VegU
VegU is a popular fruit and vegetable education program launched at the USDA Farmers Market in 2016. Visitors can receive a "VegU-cation" and learn how to grow, pick, prepare, and store a different fruit or vegetable by attending short 10-minute classes in the VegU tent between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. each week.
The USDA Farmers Market operates every Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from May to October on the corner of 12th Street and Independence Ave, SW in Washington, D.C.
Class Schedule
2018 VegU Class Schedule (PDF, 6.1 MB)
2017 VegU Class Schedule (PDF, 5.8 MB)
2016 VegU Class Schedule (PDF, 12.1 MB)
Get VegU-cated Online
Whether you want to get to know an unfamiliar vegetable or incorporate more fruits into your diet, we’ve made it possible for you to get a VegU-cation wherever you may live.
Videos
Watch these videos on Flickr for ideas on what to make with your local farmers market haul or garden harvest. Each recipe features fresh ingredients available during spring, summer and fall at the USDA Farmers Market in 2016.
- What are we going to do with all these blueberries? Make Blueberry Caprese Salad
- What are we going to do with all these grapes? Make Grape Spritzer “Mocktails”!!!
- What are we going to do with all these sweet potatoes? Make Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes!!!
- What are we going to do with all these pumpkins? Make Pumpkin Soup!
- What are we going to do with all these tomatoes? Make Spanish Tomato Salad
- What are we going to do with all these eggplants? Make Roasted Eggplant Dip
- What are we going to do with all these raspberries? Make Raspberry Salsa
- What are we going to do with all these watermelons? Make Watermelon, Cucumber and Basil Salad
- What are we going to do with all these peaches? Make Peach Iced Tea
- What are we going to do with all these microgreens? Make Shaved Vegetable Salad with Microgreens and Plum Vinaigrette
Podcasts
Take a few minutes to download and listen to these wildly entertaining and informative radio segments recorded weekly at VegU.
2018
VegU Radio: May 4 Cabbage Still Turning Heads After All These Years (PDF, 50.8 KB) | VegU Radio: May 4 Cabbage Still Turning Heads After All These Years Audio
VegU Radio: May 4 Smile You’re on Candid Cabbage (PDF, 168 KB) | May 4 Smile You’re on Candid Cabbage Audio
VegU Radio: May 11 The Mysterious Strawberry (PDF, 170 KB) | May 11 The Mysterious Strawberry Audio
VegU Radio: May 18 Asparagus Assets and Aspirations (PDF, 53.1 KB) | May 18 Asparagus Assets and Aspirations Audio
VegU Radio: May 18 Asparagus What's in a Name (PDF, 127 KB) | May 18 Asparagus What's in a Name Audio
VegU Radio: June 1 Murky Miniscule Micro Green Mysteries (PDF, 89.0 KB) | June 1 Murky Miniscule Micro Green Mysteries Audio
VegU Radio: June 8 A Pithy Pixilated Pineapple Pageant (PDF, 42.0 KB) | June 8 A Pithy Pixilated Pineapple Pageant Audio
VegU Radio: June 8 Part Two - A Pithy Pixilated Pineapple Pageant (PDF, 47.0 KB) | June 8 Part Two - A Pithy Pixilated Pineapple Pageant Audio
VegU Radio: June 15 Madcap Mango Machinations (PDF, 42.1 KB) | June 15 Madcap Mango Machinations Audio
VegU Radio: June 22 Rapid Raucous Radio Raspberry Raves (PDF, 106 KB) | June 22 Rapid Raucous Radio Raspberry Raves Audio
VegU Radio: June 22 Want Fresh Raspberries Grow Them Yourself (PDF, 97.4 KB) | June 22 Want Fresh Raspberries Grow Them Yourself Audio
VegU Radio: June 29 Blatant Blueberry Blabbing and Blarney (PDF, 100 KB) | June 29 Blatant Blueberry Blabbing and Blarney Audio
VegU Radio: June 29 Blueberry Blather Bliss and Bloopers (PDF, 109 KB) | June 29 Blueberry Blather Bliss and Bloopers Audio
VegU Radio: July 6 The Creature from the Green Legume (PDF, 63.8 KB) | July 6 The Creature from the Green Legume Audio
VegU Radio: July 13 Charged-up Charming Cherry Chansons and Chatter (PDF, 40.4 KB) | July 13 Charged-up Charming Cherry Chansons and Chatter Audio
VegU Radio: July 20 Cute, Curious, Cucumber Cupidity (PDF, 106 KB) | July 20 Cute, Curious, Cucumber Cupidity Audio
VegU Radio: July 20 Pride and Pickle Juice (from the Novel not of the Same Name) (PDF, 88.1 KB) | July 20 Pride and Pickle Juice (from the Novel not of the Same Name) Audio
