This Week at Smart Markets Reston Farmers' Market

12001 Sunrise Valley Dr. Map

Where’s the beef? And pork and lamb and chicken? Right at your favorite farmers’ market, of course! We’ve got it all this week. Stock up on your favorite cuts, because those roasts and chops go fast at this time of year. Nevin Hostetter is sending freshly processed lamb and pork this week with Heritage Farm and Kitchen, and the chicken freezer will be loaded as always. They have a great variety of pork and lamb sausages, but the bacon and ham (smoked items) will be along shortly, hopefully by next week.

Doug Linton may still have some steaks and roasts from his most recently butchered steer, which my husband and I agree is the “best bull” ever. Doug can tell you why the beef from this steer is so exceptional, but I can tell you that it is the tenderest and most flavorful, yet leanest, beef we have ever eaten. I got pretty much all Doug had brought last Saturday after we devoured two steaks last Thursday. He may be spacing it out, so you should ask, but he also has cuts from another steer that was a similar mix of breeds. Ask, try, and enjoy with amazement.

Winfield Farm also brings grass-fed and grass-finished beef for those of you averse to grain-finishing. Their beef is tasty and lean but still tender. All of these graziers bring products that remind us that these animals do not need to be stuffed with corn while packed in cages to create marbling that provides tender meat. It isn’t really tender anyway, it’s just full of fat that creates the illusion of tenderness as it melts. Beef that has been raised to wander freely and eat only what it wants and needs will produce naturally tender meat. It just needs to be cooked properly, usually meaning not overdone, unless you are braising it in liquid. Even then, it does not take nearly so long to reach that falling-apart consistency.

Pork and lamb work the same way on the grill or in the kitchen — less is more with them, and they take to marinating, brining, and/or slow-cooking very well. Doug can tell you about his success with the slow-cooker.

We also have some new recipes for boneless chicken thighs, which are so good this time of year. Check out the Smart Markets tent for several new seasonal recipes.

And for your pet dogs, we have homemade, healthy treats with no bad additives at the Georgetown Barkery. They are rotating now with Fabbioli Cellars but will be situated in the middle of the market next to Sweet Nuna. You are welcome to bring your well-behaved dogs to our market so they can sample just as you do.

For more up-to-date details on what the vendors are bringing, check our Facebook page before heading to market.

See you at the market!

From the Market Master

It’s always fun to pass along good news in the world of health and nutrition, especially when it broadens our understanding of the importance of a healthy diet to our overall good health. The Washington Post pointed out Sept. 23 that a large majority of older men and women are now taking calcium pills and spending a total of $1.2 billion on them. Surprise! They don’t really need to and maybe shouldn’t be.

According to the Post, “recent evidence suggests that getting calcium from pills might not be as safe or effective for some people as getting it from food.” The article recommended food-based sources of calcium, including dairy products, leafy greens, and fortified foods.

And what do we have in abundance in our farmers’ markets now? Leafy greens — not just several varieties of kale, but chard, collards, mustard greens, and beet greens. Just imagine the farmers we would have competing to sell at farmers’ markets if even half of the expenditure on calcium pills was diverted to greens!

McDonald’s once again deserves a nod for its renewed and expanded commitment to introducing more fruits and vegetables as alternatives to french fries in their adult-oriented value meals and to aggressively promoting healthier beverages for its Happy Meals. This is a long-term program that will be phased in slowly — primarily to develop the supply chain, I suppose — but there is no doubt that these efforts will have an impact on the American diet. Since McDonald’s began encouraging children to choose milk instead of a soft drink with their Happy Meals, their milk sales have increased by 50 percent since the mid-2000s. They have also learned from experience that they cannot dictate those healthier choices, but they can offer them and let the customers move to them at their own pace.

There is reason to believe that those choices will improve over time. Science has finally caught up with the common sense of centuries, and proof is pouring in that what we eat can make us healthy, wealthy, and wise. How and what our children eat can affect their their ability to learn, as well as their ability to earn. The choices we provide as responsible adults influence and maybe control what they eat as kids. Those choices also build a foundation that affects what they choose for themselves as adults.

This process must involve — and ideally be led by — our schools, where all of our children are exposed to some of the worst foods they can eat. Even in our area, there is progress here too. Visit Realfoodsforkids.org to learn more about what is happening in Fairfax County. They need volunteers to expand their good advocacy work throughout the county; check out what you can do for the school in your neighborhood.

And one last thing: Guess what? An apple a day can keep the doctor away! According to a Sept. 26 Post article, apples were recognized for their health benefits by ancient Roman and Anglo-Saxon civilizations. More recently, apples have been proven to lower bad cholesterol when eaten every day and also seem to prevent strokes. The Post also pointed out that apple skins are loaded with fiber and quercetin, a phytochemical with anti-inflammatory and heart-protecting qualities, and may reduce the spread of cancer cells.

With all those locally grown great greens and appealing apples out there now, this is the time of year to get healthy, and I can’t imagine two better-tasting ways to do that. Buy a mess of greens and a bushel of apples and get crackin’.

And remember the children out there who aren’t yours when it comes time to devote some of your valuable time to a valuable effort such as improving the health of the community.

Photo by Sarah Sertic