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Union Market - Public Market on 5th Street and Neal Place NE in Brentwood


sheldman

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I don't think that there is (or at least I cannot find) a thread on Union Market (warning - autoplay embedded video with sound), which seems to be set to open next weekend.

This looks to be a nice new multi-vendor indoor market, in that old market area that includes Litteri's, near Florida and NY NE.

I am not involved with it, but from what I can gather it will include Rappahannock Oysters, a cheese seller, a creamery, a pickler, etc. I hope that it works out well.

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Is this place open right now? I've seen articles saying it opens Saturday. But, on their web site, there's a graphic that says "YES...THE MARKET IS OPEN" and "OPEN SATURDAY & SUNDAY 8-8".

My wife and I were thinking about going tomorrow, but I really can't tell if it's open or not.

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I wonder if there is a parking lot with the revamped building. Parking is usually fine over there if shopping at the wholesale markets, but I can see a problem with all the unmarked parking and an influx of people not using public transportation to get there. If i lived in DC, I would bike, but coming from Alx, I am most certinaly driving.

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Went today, what a nice space. Saw our own Mr. RJ Cooper manning his Rogue Soda Bar serving duck dogs and roasted garlic popcorn. A nice surprise.

I love how they had the DC Scoops competition today, so very fun. I can see some cooking competitions being hosted here in the future. I hope they do at least, I would love to compete.

Sad to not see Takorean or DC Empanadas opened yet. Was surprised that they couldn't manage to open for the opening weekend of the market. After all we're talking tacos and empanadas......

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Those pork rib cutlets from the EcoFriendly stand (one Ossabaw, one farmer's cross) were the best damn cutlets I've cooked in years. (Dusted with five-spice, salt, pepper. Inverted broil - 7 minutes moderate oven in preheated cast iron skillet, rested while broiler got hot, 2 min per side to brown.)

Just wow. Thanks for the pointer, CrescentFresh.

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Really enjoyed seeing the space, and I urge all of you to contact the managers of Union Market to make Border Springs a permanent vendor. It was awesome to be able to get his lamb, which he confirmed is not available anywhere else (though I thought he was selling through ecofriendly at one point), and business was BOOMING at his stand.

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I wonder if there is a parking lot with the revamped building. Parking is usually fine over there if shopping at the wholesale markets, but I can see a problem with all the unmarked parking and an influx of people not using public transportation to get there. If i lived in DC, I would bike, but coming from Alx, I am most certinaly driving.

There's some diagonal parking in front of the building, though not as much as I expected from the online graphic. Definitely not enough for a day like yesterday, but maybe for a daytime stop during the week it will be fine.

Went today, what a nice space.

I love how they had the DC Scoops competition today, so very fun. I can see some cooking competitions being hosted here in the future. I hope they do at least, I would love to compete.

Say hi next time :) The DC Scoops event was a lot of fun. There were posters on the wall in the market listing several other events coming up in the next few months. Of course, I'm drawing a blank on most of them, but do remember there was an oyster shucking competition listed. It is a lovely space; I hope the coming weeks just continue to get busier and better for the vendors.

Speaking of oysters, the Rappahannock Oyster bar was bustling and serving up some delicious oysters (on the half shell, roasted, or in chowder), clams (raw or steamed), crab cakes, and tuna loin. They also had a nice selection of local beers on tap and some interesting cocktails on the menu. I will definitely be back just to go there, but there are lots of other good reasons to return: bread from Lyon Bakery, Neopol's beautiful smoked fish, gorgeous flowers, olive oils, etc.

As June Bacon mentioned, some of the vendors aren't open yet, but should be soon. Looking forward to checking out Righteous Cheese (sampling yesterday and opening on Sept 15), Amanda McClements' store, and Buffalo and Bergen, when they open. I do hope Border Springs, EcoFriendly, and some of the other pop-up vendors become permanent fixtures.

ETA: Crafty Bastards is one of the events that will be held at Union Market.

