Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Sunday's kick-off event for the D.C. Grey Farmers Market, the subject of last week's Young & Hungry's column, appeared to go off without a hitch.

A small side room in Kushi Izakaya & Sushi near Mount Vernon Square played host to the market, which was originally slated to be held in Petworth. The majority of the 11 vendors were selling prepared goods: bread pudding, jams and jellies, pickled fruits and vegetables, and sweet potato butter, to name a few. (The exception was White House Meats, which arrived with a cooler of various cow cuts.)

Though the market was named for the "gray economies" that fall under a relatively hazy legal framework—think cell phone or textbook re-sales to consumers that don't have access to those goods in the first place—the market was held in a licensed business possessing a certificate of occupancy. That made it totally legal by Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs standards.

That said, at least seven of the vendors did not produce their goods in kitchens inspected and certified by D.C.'s Department of Health, something that would disqualify them from selling at nearly all other farmers markets in the city. It's not surprising, then, that those hawking their wares were excited to do so—and were more than willing to engage with customers that stopped at their booths. The large crowd (which nearly overwhelmed the space that Kushi had provided) moved slowly, taking the opportunity to speak with vendors about their products. That degree of human contact was a nice touch—and something that's often absent in the city's larger greenmarkets.

If you missed it, the Grey Market will rise again in June and September. Locations and vendors are to be determined.

Photos by Alex Baca

I fall in the latter category, but that's only after years of abundant and abusive usage of that food-obsessed term. It seems everyone claims foodie status, because at this point, watching Food Network for two hours a night can verify club membership. Foodie lost its meaning. Foodie became mainstream. The label means nothing anymore.

But that's okay, because food writers insist on creating new categories of eating habits. This past Sunday, New York magazine, in Vegetables Are the New Meat, classified a new league of eaters: vegivores. An outtake:

These chefs and their devoted clientele are less vegetarians than vegivores, a term that connotes fervid vegetable love rather than ardent meat hate. It’s a subtle but important distinction. For the vegivore, a vegetable can occupy the center of the plate, with meat adding flavor or functioning as a condiment.

Writers Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite credit farmers markets, famous chefs (José Andrés gets a shout out) and pure deliciousness. "Simply put," Raisfeld and Patronite concede, "the once-meat-obsessed populace is realizing that vegetables actually taste good."

But will this new term actually intrigue people to consume less meat? Did locavore encourage shoppers to buy foods from within 150 miles of their homes? Will locawashing discourage restaurants from jumping on the local bandwagon without actually sourcing in the area? And how come Barbara Kingsolver's "Petrolophobes"— diners avoiding "fuel guzzling foods" — from her 2007 book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, never leaped from the page and into the mainstream?

Labels can help legitimize movements. Where would the Tea Party be without such a catchy and seemingly patriotic name? Labels help form communities. And communities — whether physical or virtual — allow people to feel connected, to stay strong in their beliefs because someone else out there is also toeing the line.

Where the term "vegetarian" cripples one's eating habits, vegivore breaks the glass ceiling of rigid rules. Vegivore allows room for experimentation, for giving power to choose a sausage, egg, and cheese one day and a spinach quiche the next, without explanation.

In fact, it might be the most freeing label there is.

(And for the record, I internet-spotted a few references to the term "vegivore" before the printing of NY magazine's article here, here and here, although none from recognizable sources.)

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Whether you believe it or not, I'm pretty sentimental about the things I care about.  Glory still makes me weep every time I watch that scene on the beach. This little guy will forever own a piece of my heart. And around this time of year, I begin to mourn the loss of good, fresh-from-the-vine heirloom tomatoes.

Not that there's an immediate need for grief counseling:  Fresh tomatoes, for example, will be available at FRESHFARM Markets until the third or fourth week of September (perhaps even longer given how the freakishly hot weather has affected plants this season). And just as tantalizing, chef Robert Weland will be offering his all-tomato 20 Bites tasting menu through September at Poste Moderne Brasserie. This week's Young & Hungry column, due out tomorrow, is all about Weland's extensive take on the tomato.

As a small tease for the column, take a look at one of Weland's opening courses, something he calls a "crudite" of garden tomatoes. I prefer to call it my own tomato garden right at the table. Darrow Montgomery's gorgeous photo is after the jump.

Photos by Darrow Montgomery

Speaking of new products at the Takoma Park Farmers Market, I was pleased to find Copper Pot Food Co. there, selling its award-winning line of jams and sauces. While pawing through chef Stefano Frigerio's offerings, I unearthed a jam that I hadn't tried before: his Concord grape and grappa, which he apparently tried to Italianate by adding an "e" to the grape's name. (See picture below.)

