Penn Quarter Farmers Market

If there is one thing you can't hear enough about in DC it's fresh food.  It seems everywhere you go, there is a focus on local, sustainable, farm-to-table, organic... you get the picture.  Maybe this is why there is a farmers market in every neighborhood of the city.

And I LOVE farmers markets! 

In the fall and summer, WW and I love to visit Eastern Market or our local Georgetown market on weekend mornings.  However, more often than not, we opt to sleep in.  Thankfully, I have been blessed with the Penn Quarter Farmers' Market.

This is open in the summer and fall on Thursdays from 3 - 7 pm, smack dab in the middle of downtown DC.  I mean, you're sampling tomatoes a casual 2 blocks from the National Archives.

I work about 3 blocks from here, so one of my very favorite summertime activities is to stop by the market on my way home from work on Thursdays and load up on tomatoes, strawberries, apples, and whatever else my arms will allow me to carry.

There's something so much more fun about cooking with ingredients you've just picked up from the farmer yourself.  This place has the same vendors every week, which is also fun.  There are veggies, cheeses, fruits, breads, and even stands for wood fired pizzas and gelato! And lots of samples.

I won't lie, I also like the fact that I don't have to get out of bed early on a Saturday to get my locally grown apples... 

Having this on a Thursday is especially fun if you're having a dinner party, visitors, or just planning to cook over the weekend.  Last week, my college friend Chad was coming into town, and so I stopped by the market to pick up some beautiful heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and ciabatta bread to welcome her with!

It made for a great evening with all these blonde ladies.