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Union Market was frustrating this morning, and I hope that the folks "in charge," as well as the participating vendors, do what is necessary to make it work. What I mean is, the posted hours for Sunday are 8 to 8. On arriving at about 1030, it felt like we found more vendors not interested in selling, than ones that were interested. Several stalls, marked with vendors' names, were completely empty. Others had equipment but no personnel. Others had personnel but were not interested in exchanging goods for $ until some time after 11 (and conveyed this information either directly, or by simply ignoring people). A relative few were happy to do business, and had some really good stuff. This sort of market really requires a critical mass of actively-working vendors. I wonder if the developers insisted on having an opening day before people were actually ready, or whether there is some other sort of problem. Whatever it is, I hope they fix it and get vendors in there, and actually doing business, during business hours.

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Went to check out Union Market this past weekend. Buffalo and Bergen were doing their first trial run on Sunday and offering up 2 kinds of knishes (potato/onion; and baco/cheddar) and fun drinks (root beer floats and egg creams). The potato/onion knish was the best knish I'd had in a really long time. Served warmed-up, the pastry casing was nice and thin, and the filling was strong in potato and carmelized onion. Most importantly, the filling was still moist and not completely dried out as I have found with other potato knishes.

The staff was bubbly and friendly and did a great job of working the counter space.

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Union Market was frustrating this morning, and I hope that the folks "in charge," as well as the participating vendors, do what is necessary to make it work. What I mean is, the posted hours for Sunday are 8 to 8. On arriving at about 1030, it felt like we found more vendors not interested in selling, than ones that were interested. Several stalls, marked with vendors' names, were completely empty. Others had equipment but no personnel. Others had personnel but were not interested in exchanging goods for $ until some time after 11 (and conveyed this information either directly, or by simply ignoring people). A relative few were happy to do business, and had some really good stuff. This sort of market really requires a critical mass of actively-working vendors. I wonder if the developers insisted on having an opening day before people were actually ready, or whether there is some other sort of problem. Whatever it is, I hope they fix it and get vendors in there, and actually doing business, during business hours.

From their Facebook page, the organizers have been pretty upfront about the soft opening approach and gradually bringing in more vendors. I know they haven't finished building out the place yet, they are going to install a full service butcher station and it looks like they need to install the station for the seafood vendor too. I agree that when you go there can be a limited selection before 11am. However, I would hope that instead of sticking to the 8am-8pm schedule for all vendors, that they expand the hours from like 7:00am to 11:00pm for the market and let vendors make up their own hours. I don't think I'll buy eggs at 9:00pm, or do oysters and cocktails at 8:00am, but I would buy eggs at 7am and slurp briny goodies way past 8:00pm.

Hopefully the valid concerns you raise go away once they are closer to 100% occupancy instead of 40%.

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Went to check out Union Market this past weekend. Buffalo and Bergen were doing their first trial run on Sunday and offering up 2 kinds of knishes (potato/onion; and baco/cheddar) and fun drinks (root beer floats and egg creams). The potato/onion knish was the best knish I'd had in a really long time. Served warmed-up, the pastry casing was nice and thin, and the filling was strong in potato and carmelized onion. Most importantly, the filling was still moist and not completely dried out as I have found with other potato knishes.

The staff was bubbly and friendly and did a great job of working the counter space.

^ Is this a rotating spot? The spot where RJ was on opening week? This could be really neat if they had rotating local guest chefs change up the theme every week.

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^^^

Arrive an hour later and say hi next time. I enjoyed the knishes at Gina's B&B, and the gravalox on egg barl at Neopol.

But yesterday was the day to go, for the Red Apron and Churchkey pop-up. I enjoyed a Porchetta Samba sandy and a Wheat beer. Then it was a leisurely crabcake, oyster chowder and a Death in the Afternoon at Rapp. Oysters. Great day siting outside at a cafe table. Saturdays also see that Trickling Springs and A. Litteri's is open.

Other faves are Border Springs chili. Picked up a Valdeon block at Righteous Cheese. A Sirloin from Eco-Friendly for tartare tonight. Had my blades sharpened at DC Mobile Sharpening a week before I sliced my pinky tip off with my overbearing mother over my shoulder, a clean surgerical slice, not a painful tear.

