Does Anyone Live by the White House Farmer's Market Besides the Obamas?

The White House farmers market opened yesterday. It's located just north of the White House on a block of Vermont Ave. between H and I and will operate from 3 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays through the end of October. I am all for more farmers markets -- I work at one myself on Sundays -- but, like Lydia DePillis over at The Vine, I questioned the logic of opening a market in the middle of a neighborhood that is mainly office buildings. I spoke with Bernadine Prince, co-director of FRESHFARM markets, which operates the White House market, along with markets in DuPont circle and Penn Quarter. Prince made the point that placing markets where we work, as well as where we live, allows for more opportunities for us to consume fresh produce.

This market is trying to serve the commuter population. That area has a lot of federal agencies. And there are offices, like the Bureau of Land Management, where there is a shift split—workers start at 7 a.m. and leave their offices at 3 p.m.We're not interested in the tourist population; they may come and say, "This is nice," and take a peach or an apple, but they aren't going to take a peck of tomatoes home and roast them.

Prince says FRESHFARM has been contacted by law firms and office complexes about setting up markets or CSAs so that employees are guaranteed regular access to fresh, local produce. This is a positive move for the food movement. Decoupling farmers markets and local/organic food from neighborhoods will only increase the points where people can interact with food. Consider how much easier it might be for a working parent to spend 20 minutes at market on the way home from work, rather than having to find that time on a Saturday morning. It creates an access to fresh food that doesn't involve a separate trip to the store. --Phoebe Connelly