I'm told that the jam is actually one of Frigerio's first on the market after he launched Copper Pot two years ago, but because of the Concord grape's short season, the chef's supplies are often low. He sells smaller jars of the stuff (4 oz vs. his usual 8 oz jars) every other week. I caught Copper Pot on a good week.

My first taste of the Concord-grappa jam produced that classic fish-gills feeling. You know, that tingling, slightly pleasurable, slightly unnerving sensation that you've suddenly grown gills on the side of your neck. Tartness does that to me sometimes, but I was surprised to encounter it in this little jar of jam.

I mean, I grew up with Smuckers, which has all the tartness of simple syrup.

Frigerio's wife, business partner, and PR agent, Dusty Lockhart, tells me that the chef extracts that tartness during the cooking process. He cooks his overripe Concords with their skins on; the longer you cook the grapes with skin on, she informs me, the more tartness you create. Frigerio then presses the pulp out of the grape skins.

The technique produces a jam with far more complexity than a typical Concord product — a dark purple spread that almost redefines the Concord experience. Frigerio's jam puts your palate on high alert with a jolt of tartness while allowing the sweetness to come in behind it and smooth things out. It's a brilliant variation, and that's not even factoring in the grappa, that piercing, high-alcohol Italian digestive that can burn like gasoline.

You don't sense the grappa much at first, which to me is a blessing, but then at the end, you almost feel it more than taste it.  It's like this little tickle in the back of your throat, grappa's alcohol burn reduced to a pleasing little sensation.

How much do I like this jam? I'm almost done with the jar already. The only problem is that Copper Pot won't be back at the Takoma Park Farmers Market this spring. You'll have to find this jam at its other markets, Dupont, Penn Quarter, the White House, 14th & U, Bloomingdale, and once a month at the H Street market.

UPDATE: 2:20 p.m. Friday
You think the blizzard was tough on you? Try being a winter farmer with a greenhouse to tend. Keeping those hothouses warm and wired to electricity was a challenge for a number of regional farmers.

Regardless, many of them plan to make the long drive in and sell their produce at our area farmers markets this weekend. Here's a quick check on the winter markets and whether they're open:

• FRESHFARM Market Dupont Circle will be open.  Spring Valley Farm and Wollam Gardens will be no shows this weekend.
• FRESHFARM Market Silver Spring The Silver Spring market switched to year-round service just this year. It plans to be open on Saturday. It's unknown which vendors will arrive.
• Eastern Market Outdoor Farmers Market The outdoor market will be open and following its usual hours.
• Arlington Farmers Market The market will be open as usual on Saturday. Most of the vendors are expected to be there.
• Bethesda United Church of Christ Farmers Market Twin Springs Fruit Farm will be selling its usual produce inside the church at Fernwood Road and Democracy Boulevard on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Takoma Park Farmers Market They've plowed the streets and will be ready for business on Sunday. Most of the winter vendors are expected to be there.
• Montgomery Farm Women's Cooperative Market No word yet on whether this market will open.
• Alexandria Farmers Market Now word on whether this market will open, either.
• Smart Market Oakton The producer-only market, launched two years ago, will be open at the Unity of Fairfax Church in Oakton from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Smart's Tuesday market at 11895 Grand Commons Avenue will also be open.
• La Plata Farmers Market in Charles County will be open or at least, "I haven't heard anything to the contrary," says a spokesperson. The market is located at Charles Street and Washington Avenue in the courthouse parking lot in La Plata.

Y&H will provide updates as they arrive.

As we head into Thanksgiving, Y&H wants to help you eat like a pilgrim (a Native American, too, because we’re all about equal opportunity eating here). In other words, we want to help you eat locally for the holiday. Almost 400 years ago, the pilgrims had no choice but to eat local. These days, we do. But it’s not easy.

Because there aren’t many fresh greens available at this time of year, your best bet is to start your meal with a soup rather than a salad.

Squashes, of course, are abundant, and few soups are as sweet and satisfying as the one found on almost every restaurant menu at this time of year: roasted butternut squash. The soup's ubiquity is a testament to its popularity — and to the ease at which you can buy good gourds.

The squashes are available from countless local farms that sell their products at the District’s many farmers market. Try pairing it with a winter green, like chard or kale, which you can blanch, chop, and mix into the soup pot for added flavor.

Photo by wrestlingentropy via Flickr Creative Commons, Attribution License

As we head toward Thanksgiving, Y&H wants to help you eat like a pilgrim (a Native American, too, because we're all about equal opportunity eating here). In other words, we want to help you eat locally for the holiday. Almost 400 years ago, the pilgrims had no choice but to eat local. These days, we do. It's not easy. First up: the appetizer course.