VegU Radio: July 27 Blatant, Blaring, Blackberry Blitzkrieg (PDF, 103 KB) | July 27 Blatant, Blaring, Blackberry Blitzkrieg Audio
VegU Radio: August 3 The Shape of Water...Melon (PDF, 105 KB) | August 3 The Shape of Water...Melon Audio
VegU Radio: August 3 The Shape of Water...Melon (from the Movie Not of the Same Name) (PDF, 102 KB) | August 3 The Shape of Water...Melon (from the Movie Not of the Same Name) Audio
VegU Radio: August 10 Passionate Peach Pastiche (PDF, 104 KB) | August 10 Passionate Peach Pastiche Audio
VegU Radio: August 10 Peach Palaver and Paleontology (PDF, 103 KB) | August 10 Peach Palaver and Paleontology Audio
VegU Radio: August 17 Getting in Touch with your Inner Tomato (PDF, 96.9 KB) | August 17 Getting in Touch with your Inner Tomato Audio
VegU Radio: August 24 A Perplexing Pageant of Performing Peppers (PDF, 96.7 KB) | August 24 A Perplexing Pageant of Performing Peppers Audio
VegU Radio: August 24 Peppy Peppers Packing Punches (PDF, 101 KB) | August 24 Peppy Peppers Packing Punches Audio
2017
VegU Radio: May 5 Savory Salad Savior Faire (PDF, 321 KB) | May 5 Savory Salad Savior Faire Audio
VegU Radio: May 12 Strawberries Pick'em Buy'em Store'em Eate'em (PDF, 121 KB) | May 12 Strawberries Pick'em Buy'em Store'em Eate'em Audio
VegU Radio: May 12 You Can Grow Your Own Strawberries (PDF, 204 KB) | May 12 You Can Grow Your Own Strawberries Audio
VegU Radio: May 19 A Pageant of Powerful Peas (PDF, 126 KB) | May 19 A Pageant of Powerful Peas Audio
VegU Radio: May 26 Radio Radish Raves, Raptures and Ramblings (PDF, 205 KB) | May 26 Radio Radish Raves, Raptures and Ramblings Audio
VegU Radio: June 2 Secrets of the Dawning of the Age of Asparagus (PDF, 122 KB) | June 2 Secrets of the Dawning of the Age of Asparagus Audio
VegU Radio: June 9 A Pile of Palpitating Pineapple Palaver and Patter (PDF, 131 KB) | June 9 A Pile of Palpitating Pineapple Palaver and Patter Audio
VegU Radio: June 16 Mangled Maniacal Mango Manna (PDF, 172 KB) | June 16 Mangled Maniacal Mango Manna Audio
VegU Radio: June 23 Grow Your Own Raspberries (PDF, 127 KB) | June 23 Grow Your Own Raspberries Audio
VegU Radio: June 23 No Raspberry Razzing Allowed (PDF, 127 KB) | June 23 No Raspberry Razzing Allowed Audio
VegU Radio: June 23 Raspberry Razzle Dazzle Practical and Looney Uses for Raspberries (PDF, 122 KB) | June 23 Raspberry Razzle Dazzle Practical and Looney Uses for Raspberries Audio
VegU Radio: June 30 Don't Get The Blueberry Blues (PDF, 224 KB) | June 30 Don't Get The Blueberry Blues Audio
VegU Radio: July 7 Grow Yourself Some Plums (PDF, 125 KB) | July 7 Grow Yourself Some Plums Audio
VegU Radio: July 7 Plum Crazy (PDF, 148 KB) | July 7 Plum Crazy Audio
VegU Radio: July 14 Spilling the Beans about Green Beans (PDF, 120 KB) | July 14 Spilling the Beans about Green Beans Audio
VegU Radio: July 21 Chintzy Cherry Chants and Chitchat (PDF, 174 KB) | July 21 Chintzy Cherry Chants and Chitchat Audio
VegU Radio: July 28 A Black Belt in Blackberries (PDF, 89.6 KB) | July 28 A Black Belt in Blackberries Audio
VegU Radio: Aug 4 Weird Watermelon Warbles and Whimsies Part One (PDF, 118 KB) | Aug 4 Weird Watermelon Warbles and Whimsies Part One Audio
VegU Radio: Aug 4 Weird Watermelon Warbles and Whimsies - The Sequel (PDF, 119 KB) | Aug 4 Weird Watermelon Warbles and Whimsies - The Sequel Audio
VegU Radio: Aug 11 Tall Tales of Tomatoes Some of Them Actually True (PDF, 168 KB) | Aug 11 Tall Tales of Tomatoes Some of Them Actually True Audio
VegU Radio: Aug 18 Peppering of Peculiar Pepper Palaver (PDF, 157 KB) | Aug 18 Peppering of Peculiar Pepper Palaver Audio
VegU Radio: Aug 25 Ode to Okra (PDF, 166 KB) | Aug 25 Ode to Okra Audio
VegU Radio: Sep 1 Corny Facts and Fun Tidbits (PDF, 186 KB) | Sep 1 Corny Facts and Fun Tidbits Audio
VegU Radio: Sep 8 Madcap Musical Mushroom Moments (PDF, 168 KB) | Sep 8 Madcap Musical Mushroom Moments Audio
VegU Radio: Sep 15 Avocado Adventures (PDF, 175 KB) | Sep 15 Avocado Adventures Audio
VegU Radio: Sep 22 Praising Pears with Pear-shaped Tones (PDF, 174 KB) | Sep 22 Praising Pears with Pear-shaped Tones Audio
VegU Radio: Sep 29 Appealing Apple Applications (PDF, 163 KB) | Sep 29 Appealing Apple Applications Audio
VegU Radio: Oct 6 Kinetic Kale Karma (PDF, 173 KB) | Oct 6 Kinetic Kale Karma Audio
VegU Radio: Oct 13 Kooky Cool Kohlrabi (PDF, 163 KB) | Oct 13 Kooky Cool Kohlrabi Audio