Places like the Dupont Circle Farmers Market and Eastern Market have become staples of many Washingtonians’ weekends. Saturday and Sunday shoppers can stroll about while taking in the produce, sampling cheeses, and chatting with the sellers.
Weekdays are different. Many of us just want a place to grab fresh ingredients and go—preferably somewhere between the office and home. For those times, I recommend one of D.C.’s several weekday farmers markets. These places fit right into a 9-to-5 day, or irregular schedules that make it hard to browse their weekend counterparts.
The markets below make their offerings of produce, cheeses, flowers, meats, and eggs easy to grab at lunch time or during the evening rush hour. Each is located near a Metro station, and offers a range of flavorful options for a healthy weekday meal.
Suggested weekday stops:
Foggy Bottom FRESHFARM Market
I Street between New Hampshire and 24th Street NW
Wednesdays, 2:30-7 p.m.
April 1-November 25, 2009
Closest Metro: Foggy Bottom (Blue and Orange lines)
Penn Quarter FRESHFARM Market
North end of 8th St. NW, between D and E Sts. NW
Thursdays, 3-7p.m.
April 2-December 17, 2009
Closest Metro: Gallery Place (Red, Yellow, and Green lines) or Archives (Yellow or Green line)
The Foggy Bottom and Penn Quarter markets are producer-only, which means that the vendors grew, raised, or crafted the products they are selling.
Rosslyn Farmers Market
N. Oak St. and Wilson Blvd.
Thursdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
May 14-October 22, 2009
Closest Metro: Rosslyn (Orange and Blue lines)
This market features a variety of fresh and prepared foods, as well as lunchtime concerts at 11:45 a.m. each market day.
DC Farmers Market
1309 5th St., NE (enter at 6th St., just north of Florida Ave.)
Tuesday and Thursday, 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Year-round
Closest Metro: New York Avenue/Florida Avenue/Gallaudet University (Red Line)
This catch-all market does not seem to have its own website, but the reviews on Yelp and Project for Public Spaces are good reading. Informational, too.
Have you tried one of these markets? What did you think?
Photo: Rhea Yablon Kennedy
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