The Color Purple

Do you like purple? You should. At least when it comes to vegetables and fruits, because, believe it or not, they have high nutritional value. Anthocyanins, the pigments responsible for the purple color, are a potent phytonutrient in the flavonoids family that have potential disease-fighting benefits. The Ballston Farmers Market has a great selection of purple-hued items such as purple cabbage, purple cauliflowers, and blueberries (considered one of the most concentrated natural sources of anthocyanins). Soon it will also have purple corn on the cob! Visit us at Welburn Square in downtown Ballston (Arlington, VA) on Fridays from 11:00am-3:00pm.
Source: Farmers’ Markets Today, May/June 2009

Exquisite hand grown chocolate from Fleurir

How can you hand grow chocolate? Turns out Fleurir has a way to do just that and do it beautifully. A new vendor at the Ballston Farmers Market, Fleurir brings exquisite hand crafted confections made with the finest locally sourced ingredients coupled with artisan techniques to produce exciting, refreshing, and contemporary chocolates. It is not just food, it is also art!

Oven-Fried Pork Chops That You Can Easily Make At Home

I found this recipe at http://www.porkchoprecipes.net/ and tried it at home with the grass-fed pork I bought from Buffalo Ridge Farm on the Opening Day of the Ballston Farmers Market. The result is quite successful (as you can tell from the photo). One thing to keep in mind is, due to its lower fat content compared to conventional meat, grass-fed meat should be cooked for less time and at a lower temperature. I have adjusted the original recipe to reflect this healthy feature of all natural grass-fed pork. Try it and you will love it!

Ingredients:
4 trimmed pork chops.
1 medium egg.
1 cup of breadcrumbs.
3 tablespoons of soy sauce.
1 tablespoon of water.
½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Pinch of ground ginger.

Preparation Instructions:
Beat the egg, soy sauce, water, ginger and garlic powder together in a pie plate.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs on waxed paper.

Dip the pork chops into the egg mixture, then breadcrumbs; coating evenly on each side.

Arrange in single layer on greased jelly roll pan.

Bake at 300°F (175°C) for 25 minutes.

Turn and bake for another 20 minutes until the chops are tender and no longer pink.

Ballston Farmers Market Opening Day This Friday!

Join us this Friday for the Opening Day of the Ballston Farmers Market. Sixteen vendors have signed up for the 2009 market season. Together they will bring seasonal fruits and vegetables, fresh-cut flowers and container herbs, all-natural fresh and cured meats, artisan baked goods, specialty foods including handmade chocolate, sparkling apple cider, apple butter and spreads, apple cider vinegar, and much more! Plus, live music from Noon to 2:00pm.

The preparation for the 2009 Ballston Farmers Market is coming along successfully. We already have a great line-up of vendors offering seasonal fruits and vegetables, fresh-cut flowers, artisan baked-goods and meats, and gourmet treats! View the full list of vendors on the right of the page.

All-time Favorites and New Vendors Bring Choices and Flavor to Ballston Farmers Market

We are excited to announce that over ten vendors have already signed up for the 2009 Ballston Farmers Market. It'll be another great year! The ever-popular Great Harvest Bread Co., Tyson's Farms and Grace's Pastries are returning for the new season. The LMS Farm, Walnut Hill Farm and organic tea producer Teaco will also be joining us again. Barajas Produce, a new vendor, will bring many additional produce choices including lettece, broccoli, spinach, salad mix, mustard green and much more. Bread lovers will find themselves indulge in the artisanal baguettes and pastries served up by Baguette Republic.

New Vendors Join Ballston Farmers Market

We are excited to announce that 2 new vendors have been accepted to the Ballston Farmers Market.

Red Apron Butcher Shop based on Arlington, VA specializes in artisan cured meats including soppressata, bresaola, salami, bacon and beef jerky as well as non-cured items including gourmet hot dogs and pastrami, patis and terrines. A core selection of roughly 10 products will be available at every market in addition to a rotating group of weekly specials!

Tuckey Mountain Grown from Biglerville, PA will supply a wide selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables including apples, apricots, cantaloupes, nectarines, peaches, berries, asparagus, beans, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, corn, eggplant, leeks, peppers, squash, turnip roots and much more! Herbs and cut flowers will also be available.

A big welcome to Red Apron and Tuckey Mountain Grown! Be sure to visit their booths and bring your taste buds!