My favorite DC farmers' market and so glad it survived the pandemic. There's an impressive diverse selection of 10-15 vendors with a few new rotating vendors each week. The market truly delivers on a unique culinary experience with wood-fired pizza, empanadas, fresh donuts, smoothies, burritos, hot breakfast dishes, ethnic cuisines, vegan, and hearty meat dishes.- The market is conveniently located right off the Smithsonian metro station at the corner of 12th and Independence and open on Fridays at 9am to 2pm from May - Oct. There are some covered picnic tables under the tents and a really beautiful People's Garden with gorgeous flowers. I've been going to this market solo for 10 years and brought my hubby and newborn this fall! Timber Pizza - Kudos to being the longest vendor for over 10+ years at this market and hands-down my favorite! The wood-fired pizza with a pillowy crust is epic! I can't count on how many fingers and toes I've had the pizza at this market. The simple "Cheese Please" pizza with tomato sauce and the pesto-based "Green Monster" pizza with zucchini, kale, and feta cheese are bursting with flavor with a nice pillowy crust. I even order an extra pizza to take home! Call Your Mother - Scrumptious ginormous bagels. The Everything and Jalapeno Cheddar bagels are my favorite. Restaurant Piquin - The fresh squeezed OJ made with 7 oranges was refreshing! The aroma of fresh veggies grilled to perfection and watching in awe how a gigantic burrito get stuffed to the brim look so tempting! Will have to try it - next time! Claudia's Cafe Iced Blended Smoothies (sometimes at market) - Hubby enjoyed ginger pineapple banana smoothie with no added sugar. Fruits were ripe and didn't even miss the sugar! Don't miss the large demo tent! Fun way to learn about fruits and veggies and take home some complimentary produce! I learned how to check the ripeness of a pear - touch the neck near the top by the stem and look for gentle pressure (if you feel it - it's ripe!). I enjoyed taking home a few types of pears (Bartlett, Red Anjou, and Bosc). Excited to come back and try some more dishes and support local businesses! read more

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I appreciate all DC farmers markets and was excited to go to this Friday option downtown. I jump on any opportunity to get Toimoi baked treats when they pop up at area locations. Many food vendors to grab lunch, also fresh fruit, veg, pastries and much more. VegU-cation :) https://www.usda.gov/our-agency/initiatives/usda-farmers-market/usda-farmers-markets-vegu-program read more

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This farmers market is good for lunch, but that's about it. It's open from May-October, so the five hottest months of the year. It's in the full sun and there is no shade. Plus, since there isn't much to eat in the area, it's packed, even starting at 11. It doesn't help that there are too many vendors squeezed into a tiny lot. Basically, visiting is a completely miserable experience. I do like the vendors and it is super convenient. So far, my favorites are Hilana and Manos de Maiz. Both are excellent, though a bit pricey. I wish I could spend more time here, but due to the poor setup, I cannot. I'll be back to grab lunch if there is a vendor I like, but that's it. read more

USDA Farmers Market - Henry's Hot Sauce - Farmers Market Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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The USDA Farmer Market is a farmers market just outside of the USDA building at 12th and Constitution SW from May through October. Here's what's to love about it: 1) Uniqueness: It's the only farmers market run by a government agency in D.C. It's also the only farmers market in the city that requires all its vendors to use raw ingredients from within the Chesapeake area (Delaware to Virginia). It's also the only farmers market in the city to not require payment from the vendor. Instead, they ask each vendor donates food to D.C. Central Kitchen, a local non-profit. 2) Vendors: Each has a uniquely local story and interesting products. There's a farm that grills goat burgers with goat cheese. A fifth-generation orchard sells apples. Another farm sells white raspberries. There's falafel, empanadas, etc. making it great for lunch. 3) Layout: It's in a parking lot, but they make good use of the space. The center always has a booth giving free samples of produce. There's a spot in the back with tables in the shade. 4) Events: They often have live music and a free fitness class during the lunch hour. read more

The USDA Farmer's Market is a unique weekday market where you can either pick up some fresh goods to bring home or get a hearty lunch. Operating from May - October each Friday, you'll see this place get swarmed at lunch time as people flood the market to get fresh and delicious meals. Some stand-outs include: Cheese goatees. Seriously delicious goat cheese. Yufka Bakery - hand pulled phyllo dough borek (both savory and sweet options). For only $5, this is a great deal. *Hilana Jerusalem style falafel wraps. For $12, you will leave stuffed and satisfied. (Jerusalem style falafel does not have fava beans, just straight chickpeas) *Elda's Garden sells local honey, honeycomb, and GOAT burgers. They are delicious. *Timber Pizza, a DC fav, sets up their pizza oven here. Warning: the line gets super long! Other DC favorites including Bun'd Up, Ruby Scoops, and Qualia Coffee have booths here. Other points that make the USDA Farmers Market worth a trip: *The vendors do not pay a price to set up here, but rather are asked to make donations to DC Central Kitchen. *Ingredients must be locally sourced from the Chesapeake Bay region (from NY to VA) all within 200 miles of DC. *There are over 30 farmers, ranchers, and small food businesses represented here each week. *The Veg U program has free classes during market days from 11:30 - 1 to help you gain new skills with the delicious produce you buy. read more

