herbs, baked breads, handmade fresh mozzarella and yogurts. Musicians play lively music from an elevated bandstand adding to the festive ambiance. Ben Wenk's family has been farming in the same location in Aspers, Penn. for seven generations and he said he…

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Beth Borzone

11:23 pm on Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Scott, Thanks so much for the great link! Much appreciated! -Beth   more ›

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Heyser Farms Open House: Pruning and Peaches, Wine and Honey

Locals visited Heyser Farms on Saturday to learn pruning and taste a new wine with Colesville roots.

Mike Heyser, owner of Heyser Farms, outdoes Youtube, according to Maria Alonso and Sandra Dewey.  A video is just not as good, they say, when it comes to learning directly from your local farmer. Alonso and Dewey were among 10 local residents that gathered Saturday around Heyser’s apple and peach trees for a pruning demonstration, but many more came throughout the day for the open house, which offered other goodies, such as the release of Great Shoal’s Spencerville Red Hard Apple and samplings of recipes made with locally produced honey. Lillian Miliszauskas, a Heyser Farms employee, who worked hard throughout the day greeting and servicing customers, estimated that there were at least three times as many people as usual. Dewey drove all …

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Top Ten Unexpected Surprises at Your Local Farmers Markets

Local Farmers Markets Offer More Than Just Fruits and Vegetables.

I’ve eaten the best apples and produce in my life since I started covering local farm stands and farmers’ markets.  While I expected to find fresh fruits and produce, I also found some unexpected and wonderful surprises that I’d like to share: 1. Locally Produced Honey – I bought my first jar of locally produced honey at Heyser Farms in Colesville and became an immediate fan.  I have since learned that there are quite a number of beekeepers in Montgomery County and the Montgomery Beekeepers Association boasts about 100 members.  I hope to do a story about local beekeeping in the future. 2. Popping Corn - At Gorman Farm in Laurel I bought really unique organic popping corn.  The corn kernels were dried on the ear and I had to knock them off…

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Montgomery Farm Women's Cooperative Market Continues to Give Hope in Tough Economic Times

The Cooperative Market offers a model of how community and creativity can help women (and men) weather tough economic times.

As the holiday shopping season winds down, the vendors at the Sunday Bazaar outside the Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market in Bethesda approach the New Year with resilience and hope. This spirit of resilience goes back to the market’s founding during the Great Depression, when a group of resourceful farm women organized themselves and decided to sell their farm produce to the residents of D.C. and its suburbs. With the help of the Extension Services of the University of Maryland, they created the Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market in order to make some extra income as deflated farm prices and drought made it tough for many families to meet mortgage payments, pay taxes and upkeep their farms.  What began in 1932 as 19 women …

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Nuts, Chocolate, Wine and More at Last Olney Market of the Year

Freezing temperatures and gusty winds did not keep customers away from the Olney Farmers and Artists Market on Sunday.

Enduring bone-chilling temperatures and frequent wind gusts, vendors sold their wares at the Olney Farmers and Artists Market on Sunday, Dec. 5 from 11:00 a.m. until about 2:30 p.m., when they decided to shut down a half-hour early to catch the football game. But the Edelen family found a way to stay warm: they brought their own heaters.  Lana Edelen, who together with her husband owns Homestead Farm in Faulkner, MD, drove 65 miles to be at the one day only Winter Market.  Despite the cold temperatures, the Homestead Farm stall had an impressive display of produce thanks to their six greenhouses with raised beds. Homestead Farm grows tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, Swiss chard and a greens mix with a variety of Asian greens.  In the…

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Locals Thankful for Spicknall’s Farm in Beltsville

Around since the 1930's, Spicknall's Farm is cherished by locals.

As Thanksgiving approaches and the temperatures start to fall, how do you savor the final few weekends of crisp fall weather? For many locals, a nice relaxing visit to Spicknall’s Farm on 12011 Old Gunpowder Rd. is the answer.    For Madeline, Ana, Isabel and Chapa the trip to Spicknall’s was a nice family outing to buy pumpkins and apples.  Together, they roamed through the rows of pumpkins, looking for the perfect pumpkin.  As they searched the rows, members of the family held different pumpkins of various shapes and sizes up for inspection by the others.  Heads nodded and shook.  Finally, the pumpkin was put back down until they spotted another more enticing one.  Then, Chapa put the pumpkin on his shoulder and the family posed together…

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