This Week at the Market: Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea

Since Andrews & Dunham became Andrews & Dunham, we've been great fans of Damn Fine Tea. Cheverly guys Charles Andrews (you also know him from our house band) and Erik Dunham (you also know him from being a good neighbor and upright citizen) are tea guys. They love tea. They think about tea. They think about tea a lot. And they want to share their tea with you. you are soooo lucky, because this stuff is fantastic. Don't take our word for it -- there are a lot of people all over the world who think so, too!

photo by Meredith Rizzo, courtesy of Damn Fine Tea

Pick up a refined Assam, a smoky Caravan, a mellow Double Knit blend, or an exceptional Mount Gray, Damn Fine Tea's take on the classic Earl Grey. They also have great mugs, and you're bound to have a great conversation. Make sure to visit Damn Fine Tea at Cheverly Community Market this Saturday!

Community Groups at the Market: Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek & the Cheverly Green Infrastructure Committee

This Saturday at Cheverly Community Market, Friends of Lower Beaverdam Creek, together with the Cheverly Green Infrastructure Committee, will be hosting public input for the Town Park Master Plan amendment. Come by the table, review the draft plan, and make your comments and suggestions. You can also review the draft plan at www.greencheverly.org.

Don't forget to see what's in bloom among the heaths along our trails in both Woodworth Park and the Cheverly Nature Park. They'll have special maps to guide your tour.

This Week at the Market: Natural Nick's Produce

Did you meet Dominick from Natural Nick's Produce at our opening day? Gorgeous sauces and conserves -- a lovely addition to Cheverly Community Market.  For Cheverly Day, Natural Nick's Produce will have Early Red Italian Heirloom Garlic, Natural Nick's Tomato Basil Sauce, Natural Nick's Biscotti Antoinetta, Natural Nick's Fruit Conserves: Threeberry (Combination of Blackberry, Blueberry & Raspberry) and Natural Nick's Baklava Alexandra. All products are naturally grown and/or produced in the traditional organic method by Natural Nick's Produce "Organic and Natural as nature intended.

Visit Dominick at Cheverly Community Market this Saturday and get provisions for great Cheverly Day wekend celebrations, as well as for the week ahead!

This Week at the Market: New Starts Farm

 

At our opening Market, we noticed lots people buying plants. In fact, what really caught our attention was the number of kids buying plants from Tom Baldwin of New Starts Farm. In fact, our front stoop is now graced with a lovely gerber daisy thanks to an enthusiastic child gardener. This week, Tom will have more herbs, vegetable plants -- including mini porch/patio gardens of herbs -- and also container tomato gardens, many tomato and pepper (hot and sweet) plants, perennials, caladiums, geraniums, and six varieties of sedums.

This is a great opportunity to spruce up your home for Cheverly Day...and pick up wonderful vegetable plants that will produce treats for your table all summer long!

It's that time again...

Thank you for making the opening day of our 2013 season a grand success! We're gearing up for another Market this Saturday, so please help us get the word out by putting out your yard signs today. This Market looks to be really special -- we're thrilled to be part of Cheverly Day festivities and we can't wait to share a "Homegrown in Cheverly" morning with you. 

See you Saturday at the Market!

Activities this Saturday...

We know of a few activities that will interest our Cheverly Community Market friends this weekend...

First, join the Cheverly Garden Club on Saturday morning for their annual plant sale at the Town Park pavilion.  Plant sales begin at 8am! Vegetables, native plants, bedding plants, and plants from Garden Club members will be available, but quantities are limited, so early shopping is highly recommended. Pastries and coffee will be sold by the American Legion Auxiliary.

On Saturday afternoon, enjoy Maryland wines...it's Wine Tourism Day, sponsored by the Maryland Wine Association! Take the opportunity on a gorgeous late spring day to enjoy some of the best wines our state has to offer! 

Celebrate Wine Tourism Day on May 11 Our wineries across the state are excited to host you and your friends and family for this innaugural event! The first-ever Wine Tourism Day in North America will take place May 11, 2013. Wineries, hotels, restaurants, and other wine tourism businesses across North America are offering special events to the public on this day to celebrate the importance of wine tourism. Our Maryland wineries will be participating and we encourage you to contact them about their specials and discounts. Below you will find a listing of just a few wineries participating.  Crow Farm Vineyard will be offering one free wine tasting and sample of Crow Farm products including their Angus Grass-fed beef per person from 12-6pm on May 11. Galloping Goose Vineyards will be featuring a flight of three red wines from their cellars with hors d'oeuvres for $12.00 Distillery Lane Ciderworks will be offering a cider-making class that covers the basics of home cider-making. Head cidermaker, Tim Rose, and orchardist, Rob Miller, run the informative class.  The course covers topics such as desirability of various apple varieties, how different apples  are used in the cider, the fermentation process, the importance of sanitation, and blending the finished product. The class costs $100 per person (preregistration and a $25 non-refundable deposit is due to hold a spot in the class). This fee covers the class, tastings, and all of the materials needed for participants to ferment a case of their own hard cider at home. To register, please visit their web site or call 301-834-8920 The Piedmont Wine Trail will be hosting a Vidal wine event on May 11 and May 12. Guests can enjoy a 10% discount on all Vidal Blanc purchases. Each winery will be featuring a different special with the Vidal grape. Particpating wineries include: Basignani Winery, Boordy Vineyards, DeJon Vineyards, Fiore Winery, Harford Vineyard and Winery, Royal Rabbit Vineyards, and Woodhall Wine Cellars.  Catoctin Breeze Vineyard, now open for the season, will have a featured sampling of their wines for a tasting fee of $6, including a complimentary tasting glass. Private tours are also available. They include enjoy a guided tour of the vineyard and winery, followed by a private tasting of all currently available wines, complete with cheese pairings. The private tour is $25 per person and reservations are required. Please make reservations by calling 240-449-0677 or emailing tours@catoctinbreeze.com.

What a way to begin our 2013 season!

Gorgeous weather, lovely people, beautiful food, music, and all sorts of wonderful things to buy...we can't think of a better way to kick off our 2013 season! Thank you to everyone -- our vendors, our volunteers, and our customers -- for being part of Cheverly Community Market.

We have photos posted from this morning -- we're up to nearly 9,600 in our flickr group now! You might have noticed that there was less produce today than usual. Remember: we are a producer-only market. That means that our vendors produce their goods. If your plants are only now beginning to bloom (remember that long, cold spring?) so are the plants that our farmers rely on for their harvests. We also started this season two weeks earlier than we ever have before and that, of course, contributes to a lighter-than-usual amount of fresh, local produce. Never fear: more produce -- beautiful berries, peaches, spinach, tomatoes, garlic...it'll all be here before you know it...we're eager, too!

Our next market is on Cheverly Day, May 18. We'll see you there!