You have to hand it to Bernie Prince, Ann Yonkers and the rest of the team at FreshFarm Markets. No sooner do they join the ranks of the Twitterati than they hit us with a bombshell:
That’s right…all that speculation and investigatory journalism over the past few weeks was right on the money!
As you might expect, news of this magnitude was immediately echoed by at least seven or eight of our DC food-writer friends. But we noticed that the official press release (linked through the image above) was missing something – the names of the vendors who would be at the market next Thursday when the “FreshFarm Market, by the White House” opens for the first time.
We reached out to Bernie Prince and she gave us all the exciting details. Like other FreshFarm Markets, this will be a producers-only market, featuring eighteen familiar vendors on opening day. As Bernie explained, “We want this to be a market where shoppers can get everything in one place – from milk and meat to bread and vegetables.”
She also pointed out two more aspects of the market that make it an engaged partner with the local community. As at their Silver Spring and H Street Markets, the FreshFarm Market, by the White House, will offer a “Double Dollars” program that will match the first $25 in Food Stamps, WIC and Senior Nutrition Dollars spent at the market. The program is funded through grants and private donations. Additionally, the market will work with Miriam’s Kitchen as a “gleaning partner” to provide fresh food for their outreach efforts to the hungry and homeless of DC.
The news you’ve been waiting for – the 19 producers who will be selling on Vermont Avenue – after the jump.
As relayed to us by Bernie Prince, the vendors at the FreshFarm Market, by the White House, are as follows:
Bakers:
Bread Ovens at Quail Creek Farm (breads and baked goods plus seasonal soups, all use locally sourced ingredients)
Praline Bakery (also locally sourced ingredients)
Meats:
Gunpowder Bison
Cedarbrook Farm (organic, heritage-breed pork and eggs)
Groff’s Content (pasture-raised lamb, chicken, beef and eggs)
Seafood:
Chris’ Marketplace (crabcakes made with crab from MD’s Eastern Shore)
Cheeses:
Everona (sheep’s milk)
Keswick (cow’s milk cheeses and yogurt)
Firefly (goat’s milk cheeses)
Dairy:
Clear Spring Creamery (fresh cow’s milk, yogurt and camembert)
Fruit/Vegetables:
Toigo Orchards (fruit, veg, value-added products like salsas, heirloom tomato sauce, fruit preserves)
Spring Valley Farm & Orchard (sustainably grown fruit, veggies)
Blueberry Hill Farm (organic veggies)
Sunnyside Farm & Orchard (sustainably grown fruit and veg)
Farm at Sunnyside (organic fruit/veg and herbs)
Endless Summer Harvest (hydroponic-grown lettuces, greens and herbs)
Flowers:
Wollam Gardens
Lavender Products:
Welsh Gardens
Wool, Honey:
Solitude
If you’re a regular at other farmers’ markets around the area, you probably recognize most of these names. Several of them can even be found at FreshFarm’s Penn Quarter Market, which will continue to run simultaneously with this new market. We asked Prince about this, and she assured us that all of the vendors who are currently at Penn Quarter will remain there…they’ll just pull double duty at this new market. “We invited all of our Penn Quarter producers to do both,” she said. She also hinted that there are a few more vendors who are interested in selling at this market, but FreshFarm wants to see the market in action before determining whether they have additional room.
Although there’s no word yet on official White House involvement or the possibility of produce from the White House garden making an appearance at the market, Prince was very complimentary of White House Chef Sam Kass’s support for the market. She’s hopeful Chef Kass will pay regular visits for Chef demonstrations and other activities.
FreshFarm Market, by the White House, will open next Thursday (September 17th) and run until October 29th. Hours are 3 to 7 PM, and the market is located on the 800 block of Vermont Avenue, between H and I Streets, NW.
We’ll see you there!
September 11, 2009 at 12:53 pm
I’m all for more markets, just holding out hope they’ll also pursue one in another part of the city where the need is greater. And I’m skeptical about it not competing with Penn Quarter. Was at PQ yesterday and all the vendors were squished up on top of each other, as if the market were shrinking. Since it’s mostly the same vendors, I doubt the competition will bring down the prices, either.
September 11, 2009 at 2:00 pm
As far as the crowding goes, I’ve seen that happen from time to time. I asked about it once and was informed that the problem is sometimes due to people disobeying the “No Parking” signs and encroaching on the market’s footprint.
I agree that the new market is unlikely to impact prices across the board…but it’s nice to see that they’ll be offering the “Double Dollars” program. Currently it’s only offered at the Silver Spring and H Street Markets, and both of them run on Saturday mornings so it’s an either-or proposition.
September 11, 2009 at 1:42 pm
[…] their ninth market on Vermont Ave. in DC, just steps away from the White House. The vendors, as identified by Capital Spice, are familiar to anyone who shops DC’s existing markets, ranging from […]
September 12, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Oh my goodness, this is the best news ever. I work near the White House, so I can just go over there on an afternoon break. Thanks for publicizing!
September 14, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Hello,
How do I go about getting a space at the new market? Who is the point of contact?
Thanks
September 14, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Denise,
Thanks for reading! I would encourage you to reach out to the folks at FreshFarm Markets, who are the organizers of the new market. You can find their staff listing and contacts at http://www.freshfarmmarkets.org/about_us/staff_contact_list.html
I’ve spoken with Bernie Prince about the market, but I’m not sure if she’s the perfect point of contact.
I know they’ve set their lineup for this week, but you can certainly inquire about whether they’ll be accepting addiitonal vendors for later in this season or even for future seasons…I think they’re waiting to see the vendors in the space before they decide whether or not to expand.
Good luck!
September 17, 2009 at 1:15 pm
[…] for the record, Capital Spice has an excellent run-down of the vendors, none of which appear to be hawking pins and […]