Just in time for the so-called Glenn Beck protest, The Washington Post reported something that folks from pretty much anywhere on the political spectrum can get behind: The assurance of local produce on the White House table. Yes, the paper revealed that a farmers market was all but set to open just a cherry stone’s throw from the home of the big-government advocate himself. (It now looks like the details are set and the market is confirmed).
Starting September 17, you could very well see head chef Cristeta Comerford or assistant chef Sam Kass perusing locally-sourced products along Vermont Avenue NW. Okay, it would more likely be one of their kitchen lackeys doing the shopping, but the Post does mention that Kass has personally advocated for the market.
The organization FreshFarm Markets obtained the permit to operate the market on the low-traffic block of Vermont Avenue between H and I streets. If this one is like FreshFarms’ eight others in the area, it will feature small local farmers from within a few hours' drive of the Capital. Even if you believe the federal government needs to shrink, it's hard to argue that this is anything but appropriately petite.
The hours, according to the Post, were set for 1 to 8 p.m. each Thursday, which would make it the longest-running weekly farmers market that I know of. This would challenge vendors accustomed to only bringing enough of their products for windows of three or four hours.
I couldn't help wondering: If the farmers run out of produce before the closing bell, might Michelle Obama step in with supplemental veggies from her garden? I'm sure she would be willing, but the opportunity probably won't materialize. Why? FreshFarm has posted a page about the market with the shorter, more streamlined hours of 3 to 7 p.m.
Comments
Way to go, Michelle -- put it out there right in the middle of rush hour traffic! Good planning, guys! I don't know of anyone who is going to get off their beaten route to visit it in the first place and end up in even more traffic! Really wonder if anyone else had suggested such a ludicrous idea would it have even been considered, much less instituted!
Good point about the traffic concerns. The Post article addresses that a bit, but you never know how it will work out when the market actually opens. I think they expect mostly foot traffic from employees at the nearby government agencies--kind of the same model as the USDA and DOT markets already operating.
I find myself having a (rare) Pollyanna moment. So before it passes, may I say: If the hours are the only thing that might be wrong with this project, maybe all's well, because if those hours don't work out, they'd probably be the easiest part of the plan to fix. Even exact location might be negotiable.
Meanwhile, the more reminders to all passers-by that fresh, local produce is around and a good idea no matter where they get it -- the better!
Lafayette Park and McPherson Square are directly adjacent to the new Farmer's Market and would have been much more suitable. Instead, the FLOTUS puts it where it causes the most disruption, on a busy downtown street during a workday. She then retreats back to the White House. Grrr....
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