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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 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

Here are some safety tips for using knives, courtesy of our knife sharpener, Rod Koozmin. You can bring Rod your knives and scissors for sharpening at our Fairfax Corner and Reston locations.

Cut away from your hand and body, not toward yourself.

If you drop your knife, let it fall. Don’t attempt to catch it.

Never run with a knife.

Use a proper cutting board. Don’t try and cut in the air without one.

Don’t throw a knife to anyone. Hand it to them handle first.

Never point a knife at anyone.

Do not use a locking blade if the lock will not lock open. Make sure the lock is working before using it.

Keep your knife folded or sheathed when carrying or storing.

Use the right tool for the job.

Don’t use a knife for prying. It can cause the tip to break, possibly causing injury.

Use in a well-lit area, so you can see what you are doing.

Do not use a knife on electrical items such as appliances.

Keep your knife clean, particularly the locking mechanism.

Keep your knife oiled and sharp. A sharp knife is safer than a dull one.

If you get cut, seek first aid immediately.

Dear Shopper,

Since Smart Markets was founded in 2008, I have been writing and talking about the issue of organic farming. We even hosted a forum with some big-name food writers and experts in November 2008 to address the issue. But I get so many questions at markets and in emails that I am going to give you some facts and opinions about the issue again.

Our shoppers usually want to know whether we have any organic farmers in our markets. The answer is no — not certified organic. Certification of a farm’s organic growing practices is now done by the federal government — the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to be exact. Before the feds took over this process, operating an “organic” farm was either a personal decision or a state-approved designation; the federal government had nothing to do with it.

Around 20 years ago, a movement began among corporate commercial farming interests to encourage the USDA to take over the certification process, which meant that only the feds would be granting “organic” status to farmers, large and small. This seemed to be a good idea at the time for these big growers, as they were the ones selling all over the country and having to deal with a huge number of different requirements labeling their produce for the various states. But as often happens, it has led to some unintended consequences that seem now to have undermined our need to know — if not the corporate farm’s need to make money on organics.

Federal guidelines were established and a lengthy, laborious and expensive process for acquiring that “organic” certification was created which has nearly wiped out the certified-organic small farm — especially those that use less than 100 acres. Given that the average farm in Virginia is only 40 acres and that most of those farms depend on retail farmers’ markets sales to survive, there are very few certified-organic farms represented in the markets across the state.

However, many farmers farm in an organic manner but are not permitted to use the term anymore. They are seriously committed to growing without any chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides or insecticides. Others have seriously reduced the amount of these products they use because they are expensive to use on a small scale. Some farmers must use the occasional fungicide or insecticide because of growing conditions here in the Middle Atlantic and Upper South, where the humidity supports all kinds of fungi and insects. But almost all of our farmers use these aids sparingly and early in the growing season, unlike the big farms, where massive amounts of toxins are sprayed on our food sometimes as often as once a week.

Compared to anything you can buy in the grocery store these days — even California-grown organic produce has been the source of E. coli in the last year — produce from a local farm and brought to market by the farmer is as close to safe food as you are going to get under any label. Would you trust an organic label on Mexican- or Chinese-grown produce? Or would you trust your farmers to tell you exactly what they use, letting you decide based on faith and trust?

That is the issue — whom do you trust? I know who I trust — and it’s not the commercial grower, no matter what label the produce bears. And by the way, commercial growers are now encouraging the USDA to lower its requirements for that “certified organic” label. I don’t see anything good coming out of those discussions, either.

See you at the market!

Photo by ilovebutter

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.

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.

Here’s what you’ll find if you stop by Smart Markets on the Prince William Campus of George Mason University this week, Thursday from 11:30am–2:30pm:

• Pulled pork and pulled chicken sandwiches, beef brisket sandwiches and grilled sausage with peppers on a bun from Uncle Fred’s BBQ

• Empanadas (beef, chicken, spinach and sweet corn); choripan (Argentinean sausage sandwich with chimichurri sauce); milanesa sandwiches; matambre sandwiches; and sodas

Dear Shoppers,

I am sitting here in what will soon be a dark room writing this out by hand so I can dictate it over the phone to my son who will send it on to you. Needless to say, I’ve lost the lights of my life.

Thank goodness for my market camp stove; I will be able to heat up something from the larder for lunch. Actually, more like something in the fridge that must be eaten ASAP. And thank goodness for the wood stove; we are cool but not cold, and bright sun is doing a good job of warming the south side of the house. We live in a small, well-constructed home that was built in 1959 by an early proponent of passive solar energy. The position of the house itself, its window placements and the landscaping all work together to enable the sun to heat the house in the winter and to shade the house in the summer. A great idea that seemed to take a while to catch on.

For those of you who have followed the bill we proposed for introduction in the Virginia General Assembly, here’s an update. Thanks to a truly dedicated and energetic effort by delegate Kaye Kory, an agreement has been reached with the Virginia Department of General Services to incorporate changes in the procurement system for Virginia schools and possibly other public entities to facilitate the purchase of produce directly from local farmers. I was invited to attend the meeting yesterday where this was accomplished, but the snow kept me home, and the lack of power has left me without details for the moment. But there will be a press conference soon to announce those details, and we will make sure you know where to view it or read about it.

At our markets this week, Uncle Fred hopes to dig out his smoker in time to come to both markets. As of now, he is certain of making it to Gainesville and a little less certain about Oakton. He is accepting orders for Super Bowl weekend.

See you at the markets!

Here’s what some of our vendors will be offering at our special Oakton market Friday, Dec. 31, from 10am-2pm.

Dalmasso Argentine Delights

• Empanadas — beef, chicken, ham & Monterey
• Chorizo/Sausages — pork w/Chardonnay, beef & pork w/Merlot, chicken w/Chardonnay
• Chimichurri steak marinade — oil, vinegar, parsley, garlic, oregano, red peppers, salt, white pepper
• Alfajores — dulce de leche cookies w/grated coconut

One free empanada with purchase of 1 lb. of sausage.

Harvest Market DC

• Saffron rice pudding
• Pecan tartlets
• Country paté
• Creamy tomato soup
• Spinach with roasted chestnuts and garlic
• Mac and cheese with Jacobs Swiss

Sweet Bite Creamery

Ice-cream sandwich flavors will include:

• Chocolate Caramel Pear — chocolate French macaron filled with fresh & local caramelized-pear ice cream

• Gingered Eggnog — classic eggnog ice cream with a little spice of fresh ginger paired with a chewy molasses cookie. A sprinkling with crystallized ginger makes it a perfect holiday treat!

• Peanut Butter Mud Pie — gooey fudge cookie with chocolate cookies ‘n’ cream & peanut butter swirl ice cream

• Hetty’s Brown Sugar Babies — brown sugar crinkle cookie filled with a tangy vanilla-buttermilk ice cream

Also, Peggy Fath will offer a buy one, get one free deal on all holiday chocolate items. And Rod Koozmin will be on hand to sharpen knives.