Dear Friends and Patrons of Westover Farmers Market,

Today was our penultimate summer market; it hardly seems possible that time could pass so quickly. We eagerly hope to bring you a winter market to pick up where the summer market is leaving off. Pending approval from the Arlington County Board (which will decide the matter on November 27th), the winter market would begin December 2nd. If approved, the market would take place Sundays 9:00-1:00 and run from December-April (with a break from December 16th-January 13th for the holidays).

If you have a moment, please consider writing the Arlington Country Board prior to November 27th. Any discussion of WFM’s importance to you/your family or its impact on the surrounding neighborhoods would be genuinely appreciated. Comments can either be emailed to [email protected] or sent by regular mail to County Board, Suite 300, 2100 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201.

Thank you for your continued patronage and support – we (and our vendors) hope to continue seeing you throughout the winter season!

Sincerely, WFM

Allie & Trish Sweets, a Northern Virginia-based chocolatier, will offer chocolate treats at our market beginning tomorrow. The vendor creates unique sweets, often inspired by their South American roots. The signature confection is a brigadeiro (bree-gah-day-ro), a Brazilian treat that is similar to the American chocolate bon bon. So when you are buying your fall vegetables and crisp apples and picking up a fresh loaf of bread, check out the chocolates as well. Please give Allie & Trish Sweets a warm Westover welcome!

If you haven’t visited the market lately, here’s what you’re missing: an amazing assortment of apples and pears, a panoply of squashes, beets, and turnips, the fall crop of greens, some late tomatoes…and that barely scratches the surface.  Want to see more, check out this photo montage of recent offerings, courtesy of local photographer Nadya Lutz.

Perhaps you’ve also noticed a new, rather sweet aroma wafting around the market.  That would be Mac’s Donuts,  a quite popular recent addition judging by the lines forming promptly at 8 AM for donuts on a stick.  Excellent fuel for a Sunday morning.

Looking ahead to Thanksgiving and wondering where to get your bird?  Reserve your pasture-raised Turkey now through Smith Family Farm.  More details here.

As if you needed another excuse to come hang out in Westover on a Sunday morning, this week we’ll be treated to music courtesy of members of the Yorktown High School band. Think of it as a farmers market pep rally, starting around 11 AM.  See you there!

What a gorgeous day for a visit at Westover Farmers Market – the crowds this morning were treated not just to our best market weather yet, but also to fresh doughnuts from Mac’s (yum!) and the usual assortment of excellent veggies, fruits, flowers, meats and more.

Frequent visitors to the website may have noticed a subtle change in our masthead – now, on refresh you’ll find some pics of the market, courtesy of local photographer Nadya Lutz.  Thanks Nadya!  We’re working on a few other upgrades that will debut over the next month, so check back soon.

And, picking up the thread from a few weeks back, we’ve added to our collection of lost keys, this time a full set of house and car (maybe a Toyota?) keys.  Want to claim them?  Contact us.

Found: one pretty nice looking car key.  Unless you’re intent on donating it to the market, we’d be happy to return it; just contact us.

Can you believe that after 16 market days this season, we have yet to get rained on?  Derechos and searing heat yes; rain no.  We’ll see whether our streak hits 17 tomorrow.  See you there!

Looking to get some early voting practice before November?  Arlington Magazine is conducting their annual Best of Arlington Survey.  Please take a minute to vote WFM as best farmers market.  We can’t promise full employment, tax cuts, or that we’ll save medicare and social security.  But we are committed to bringing the best variety of fresh food products to N. Arlington every Sunday morning.

To celebrate National Farmers Week, the Westover Farmers Market will host three produce raffles for our customers. Our fabulous vendors are donating items that we’re grouping into three “baskets” for drawings at 9:30, 10:30, and 11:30; tell all your friends by joining the raffle on facebook.

National Farmer’s Week recognizes the important role that farmers markets play in developing local and regional food systems that support the sustainability of family farms, revitalize communities, and provide opportunities for farmers and consumers to interact.  What better way to mark the occasion than by rewarding our loyal patrons through a raffle of some delectable goodies.

As you do your market shopping, every time you spend over $5 at a vendor, you will receive a pair of raffle tickets. For a chance to win, put your name and phone number on the back on one copy and drop it off at the WFM tent. Stick around for the next drawing (at the WFM tent) and see if you are a winner! We’ll collect tickets individually for each raffle time. Please be sure you’ll be there or be able to answer our phone call and pick up your winnings within a half hour.  See you Sunday!

If you’ve been the market lately you’ll notice a few changes as we’ve slowly expanded the offerings.  The latest vendors to join are Night Sky Farm and Number One Sons.  At Night Sky, you’ll find an excellent assortment of cheeses: fresh chevre in natural, basil with sunflower, Ras El Hanout (curry & cumin), herbes de Provence, cracked pepper and wasabi, ginger, lemon! You’ll also find queso blanco, flora danica and feta of all sorts!  Number One Sons love to pickle – if it ferments, you’ll probably see it amidst the gherkins, kimchi, salsas and more.

Come check out these vendors and others at the market.  And stay tuned for special news about the market on August 12 – you won’t want to miss it.