Hey, Cupcake!

The Cupcake Ladies Are Doing It Again! Nicole Sylver of Sylver Spoon will return to the Market this Saturday with her fabulous, yummy, yummy cupcakes. And she's offering a great deal for those of you who plan early... order in advance and save 50 cents per cupcake. This week's flavors will be regular favorites red velvet, vanilla bean, chocolate and new for this week and only available with advance orders: lemon! The buttercream choices are cream cheese, vanilla, chocolate ganache, and citrus zest. Yum, yum, yum... The price is $2.00 per cupcake for all advance orders with a four-cupcake minimum. Call 202-492-1480 or email nsylver1@yahoo.com to place your order. (By the way, the lovely lady in this photo is not Nicole -- who is also lovely. This is Natalie, fiancee of Cheverly Hot Noodle drummer Nathan, and soon-to-be Cheverly resident. If you see her, make sure to say hello! And share your cupcakes with her...she loves them!)

You Know You Want This!

Get the recipe for Catherine Wintermyer's amazing Zucchini Latkes with Cherry Glen Chevre and Martha's Hot Pepper Jelly. One of the best things you will ever eat ... we promise!

By the way, have you visited our recipe page recently? We've been busy, busy, busy. As anyone who was at the recent Market Potluck can attest, Cheverly is full of amazing cooks -- we'd love to share your recipes with the community. If you're interested in contributing a recipe send us an email.

Interesting article in the Washington Post

Jug Bay Market Farm's Scott Hertzberg points out an interesting article in The Washington Post about the weather this year and its effect on local crops. The rain that's given your yard a bumper crop of mosquitos? It's playing havoc with our farmers and their crops, too.

Elk Run Vineyards

We're always so happy when Elk Run Vineyards is able to make it to the Market. They're wonderful people (like so many of our vendors, it's a real family endeavor!) and very knowledgeable. And they have some great graphics, like this great Maryland Merlot label. In fact, local foodie (and Community Market force) Catherine Wintermyer is a great fan of this label, commenting "Is this a Buy Local label or what?" Well, it turns out that, not only are they fun, smart and tasteful...they make really fantastic wine! Look at all the awards that Elk Run's Maryland Merlot has garnered: Maryland Merlot Rich and jammy with deep layers of cherry fruit, this Merlot has a nice balance of acid and soft tannin, making it a perfect companion to many dishes. Year Rank Vintage Competition 2008 Silver 2005 World Wine Championship 2007 Gold 2005 International Tasters Guild 2006 Silver 2004 Riverside International Wine Competition Gee, and I just thought it was delicious!

Ten Questions for Crystal Lal

You've seen Market Manager Crystal Lal at every Market rallying vendors and volunteers, lending a hand here and there, meeting new people and greeting familiar faces... She is the driving force behind the Market and a great inspiration to many of us who want to make Cheverly an even better place by volunteering in the community and being brave enough to create new things. This year, Crystal received the Jack Wheat Award (given to a Cheverly resident whose accomplishments unite the community) in recognition of her efforts to make the Cheverly Community Market a reality.

I thought it would be interesting to ask Crystal a few questions that she doesn't get every day. I was in luck -- her husband, Arvind, and son, Nick, are off scouting and her daughter, Abby, is at a meeting so she had a few extra moments for me and my questions...

