"Bounty" doesn't begin to describe today's treasures!

Going through all the photos from this morning's Market, I am amazed by the quality and quantity of produce and products available to us today. In a word: amazing. It really is possible to get enough fresh, local food to carry your family through a week (or two!) at this Market, and the season has only just begun. We hope that you stocked up today! Of course, we want to thank the many volunteers and vendors who make our Market happen. Growing a local non-profit requires literally thousands of hours of labor, and we're fortunate to have a group of people who feel that local is important, and that supporting small, local farmers, ranchers and other sellers is vital to the health of our community. THANK YOU! We also want to thank our terrific house band, The Hot Noodles. Our Market would be bland without your musical talents -- we're thrilled to call you our very own! (Remember, the full band is playing at Cheverly Swim & Racquet Club's Adult Night tonight starting at 8:00. It's still not too late to get tickets!) Photos from this morning are posted on our flickr page. Have photos, stories or recipes you'd like to share? Contact us. Thanks again for making Cheverly Community Market such a special place!

See you soon at the Market.

Great Market: Here's a recap...

Thanks to everyone who came out on this lovely Saturday. We've had three Markets with amazing weather, and we enjoy catching up with all our friends -- both vendors and customers.

Today, we even had cheese! Welcome to our new cheese vendor, Eve's Cheese. It's delicious -- I'm enjoying some BBQ Colby on a Firehook baguette with a few slices of fresh tomato and some home-grown lettuce right now. And I'll be having a peach (or two) from Swann Farms for desert. Breakfast tomorrow? Martha's mango-lemon preserves on toasted bread from Firehook, and a giant bowl of berries from Reberts and Shlagel Farms.

We want to know how you use your Market treasures. What are you cooking tonight? Let us know!

Late News on the Vendor Front...

News reached us today that Rich Pelz and Circle C Oyster Ranch won't be able to join us at the Market tomorrow morning. Sometimes the plans of our small, local vendors are subject to late changes, but they make every effort to bring amazing products to us and we're grateful to them for all their hard work. So no blue crabs or oysters tomorrow, but we'll be able to enjoy them again very soon. There are still lots of delicious treasures in store for Saturday's Market, and we're eager to share them with you! See you tomorrow at the Market!

Who's coming to Market tomorrow?

We know that you like to know what vendors you can expect at Cheverly Community Market. It helps to plan ahead -- even if just to get an idea of how many bags to bring (the answer should always be alot!)

Tomorrow brings a bounty of produce perfect for enjoying now and later (preserve some now and stock up for next winter!) We're expecting squash, zucchini, peas, green beans, beets, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, large tomatoes, corn, carrots, kale, collards, broccoli, cucumbers, peaches, cantaloupes, cucumbers, sweet cherries, white cherries, sour cherries, raspberries, nectarines, sugar peas, and red potatoes on the produce front (of course, this all depends on growing conditions). Bring berry baskets and extra bags if you have them!

In addition to all that lovely produce, you'll be able to get wine, cheese, breads, pastries, chips, tortillas, coffee, cider, jams & preserves, crabs, oysters, beef, pork, lamb, eggs, ice cream & gelato, cupcakes, muffins and cake. Cheverly Community Market brings everything you need to enjoy the very best local foods.

This Saturday's Vendors:

Cheverly Breadbasket (featuring Firehook & Moctec)

Cheverly United Methodist Church

Clan Stewart

Simple Pleasures Ice Cream

Basignani Winery

Shlagel Farms

Swann Farms

Benny's Fruit Stand (Reberts)

Eve's Cheese

Martha's Jam

Circle C Oyster Ranch

Cookies to Cocktails

And, of course, our very own house band, The Hot Noodles, will be on hand to make your morning wonderful. As always, we'll be whrrling the Market and taking lots of photos to share.

See You on Saturday at the Market!

Cookies to Cocktails is bringing treats!

Don't forget to stop by the Cookies to Cocktails tent this Saturday! Baker Liz Esposito will have gluten-free coconut macaroons, assorted cupcakes, blueberry muffins, cookies, lemon pound cake, and of course more cake pops! (I smell breakfast!)

