"Eastern Market" news and stories

Eastern Market Photo: ngolebiewski/Flickr

Attention, residents of the nation's capital: After two long years of waiting, Washington, D.C.'s historic Eastern Market re-opened this morning.

The Capitol Hill market, which had been in continuous operation since it opened 1873, closed in 2007 after a devastating fire. Home to many farmers and a wide range of culinary delights that included everything from buckwheat blueberry pancakes (known in local parlance as "bluebucks") and cured meats to pumpkin ravioli and crab cakes, the market was the shining jewel in its neighborhood's crown.

While the fire that closed the market was a blow to a historical site, it also presented what some considered a long overdue opportunity for improvement.

Learn more about the opening party and $22 million renovation after the jump.

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but my fiancee and I are having a destination wedding in Washington, D.C. We both grew up in New Jersey and still live there, and while our travels don't take us too far, all of our family and friends will be traveling for this special occasion.

After reading numerous books and magazines, I've come to the decision that I would like each guest (couple) to receive a welcome basket in their hotel rooms upon arrival. While this sounds easy enough, being a foodie and advocate for using local resources, has made it a difficult task.

After visiting D.C. over the years and eating at some of the best restaurants in the country (my opinion), I never took notice of the local food products the city has to offer. So where do I turn to? I was lucky enough to meet a fantastic contact from Cultural Tourism DC at a "Taste of D.C." event held several months back. I figured if any organization could help me, this would be the one.

Strengthening the image and economy of Washington -- neighborhood by neighborhood -- is something the organization strives for. They quickly pointed me to the Eastern Market in Capitol Hill. I thought to myself, "What a smart idea?" I quickly e-mailed the market manager for suggestions. Walking around the local market or e-mailing vendors will quickly give you a good idea of what the area is known for (Old Bay anyone)?

If you live in the Maryland/Virginia/D.C. area, I would love to hear your suggestions for the best local foods to include in my welcome baskets. There's no better way to greet your guests who have traveled miles than to a have them walk into a room with a basket full of local goodies.

To contact Cultural Tourism DC, call 202-661-7581 or e-mail them at info@culturaltourismdc.org. Don't forget to check out the Eastern Market if you live in the area!

Heirloom tomatoes are all the rage these days. And why not? They are beautiful in their imperfections and their taste is almost always out-of-this-world good. So much better than those mealy grocery store tomatoes we've been mindlessly eating all these years. Two different little items came my way yesterday having to do with these darlings of the tomato world, and the synchronicity was just too much to bear. A post was in order.

First, via Yumsugar, I discovered that Santa Sweets, the company behind the Uglyripe, runs an "Ugly Tomato" contest. This year they received so many submissions that they were forced to pick ten winners. Each one of the winners was a doozy, most with many lobes, cracks and crannies. They aren't particularly lovely to look at, but I'm sure they tasted amazing.

Just a few hours later, Matt Billings sent us a link to the set of photos he took (the pic up top is his) of the heirlooms he bought at Eastern Market this last weekend. His pictures have the power to make tomato lovers weak in the knees and offer an interesting contrast to the "ugly" pictures from the Santa Sweet's page.

There you go. Tomato food porn at its best and worse. Now if you'll excuse me, I do believe there's a tomato in my kitchen calling my name.