Ten Questions for Crystal

1. What is your favorite food memory? Oh there are so many. Growing up, making rye bread and homemade noodles with my Grandma Massengale and having my Grandma Hamann’s homemade peach ice cream and carrot cake on summer nights. As an adult, eating “real” pizza" in Florence was an epiphany. Also I’ll never forget meeting my husband Arvind’s Grandmother Shanti for the first time. She didn’t speak much English but she knew how to communicate with food. She made the most amazing chai and aloo parathas, which is an Indian potato-filled flat bread. As soon as you finished one, she would have another hot one waiting. I lost track of how many I ate. 2. What is your favorite food smell? Vanilla and fried onions -- That's separate, not together. 3. Do you have a favorite "foodie" movie? For the longest time it was Babette’s Feast, but then, of course, what sane woman wouldn’t put Chocolat at the top of her list? As for favorite “foodie” moment in a movie, hands down it has to be Tom Hanks in Big when he eats baby corn and caviar. 4. What are five ingredients you always have in your kitchen? I am the queen of condiments. I have this giant jar of capers that’s a permanent fixture in my fridge. I can’t go a day without King Arthur unbleached flour on hand. I use fresh garlic every chance I get. My kids still drink lots of milk (the pediatrician is always impressed when he grabs their ankles during checkups. And for Arvind, there is always a box of Bocca Burgers or veggie dogs. 5. What five cooking utensils/gadgets do you rely on the most? A wok, food processor, pizza stone, whisk, and a little wooden Indian-style rolling pin. 6. When did you start cooking? I think I was about 10 when I made my first whole meal by myself. 7. What's the most challenging recipe you've ever made? Why? Sometimes the most simple is the hardest. It is incredibly difficult to make a perfect poori – which is a crispy, puffy, fried Indian bread. All it has is flour, water and salt. Then oil for frying. There are no exact measurements. Everything has to be just right for the poori to puff -- the ratio of water to flour, how well it’s kneaded. Each poori has to be round and uniformly thick. Then the oil needs to be just the right temperature and you have to flip and press the bread in a certain manner to coax it to puff. But they are divine and worth the effort. 8. What do you typically have/make for weekend breakfasts? Buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup – or homemade waffles. 9. What is your family's favorite dish that you cook? I am notorious for hardly making the same thing twice. I have a lot of cookbooks and I like to try new recipes on a daily basis. Though now that I think of it, I make homemade pizza every Friday night. I’ve been doing that for at least 10 years, so I have a lot of practice. 10. Does anyone else in your family cook? Arvind makes great omelets, but he won’t eat them. Nick is in smoothie mode right now. I have a freezer full of fruit and frozen yogurt for him to experiment. Abby knows how to make perfect scones. My mother is a wonderful cook. Her lemon meringue pie is ethereal. My sister makes Nachos every night for supper.

Make sure you say hello -- and thanks -- to Crystal when you see her this Saturday at the Market. We're so fortunate to have her in Cheverly!

More on the Community Market Benefit Potluck

From a message about Friday evening's benefit potluck that market manager Crystal Lal sent today...

On all accounts the night was a success. The food was unbelievable. The music took us from Jazz to Blues to Old School Rock. We made about about $500. Thanks also to RJ Eldrige for opening the community center on Saturday so that I could take the leftover corn and melon to Shepard's Cove, a neighboring shelter for abused women and children. I will pass on a comment that Diane LaVoy shared with me... "Thank you for leading this whole Market adventure! Last night's dinner--and the market itself-- really make Cheverly the community we say we are!"

Photos from the Market Potluck are posted on flickr. See you this Saturday at the Market!

Community Market Potluck a Great Success!

Thank to everyone who shared a great evening of food, music and fun with Cheverly Community Market! We had a great turnout and more good food than we could taste. We're so very glad to be part of the Cheverly community...and so very glad that there are so many fantastic cooks in town! Pictures have been posted on flickr and recipes will be highlighted on the website very soon. Thanks for all your contributions!

Over 70 people spent the evening at the Community Center eating, listening to music, enjoying a fantastic dinner and catching up with friends and neighbors. We also have to thank Crystal Lal and Katie Troyner -- they had a great idea and made it wonderful. Their tireless work on this event is much appreciated by everyone in the Community Market family.

So our Eat Local, Buy Local Challenge Week comes to an end. How did you do? Did you eat a local food every day? It's a great challenge -- definitely a lot of food for thought!

Remember, the Market's very own house musicians are performing with their own locally grown Beatles cover band, Soul Revolver, 7:00pm sharp at the Surf Club tonight -- a great way to cap off a week of thinking and acting locally!)