Stretching Your Market Dollar -- Canning & Preserving

We're all impacted by the rocky economy, and we know that you're trying to make the most out of every dollar you spend on food. We're reexamining techniques that our parents and grandparents used to get the best food for their families and learning all sorts of ways to do more with less.

Canning and preserving always seemed difficult and involved to me, until I tried it last summer (fresh marinara, peach pickles) and it really isn't that hard. The best part? Opening those jars on a snowy late winter day and reliving warm summer mornings at the Market. This summer, I plan to try lots of new (old) ways to get the benefits of summer's plentiful produce long into the fall and winter.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation has great advice and instructions on canning and preserving fresh vegetables, fruits and more. There's also great information on dehydrating foods on pickyourown.org. A quick google search will give you loads of food for thought.

The Market will be chock-full of great things to preserve this Saturday. Make sure to bring your berry baskets and some extra bags -- you'll want to stock up on the perfect ingredients for preserving the tastes of summer!

Keep Local!

Peaches!

We just received confirmation from Jess that Swann Farms will have the first of the peaches on Saturday. Their peaches have become one of their biggest crops and they're very excited to bring them to Cheverly Community Market! Swann may also bring sweet corn and cantaloupes (both the corn and lopes are weather and farmer dependent!) in addition to squash, zucchini, cucumbers and PEACHES! Summer is really here!

Recipes for planning ahead: Fool-proof Crab Green Curry

We just posted a recipe that would be great to make this weekend: Fool-proof Green Crab Curry. Here's a terrific dinner idea for Saturday night (or Sunday, if you can wait that long!)...Green Crab Curry (minus the rice), a crusty baguette (for dipping into the curry), a fresh salad with basil and a bottle of Chardonnay -- all from Cheverly Community Market! I'm getting hungry already... Remember, this recipe and many other fantastic recipes using ingredients from Cheverly Community Market are on our website.

What will our vendors bring this Saturday?

Word comes from produce vendor Shlagel Farms that they'll be bringing a treasure trove of beautiful vegetables this week, including squash, zucchini, peas, green beans, beets , several types of cabbage, cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, corn, carrots, kale, collards, broccoli and cucumbers, as well as blueberries and cider! This would be a great time to get to work on those canning projects you've been thinking about. And think about all the fantastic meals you can make with this bounty. We'll keep you updated with vendor updates throughout the rest of the week, as well as a complete vendor list on Friday. We try to help you plan your Market purchases by giving you an idea of what you can expect at every Cheverly Community Market.

What's for supper tonight?

We've posted an easy mid-week salad. It's super healthy and uses ingredients from the Market, your pantry...even your home garden. Chickpea Salad is a nutrition powerhouse, packed with protein and fiber. The best things about this recipe? It's economical and adaptable. You can easily substitute ingredients listed for what you have on hand -- it's a great base recipe for plenty of experimentation. We have lots of recipes on the recipe page on our website. They're easily downloadable and a valuable resource for planning meals highlighting the terrific ingredients available at Cheverly Community Market.

Drink Local: Basignani Winery comes to Market

We're thrilled to tell you that Basignani Winery will be joining us for our next Market, Saturday, June 27. Celebrating their 23rd anniversary this year, they were honored by Baltimore Magazine as "Best Maryland Winery" in 2000 and we're thrilled to have our friends at Market again! Tradition is a labor of love at Basignani, and they use traditional methods to bottle their classically produced styles of wine. The vineyards are intentionally kept small in order to preserve old-world vinticulture and practices. They bottle Chardonnay, Seyval (wonderful with Maryland seafood!), Cabernets, Zinfindals, Reisling, Vidals, as well as sweet wines, which have just come in. Make sure to stop by and welcome our friends from Basignani. Buy a bottle or two (or a case!) to enjoy with those Circle C oysters and crabs, the lovely beef from Clan Stewart, and all the lovely produce you'll find at Cheverly Community Market.

Drink local.

Market Musicians Playing in Greenbelt This Sunday (and all over next weekend!)

