It’s farmers market season and everyone is feeling the pull toward the street markets. Shopping at them can be confusing and overwhelming. To help you get through the season happier, healthier, and with more money in your pocket, here are some tips.
Cost
Every newbie to the markets talks about cost. I call it the supermarket hangover. They have trouble understanding why they should pay more. Isn’t food at the supermarket and the farmers market the same?
Definitely not. The supermarket food is priced correctly, cheap because it is cheap food. It has …

Silver Diner, a restaurant chain serving Virginia and Maryland, recently decided to offer “fresh and local” food. When I heard this I excitedly ventured out to our closest diner with a group of colleagues. We were ready for some good old fashioned home cooking and jukebox heroes (yes they do have them!). Trouble was not far away though…
The first thing one notices at the new Silver Diner are the advertisements all over the diner for the new local food. The host and server make sure to mention it. The menus …

Choosing a nutritionist can be a tough decision to make. With all of the diet advice and vitamin choices it gets confusing real fast. To help you decide here are two simple things to remember when choosing your diet yogi.
Bumpy Ride
Any good nutritionist will tell you right away that food science is shaky at best. We are in a period of unprecedented period diet related diseases including the leading killers in America. The obesity and diabetes epidemics are raging across the country. There is definitely something wrong and it may …

We love our Alexandria Farmers Markets.
Alexandria, Virginia has two Saturday markets, one Sunday market, and a Wednesday evening market. The Old Town market is an institution in front of City Hall open all year round. While the Del Ray market is quintessential Alexandria located in a nestle of local shops, cute little houses, and plenty of locals walking around.
If you looking for more markets Arlington has six more that are not too far away with some open during the week (tues, thurs). You can find those lower on the page …

This Spring’s bounty was a whole sheaf of chives foraged from my local creek. Just that statement would make you think I live in some picturesque countryside, but no I live in a major city.
It turns that their are a ton of foods growing wild in every city just waiting to be picked. They can be wild mint which grows incredibly fast, onions like the wild ramps and leeks, and of course basic herbs and spices like chives.
The key to being a forager is jumpstarting your hunter gathering brain. …

I have been struggling with this post for a few days now. How to tell the story of the nearly vegetarian diet?
Should I start with protein fear? Studies show that vegetarians get just as much protein as meat eaters. In fact, they get their protein in a far superior way, without all the added fat, cholesterol, heart health issues, and possibly even cancer. Despite these well established and respected facts the protein fear lingers.
Maybe I should focus on the government corruption angle. Did you know that the Food Pyramid and Farm Bill directly cater to …

“Six debaters, three against three, will be debating this motion: Organic Food is Marketing Hype”
“Now this is a debate, it is not panel discussion or seminar. It is a debate, someone will win and someone will lose.”
That is the intro to the latest debate from NPR’s Intelligence Squared.
I love these debates after picking one up on who is to blame for the Mexican Drug War. They are fun and fascinating, and also heavily liberal.
I do love how they present multiple points of view. They stick to the debate format which …

“The First Lady has effectively shifted the conversation about diet from the industry’s preferred ground of “personal responsibility” and exercise to a frank discussion of the way food is produced and marketed. “We need you not just to tweak around the edges,” she told the assembled food makers, “but to entirely rethink the products that you’re offering, the information that you provide about these products, and how you market those products to our children.”
In his latest essay, The Food Movement, Rising, Michael Pollan chronicles the rise of the Food Movement. …

We love our Arlington Farmers Markets.
Arlington, VA has six farmers markets on everyday except mondays and fridays. They are some of my favorites in the Washington DC region. Open after work and on your lunch break they are ideal for shopping. Go ahead and give them a chance and let me know what you experience.
Also, if you you’re interested in other regional markets I have included on this page the DC and Alexandria farmers markets (and a brochure too). They provide an incredible array of markets with diverse products at …

A seasonal food guide for the Capitol Foodshed which includes DC, Baltimore, Arlington, and Northern Virginia. A full list (pdf) is available from FreshFarm Markets.
Vegetables
Spring
Asparagus, Beets, Greens (Collard, Spinach, Chard, Kale), Mushrooms, Onions, Radishes/Turnips, Squash
Summer
Artichokes, Green/Lima Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Celery, Greens (Collard, Chard, Kale, Spinach), Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Garlic/Onions, Peppers, Potatoes, Radishes/Turnips, Squash, Sweet Potatoes
Autumn
Artichokes, Green/Lima Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Greens (Collard, Chard, Kale, Spinach), Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Garlic/Onions, Mushrooms, Peppers, Potatoes, Radishes/Turnips, Squash, Sweet Potatoes
Winter
Greens (Kale, Spinach), Squash – Dec Only: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Greens (Collard), Garlic, Peppers, Radishes/Turnips
Fruits
Spring
Apples, Strawberries
Summer
Jun: Cherries, Berries (rasp, …