I feel this is the most exciting food venue in town right now, not sure what else compares? That said, 9am Sunday isnt a great time. But Eastern Market isnt really a competitor IMO.

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We had a very enjoyable lunch at Rappahannock Oyster Bar this afternoon after picking up our knives from being sharpened. All of the counter seats and the communal table were occupied at 1:00, but they were happy to serve us at one of the little two tops along the front window. We shared a half dozen on the half shell, a bowl of oyster chowder (giant chunks of slab bacon and whole oysters) and a stellar tuna tartare with thai basil and chiles. One glass of wine from the decent list and a 3 Stars peppercorn Saison (this was much, much better than it may sound). It wasn't a cheap noontime "snack", though; $60 after tip. We will definitely be back, it's a great place to sit with some wine and snacks.

Next up will be cheese and wine flights at Righteous Cheese. Some friends went after Crafty Bastards and reported a great time. Really happy to have this place a stones throw from our house. An afternoon of wholesale shopping and lunch at Union Market is ... odd. Very different experiences bound by a common geographical thread.

(Moderators' note: shouldn't we split discussion of the different eateries in UM to their own topics in the Dining forum? I almost did that, but this was already here with dining comments, so ...)

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Made a first visit to UM today. Was in the area to do a Home Depot run so stopped in for lunch. Though current hours are Weds-Sunday, they're open all week this week for Thanksgiving. Kind of. More below.

HEADLINE

A great concept with huge potential. Small concerns about the location and the time it's taking to realize said potential but very optimistic.

VENUE

Union Market (UM) is a hip, modern oasis amidst a still very dated industrial part of the city that looks the way it has for decades. Various wholesale businesses with Korean and Chinese signs abut UM to the west, selling everything from sides of beef to restaurant supplies. Most of those have been there for many, many years.

As others have written upthread, parking is probably a bit limited if UM is bustlng (it wasn't today and the lot across from the entrance was near empty).

The building itself is gorgeous with a larger-than-life block lettered sign atop the building making clear what's inside. Could just as easily imagine it as an incubator hosting a bevy of web 2.0 dotcoms. Gladly, it isn't that. Go food! One of the vendors there today explained to me that they're still leasing space with a plan for a minority (maybe he said 40%) devoted to changing pop-up concepts along with a majority of permanent merchants.

Lots of light with floor-to-ceiling windows and good interior lighting. Wide walkways between the different merchants and extra points for plenty of tables at which to sit with drinks, food or whatever. It all reminds me of several places along with the usually cited Eataly. Markets throughout Europe. Pioneer Square in Seattle, Movenpick, Fisherman's Wharf, SF, etc.

Heard from one of the vendors that the owners are looking at possibly buying and converting some of the older buildings just to the west across the street but guessing that doesn't happen anytime too soon. Clearly, as cool as UM is, they have a lot to still build out, fill and smooth out before they're firing on all cylinders.

FOOD

Today and tomorrow are being promoted by UM as follows:

special hours during the week of Thanksgiving to help you get a jump on your holiday shopping.

Our hours will be:

  • Monday: 11-5:30
  • Tuesday: 11-8

But that's not really right. It was open. But nearly all of the vendors were either closed altogether (Righteous Cheese, TaKorean, DC Empanadas among them) or operating with very limited offerings (Rappahonnock Oyster and others). It was my first visit and totally understandable that it's not a day they'd typically be open, they're only in their 2nd full month of operation and the like. But, between the website and facebook, maybe they could have just let people know it'd be limited operation? Not a big deal. Just a thought.

Rappahonnock wasn't serving their full menu with hot items. Just raw bar. I got a dozen oysters to try the three kinds shucked to order. Old Salts and two others of less brine. All excellent, fresh, deep cupped with distinctive flavors. Bearcats are oysters they sell pre-shucked in jars. Didn't try or buy those but looked good if you're making oyster pie, oyster soup, oyster stuffing, oyster cake or whatever.

Also ordered a "lambwich" from one of the only places that had non-mollusk food available. I think it was one of the pop-up vendors (maybe border springs farm?) and sold only products made from lamb. The gentleman working their was great, recommending the sandwich from about 5 or so options and sharing a bit about the market. He and many others there evidently worked at Jose Andres outposts. Very nice. The simple sandwich of rustic bread, arugula, a horseradish spread and smoky lamb pastrami was a nice addition after the oysters.