See you next Saturday (August 2) at the Market!

Community Market's own house band branches out

You've heard Charles at every Community Market this year, most of the time with Kelly, and sometimes even with Nathan. And they've really added a lot to our wonderful Saturday market mornings. I know that they miss you on those Saturdays that they don't get to see you, and I bet that you miss live music on those mornings that you don't get to see them! This Saturday, Charles and Kelly will be performing as part of Cheverly's very own Beatles cover band, Soul Revolver, at the Surf Club. The band, a completely homegrown outfit, includes Brian Jarboe and Brian Youmans in addition to our very own Kelly Fisher and Charles Andrews. It seems that our locavore week ends with a locahear night! Hope that lots of our Market friends can join us Saturday. I can't think of a better way to wrap up our Buy Local, Eat Local Challenge Week than with a Listen Local night!

Share Your Market Story

A little birdie let us know that someone (we know who you are, mtnest!) wrote a very nice review of last weekend's Market over on one of our favorite blogs, CHVBlog: "Kudos to the Market Crew! Today's was the best yet...I left with no money and 3 full bags. Where else in the county can you go a few blocks for fresh produce and bread, pick up live oysters, load up on great wine (and get the makings for sangria) AND listen to Beatles music while eating an ice cream cone for breakfast...Cheverly ROCKS!!!" Thanks, mtnest! And thanks to CHVBlog for helping us get the word out about the Market -- cupcakes are in your future...

We Need a Few Good Volunteers...

All great community events rely on the efforts of lots of volunteers, and the Cheverly Community Market is always grateful for all the help we receive. We're calling on the community to help us again this Friday -- can you help make Friday's potluck a success?

Friday AM: a few people to help with food prep and setup

Friday at the Potluck: one or two people to help with check-in and other last-minute things

Friday, post-potluck: a few people to break down tables, clean up, etc.

Can you lend a hand (or two)? E-mail Crystal. And thanks!

Also, if you plan to attend and haven't already made your reservation, let us know!

Media that Matters: Good Food

Some food for thought during the Buy Local, Eat Local Challenge... A collection of short films on food and sustainability http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/mtm_good_food/ http://truths.treehugger.com/video/contest_entry_reality_in_the_s.php http://truths.treehugger.com/video/food_production.php http://video.google.com/videoplaydocid=5917890167458362959&q=corn&ei=gH6DSNjrLYSkrQLz9sySAw&hl=en http://video.google.com/videoplaydocid=5917890167458362959&q=corn&ei=on6DSLOSMYOcrwLM_9SsCw&hl=en http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5917890167458362959&q=corn&ei=X3 DSL2RJoSkrQLz9sySAw&hl=en http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFNzabpQ2X0 http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com/2008/04/the-locavore-de.html http://truths.treehugger.com/video/contest_entry_eat_local.php

Eat Local Challenge, Day 3

You've probably made great progress in recycling, changing how you drive, and use electricity and water. This week, think twice before you reach for that bottle of Coke, box of cereal, package of hot dogs or lunch meat, box of crackers or macaroni and cheese, jar of spaghetti sauce, banana, or imported specialty item. Your food choices have just as much impact on your carbon footprint. Need help? Visit the Buy Local Challenge site. On Friday the Cheverly Community Market will finish up the week with a Community Market Potluck. RSVP via eVite or email. We REALLY need your help! Already have other plans? You can still show your support for local food and the sustainability of the Community Market by making a donation to Cheverly Community Market, 2903 64th Avenue, Cheverly MD 20785.

Buy Local Eat Local

We're off and running with the Buy Local, Eat Local Challenge! How are you doing with the challenge? At our house so far today, we've had fresh local peaches, locally made sourdough and jam, green beans and tomatoes. And some family members have snacked on locally made salsa, chips and tortillas (and beer -- not local but much welcomed on a hot, hot day.) Oh, and we've had peppermint tea made from locally harvested peppermint...maybe we'll have some over ice to beat the heat. So it's been relatively easy so far. I'll be curious to see how it goes later in the week. Friday night's Market Potluck is sure to provide lots of fun...and food for thought! Please get your reservations in by Wednesday!

