This 4th of July: Cherries, White Corn, and Blueberries
Ah, D.C. summers! For me, part of the decision to just revel in the heat and accept the gifts of the season has been fully appreciating raw, whole foods. The idea of standing over a stove is probably wholly unappealing to most of us right now (and baking is clearly out of the question!), but the lettuces, kale, chard, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, snap peas, apricots, and blueberries that came home with me from the Crossroads last week have kept my tummy sated and my kitchen cool. While the heat wave is expected to break tomorrow– just in time for a perfectly sunny and much cooler market on Wednesday– now’s a great time to play with new ways of not cooking your favorite produce. Try switching up your salads by mixing in some berries, or add some green to a smoothie (strawberry, apple, and rainbow chard is my current favorite). I’d love to hear what you’ve been not-cooking this week!
Though we may all feel like we’ve slowly melted over the past few days, this heat and vibrant sunshine have been prime nourishment for all our favorite summer fruits. Cherries and berries are out in full force, and Three Springs has just let word leak that this week is the first for peaches– even earlier than expected! Perfectly tart, juicy apricots from Tuckey’s Mountain Grown were in high demand last week. If you’re craving hot food or sweet food but don’t feel like making it yourself, pick up a few pupusas from Jireh Restaurant and pastries or sweet breads from Chapina Bakery. And don’t miss last week’s highlight– sweet ears of corn– back from Musachio Produce, just in time for grilling out this weekend. Speaking of this weekend…
Join the Crossroads Farmers Market float for the Takoma Park 4th of July parade!
We’re looking for some veggie loving folks– especially kids– to ride with us on the truck and proudly carry signs showing off their favorite vegetables. Please email us if interested. We’ll be painting signs for the float at market again this Wednesday– bring your kids, your friends, your paintbrush, and come get colorful with us!
Crossroads Summer Concert Series/Special Events:
This week, the ever-talented Zoe Kurtz will be back on violin covering a wide range of songs and sound. We’ll have a painting corner for kids of all ages. And we’ll be raffling off another $25 gift certificate to the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Co-op! Stop by the market tent and leave your name and telephone number for our weekly drawing.
Looking forward to seeing familiar and new faces this Wednesday, 3-7pm at 7676 New Hampshire Avenue– come find us to say hello!