Final stop was Peregrine. Really thrilled to see these guys at UM as I think they probably do the best espresso drinks in the city with no difference in quality between this location and Capitol Hill or 14th St. My capp was perfect.

Lyon Bakery was open and, while the attendant looked pretty bored without much foot traffic there, the breads all looked great.

BOTTOM LINE

I obviously need to get back here when it's fully operating. Their normal days are Weds to Sunday and it sounds like they've been very busy on weekends. Closed this Thursday for the holiday. UM is a super addition to Washington, DC. So much great potential slowly being realized. I'll be back. Likely often.

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My rule of thumb is to visit when it is socially acceptable to enjoy an adult beverage. There are 4 or 5 vendors that serve wine, beer, or cocktails, and it just seems that the other vendors time their operations to capture the resulting foot traffic. Their Facebook does say they are open for "Thanksgiving shopping" this week, the vendors in the back include the butchers, Trickling Springs creamery, and the veggies. But no doubt some sort of app to see who's there and operating (like for the DC Food Trucks?) would be extremely helpful.

Eater is reporting Bell Book and Candle will open a restaurant there in the spring.

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I just learned about Union Market in another thread here the other day. Am currently planning to head down on Saturday before the coffee event in Dupont and am wondering if the parking area out front is safe enough to leave my car for a few hours? It would be more convenient to throw my purchases in the car and then metro to/from Dupont for the event.

Also, has anyone been on a Saturday recently? I'd like to do a little shopping (mostly salts and spices at the few shops that offer them), but also hope to eat a few things while I'm there. Haven't managed to have a taco from Takorean yet so that's high on my list, as well as whatever smaller items look good to me like that potato & onion knish if they're available. Point being, I don't want to go too early only to find nothing is open.

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I haven't had parking issues there. FYI, enter the lot from 6th Street, not 5th. With Saturday supposed to be a gorgeous day, I'm sure there will be cafe tables outside UM, so there will be extra eyes on the parking lot, if that makes you feel better.

11:30 am is when Buffalo&Bergen is open for business for their knishes. I think Takorean is open a bit earlier. Neopol, Rappahonack, Border Springs Lamb, and Pellegrine are all open fairly early and sell breakfast items. Righteous Cheese should also be open for retail, not their bar service. Plus, whatever pop-up vendors that may be there.

If you don't make it out to that area often, I would also suggest a quick stop into A. Litteri's on Morse Street a block away, it might blow your mind. It closes at 3:30pm.

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I just learned about Union Market in another thread here the other day. Am currently planning to head down on Saturday before the coffee event in Dupont and am wondering if the parking area out front is safe enough to leave my car for a few hours? It would be more convenient to throw my purchases in the car and then metro to/from Dupont for the event.

Also, has anyone been on a Saturday recently? I'd like to do a little shopping (mostly salts and spices at the few shops that offer them), but also hope to eat a few things while I'm there. Haven't managed to have a taco from Takorean yet so that's high on my list, as well as whatever smaller items look good to me like that potato & onion knish if they're available. Point being, I don't want to go too early only to find nothing is open.

Will let someone else advise on the Saturday question since I haven't yet been there on a weekend.

From a safety perspective however, I think you're fine with the usual common sensical rules applying. The surrounding area is a bit gritty. When I went, I initially didn't see the building (it's just too damn big and obvious with that monster block-letter sign I guess :D ). So I missed out on the lot directly in front of the building which was near empty that week of Thanksgiving. I ended up making a left (heading west) a block too soon coming in from the south. That took me past the old food and basics wholesalers (many asian) I described above and into a gated lot surrounded by more of those. I parked there and walked a block and half back to UM. It was the early afternoon and, while gritty, also calm. I don't think you'd have any problem at all on a Saturday morning. As always in the city though, good to lessen the risk by putting packages in trunks and not walking city streets with wads of hundreds sticking out of pockets and that kind of thing :D

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Thanks for the quick feedback! Sounds like I have a plan. And DaRiv18, thanks for the A. Litteri rec - there's a shop like that in Baltimore, will be fun to compare the two. And high quality olive oil is on my mom's Christmas list so that might be a good stop for that reason as well.

