We have morels at our Oakton market today, and if you’re picked some up and are wondering what to do with them, check out these tips and recipes. Enjoy!
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Uncle Roger sells his delicious baked goods at our Oakton and Bristow markets. Here’s a little more about him, straight from the baker’s mouth.
Uncle Roger’s is a home-grown baker who produces breads, sweet breads, and cookies that are regular and gluten-free. His gluten-free sweet breads are also sugar-free, as agave is used as a sweetener. The gluten-free brownies/blondies, sweet bread, and cookies are egg-free, as ground flaxseed is used as an egg replacement. A soy-based chocolate chip is used when called for, as it is lactose-free. The gluten-free bread is as light as regular bread. He has been asked with so much of the good stuff not in it, why does it taste so good? The texture and flavor are so good, it is hard to believe that it is gluten-free. Just be careful with the cookies, as they are in a Ziplock bag, and he does not guarantee they will make it out of the parking lot. Uncle Roger will have a wide assortment this week. Some new cookies are chocolate, banana nut, sugar, and molasses.
Visit our markets this Super Bowl weekend for these special deals from our vendors.
Both Markets (Oakton and Prince William County)
Betty’s Chips and Salsa will offer a special on chips and salsas and will send a new item for your big bash: queso dip, either vegetarian or with chorizo. Two bags of chips, two salsas and a guacamole for $20 — a $25 value.
Uncle Roger will bring both cheese and rich French baguettes in addition to his line of gluten-free and sugar-free baked goods.
Oakton
For your dining pleasure as well as party fare, we are thrilled to welcome Blue Dog BBQ for their first appearance this Saturday. They will bring pulled pork, chicken and brisket. Mike and Deborah have wowed our clientele at our Prince William County Sunday market over the last four weeks. They make all their own sides from old family recipes, and they even grow and smoke the chipotle peppers that they use in their dry rub. And they are a lovely couple to boot, with a precious little baby.
The Finger Buffet will offer several sweet and savory platters in three sizes. Give your Super Bowl party some international flair this year with a selection of appetizers.
Your choices:
- Samosa Platter (comes with tamarind chutney)
- Empanada Platter (choice of Beef Picadillo, Spicy Chicken, or Coconut Cinnamon)
- Puff Platter (choice of Mushroom, Artichoke, Apple, or Chocolate)
- Phyllo Platter (choice of Spinach Spanakopita, Sundried Tomato, or Roasted Garlic Tiropita)
Small platter (25 pcs.) — $45
Medium platter (50 pcs.) — $85
Large platter (100 pcs.) — $165
To order, please contact Nancy at (703) 944-6802.
Prince William County
Cakes by Shelby will have cake pops representing Giants and Patriots helmets. Last time I spoke with her, she was trying to figure out how to make them look like footballs. But we will forgive her if she can’t pull that one off — at least until next year!
Directly from Blue Dog BBQ, here’s the latest: “We’re offering special order Wings and Wing Platters served fresh to order on Sunday. We’ll also offer a free side with every 2 lb. order of BBQ.” Please call ahead to order at (703) 542-3638.
Heritage Kettle Korn will offer $1 off their large bags of kettle corn.
All Markets
Cakes by Shelby has gift ideas for teachers, family members, children and friends. Don’t forget to stop by and pick up the popular cake pops, too! Visit her website for more information about her treats.
Oakton
Our Oakton market will be open Saturday, Dec. 24.
Fabbioli Cellars
Fabbioli Cellars has the perfect wines for the holidays; they make perfect gifts and will add that special touch to your holiday feasts. Taste some of the best wines from Virginia and see for yourself. We will be bringing our dinner wines: the lighter Chamborcin, the fruity/peppery Cabernet Franc, and our full-bodied flagship wine, the Tres Sorelle; as well as our ever popular dessert wines: Royalty, a port-style dessert wine with a taste of smoked cherries, cloves, holiday spices, cinnamon and cranberries; Rosa Nera, the port-style, black raspberry dessert wine; our phenomenal Raspberry Merlot; and our wonderfully different Aperitif Pear Wine. So come and stock up for the entertaining and gift-giving season.