I'm also following along with the LOCAVORE nation on NPR's excellent The Splendid Table. This is a year-long experiment in which fifteen participants around the country try to get at least 80% of their diet locally, organically (when possible) and sustainably (when possible). The blogs are interesting reading and the site is really informative.

Let us know how your challenge week goes. New ideas? New recipes? We'd love to hear from you.

What a GREAT Market!

This was our best Market yet! Great weather, so many people having a wonderful morning, great music, and fantastic food, wines, produce and many things you just can't buy in stores. And if you needed even more relaxation...10-minute massages. Photos from this week are posted on flickr. If you have a story from the Market that you'd like to share, let us know! Saturday really was a perfect kickoff to the Buy Local Challenge Week. Remember -- eat local every day! We'll have lots of new content on the blog and the site this week -- look for vendor interviews, recipes and more. And we'll finish the week with a very special Market benefit potluck.

This just in!

John Childer's of Stanton's Mill will be at the Market this weekend. Stanton's Mill produces fantastic stone-ground flours and grains -- the real, old-fashioned way. THis means no preservatives, no chemicals and great taste, texture and nutrintional value! The product line includes graham flour, whole wheat flour, seven grain flour, white unbleached flour, yellow corn meal, white corn meal, yellow grits, white grits, rye flour, buckwheat flour, corn muffin mix, hush puppy mix and Amish funnel cake mix. The buckwheat flour makes -- hands down -- the best buckwheat pancakes you've ever tasted. John starts out on the long trek from Grantsville, Maryland, at 3:00am to join us at the Cheverly Community Market -- make sure you stop by his tent, pick up some flour and a mix or two...and maybe bring him a cup of coffee!

Your Market Stories...

Our first customer market story comes from Aimee Olivo...

I wanted to write in about the Brooks Brand Salsa at last weekend's market. It was FANTASTIC!!! My husband, Abel, is Mexican and grew up with a mother who hand-made tortillas each morning for their lunch boxes (yes, hand-made from scratch!!!). So you know he's a tough critic of all Mexican food! We both consider ourselves to be connoisseurs of salsa. So, you know it it high praise when Abel says that Brooks Brand is some of the best salsa he's ever tasted! It was the perfect compliment to the lightly-salted crunchy goodness of the Moctec tortilla chips. Our only regret: purchasing just one tub! Can't wait to stock up at the next Market!

Thanks for sharing, Aimee. Want to share your market story? We'd love to hear from you. Send your story here.

Order Your Sylver Spoon Cupcakes Early & Save!

Sylver Spoon's Nicole Sylver, a professionally trained chef who lives here in Cheverly, dreams about opening a cupcake bar like the ones in Georgetown, Dupont Circle etc... They are all the rage in NYC and San Francisco and Cheverly certainly could use one! " I am looking forward to participating in this week's market. I am happy to offer a discount on pre-ordered cupcakes: $2.00 each, with a 4 cupcake minimum. Same flavors this week: Red Velvet, Chocolate Chunk, Vanilla cupcakes with choice of Cream Cheese, Chocolate and Vanilla Buttercreams. Guests can still add their choice of toppings at pick-up." Call 202-492-1480 or email Nicole Sylver nsylver1@yahoo.com.

If you haven't had a chance yet to try these cupcakes, do it this weekend. They're fantastic -- a great hit at the last market (and they make a yummy market breakfast or late-morning pick-me-up if you can't wait to get your box home! Of course, they'd make a perfect dessert for a market meal, but we haven't been able to control ourselves yet...)

