Wednesday, August 13th marked the first day of a new farmers market in Old Town Alexandria. Set in the King Street Gardens Park, this market will operate every Wednesday from 3-7 PM through the end of October.
Gotta love those white tents, the identifying flags of all farmers markets. I arrived at the King Street Metro station, not really sure where I would find this new Alexandria farmers market. As I wandered towards Diagonal Road, I looked to my left I saw the outline of a white tent. Ah-Ha! I immediately knew that I had located the farmers market.
The first booth visible from my approach was Bigg Riggs Farm, who pulled out all the stops for the opening of the new market. Their stand proudly boasted "Picked and Grown by Us," a mantra that makes me feel good about buying my produce from Bigg Riggs.
They had amazing multi-colored peppers, all of which have a different taste. Calvin, of Bigg Riggs, explained to me that the purple peppers taste a lot like a green pepper, but the yellow peppers (which start out green) have a totally different flavor. And red, of course, my favorite pepper. I bought a few different colors to roast at home, then freeze to use this winter. It was amazing to see these peppers at the market, actually, because just a few weeks ago I walked through the rows of young plants at the Riggleman's farm in West Virginia (read about it here). It really feels good to know where your food comes from. 
Apples were also available, and I suspect that as the month winds down and we approach the fall we will be seeing many more varieties of these little guys.
And peaches, of course, gorgeous summer peaches. I just can't get enough of them.
Though I don't have them pictured here exclusively, Bigg Riggs was selling a tomato called "fabulous." Really. That's the tomato's actual name. Fabulous. And they are really tasty. Fabulous, actually. Calvin enthusiastically informed me that Bigg Riggs allows their tomatoes to vine ripen. They are picked within 24 hours of your purchase. Apparently, even farmers selling at farmers markets tend to pre-pick their tomatoes because there is a major risk involved in letting them vine-ripen. Calvin explained that birds and other animals including- get this- box turtles (!) like to eat them. They call the box turtles ninja turtles. So, if you didn't previously appreciate your vine ripened tomatoes, maybe now you will.
There were only four-five vendors total at the farmers market, but all were offering some fine fare. A woman from Culpeper County had some nice looking eggplants and this bin of jalapeno and habanero peppers. I bought one jalapeno, and felt pretty guilty about the 10 cent price tag. (More about my restrained shopping in a bit.)
Greenstone Fields, out of Purcelville Virginia, had beautiful fresh flowers and some summer produce as well. The highlight at their booth seemed to be the sunflowers, as many market-goers strolled around with large bundles of them.
Dan of D & S Farms (The D of D & S) out of Southern Maryland was also at the new market, featuring their blackberries, peaches, and nectarines, among a few vegetables. You can find Sue of D & S (The S. . yes, I know, you get it) at the Foggy Bottom Market on Wednesdays in Washington, DC. Though I usually fill my bag with their gorgeous fruit, I simply purchased two small white peaches with a promise to return to buy more next time.
All these gorgeous flowers and fruits and vegetables and poor me! I had to restrain myself. Why? This weekend is my first wedding anniversary, and coincidentally, some good friends are getting married downtown. We will be dining out for the next several days. Thus, my only purchases were two small peaches, one fabulous tomato, one jalapeno pepper, and several bell peppers. All for $4. No kidding.
And just for fun, here is John trying on his shoes to go with the tuxedo he'll be wearing as a groomsman this weekend. We discovered that his feet and nylon booties really don't go well together.
So, no recipes this time. Just a market report. You can expect some restaurant reviews when I return from my weekend of attending a wedding, going out for restaurant week, and celebrating my one-year wedding anniversary.
You can learn more about the King Street Farmers Market at the City of Alexandria's website here.