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First time checking out this farmers market. It's a great place to either window shop or buy a quick lunch I strolled around the vendors, there were vendors selling fresh fruits, lemonades, local coffee, fresh oven baked pizza and other local shops. The freshly made lemonade was perfect for the weather. You can sample different flavors, the lavender lemonade is not like something I have tried before, it had a hint of lavender and the right sweetness. If you are around the area on Fridays, I highly recommend to checkout this farmers market. read more

USDA Farmers Market - Farmers Market Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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You might be forgiven for inferring a connection with the epidemic of obesity in this country and the flagship agency responsible for food and nutrition in the nation. USDA's "farmer's market" is dominated by flour-based breads, pastries, pizzas, cookies, sugary popcorn, and meat-based sandwiches. Don't expect this farmer's market to offer much farm-fresh produce. Instead the show here is stolen by a pizza stand with a portable pizza oven, a specialty olive seller, stands for soap and cream, cakes, cookies, and breads, hot dogs, burgers, ice-cream, and popcorn glazed with all kinds of colored-sugary goodness. Yet the farmers who do bring their fruit, vegetable, and plant-lings here are quite good. It's a charming place to look around, since they sometimes have musician which is a special touch in an open-air gathering. Lots of bureaucrats mill around looking like they've scuttled out of their cubes for a squint into natural light. Mix in exhausted tourists who have been suffering all that walking across a capital city's extra-wide streets and between monuments. They all seem to be standing around, because, frankly there's nowhere to sit. The market adjoins a beautiful "People's Garden" and some lawns shaded with mature trees yet, nary a bench provided for the said "people". Nay, the poor tax-payer footing this agency's bill must squat with gruel on the curb, or suffer the indignity of eating on their feet. I suppose they could just tote their own picnic seating to the lawn of the USDA building. Shame that. read more

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Great farmers market, nice selection, great price points. Delicious prepared foods as well. Interesting information on in season produce and recipes. read more

Visited the USDA Farmers Market today was left a little disappointed. The market itself is pretty small and wasn't busy at all even though it had already been opened for two plus hours. It was especially short on the fresh produce selection and varieties - really wish there were more fresh produce considering it's the USDA's... I can visit the other ones for more craft, locally made bites and/or eatery stalls. Veg and fruits should be the highlight of this market in particular and unfortunately it is not the case. Oh well, you can always visit the Capital Harvest On the Plaza nearby that starts at 11AM (also on Fridays) if you're looking to shop some more. read more

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This was small, but worth a visit. We got lunch there last Friday. Good fruit smoothies. We got Mexican which was pretty tasty, but a bit greasy. They had some covered seating which was helpful. read more

A cute little farmers market with lots of fun options available for lunch while you're shopping for your fruits and veggies. Super small for a farmer's market but parking was easy and everyone was very welcoming and warm! read more

I just got back from my weekly pilgrimage across the street to this farmers market and realized nobody had reviewed it yet! What a shame, this market is smaller than many of the more famous ones in DC, but they still put out some really good product and often cheaper than what you find elsewhere (I regularly get amazing peaches for only $2 a pound). It's only open from 10am-2pm on Friday's, and runs from June through October. I think it's a great way to pick up some fresh local goods for those of us who work in the city and may not have time to make it out to the other markets on the weekend. Best of all, it's right off the Smithsonian Metro, right in the middle of the city! The blueberries and peaches I've picked up here this year have been out of this world, and the fresh baked bread stand is also very nice, although I think they have a store location as well that sells their stuff a bit cheaper. The kettle corn line is always stretched almost out of the parking lot, so be sure to get here early if you want some because they usually sell out. They seem to rotate different specialty vendors from week to week, sometimes the herb guy, sometimes the soap guy and every now and then there's the pork lady. There's also live music every week, and it's usually a nice way to get out of the stuffy government buildings and enjoy some fresh air. read more