You know Charles & Kelly as part of our fantastic Market house band, The Hot Noodles. When they're not playing with the full band, these two talented performers play acoustic duets at local venues. This weekend, you can catch them in our second favorite little local town -- Greenbelt -- at New Deal Cafe. They'll be playing early (5:00-8:00pm), so take a short trip up the Parkway and enjoy a lazy summer evening with some great music and friends. In addition to playing the Market next Saturday morning, the full band will also be performing next Saturday night at Cheverly Swim & Racquet Club's Adult Night. Stop by the pool and get your tickets early! A Saturday morning at the Market and a Saturday night poolside (or in the pool, if you're so inclined), enjoying delicious food, margaritas and our favorite local band sounds like the perfect way to spend a Saturday!

Support Your Local Musicians...Listen Local!

A great, relaxing Saturday at the Market

We had a great time this morning...hope you did, too! Although the air is getting a little muggy, it doesn't dampen the spirits of our vendors or volunteers. If you missed today's Market, you can see what happened here:

Of course, you can always see our Market photos -- or add your own -- to our flickr page.

We'll be posting lots of updates from our vendors, information from our herbologist, recipes and more, so keep visiting our blog and website, and follow us on facebook or twitter. We'd love to hear what you're doing with your Market treasures, too, so feel free to drop us a line!

Late Vendor News: Sometimes the best-laid plans...

run afoul of the weather. We got word late yesterday that, due to the heavy rains and thunderstorms in our region of late, Swann Farms will not be at the Market today. Here's the letter from Jess Hood: "Crystal & the rest of the Cheverly Community Market group, I am writting on the behalf of Swann Farms, and I am sorry to inform you that I will not be participating in the market this week. Because of popular demand we are officially out of strawberries for the season and this large amount of rain fall and lack of sunlight have slightly postponed our corn crop (which is what I had planned to bring this week). However, I am excited to say that at the next market, June 27th, I will come with white, sweet corn that is magnificent (As well as squash, cucumbers etc.)!! I apologize, but with local growing, our fate is in the weather's hands! See you all on the 27th and thanks for such a warm welcome at the previous market." Remember, these farmers depend on weather conditions to bring their harvest to us, and sometimesa the weather just won't cooperate. We'll miss Jess today, but we're looking forward to a real bounty of vegetables from Swann at our next Market, June 27. Today we'll have two produce vendors, Reberts and Schlagel, and they'll be happy to help you with your early summer fruit and vegetable needs! And remember to bring your plants and plant questions -- we'll have Master Gardeners on hand to help you and your garden.

See You at the Market!

Who's Coming to Market This Week?

We're gearing up for another great Market this Saturday! Our vendors are bringing all sorts of good stuff for your early summer meals and snacking. We want you to come over to the Community Center between 8:00am and noon to stock up on the best local offerings and hang out with family, friends and friends-to-be while you enjoy pastries, coffee and great music courtesy of our very own house band. So who's coming? Here's the list so far...and we may have one or two surprises up our sleeves. You never know! * Reberts. The Rebert family will bring strawberries, rhubarb, spring onions, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and new red potatoes. This will probably be the last rhubarb, so stock up now! LATE UPDATE: They'll have SUGAR PEAS, too! * Schlagel Farms * Swann Farms. They're hoping to have strawberries, squash and zucchini... It will definitely be the last week for strawberries, and it is weather permitting! Let's hope those delectable berries survived all the storms! * Circle C * Clan Stewart. Linda & Terry Moist will have pork link breakfast sausage, mild Italian sausage, chorizo, kielbasa, bacon, cottage bacon, pocket pork chops, and ham slices, as well as ground beef, stew cubes, hot dogs, summer sausage, chuck roast, eye of round roast, briskets, London broil, short ribs, liver, and beef heart. * Martha's Jams * Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea. Charles will be playing and singing for you, but Erik will bring the heralded 2nd series (featuring two prize-fighting loose black teas from China and India) and a very limited stock of Series 1 (Nepal black, Dragonwell green, and Ceylon black). Series 1 sold out a few months ago, so we're very lucky that they found a few tins for us. * Cheverly Breadbasket * Cookies to Cocktails. Liz is bringing assorted cupcakes (red velvet, chocolate, vanilla), chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter icing (new this week!), jam thumbprints made with Martha's Jam, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, coconut macaroons, chocolate chunk cookies (new this week!), and of course, the ever popular cake pops! Really, how can you go wrong with cake (or anything) on a stick? * Methodist Church Fair Trade Coffee & Gifts * Simple Pleasures Ice Cream * Our very first Plant Clinic, courtesy of the Master Gardeners at Cheverly Garden Club. Bring your plants, bring your questions. The Master Gardeners want to help you have the loveliest, healthiest plants you can grow. Of course, we'll be whrrling the Market, and you can find pictures from this -- and all our Markets -- on our flickr page.