Peachtree Sweets
Rashmi of Peachtree Sweets will have gift boxes of the following items available for purchase Dec. 17 and Dec. 24.
Prices per dozen:
- Chocolate chip cookies 5.99
- Dark chocolate pecan cookies 7.99
- Rich chocolate brownies 8.99
- Nutty biscotti 4.99
- Berry berry muffins 6.99
- Chocolate almond muffin bites 6.99
- Pumpkin cranberry walnut bread (1 mini loaf) 5.99
- Chocolate truffles 9.99
She will also have chocolate truffles (chocolate hazelnut and coffee flavors) for sale in small 2- and 4-piece packs. You can order any of these items or place a more customized order Dec. 17 and pick it up Dec. 24, or call Rashmi at (630) 276-6168 by Dec. 22 at the latest to preorder. Gift boxes and baskets are also available.
The Finger Buffet
- Samosas with special chutney
- Sweet and savory empanadas
- Mushroom puffs
- Turkish pides
- Phyllo triangles
- Mixed boxes of cookies from around the world
- Fig-covered chocolates
- Variety tartlet trays including apple and pear tartlets
- Brie en croute in large and individual sizes
Nancy will accept orders for any of the above or mixed platters, either baked and ready to serve or frozen for baking at the last minute. Email her at nk22312@yahoo.com or call (703) 944-6802 with special orders. They can be picked up at the market.
We recently had a group of Cub Scouts drop by our Oakton market to see a cooking demonstration and learn from our vendors about where their food comes from. Read this article in the Oakton Patch to find out what the Scouts learned.
Annie Sidley, the market’s demo diva, taught the boys to make some seasonal breakfast foods, including pancakes and a delicious vegetable dish.
“This helps us learn what to eat and what is nutritious and teaches us to try new things,” said 8-year-old William Bush. “This is a good activity for us and everyone gets food.”
We were happy to have the Scouts stop by. If you’d like to bring any field trips our way, let us know!
Visit our Oakton or George Mason University markets and enjoy these delicious crepes from our new vendor, Crepes de Pouce Gras.
Savory Crepes
Mr. Breakfast: Fresh, Scrambled Egg, Potatoes, Bacon & Monterey Jack — $6
Moo-na Lisa: Roast Beef, Gorgonzola, Romaine, Tomato & Horseradish — $6
The Greek: Rotisserie Chicken, Feta, Spinach, Tomato & Tzatziki Sauce — $6
Miss Piggy: Ham, Monterey Jack & Apple — $6
The Vegetarian: Tomato, Mozzarella, Spinach & Basil (red onion optional) — $5
The Blue Tomato: Sundried Tomatoes & Gorgonzola — $5
Say Cheese: Imported Gruyere — $5
Sweet Crepes
Bavarian Heaven: Bavarian Cream Custard with Fresh Fruit & Whipped Cream — $5
All Shook Up: Peanut Butter, Bananas & Honey — $5
Cheese, Louise: Cheesecake with Fresh Fruit & Whipped Cream — $5
Coconut Monkey: Bananas with Caramel, Toasted Coconut & Whipped Cream — $5
Nutty Ella (Chocolate/Hazelnut Spread), Fresh Fruit & Whipped Cream — $5
Plain John: Cinnamon, Sugar & Butter — $4
Drinks
Homemade Limeade — $3
Our newest vendor at our Centreville, Oakton and Gainesville markets is Virginia Crabs. They sell large male steamed crabs, crab cakes and steamed shrimp. Igor and Irada buy only local seafood and, in spite of their Old World heritage, they know how to do New World crabs.
You can order ahead from Virginia Crabs and pick up your order at the market. Their menu:
- One dozen large male crabs — $55
- 2 5-ounce crab cakes — $15
- Crab cake sandwich with slaw — $10
- One-pound steamed 16–20 count shrimp — $18
Email your order to us at jean@smartmarkets.org.
Photo by Bobbi Bowers.
