We're growing!

Exciting new things are happening in anticipation of our season opener on May 19. And though we don't want to give away details just yet, here's a little taste.

Watch this space for big news this week!

Our Second Annual Potluck is just one week away!

We've been having a great time looking over photos from last year's Cheverly Community Market potluck -- and we can't wait for next Sunday and our Second Annual Potluck! Join us -- it promises to be an evening of great food and people and you don't want to miss it!

Food for Thought Fridays: Eating Icons

Today's Food for Thought Friday offering comes from Portland, Oregon's Farmer General, a small blog with terrific writing. Actually, it's a wonderful, thoughful site to peruse -- -you could easily wile away a perfectly good afternoon during which you should be gardening or doing yardwork or some such by exploring the writing on Farmer General. And it would be worth every moment spent.

Today, Joseph Conway caught our eye with "Eating Icons", which examines consuming the icons of Maine. We do it in Maryland, too. When you think of Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay area, what comes to mind? Why blue crabs, of course. What other icons do we consume? It's Food for Thought.

In the Kitchen: Pakoras and Green Chutney

We found a delicious-looking recipe over on one of our favorite blogs, Design*Sponge, for pakoras with green chutney -- a perfect recipe for spring. Pakoras are, like tempura, a fritter-style preparation. In this case, vegetables are dipped in a light batter and fried, then served with a spicy, minty saice (and some plan yogurt to cool things down).

Get the recipe for Tara O'Brady's Pakoras and Green Chutney here, and make an easy, beautiful, tasty meal this weekend!

Anticipation!

We're more than ready for those wonderful tastes of summer -- strawberries, beans, peaches, corn... My stomach is growling in agreement as I write this! Well, Maggie here couldn't wait another minute. She had to have corn this weekend. She has deep midwestern roots, so I can't say I blame her. We picked out the best-looking ears at the store, shucked them and boiled them for only a minute or two. This was our Saturday lunch. No butter, no nothing to get in the way of that sweet, delicious, pure corn. There may have even been a few kernels eaten raw. And just think how much better it will be this summer, when we can walk up to Cheverly Community Market on a Saturday morning and return home with bags full of the best stuff on earth: fresh produce, in season!

Food for Thought Fridays

We're instituting a new feature here on the Cheverly Community Market blog: Food for Thought Fridays. Each Friday throughout the season we'll bring you links to thoughtful writing about food. And yes, we know we're not quite in season yet, but we're too excited about this feature to wait!

Today, we bring you a thought-provoking discussion with author Anna Lappé, sustainable food advocate Anim Steel, and chef Bryant Terry. They discuss the benefits of eating local over on Nourish. We hope you enjoy a little Food for Thought this Friday!

The whole Nourish site is fascinating and full of excellent information! Take some time to explore the site -- it's definitely worth your time.


Image courtesy of Farmer'sPal

What to do with (some of) those strawberries...

It's easy, it's refreshing, it's a good after school snack and it's so simple that kids can make this... It's strawberry lemonade!

Maggie's Strawberry Lemonade
(serves 6, or 4 if you're a seven-year old who s sad about the end of Spring Break)

juice of 5 meyer lemons
1/4 c. sugar
pulp of 12 strawberries
4 c. cold water
ice

Dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice and strawberry pulp. Add water and ice. "You are ready to drink it now."

Easy Spring Recipe: Asparagus Frittata

With our season opening just a little over a month from now, we're looking at all sorts of recipes for the first fruits -- and vegetables -- of spring. This morning, an easy asparagus frittata that feeds a crowd. Perfect for your backyard brunch party this Sunday morning!

Recipe from Saveur Magazine

SERVES 10 – 12

Frittatas are typically made on the stove in a skillet, but preparing them in a bundt pan offers a convenient and beautiful alternative. Serve as part of a hearty lunch or Sunday brunch.

1 tsp. butter
2 cups grated white cheddar
1 small bunch chives, coarsely chopped
Salt
20 spears asparagus, trimmed
12 eggs, lightly beaten
2 small yellow onions, peeled and chopped
2 small carrots, peeled, trimmed, and finely grated
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1⁄4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan with butter; set aside. Mix 1/2 cup of the cheese and 1 tsp. of the chives together in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook asparagus until tender, 3–4 minutes. Drain; cool under cold running water, then pat dry. Cut asparagus into 1/4"-thick pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Add eggs, onions, carrots, flour, milk, remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper, and mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until firm, about 45 minutes. Allow frittata to cool in pan on a wire rack.

3. Preheat broiler. Invert frittata onto a sheet pan. Sprinkle top with cheese and chives, and broil until cheese just melts, 1–2 minutes. Transfer to serving plate.

Good news on a late Friday afternoon!

Remember how just a few hours ago we were pining away for early spring produce? The Shlagels must have been reading our minds. This just went out on our listserv about 30 minutes ago...

"FYI- Eileen Shlagel just emailed some regular customers to say she is coming to the community center tomorrow Saturday, 4/14, between 10 and 11 a.m. with eggs for $4, spinach for $2, leeks at $3,, tomatoes at $2 and asparagus at $5. Anyone who's interested in ordering can contact her directly at: eshlagel@verizon.net.

We can hardly wait for more goodies from the fields as the growing season progresses. In order to preview some of the excitement ahead, make sure to tune in on Tuesday, April 17th at 9 p.m., to a brand new documentary showcasing Maryland chefs and farmers, airing on Maryland Public Television (channel 22 for most of you). To see a teaser and to learn more about the program, please go to: http://themarylandharvest.com/MH/Home.html. It's really a good program for the whole family.

Thanks from a locavore like you!"

We're almost there!

This gorgeous, sunny Friday has us pining for fresh, ripe, delicious strawberries! Whether your eating them plain, with yogurt and granola, with sour cream and brown sugar (a family favorite), dropped in a glass of champagne, in lemonade, in a salad or in a tart, you know summer is just around the corner when you're enjoying strawberries. And that also means that the Cheverly Community Market season is right around the corner, too. Join us for opening day, Saturday, May 19, 8:00am until noon, at the Cheverly Community Center. We can't wait to share the bounty of spring and summer with you!

Some of Our Favorite Market Artists

We know that Cheverly is home to some of the most creative people in the Washington, DC are. From amazing cooks to writers to musicians to photographers to painters to ceramic artists, clothing designers, and more, Cheverly really does have it all. Cheverly Community Market is proud to celebrate our community, and we're especially proud that some of our favorite Cheverly Community Market artists -- Rose Fennell, Madeleine Golde, and Helen Crosskey among them -- will be sharing their work with everyone this Cheverly Day. Visit the Cheverly Day website to learn about the ever-growing roster of artists who will be represented on May 12, and make sure to visit them again and again during the Market season...we're getting close!