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The pickings here are decent but not great; it has a food truck, some veggie stands, baked goods, ice cream, even someplace selling soap. Many merchants sell 'healthy' items, but they are outnumbered by the unhealthy ones. Not a bad market, but if you have a choice, use the day market; it seems to have more of a selection of everything. Not bad if you're in the mall and want a snack, but it's not cheap either. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=farmersmarket read more

I kind of wish this was on Monday but perhaps Friday is better for tourists? I like the variety and the options - they do a lot with a small space. There is a good amount of unhealthy food (pizza, meat, kettle corn) - I don't think they should be banned, I'm sure it helps attract a more diverse crowd - but I would like to see them offer more healthy dining options in addition to the produce. read more

This is a sweet little Farmer's Market in basically a food desert, so comparative to the surroundings, it is awesome. Every Friday, this parking lot is transformed into a nice little spot for a variety of purchases, from breads to empanadas to veggies and salads. This is the best fresh lunch you are going to get in the SW area. I got a combo lunch of different kinds of salads (curry pasta, spinach, and cole slaw) and a generous hunk of bread covered in marinated vegetables for $10. Not cheap, but also not Potbelly, so it was a huge improvement. I then sat in the little urban garden just north of the market and had a delightful little break from work. read more

I spent a total of 3 minutes walking through this market recognizing most of the stands from other farmers markets in DC. Very few stalls - I'm sure their products are great, and from what I could tell the produce looked as good as it can get. Perhaps this market could be bigger? Theres a lot of space in this area for a rather large farmers market! read more

Overall, the best farmer's market I've been to in the city! The atmosphere was upbeat with a live musician and many vendors for produce and food plus a chef demonstration and samples going on. All the farmers and workers seemed happy to be back and glad to be there. It's in a pretty setting too with easy access from the metro! I'll be back on Fridays- read more

Keep it up! Build it up. Lead by example! A great start & a pleasant surprise. I plan to come back as often as able. Some seating might be nice too. Thank you. read more

Fridays only, April to October, 10 AM to 2 PM I work at USDA and the Farmers Market has been going on during warmer months on Fridays for many years now. For the most part, I just don't get it. Things like Italian ice and kettle corn and cotton candy are not things raised on a farm or baked on a farm, so I don't even know why those vendors are allowed. That said, the produce is pretty good but the prices are often high (but better than Eastern Market). Some of the baked goods are really good: you have to try a few before you can tell the good from the bad. There was a vendor that sold ground beef - it was the best. They also provide entertainment. I have never ever heard anything I liked, and I have pretty eclectic taste in music. read more

Whether it's a bun or coffee, you can get it all here. The hot sauce is a shining bright spot. read more

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It was a pleasant surprise to find a farmers market in such an odd place. The smell of fresh popped kettle corn is what drew me. I stuck with the tradition version but they sell tons of other flavors (and colors) too. You'll also find a nice selection of in season fruits, veggies, baked goods, and other assorted goodies. Overall it seemed like a nice place to grab a fresh meal or snack, and with the Mall nearby very convenient to get something and go have a nice picnic if the weather's nice. read more

The siren song smell of kettle corn being waltzed about the kettle draws a long line every Friday. The next long line was for the Italian ice. I was pleased to see that my favorite guy from the Clarendon farmers' market was there but I was more excited to see the array of bakers' stalls. And although I was trying to keep my schleppage down, the guy selling a cabbage head for $1.50 kind of ruined that plan. An early start on the fall eating for me! Speaking of Teutonic eating, I bought an apple streudal (only because I couldn't carry the coffee cake) from Takoma Kitchen's stall, and it was tasty. I also enjoyed getting my baked goods from someone with an accent as if she came from the great tradition of Austrian bakers. And with a name like Swartzwalder, maybe she does. read more

I don't know if this really counts as a true Farmer's Market, but I guess the USDA should have at least a semblance of one because...it's the USDA. It occupies a tiny parking lot, and there is very little produce. The one redeeming thing is the kettle corn stall. Few things in this world are better than fresh kettle corn. My coworkers and I came here a couple times to refill our kettle corn buckets. They also sell flavored kettle corns, which are quite a treat. read more

