This week at the Market: CrossKrafts

A summer hat modeled by Cheverly's very own Jamie Gomez

We're always happy to see Helen Crosskey of CrossKrafts at Cheverly Community Market. She makes wonderful hats, apparel, and jewelry, and she's a real Cheverly treasure. This year, she's been bringing us terrific wide-brimmed hats, perfect for these hot summer days. Visit Helen this Saturday and find something to make you cool and stylish in the warm weather. You'll be glad you did!

This week at the Market: Martha's Jams

Here's something that happens when you shop at a farmer's market: you talk with the very people who produce your food, whether they grow it, bake it, or preserve it. You can tell farmer's market vendors what you like and what you don't. And if they're good vendors, they listen. At Cheverly Community Market, we have some great vendors. They listen. They care. They respond.

A perfect example? Martha Allen of Martha's Jams. Over the years, we've overheard customer requests and we've always enjoyed observing the progress of such discussions. Martha has been busily at work on some of those requests recently, including Sugar-Free Hot Pepper Jelly. And she has made more wweet pepper, plum. mango-ginger, rhubarb, rhubarb-strawberry, strawberry-rhubarb, and sour cherry, too. We can't wait to pick up a jar or tow and taste the results!

This week at the Market: Benny's Fruit Stand/Rebert Farm

One of our favorite Market activities is to linger at the produce vendor's tables,  smelling the delicious aromas of freshly picked fruit and vegetables as they warm in the sun. It's one of life's great, simple treats. The perfume of summer will be especially wonderful this Saturday at Cheverly Community Market: Benny's Fruit Stand/Rebert Farm will have apricots, white and yellow peaches, white and yellow nectarines, plums, blueberries, raspberries, and Lodi apples. We can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning at the height of summer than enjoying ripe, juicy fruit, picked at its peak. Make sure to stop by and visit the Reberts early -- they do tend to sell out and you'll want the very best selection!

Community at the Market: The Sons of the American Legion, Post 108

We're looking forward to having The Sons of the American Legion, Post 108, at Cheverly Community Market again this weekend. Members of the Sons of the American Legion, as well as the American Legion, will be present to discuss Cheverly’s very own Post 108 as well as the organizations’ commitment to Cheverly and the surrounding community. Make sure to stop by and say hello!

This week at the Market: Waltz Family Farm

image via PublicDomainImage.com

We're still smelling the delectable scents of grill smoke from our Independence Day celebrations. Whether you cooked steaks, hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, pork, eggplants, onions, garlic, corn, peaches -- or maybe all of these -- last weekend, we're ready to fire up the grill again this weekend! Mmmm...steaks, anyone? Waltz Family Farm has a good selection of meats coming your way. For you bacon lovers, they’ll have some, but visit Laurie  early because it’s a limited supply.

And don't forget, we have loads of grilling tips on Pinterest!

Meals from the Market: What are your favorite things to cook with Market fresh food?

As we look forward to Saturday and replenishing our pantries with fresh, local foods, we look all over the internet for the best recipes and techniques to make the most of items available at Cheverly Community Market. We collect those recipes and techniques on our Pinterest pages every day, and highlight items you'll be able to find in the coming weeks when you shop with us.

We use all those recipes as jumping off points for our own recipes. And that's how this...

 Becomes this...

As we approach Saturday (and the Maryland Buy Local Challenge Week July 20-28) -- and later our Annual Farm to Table Potluck (August 10) -- we hope you'll find some inspiration on our Pinterest and other resources -- from cookbook collections to magazines to websites. Here's a wonderful article via The Kitchn: Ten Meals Straight from the Farmer's Market. There are great ideas throughout the article, and wonderful variations in the comments. We hope you find something to jumpstart your creative cooking there.

This is an ideal time of year to takes some flights of fancy in your cooking -- produce is abundant, herbs are plentiful, and the ideas are overflowing!

SPECIAL MESSAGE: We have postponed our Annual Farm to Table Potluck and are currently reviewing possible dates for the Fall. If you've already purchased tickets, we will refund your money, or you may hold on to your ticket for the future date. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your continued support.

It's that time...help us spread the word and get those yard signs out!

SPECIAL MESSAGE: We have postponed our Annual Farm to Table Potluck and are currently reviewing possible dates for the Fall. If you've already purchased tickets, we will refund your money, or you may hold on to your ticket for the future date. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your continued support.

Hello everyone -- we hope you had a wonderful Independence Day weekend and that you enjoyed loads of fresh, local food! Summer is really in full swing -- we can't wait for Saturday and the promise of fresh, local food, unique crafts, and terrific music.

It's time to get yard signs out for our July 13 Market -- we have nearly 25 vendors, community groups, and musicians lined up for what looks to be a gorgeous Saturday morning and we're eager to share the day with you. This is the best time of the year for seasonal local produce, so bring your friends and neighbors to stock up at Cheverly Community Market this weekend. 

Make sure to stop by the big green Market tent, where you can meet our board members, share your thoughts, pledge to eat at least one locally grown item every day during Maryland's Buy Local Challenge Week (July 20-28), vote for Cheverly Community Market in American Farmland Trust's America's Favorite Farmer's Market Contest (we're currently second in the state of Maryland!), or purchase tickets for our Annual Farm to Table Potluck on August 10 (you can also purchase tickets anytime via EventBrite). And don't forget: throughout the week, we'll bring vendor news and other highlights to you right here on the blog, so visit us often.

There's a lot of wonderful this weekend at Cheverly Community Market...we'll see you there!