This Week at the Market

Are you ready for the Challenge? So. Maryland, So Good challenges every family in Maryland to take the buy local challenge July 19 - 27. Governor Martin O'Malley kicks off the challenge this Friday at the State House and every county has issued proclamations in support. And Cheverly Community Market will celebrate the week with a very special benefit potluck supper. Get the details here. Stock up at the Cheverly Community Market this Saturday, July 19, from 8am to 11 am. You can shop amongst the friendliest folk around, get a great cup of coffee, and sit and listen to the fine music of Kelly, Charles & Nathan! Vendors: Jug Bay Market Farm and Garden: Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, corn, beans, potatoes, melons, and cucumbers. C&E Farms: Potted herbs -- We encourage you to buy a pot of one of Emma's wonderful varieties of mint. She has chocolate mint, apple mint, orange mint, spearmint, and peppermint. Here's a spot for you to look around and get inspired to "experi- mint" this week! Circle C Oysters: Rich has become quite the media celebrity recently. People have driven as far as the Shenandoah's to his operation in Southern Maryland to buy a couple dozen oysters! We are only one of two markets he attends. Be sure to include Oysters in your menus this week. Here's a link with great recipes. You can't beat his prices. Clan Stewart Farm: Try their summer sausage or bacon to fix a stellar sandwich. Or try ribs, steaks or hamburger and have a memorable cookout. Cherry Glenn Goat Cheese: A market favorite that stands alone with quality bread or use it in salads, pizzas, and more. Pick one or two of these recipes to try this week. Pair your oysters and goat cheese with a Pinot Gris from Elk Run, a new wine they are introducing. Or try their Maryland Merlot or Cabernet Franc with barbecued meats and grilled veggies. This is just the beginning. Other vendors this week: Brooks Brand Salsa Cheverly Breadbasket featuring UPTOWN BAKERS bread and Moctec Chips and Tortillas Martha's Jams Sylver Spoon Cupcake bar Krishon Chocolate Simple Pleasures Ice Cream Tia's Lemonade Mystic Waters Soap and Cheverly Methodist Church Coffee See you at the Market!

New Recipes

We have three new recipes this week on the website: Sauteed Corn with Leeks & Bacon, Scott Eichinger's Creamy Corn & Avocado Salad, Cathy Wintermeyer's Southern Maryland Barbequed Oyters and Kathryn Andrews' Minted Watermelon Salad (and a great summertime drink variation). They all sound yummy -- perfect for a summer dinner. These would all be great things to bring to the potluck next Friday night...

Live, Eat, Buy Locally…take the “Buy Local Challenge”

“I pledge to eat at least one item from a local farm every day during Buy Local Week.” That's the challenge set forth by So. Maryland, So Good this July 19-27. Cheverly Community Market on Saturday, July 19, is a great place to stock up for the challenge! Read more about the challenge here. To cap off the buy local challenge week, Cheverly Community Market will have a benefit potluck at the Community Center on Friday, July 25, 7:00-10:00pm. The night will include fresh corn on the cob, ice tea, lemonade, coffee, and possibly watermelon provided by the Market, a great rock and roll/soul dance band, 50/50 raffle, the opportunity to contribute to a community art effort, and a peach-eating contest. Bring a dish (preferably with a local ingredient(s)) that will feed 10, and your own local wine or beer. Admission: * Children under 5 and over 100 are free * Children 6-12 are 6.00 * 12 to 99 is 12.00 Details about reserving space by buying early tickets will be coming soon, but get this very special event on your calendar now!

A rainy -- but great -- Market

Thanks to everyone who came to the Market this weekend! Even though it was by turns either very rainy or very muggy, we had a great time. And it was great to see so many new faces this week...hope to see you at the next Market as well!

Scott Eichenger reports that Cate Abbott won the whoopie pie raffle...enjoy those cookies, Cate (and make sure to share!) Thanks to everyone who entered -- $37 was raised to benefit the Market.

Special thanks to drummer Nathan Lorenz for playing with Charles this morning, and to Abby Lal and Brian Jarboe for joining Charles and Nathan for a few songs. Also, thanks to Mystic Water Soaps for sharing their bubbles and huge wand with the kids. Between bubbles, music, ice cream and pastries, some kids had their most enjoyable Market experience ever. I know I wasn't the only parent to relax the rules this morning in favor of ice cream breakfast!

