farmers market

A Farmers Market May Be Coming To Barrett Elementary School

By Bridget Reed Morawski

An open air market is coming to Barrett Elementary School in Buckingham, pending an Arlington School Board vote on its license agreement tonight.

The market would be run by Field To Table, Inc., the same nonprofit that operates the Westover Farmers Market, and would pay an annual fee of $200 to use the property.

Proposed operating hours are 8 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturdays from April to November, with the nonprofit being responsible for premise clean up by 1 p.m. School board document do not list the exact start date of the market.

Superintendent Patrick Murphy’s office has recommended that the school board approve the license agreement at its monthly meeting tonight (March 22).

The market is expected to be called the Lubber Run Farmers Market which, according to a newsletter for the Arlington Forest neighborhood, will “avoid some of the negatives of other suggested names.”

Additional volunteers are being sought to help out with the market, the newsletter says, adding that it will be “an exciting addition to the neighborhood community bringing together residents from Arlington Forest and neighboring areas to enjoy shopping for fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, bread and so on.”

Vendors for a farmers market at Barrett are not yet listed, but current vendors at the Westover Farmers Market include Baltimore’s Dimitri Olive Farms, Woodbridge’s Gina’s Pacific Jams and Jellies, and Arlington’s Mormor Crepes.

File photo

Rosslyn Farmers Market Starts CSA Program

By Bridget Reed Morawski
1/3

The Rosslyn Farmers Market will kick off once again in a few months, but with a new feature: a weekly community supported agriculture program (CSA).

Like other CSA programs, FRESHFARM Share program staff pull together fruit, vegetables, and other goods from local farmers and producers that also sell at the farmers market.

Residents have the option of a regular share, which costs $30 a week and feeds two people or “one person who eats a lot of veggies,” or a large share that will feed two to four people for a week, according to the subscriber website.

A rotating market treat can be added on for $5 per week, and can be anything from pickles to pasta sauce to pastries (and other non-alliterative supplementary snacks).

Subscribers can pick up their share of the week’s crop at the farmers market, which is held weekly at 1800 N. Lynn Street at the Central Place Plaza from late spring through early autumn. The CSA is limited to 40 subscriptions, and members can skip up to two weeks per half season with three days notice.

More from a press release on some subscription logistics:

While the Rosslyn Farmers Market season will begin on May 9 and run through October, FRESHFARM Share will not begin until May 16. If you subscribe for the first half of the season (12 weeks) of FRESHFARM Share, your subscription will run through August 1.

If you subscribe for the second half of the season (12 weeks), your subscription will run from August 8 through October 24. Full season subscriptions are also available (May 16 – October 24). Share pick-ups will be available during the market’s afternoon operating hours.

The announcement of the program, in partnership with the Rosslyn BID, follows the results of a Rosslyn resident and worker survey which noted the neighborhood’s desire for more healthy food options.

Photo courtesy of the Rosslyn BID.

Several Neighborhoods to Host Halloween-Themed Events

By Chris Teale

With Halloween around the corner, Arlingtonians will have several chances to celebrate the upcoming holiday.

The Ballston Halloween Market is set for tomorrow (Thursday, October 26) at Welburn Square (901 N. Taylor Street).

This week’s market, part of the neighborhood’s regular farmers market, will include a beer and wine garden with live music, as well as pumpkin decorating and face painting. The market is open from 3-7 p.m., with attendees encouraged to wear a spooky costume.

And the last of Crystal City’s Fridays at the Fountain events for the season will have a Halloween theme too, with pumpkin painting, seasonal drinks and candy available at the beer and wine garden on Friday, October 27 from 5-9 p.m. at the Crystal City Water Park (1750 Crystal Drive).

Meanwhile, Rosslyn will host its first harvest festival on Friday, October 27 from 4-10 p.m. and Saturday, October 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Continental Beer Garden, Central Place Plaza and Gateway Park East.

More than 20 vendors will sell various crafts and gifts, while there will be live entertainment and activities including a pie eating contest, corn hole, a pumpkin toss, costumes contests for children and pets.

Arlington Mill Farmer’s Market Could Return Next Spring

By Chris Teale

Arlington Mill Community Center pre-opening Flickr photoA farmer’s market could return to the Arlington Mill Community Center next spring, with organizers planning to operate it on Saturdays.

The Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization is proposing reviving the market at the center at 909 S. Dinwiddie Street, having decided to close it in 2014 due to a lack of customers. It would be open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and be one of two along Columbia Pike.

Originally, the Arlington County Board approved a permit for a market in July 2014, and it began the following month, opening each Wednesday from 3-7 p.m. But CPRO decided to close the market that October, citing a lack of sales, and “reassess the needs for a successful re-launch of the open-air/farmers market,” staff wrote in a report. Its permit expired in July 2016.

CPRO believes the new day and hours will attract more customers, and staff wrote it will benefit those along Arlington’s western end of Columbia Pike. They added that the Arlington Mill Civic Association, Columbia Forest Civic Association, Douglas Park Civic Association and Barcroft School and Civic League all expressed their support for the market.

“The proposed open-air market is strongly supported by the surrounding community and will provide a community amenity to the residents and this portion of Columbia Pike,” staff wrote.

Staff’s report on the plan recommends the County Board advertise a public hearing on the market for next month.

I-395 Grants Will Help Energy Program, Pike Farmers Market

By Kalina Newman

Two Arlington nonprofits are benefitting from grants handed out by the company behind the I-395 High Occupancy Toll lanes.

Arlington Energy Masters Program and the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization have both been awarded grants from the Express Lanes and Community Grant Program, run by Transurban.

The program aims to “support organizations that sustain, enhance or protect the local environment and communities.” Transurban manages the HOT lanes on the Capital Beltway, and will do the same for the planned I-395 HOT lanes set to run through Arlington.

Over $550,000 has been awarded to 119 organizations around Northern Virginia since 2008, several of which that have been from Arlington. Any group can apply for a grant via the online application.

The Energy Masters Program, which promotes sustainability throughout Arlington, received grant funding to help residents at the Fort Henry Gardens apartment complex in Nauck with insulation issues, and to help refurbish over 50 units.

The CPRO received grant funding to improve the Columbia Pike farmers market and ensure that residents have access to fresh, locally sourced food. In addition, the money received was also used to design messages that were placed around schools, libraries, churches and apartment complexes and on social media about the grant program and how to apply.

In the future, CPRO plans to work with local partners such as the Arlington Food Assistance program on additional nutrition-related outreach.

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimmick

Rosslyn Farmers Market Opens Tomorrow

By Chris Teale

The county’s newest farmers market is set to open tomorrow afternoon in Rosslyn’s Central Place plaza.

Approved by the County Board last month, the market at 1800 N. Lynn Street will run each Wednesday evening from 4-8 p.m. until November.

Nonprofit FRESHFARM will operate the market in partnership with the Rosslyn Business Improvement District. The pair anticipate having up to 10 vendors during its first year.

Vendors already confirmed for the market are Atwater’s, selling breads, pastries, baked goods and soups; Black Rock Orchard selling tree fruit, heirloom tomatoes, specialty vegetables and preserves; local pickles, pickled beets and sauerkraut vendor D.C. Dills; fresh meat and produce vendor Hillside Meadow Farm; and Loblolly Organic Farm selling cut flowers, wreaths, fruit and vegetables.

The Rosslyn market becomes the ninth in the county, with FRESHFARM already operating the markets in Ballston and Crystal City.

“Community spaces, like the Central Place Plaza, are all about bringing together people,” said Mary-Claire Burick, Rosslyn BID president, in a statement last month. “So it’s fitting that one of the first events in the plaza is a farmers market, where Rosslyn residents and workers can meet and enjoy some of the incredible fruits and vegetables our region has to offer.”

Image via Rosslyn BID

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New Elementary School Approved — After a years-long process that included neighborhood opposition and lots of community discussion, the Arlington County Board has approved a use permit and ground lease for a new elementary school on the Thomas Jefferson middle school and community center site. [Arlington County]

Rosslyn Farmers Market Approved — Also at its Saturday meeting, the County Board gave the go-ahead to a new FreshFarm Markets-operated farmers market that will be held at the new Central Place public plaza in Rosslyn. The market will be open on Wednesday evenings from April to November. [Arlington County]

Bebe Closing at Pentagon City Mall — The Bebe store at the Pentagon City mall will close by the end of May. It’s part of a larger restructuring for the struggling young women’s clothing retailer. [Patch]

County Board to Honor Trees — “Arlington has about 755,400 trees of at least 122 species that provide $6.89 million in environmental benefits to the County annually in pollution removal, carbon storage, energy savings and avoided stormwater runoff. The Arlington County Board will honor 10 of these trees as Notable Trees at the April 25 County Board Meeting.” [Arlington County]

