Saturday mornings are usually a great occasion to sleep in. After all, you have just survived another week of school and were probably out on Friday night far past your usual bedtime. If you somehow manage to wake up before 12 o’clock, you should visit the Waverly Farmers Market.
From 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays, various vendors set up their stands in the parking lot at the intersection of East 32nd Street and Barclay Street. Make sure to get there early! I got there around 10:30 a.m., and by then, the place was decently packed with people.
A general rule to remember when going to farmers markets is to take some cash with you. They do usually take credit cards or Apple Pay, but you don’t want to get caught off guard in case they are cash-only! In addition, some of the vendors I visited only took credit card if the purchase was over a certain dollar amount.
When I arrived, I found the initial atmosphere to be light-hearted and carefree. People were bustling around the stands with smiles and little bags; the sun was out and warmth radiated throughout the market. The first place that caught my eye had a large banner boasting “CREPE”. This was Little Paris Crepes & Bakery, and I could see their crêpe chef stationed at the crêpières. I got cinnamon sugar and raspberry crêpes from them. Despite each crêpe being so thin, they were surprisingly elastic — this kept the crêpe from falling apart and held the raspberry filling well.
Across the market, I stumbled across DMV Empanadas. I was too late to their stand and they had run out of the chicken pesto empanadas that I wanted, so I settled for a bacon and cheese one instead. The empanada was pleasantly crispy on the outside and very generous with the amount of filling on the inside. The crimped edge of the empanada spelled “bacon egg cheese”, which I thought was cute and unique, and I appreciated their attention to detail!
IMAGE COURTESY OF ELTON WANG
Wang picked up a bacon, egg and cheese empanada from the popular DMV Empanada stand.
Circling back to the main area of the market, my friends stopped to buy some cherry tomatoes and green grapes. The produce at the stands all looked gorgeous and clean. It is apparent that the vendors take great pride in providing the highest quality produce they can and patrons of the market appreciate that. A man told me that he came to buy broccoli and fruits from the market every week because it “blows the store-bought stuff out of the water”. And honestly, I completely agree with him.
I taste-tested a tomato unlike any tomato I’ve ever had. It was like biting into a water balloon about to burst with sweet tomato juice. The acrid taste of store-bought tomatoes was heavily reduced, and it felt as if you were eating a fruit instead of a tomato. (I know tomatoes are fruits, but you get what I’m saying.)
For my last stop, I got some miso kimchi from Hex Ferments. They had some really cool and innovative ideas like their Butterfly Lime-flavored kombucha or their Phoenix Kraut-Chi. I chatted with their sales rep, Moe, and he told me about the fermentation classes that Hex held where anyone could come in to ferment their own vegetables in a hands-on class. It seems like a really cool weekend activity, and if you ever try it, tell ’em Moe sent ya there.
The market is an overall great place to spend a morning off. The greatest thing about the Waverly Farmers Market is that, whether it is mid-June or early December, the market is open every single Saturday morning. Drag your friends or bring a date, and burn some time with great food and fresh groceries. You won’t be disappointed!
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