Opening Day at FreshFarm Market by the White House!

What better way to usher in the new season at the Market by the White House than with a HUGE batch of paella?  Famed chef Jose Andres was present at the opening day of the FreshFarm market in the shadow of the White House…along with a paella pan the size of a Buick.  The market, which opened in October last year, was a welcome sight on Vermont Avenue on such a lovely afternoon.  The market boasts new vendors this year, including my 14th & U favorite, Panorama Bakery, and Gryffon’s Aerie, purveyors of heritage breed, pasture based artisan meats. And it just so happens Gryffon’s Aerie supplies Bourbon Steak DC with their AMAZING steaks and ground beef (I’m a HUGE fan of Bourbon Steak…HUGE).

Rhubarb was front and center at Blueberry Hill, along with arugula flowers! I had never tried arugula flowers before, but gave them a little taste test and loved them! The lovely, peppery bite of arugula leaves are the first thing you taste when you pop the flowers into your mouth.  I had no idea what to do with the flowers, but I picked up a bag anyway.

Spring Valley had rows of luscious strawberries, which you could smell from a mile away! Dotted along the strawberries were asparagus, kale, spring onions and these lovely salad greens.

I was happy to see some other familiar vendors that were new to the market, including Dolcezza Gelato, Potomac Vegetable Farms and Buster’s Seafood!

I was particularly happy to see Keswick Creamery at the market, especially since they are no longer at 14th & U on Saturdays.  I’m not gonna lie…I was giddy to get my hands on a tub of their Quark cheese.

After I snapped up the Quark, I headed over to Gryffon’s Aerie to scope out the farm that raises my hands down favorite steaks in DC.  Although I was tempted to buy a few steaks for the weekend, I decided to start small and picked up a package of their ground beef.  Ann Yonkers, co-director of FreshFarm Markets, strongly suggested I use the ground beef for burgers and well, I’m easily swayed when it comes to beef.

In need of milk, I headed over to Clear Spring Creamery and tried some of their drinkable chocolate yogurt. A woman standing next to me was also giving the drinkable yogurt a taste test.  “This tastes just like liquid chocolate pudding!” she exclaimed as she licked the sides of the cup.  As I was deciding what to get, I noticed Clear Spring also sells eggs! This market really does have everything, I thought as I got a quart of milk.

There were carbs galore around the market: baguettes and loaves of sandwich bread at Panorama; French pastries and cookies from Praline (a new-to-me vendor); and mounds of artisan breads at Quail Creek Farm!

I ran into One Bite at a Time and her wonderful friend while staring at the paella. We all had a sample of the huge dish…a great primer for our upcoming workouts!

Before I bought more than my little arms could carry, I bid the Market by the White House good day, vowing to come back often.  The FreshFarm Market by the White House is open every Thursday from 3 to 7 pm until November 18!