Blue Virginia’s School Board Endorsement — Local Democratic blog Blue Virginia has endorsed Monique O’Grady in the race for the Democratic endorsement for Arlington School Board. The endorsement cites incumbent James Lander’s recent controversial remarks about a murder victim as a reason for not endorsing him. [Blue Virginia]

Flickr pool photo by Ameschen

Board to Consider Rosslyn Farmers Market

By Katie Pyzyk

Rosslyn could be getting its own farmers market. The Arlington County Board is scheduled to take up the issue at its meeting on Saturday.

FRESHFARM has applied to operate a farmers market in the Central Place plaza (1800 N. Lynn Street), which would run on Wednesday evenings from 4-8 p.m. from April to November.

FRESHFARM anticipates that up to 10 vendors would sell at the market for the first year.

County staff have not identified any issues with the request and recommend that the Board approves the permit for the farmers market, with a review in one year.

Morning Poll: Easter and Spring Break Weekend Activities

By Katie Pyzyk

The weekend is shaping up to be warm and pleasant — despite high pollen counts — which is good news for those celebrating Easter on Sunday. That’s also the final day of spring break for Arlington Public Schools students.

There are plenty of special Easter happenings including church services, egg hunts and brunches.

Although county community centers are closed on Sunday, parks will remain open to visitors who may want to hike, picnic or use playground equipment.

Other spring activities include taking advantage of newly-opened farmers markets.

What are you planning to do this weekend?

Farmers Markets Opening for Season

By Chris Teale

Winter has turned to spring, and that means it’s farmers market time in Arlington. Some of the county’s markets have just launched for the season and others are preparing to open soon.

Here’s a roundup of the markets and their logistics:

  • The FRESHFARM Crystal City Market kicked off last week at 1965 Crystal Drive. Each Tuesday until November 21 from 3-7 p.m., more than 20 farmers and producers will offer a wide range of local foods.
  • Clarendon Central Park will host the Clarendon Farmers Market each Wednesday until December from 3-7 p.m. The market returned last week and is a producers-only market, meaning vendors sell products they have grown themselves.
  • The Ballston Farmers Market has begun in Welburn Square and will take place each Thursday until October from 3-7 p.m. Every first Thursday of the month, the market becomes a Mega Market, featuring a live band, celebrity chef demonstrations with free tastings and a beer and wine garden. The first Mega Market will take place May 4.
  • The Fairlington Farmers Market runs each Sunday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Fairlington Community Center (3308 S. Stafford Street), starting May 7. Through November 19, the market will be selling fresh produce, grass fed meats, eggs, coffee, pastries and baked goods, ​flowers and other prepared foods.
  • Marymount University’s farmers market returns May 27 at its campus at 2807 N. Glebe Road. Also a producers-only market, each vendor grows, bakes, roasts, cooks or prepares all of their products within 125 miles of Arlington County.
  • The Westover Farmers Market also begins its spring and summer session in May. It is at the corner of Washington Blvd and N. McKinley Road each Sunday.
  • The Community Foodworks farmers market takes place on Saturdays at 14th Street N. and N. Courthouse Road.
  • Columbia Pike’s farmers market is each Sunday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Pike Park, near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Fall leaves

Murder Victim Feared for Her Safety — A friend of murder victim Bonnie Delgado Black said in court that she “was concerned if she would wake up in the morning” because of her estranged husband. A defense attorney for David Black, however, emphasized at trial that there’s a lack of physical evidence linking him to his wife’s murder. [Washington Post]

Rush Hour Offloading Peeves Riders — Metro riders were “furious” yesterday after a crowded train offloaded at the Rosslyn station during the morning rush hour due to a door problem. [Patch]

Pets Banned at Arlington Nat’l Cemetery — In addition to most bikes, the Army has also banned all pets at Arlington National Cemetery. Only service animals or working military dogs will be permitted onto the cemetery grounds. [Washington Post]

Bra Collection at Ballston Market — Ballston’s weekly farmers market will be Halloween-themed this afternoon. The market will also be collecting new and gently used bras, to be donated to those in need. [Twitter]

Westover Neighborhood Profiled — One of the main attractions of living in the Westover neighborhood is the collection of stores and restaurants at Westover Village, residents say. [Washington Post]

View More Stories