Photo: Flickr Creative Commons/Cyron
Find markets near you this Fathers Day
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Washington Post guide to DC Farmers Markets
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FreshFarm Markets (Managing several area markets)
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Markets and More (Managing the U Street and Bloomingdale markets)
- Local Harvest's farmers market listings
With warm weather predicted and a clear day ardently hoped for, many families will grill out this Father’s Day. Others will skip the barbecuing and opt for brunch. Still others will home in on an amusement park or quirky outing.
No matter what your Dad’s Day plans, D.C.-area farmer’s markets offer all the food essentials to make the day delicious. With convenient locations and superior flavor, these markets are a great way to celebrate your father (or grandfather, or uncle).
Look over these suggestions, and see the very end of this article and the list of links for more information and guides to markets near you.
For the grill:
Seek out the grass-fed meat vendor at your local market for sausages, chicken, and many cuts of beef. Some markets have marinades and rubs already made and ready to season the meats. Almost all have flavorful ingredients like honey, oils, and vinegars for the home marinade chef. Or try this one with ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
Portobello mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and summer squash are grilling favorites. For a little twist, try spring onions or the last of the spring asparagus on the grill. Cut vegetables into cubes or half-moons for kabobs. For burger toppers or grilled veggie sandwiches, slice on a diagonal bias to create bun-sized pieces. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill away. Or try steeping in a market-bought or homemade marinade.
For a Father’s Day brunch:
Ready-made tarts and empanadas abound. Throw together your own brunch centerpieces (a quiche with cage-free eggs, perhaps?) or accompaniments with arugula, salad greens, fresh breads, and cheeses.
For the outing:
Stop by a market on your way out and stock up on snacks. You’ll avoid pricey and not-so-healthy foods at your destination. A few ideas:
Muffins and scones for a morning drive out to a historic site or hike.
A quart of fresh-picked strawberries or cherries for a sweet snack any time.
Need to find a farmers market near you? Check out the links above. Not sure if the market will have what you need? Give them a call or send an email (they’re friendly!) or email me with thoughts and questions.
Comments
Can you imagine if a human's body were treated the way a nonhuman animal's body is being treated here? Instead of eating the flesh of a dead "grass-fed animal," you describe it as eating "grass-fed meat." Who knew that meat could be fed with grass? You are equating a sentient being's life to dead, commodified flesh.
According to the encyclopedia, on Slavery:
"As a social and economic institution, slavery originated in the times when humans adopted sedentary farming methods of subsistence rather than more mobile forms of hunting and gathering. It was known in Shang-dynasty China (c. 1500–1066 BC) and ancient Egypt, and is recorded in the Babylonian code of Hammurabi (c. 1750 BC), the Sanskrit Laws of Manu (c. 600 BC), and the Bible. Slave labour became commonplace in ancient Greece and Rome, when it was used to cultivate large estates"
As you can see above, slavery began with agriculture. In both human and nonhuman form, it continues in agriculture.
Hey, I apologize if my post is rather blunt... I am just pressed for time. I highly recommend you check out a wonderful new film on human evolution and agriculture called HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
Louche, thanks for your comments. I find the idea of agriculture as we know it being responsible for major transgressions of humankind very interesting. I'll look into HOME. I'm guessing you've read Ishmael by Daniel Quinn? If not, I highly recommend it.
As for the "grass-fed meat" term, that's also an interesting point. I personally don't eat meat, but if I'm going to write about it, I'd much rather promote meat raised in sustainable ways. In writing about it, I just went ahead with the commonly-used term without really thinking about what it was saying. Michael Pollan, in The Omnivore's Dilemma, makes a strong argument for eating meat from grass-fed animals. I wanted to let folks who do choose to eat meat know where they can get the least harmful kind.
In an ironic side note, I was criticized on another site for a humorous diatribe against meat-eating: jcarrot.org/pork-the-other-deadly-meat.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
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