Dear Shopper,
This week, Smart Markets began what we hope will be a long and fruitful partnership with the Fairfax County government employees’ Live Well program. The Live Well program is a major in-house effort to improve the health and fitness of county employees through a variety of means, including shopping at farmers’ markets and cooking more at home. We look forward to helping as many county employees as possible to reach personal and program goals through information, education and lots of great vendors. We hope to encourage them to try new foods and new recipes and inform them about how to mix-and-match the naturally raised, locally produced products found in our markets into meals that extend their minds while reducing their tummies — but, most importantly, while promoting good health for them and their families.
The best part of all of this for those of you who do not work for Fairfax County is that you too will benefit from our enhanced programming and the materials and teaching tools we develop for this partnership.
One more message for the masses: Some of you have read other statements I have made about the superior quality of market produce. I was recently reminded of another benefit of buying local when I read this article by Kate Sheppard about “leftovers,” which in this country amount to 14 percent of the food we buy in the USA. In addition, $60 billion in food from restaurants, stores, processors and farms is wasted every year. She is primarily concerned about the unnecessary energy this consumes, but she also mentions that we could also benefit from more knowledge about the storage of food for future use — or reuse for that matter. She recommends StillTasty.com for help in deciding “what to eat and what to toss.”
I have another perspective to add: Fruits and vegetables that have been picked within 24 hours purchase (or even a few days before), as opposed to weeks in some cases for store-bought produce, are going to be edible for many more days and have much less waste to pull or cut away when you are ready to eat them. This means less waste for the world to absorb but also more nutrients for you to absorb. Not only can you reduce your global footprint by buying local, you can create more energy for your own personal use. You can store the unwashed veggies in the refrigerator (except the tomatoes — which of course aren’t really vegetables anyway) for nearly a week and leave much of the fruit at room temperature, where in some cases its flavor will improve over several days.
It might be a worthwhile experiment in our households to keep a tally for a few weeks of what we choose not to eat after we have paid for it — maybe that’s one of those activities that we will include in our partnership programming. Watch this space for a call to action down the road.
See you at the market!
Il Bastone will feature these offerings at our Oakton and Gainesville markets April 9 and 10.
Veggie Corn Empanada
Sweet corn, sautéed onions and red peppers, garlic, and melted mozzarella cheese in a light Béchamel sauce. These turnovers are a complete meal in one and pair well with white wines.
Vermut e Formaggio Sausage
Beef & pork sausage with a noticeable presence of Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth and Pecorino Romano cheese, lots of basil, parsley, and a dab of tomato paste. The complex and sharp flavor comes from the cheese itself, which is made from sheep’s milk and has the consistency of Parmesan cheese. The addition of the vermouth with its herbal characteristics strongly accents the overall taste of this cooking sausage. Due to its high aromatic concentration it is recommended that it be eaten as part of a sauce or stew.
We’ve welcomed new vendors to some of our markets—Cherry Glen Goat Cheese has joined us at both Oakton and Gainesville. We’ve assigned them a spot next to Loudoun Valley Vineyards so you can get the full benefit of a sampling. And I am sure that our French bakery will contribute a baguette or two. Check out Cherry Glen’s website—read it and drool!
Lothar’s Gourmet Sausages has also joined us at Gainesville. Please welcome him with open arms—he will give you a big hug in return. Lothar and June are such fun and really get “the spirit of the market” that I have worked so hard to promote.
Lothar left a high-level position in another business to return home to Germany to learn his trade the old-fashioned way, and he is now the sausage-meister at Fauquier’s Finest butchering facility, where he makes the sausages that many of our meat vendors sell. On his own time he makes traditional European sausages and cured and marinated meats—and according to my German husband, they are all really authentic and really tasty!
Robert Medina is now at Oakton and Gainesville with herbs, early produce and bedding plants for your own gardens—flowers and veggies. Our very own resident plant expert, Joe Belsan, will also come soon to advise on planting in a tilled garden and in pots and smaller, landscaped areas of your yard. If you can adjust your thinking about what a vegetable garden looks like, he can help you visualize an entirely different animal—or plant as the case may be.
