Guest post contributed by Kathleen Nixon, founder of the Falls Church Farmers Market Chef Series and Facebook fan of Capitol Rehab of Arlington

Looking around these days at the piles of snow and broken trees, you would think that spring was still a long way off. But by the looks of things these past few Saturdays at the Falls Church Farmers Market, Spring is trying to inch its way back into our lives. With pleasant temperatures and plenty of sunshine, the vendors were showing off their wares without the customary tents and some of the customers were even walking around in shorts!

With the warmer weather a few new things are showing up at the market. Wisteria Gardens is bringing back many of its salad greens, DragonFly Farms has great soups like Thai Pumpkin, and Country Gardens has brought out house plants and winter interest plants to liven up homes and gardens during these last dreary days of winter.

The sunny day seemed to attract more customers than usual for the winter-–Atwater’s sold out of bread by 11:00 a.m. But it was still quiet enough to be able to visit with many of the vendors, which is one of the joys of the winter-time market.  Vicki Fedor from Northgate Winery shared her stories of attending the Governor’s Cup award ceremony to receive her winery’s numerous medals, and I even got the chance to wish a Mother Earth Mushroom vendor a “Happy Birthday!”

The weather also served as a reminder that the chef demonstrations are just around the corner.  The first Farmers Market Chef Demonstration of the season will take place on Saturday, April 24^th, with Tracey O’Grady from Willow. And just before that, on Wednesday, April 21^st, ArtSpace will feature the movie “Fresh” along with appetizers from the Farmers Market Chef Program partners.

Links to all events to follow…

Conventional Fruit Labels

• Four Digits starting with 4

Organic Fruit Labels

• Five Digits starting with the the digit 9

Genetically Modified Fruits

• Start with the digit 8

So the next time you go shopping, remember these critical numbers and know how to avoid purchasing inorganic and Genetically Modified Fruits.

Shop Safe

This is good to know because stores aren’t obligated to tell you if a fruit has been genetically modified.

Just remember…

1. If you come across an apple in the store and it’s label is 4922, it’s a conventional apple grown with herbicides and harmful fertilizers.
2. If it has a sticker 99222, it’s organic and safe to eat.
3. BUT IF IT SAYS 89222, THEN DON’T BUY IT!!! IT HAS BEEN GENETICALLY MODIFIED AND MAY NOT BE SAFE.