Finally, huge thanks to all the vendors and volunteers who make the Market possible. The Market is another great thing about Cheverly, and it couldn't happen without the time and efforts of many people devoted to making the Market a success.

Photos from today's Market are being posted on flickr now. If you have Market photos you'd like to share, join the flickr group. And we'd love to know your story...what did you do with your purchases? Favorite memory from the Market this week? Share your stories on the comments page.

See you at the next Market -- July 19!

Meet the Vendor: Emma Dudley, C&E Farm

Have you met Emma Dudley yet? Emma and her husband, Cornelius, are the people behind C&E Farm who bring gorgeous plants, herbs and produce to us from Glenn Dale.

Emma and Cornelius grew up on farms but started gardening as a hobby in their Chillum backyard. They were very fortnuate to get 15 acres in Glenn Dale, and the farm has grown a lot since that first backyard plot. C&E Farm has now been in operation for 13 years. Every year, they add new crops including ethnic vegetable varieties, herbs, flowers and firewood. They are proud to say that their produce is grown without synthetic chemicals.

Emma says that the things she loves most about her farm is the people that she meets and seeing things grow. She enjoys nurturing plants and people and the exercise that comes as part of running a farm.

The farm offers pick-your-own vegetables and farm activities for children...sounds like a fun field trip!

Now, here's the thing that you may not know about Emma unless you chat with her: she was a german major at Howard when she met her husband. Stop by and say hi to Emma at the Market...and let her know that Diese Gemüse sehe köstlich! (Those vegetables look delicious!")

What's in store at the Market this Saturday?

Our vendors will be up bright and early on July 5th to make the Cheverly Community Market a favorite weekend "Stay-cation" destination this holiday.

And remember, we have new hours: 8:00-11:00am. Come early!

• Those of you who were lucky enough to try Brooks Brand Salsa will be happy to know they'll be back. Everyone else -- don't miss it!
• Jug Bay Market Garden's Scott Hertzberg will have tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons, lilies and sunflowers.
• Martha Allen of Martha's Jams has stirred up a batch of spiced blueberry preserves! Limited supplies.
• The guys from Circle C Oyster Ranch will be back. You'll be be glad to know that fame hasn't changed them since they were featured in a recent Washington Post Weekend edition.
• Here' a secret: Clan Stewart makes the most delicious nitrate-free bacon! Combine it with Scott's tomatoes and make the best BLT you've ever had.
• Did you know that Uptown Bakers' master baker, Didier Rosada, teaches the Advanced Sourdough class at the San Fransisco Baking Institute and was it's head instructor? So now you know where you can find the best loaf of Sourdough -- at the Cheverly Community Market!
• Local artist Rose Fennel will return with her practical, beautiful pottery.
• If you've been going barefoot....you'll want to check out the natural exfoliating soaps from Mystic Water Soaps. And with the gas money you'll save by staying in town, buy one of her fantastic new facial masques and have an at home spa day.
• Saving what might be the best for last.....ICE CREAM! Simple Pleasures Ice Cream Cafe will be selling scoops and containers of their delicious ice cream. In addition to great vanilla and chocolate, they'll offer banana pudding, alpine chocolate mint chip, lemon custard, black raspberry, and mango italian ice

As seen on MARTHA!

This Saturday our very own chef/educator, Scott Eichinger, will raffle off a dozen of his prize-winning Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Vanilla Mascarpone Cream Filling. The cookies were one of ten grand prize winners on Martha’s Favorite Cookie contest on The Martha Stewart Show. Each raffle ticket is $1, enter as often as you like. All money raised through the raffle will benefit the Cheverly Community Market. Bring those dollar bills that have been burning a hole in your pocket! And if you haven't visited Scott's blog, check it out. He has great recipes and stories to share.