See you this Saturday at the Market!

Cake Maker Extraordinaire Liz Esposito: Cookies to Cocktails

Project Manager turned baker extraordinaire, Liz Esposito traded in her spreadsheets for spatulas! She will be bringing an array of tasty treats to this year's market. Market-goers can look forward to an assortment of delectable homemade cupcakes, cookies, brownies, her famous cake pops, and a few test kitchen surprises! She also makes custom cakes and desserts for all occasions. Check out her website and photo gallery here. Make sure to stop by, welcome Liz and buy some of her delectable treats this Saturday at Cheverly Community Market!

Cheverly Day is June 6!

One of our favorite annual town events occurs tomorrow. Cheverly Day 2009 gathers many of the great community groups and musicians for a wonderful day of entertainment with friends and families. There are all sorts of games for the kids, history, art, food, music, beer... and fireworks at 9:00pm!

Go to the Cheverly Day 2009 website for complete details and schedule. Cheverly Community Market's very own house band, The Hot Noodles, will be on stage at 3:30pm. We hope to see many of our Market friends there!

Another vendor coming soon...

At last December's Holiday Market, did you stop by the Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea table? These local boys bring some of the very best teas around directly to you, all packaged prettily (hand-pulled, silkscreened labels and all). Their first series sold out, and they're well into their second one.

Today, they're featured in the Washington Post Express. Go to page 23. They'll be at the Market soon, but we wanted to highlight local Cheverly boys making good on this rainy day!

What are you doing with your Market treasures?

You know what made this a really long winter? Running out of Martha's Mango-Lemon jam, which is one of my favorite foods ever. Last year, I stocked up with a few extra jars, but they were not sufficient for an entire winter (live and learn, I suppose!)

Well, thank goodness Martha was back at the Market last weekend. I've got my favorite breakfast treat, and combined with some of that delicious Cheverly Breadbasket bread (lightly toasted), some cream cheese and a homemade Vietnamese iced coffee, I think I can handle anything that a long, hot summer can throw my way. Martha makes amazing jams and preserves -- from your basic strawberry to exotic lulo pulp. I haven't had one yet that I haven't loved. And the best thing? She makes them right here in Cheverly! Make sure to stop by and stock up at Martha's Jams next Saturday (that's June 13.)

See you at the Market!

We've posted photos from Saturday's Market

Visit our flickr group page to see the latest Market photos... We'll be taking photos of a favorite subject -- men with flowers -- all season long. Here's our first very gracious gentleman of the year! And here's that whrrl story!

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More Stories at Cheverly Community Market

What a great opening to an exciting season!

Thank you to everyone who attended the first Market of the 2009 season, and a very special thank you to the vendors and volunteers who made such a spectacular day possible! The weather was perfect, the band sounded great and there were amazing treats to eat and drink with friends, either at the Market or at home. We're already looking forward to our next Market! We are trying to reach people in many different ways this year, including our listserv, flickr pool, facebook group, twitter and whrrl. Saturday's Market was a featured story on whrrl, a site where people can share multiple takes on an event. Please take a look at our first Market story (forgive the spelling errors, though...I was typing on an iPhone and trying to keep a four-year old from eating an entire quart of strawberries, an effort which failed. They were really good strawberries!) This week and next, we'll be posting new photos on flickr, new vendor profiles on the blog and new recipes to our website. We also have news coming soon about some very special events at the Market. And, of course, late next week we'll list all the vendors for our June 13 Market, which will feature our first Cheverly Garden Club Plant Clinic. Keep visiting us online for interesting reading and the most up-to-date information on Cheverly Community Market! Late update: We were also mentioned on examiner.com!