There is nothing better than a warm bowl of soup in the fall. Our vendors are serving soups, stews, and chilis from all over the globe at the last USDA Farmers Market at Night this Friday, October 16, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. From spicy Lao rice vermicelli soup to a Scottish soup dish of chicken and leeks, vendors will be serving cozy soups filled with fall favorites like apples, butternut squash, and chile peppers. With more than 15 different choices, you will be challenged to find a favorite!
Check out our menu of soups being served:
Baked Potato
Bison Chili with Local Ale
Bone Broth (Chicken & Beef)
Butternut Squash & Apple
Cock-a-Leekie
Curried Butternut Squash
Curried Kabocha Pumpkin
Ghost Chili
Hot & Sour
Khao poon
Lentil
Pho
Russian Borscht
Tomato with Grilled Cheese Croutons
& more ….
This will be the last of the 6 night markets tested this season. Each has offered good food, lively music and a relaxing vibe to anyone working or living nearby. It’s been an excellent venue to experiment with different ideas, and we look forward to sharing our lessons learned from this pilot project. USDA Farmers Market at Night has featured different vendors than those at the day market allowing us to work with more local food businesses like members of DC food incubator Union Kitchen and the DMV Food Truck Association.
This month’s entertainment will be a Taste of Ethiopia with live music by Kino Musica. So, bring your “soupetite,” meet your neighbors, and enjoy a warm bowl of soup at a communal table in the USDA People’s Garden next to the Market at 12th and Independence Street, S.W. in Washington, D.C.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) supports farmers markets in communities across the country through grants, research and technical assistance. Both the day and night USDA Farmers Markets accept SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) coupons. The markets distributed DC Produce Plus checks through September.
If you are not in the DC area, you can find a farmers market in your hometown or wherever you travel by visiting USDA’s Local Food Directories. The directories are an easy, one-stop shop for information on local farmers markets, community-supported agriculture (CSA) enterprises, food hubs, and on-farm markets. All of these initiatives contribute to USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food (KYF2) initiative, which coordinates efforts across USDA to support local and regional food systems.
For more details, follow us on Twitter @USDA_AMS. Look for the #USDAFarmersMkt hashtag for updates about both the day and night markets or visit us online at www.usda.gov/farmersmarket.