Support local farmers – Shop at a farmers market
Stock up on freshly picked fruits and vegetables, artisanal cheese, and homebaked breads and pies at your local farmers market, which open for the season the week of May 2.
There are two in the Annandale area: The Annandale Farmers Market at Mason District Park on Columbia Pike is open Thursdays, 8 a.m.-noon, and the Wakefield market, 8100 Braddock Road, is open Wednesdays, 2-6 p.m.
They are among the 12 farmers markets supervised by the Fairfax County Park Authority through the Community Horticulture office based at Green Springs Gardens.
Shopping at a Farmers Market is a great way to support local farmers and sustainable agriculture, obtain the freshest ingredients, meet the people who produce the food you serve your family, and teach your children where food comes from. All products sold at the markets are produced within 125 miles of Fairfax County.
The markets also host Fairfax County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinics. You can bring plant or insect samples for pest identification or disease diagnosis.
Vendors at the Annandale Farmers Market include:
- Bees ’n Blossoms—honey and related products
- Bonapart Breads—baked goods
- Chelsey Vegetable Farm & Allenberg Orchard—vegetables and fruit
- Gypsy Hill—dips, rubs, spices, and soup
- J & W Valley View Farm—produce and herbs
- Mt. Olympus Berry Farm—produce
- F.J. Medina & Son Farm—produce
- Red Rake Farm—“certified organic” produce
- Second Spring Farm—produce
- Sharkawi Farm—herbs, teas, seasonings, and plants
- Smith Family Farm—meat
- Sunset View Farm—produce
- Twin Springs Fruit Farm—produce
- Valentine’s Country Bakery & Meats—meat and baked goods
- Westmoreland Produce Farm—produce
The Wakefield market hosts these vendors:
- Cenan’s Bakery—baked goods
- Country Gardens—plants and herbs
- Fertile Plains Custom Pork—meat
- Fields of Grace Farm—dairy
- Gypsy Hill—dips, rubs, spices, and soups
- J & W Valley View Farm—produce and herbs
- Kuhn Orchards—fruit and vegetables
- Level Green Farm—produce, nuts, and mushrooms
- Lois’s Produce—produce and herbs
- Massanutten Mountain Apiaries—honey
- Middleburg Creamery—ice cream
- Old World Kitchens—pastas, sauces, breads, and cakes
- Salsa las Glorias—salsa
I'd love to support them but due to working and traffic, I can't make either one! I really wish one of them would move to the weekend.