USDA Farmers Market - Caramel Apple kettle corn - Farmers Market Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Perhaps my expectations were too high, but...yeah. Meh. I was looking forward to visiting this Farmer's Market since last Friday, when a co-worker sent out an e-mail in the office to let us know that she had went there and had a nice time and a tasty empanada. Sounded cool to me, so I patiently waited for this Friday - I even came in to work 15 minutes early so I could take a 45 (instead of 30) minute lunch to enjoy AND stopped by CVS to get cash back so I'd have some money on hand for my impending purchases. Bounding down the street, I saw the green tents and stepped up my pace a little more. However, as I got closer, I began to see just how small it was...I mean, I was fully aware it was going to be on the littler size, based on prior reviews, and I knew that the parking lot at USDA is not big, but... Yup, teeny =( I wasn't ready to be defeated, yet, though...so I made my way inside. It was pretty busy, but two lines were prominitely long - as I found out, the ones for empanadas and kettlecorn. Seeing as I really desired neither, I took this as a 'good' sign and decided to browse a bit...ummm...yeah. Some apples in the front...ok...pears...prices were okay...brownies for $3-4...umm...loaves of banana bread and stuff for $8? I still tried to be optomistic, but my will was fading fast... Alas, all hope was abandoned soon, as I approached the most impressive-looking vendor area that had lots of fruits and veggies...there were BEES. SWARMING. EVERYWHERE. I left in a hurry, and though I am sure that the goods there were as tasty as others seemed to be enjoying them appeared, but blah...not for me. read more

So this place was awesome sauce! I bought some bunches of garlic, some crab cake sandwiches, and a pizza from here. The garlic bunches were abnormally ridiculously huge! The crab cake sandwiches were awesome and had a nice spicy mayo on it. The bun for the sandwich was a bit small, but the crab cake itself is what I was mainly interested in anyway. There was very little filler the place was called Bay Pearl Seafood. The pizza was awesome and I'm sorry but totally forgot to take pics of my food this time because I was starving. They cooked the pizza in a stone like oven and then topped with fresh basil if you asked for it. Omg! To die for. I also liked the fact that there were a couple of dessert tents and there was also someone explaining the health benefit certain things and answering a bunch of questions from people at the USDA Farmer's Market. I'm very disappointed that I waited until the last day the market was open for the season to come and check it out. I'll definitely be here a lot more next season. read more

USDA Farmers Market - Guy grilling crab cakes - Farmers Market Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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A nice food market with decent amount a stands. Nothing to fancy but great of your looking for some sliders, pizza, crab cake or popcorn. Not cheap but ok and the seating area under the trees right at the Mall is really nice. read more

USDA Farmers Market - Food market stand serving nice sliders, $10 for 3 seems a pretty ok deal to me - Farmers Market Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I do look forward to this market during the warmer months. It's not a big market, but it's great to pick up some treats to take the work, whether it is a small jug of apple cider or fresh picked peaches. And of course, the kettle corn! I am not a kettle corn fan but I am firmly convinced they sprinkle some crack in it, because there is always a huge line. Federal workers bring big white plastic tubs to refill every week. Union Street Soaps vend here and I love their products. There are also baked goods but they are hit or miss--stick with the sweets and forgo the savory empanadas. Live entertainment is provided, too. I usually encourage our hotel guests to check it out. When it's nice and breezy out, it's a good way to start your day before hitting the museums or the office. read more

I came to the Farmers Market last week to check it out. It's small and cute but it seems like there were way more food stands and people waiting in line for food than there were products. I went during lunchtime so maybe that's the reason it was super busy. I was more excited at the fact that they had someone selling grassfed meat for much cheaper than the grocery stores. I purchased a lb of grassfed ground beef for $5 which I thought was a steal. I also got a jamaican beef patty at the stand next to it which tasted interesting.. there was way too much of something in there... thyme maybe, or the peas just threw it off. I'd def try other items there though! read more

I have been going to the market for 3 years with well behaved senior poodles. I go because this market is dog friendly and the produce is as good as any other market. But today, Velma Lakers, a new market manager, walked up to me as I entered the market and was pouring water to drink. She asked me to move aside for others! I have as much right to pour myself water as any other customer. Then, as I was paying for produce, she came up to me again and said I had to get my dogs out of the way. I continued to pay as she said others complained about dogs in the market. I asked if dogs were allowed and she admitted that they are allowed, but that mine were in the way. Clearly, having a market manager follow me around to lecture me is a hostile environment and a new one that I don't appreciate. There are too many markets in the area to put up with punitive, control hungry, sad, market organizers. read more

High quality booths, great kombucha and I would have got a Timber Pizza if it wasn't so popular! Lots to choose from.

OMG!!!!I went to this market for the first time two years ago tasted the kettle Korn.ADDICTION ALERT!!!Just went there again last Friday.I got some onions,potatoes,peaches,plums,and some of the best sweet corn I have ever tasted for under $9.Even thought it is small they sell a lot in my opinion.Will be back next Friday to get me some more corn. read more

Has wonderful produce for reasonable prices, and it's conveniently close to work. What more do I need to say?