For a great opening spread, try a slection of local cheeses, charcuterie, breads, and jam.

Several local dairies hawk their cheeses at area farmers markets, including Everona Dairy, Keswick Creamery, Blue Ridge, and Cherry Glen. For charcuterie, check out Red Apron, which sells Nathan Anda's wide-ranging selection of house-cured meats at Planet Wine in Del Ray and at the FRESHFARM Penn Quarter market (until Dec. 17). Or order Jamie Stachowski's holiday charcuterie board, which includes enough sausage and salami and pâté to serve 10 people, by calling the chef at (202) 413-7355.

Some of the best breads anywhere are being baked by Atwater’s in Baltimore; you’ll find their terrific baguettes and San Francisco-style sourdough bread at the FRESHFARM Dupont Circle and Takoma Park farmers markets. For jams, check out Copper Pot’s excellent line of spreads made by former Mio chef Stefano Frigerio. You can order them at www.copperpotfoodco.com.

Your guests may never make it to the dinner table after this opening feast.

Y&H had a hard time extracting himself from the office by the start of the FreshFarms Market by the White House yesterday, so I missed all the politico-celebrity speech-making. Fortunately, there were only, say, a thousand other journalist covering that angle. So I focused on, you know, the food. It's a farmers market after all, even if it's one as much about symbolism as produce.

Check out Y&H's photos after the jump.

Vidalia chef R.J. Cooper stopped by the market to pick up what he called "red rattlesnake" beans. He was thinking about making a succotash out of them.

At the market, Spring Valley Farms was calling Cooper's produce by another name: "bird egg beans."

The tomatoes were still looking and smelling so good that Y&H picked up a bag of them for home.

This intergenerational team from Cedarbrook Farm was grilling up some fine sweet Italian sausages.

Brussel sprouts so fresh and green that even a hater could love 'em.

Rain served as nature's own mist sprayer for the inaugural White House market.

These giant loaves of pane Pugliese from Quail Creek Farms were so gorgeous I thought about buying one — before I realized how much of the loaf would likely go to waste.

Y&H should have known he'd love spicy food one day. I used to eat radishes straight from the garden as a kid.

Some great looking organic garlic from Blueberry Hill Vegetables.

Mmmm, corn on the cob.

Interviews were as much a part of the White House farmers market as vegetables. Y&H spoke with Bernadine Prince (above), with FreshFarm Markets, who said about 2,000 people visited the inaugural White House market yesterday, which is a promising start (though way behind the 6,000 folks who visit the Dupont Circle market on a good day). The FreshFarm Market by the White House is still in its exploratory stage, but Prince thinks there are enough federal workers in the area — 3,000 by her best guess — to keep the market going into the future.

The traffic is outrageous on Vermont Ave. during rush hour!

No one needs to tell you, least of all Y&H, that in this blog-eat-blog, 24-hour news-cycle world everyone is required to have an opinion. But, really, shouldn't everyone wait until the object under criticism has actually opened?

I'm speaking about the new FreshFarm Market by the White House, which the busy non-profit opens today with guest appearances from First Lady Michelle Obama, Mayor Adrian Fenty, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.  Last month, Mother Jones was first out of the block in predicting dark things about the market:

[I]f this idea becomes reality, the Obamas should be careful to make it a sustainable market for local farmers rather than a kitschy tourist attraction bogged down by pins and t-shirts that say "Yes We Can Farm" and "Change We Can Grow In." But let's face it, due to the massive security detail the market would require and the overwhelming draw for Washingtonians and tourists alike, the latter is more likely.

(Just for the record, Capital Spice has an excellent run-down of the vendors, none of which appear to be hawking pins and t-shirts.)

WTOP continued the early hand-wringing with a story about potential rush-hour traffic snarls:

Word has been circulating through local Advisory Neighborhood Commissions in D.C. and has some on edge.

"I take this road every day, and imagine this will worsen gridlock since 15th Street just north of this block is a major northbound artery out of town," writes a concerned resident to WTOP. "There are so many roads already closed for security, it will only make the H street corridor even worse."

WTOP followed that story with another worrying piece today. But leave it to Obama Foodorama, the take-no-statement-on-its-face blog, to put those traffic fears to rest. The picture above comes from ObFo, which snapped it at 4:55 p.m. yesterday, presumably a rush-hour period.

ObFo also smacks down a lot of the media frenzy over who exactly conceived the idea for the White House market and whether the First Lady had a hand in it. Frankly, Y&H thinks this last issue is a tempest in a teapot. If the White House did have a hand in the market's creation, perhaps even helping to push it along, then good on the Obamas. It's an abuse of presidential power that I can live with.

Photo via Obama Foodorama