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I'd like to do a little shopping (mostly salts and spices at the few shops that offer them).

Don't miss the smoked sea salts at Neopol!

In the limited time it's been open Saturdays have been hit or miss. Earlier in the day will be less crowded for sure. On a gorgeous day it may be packed by early afternoon

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On the crowded factor, it is really hit or miss. We went last weekend on Saturday, and had no trouble getting seats at the oyster bar (oysters combined with La Gitana manzanilla sherry were fantastic), but on some other weekends you couldn't even navigate through the sea of people. More and more of the vendors are coming online, and I'm really thrilled that this place is relatively near my house.

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Well I went there under the guise of buying Christmas gifts and instead I ate and drank my way through the market. :P

I got there shortly before 10:30. There were a fair number of people milling about, but not enough to make it crowded or create long lines. Parking was ample and I had no issues leaving my car for the afternoon. When I left around 1 to head to the coffee event it was considerably more crowded, but not unpleasantly so and it was nearly dead when I went back around 5 to pick up my car (aside from Rapahannock, which was booming).

Highlights included a cappucino from Peregrine, smoked egg salad from Neopol, my first tacos from TaKorean (finally!), and a potato & onion knish and an eggnog egg cream from Buffalo & Bergen.

I also picked up what I was informed is some amazing thick cut bacon and the ingredients for my dinner tonight - a NY strip, various baby potatoes sauteed w/cremini & shiitake mushrooms and herbs, and roasted asparagus.

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Well I went there under the guise of buying Christmas gifts and instead I ate and drank my way through the market. :P

I got there shortly before 10:30. There were a fair number of people milling about, but not enough to make it crowded or create long lines. Parking was ample and I had no issues leaving my car for the afternoon. When I left around 1 to head to the coffee event it was considerably more crowded, but not unpleasantly so and it was nearly dead when I went back around 5 to pick up my car (aside from Rapahannock, which was booming).

Highlights included a cappucino from Peregrine, smoked egg salad from Neopol, my first tacos from TaKorean (finally!), and a potato & onion knish and an eggnog egg cream from Buffalo & Bergen.

I also picked up what I was informed is some amazing thick cut bacon and the ingredients for my dinner tonight - a NY strip, various baby potatoes sauteed w/cremini & shiitake mushrooms and herbs, and roasted asparagus.

Wow! THAT is a day really well spent with Peregrine and MadCap as the pre-dinner bookends. Way to go, ChoirGirl. And great meeting you with all the others :)

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Wow! THAT is a day really well spent with Peregrine and MadCap as the pre-dinner bookends. Way to go, ChoirGirl. And great meeting you with all the others :)

Agreed. Although I had to eat a second taco before I drove home because I had had too little food and too much caffeine! B) Great meeting you as well. Only wish I had had more of a chance to chat with your +1. Next time.

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Went back to Union Market this Saturday. I posted about Rappahannock in the relevant thread, but wanted to add here that the bagel sandwiches from Neopol bakery are delicious, and the smoked hummus is AMAZING. Didn't really think hummus was a food that could be that good, but they've achieved it here.

Also, I purchased a few of the prepared sides from Red Apron to go with a hanger steak from the butcher in the corner. They were all incredibly good. Pickled potato salad (very "pickle-y", yum), grilled green beans for which I forget most of the description except that they have a bit of heat from something, and farro w/greens, bacon (or some similar fatty pork product), caramelized onions, and butternut squash.

The aforementioned hanger steak was, like most of the beef there Roseda Farm's corn finished (2 weeks I think?) pastured beef. They did have a couple of totally grass fed options, a t-bone and some sort of roast, but that lone hanger called to me and it did not disappoint, incredibly flavorful and beefy. The bacon, by the way, is as incredible as promised and I learned this weekend is actually Benton's (famous smokery (is that a real word?) that does bacon and ham out of Tennessee). I have an inquiry into them because their website doesn't mention the provenance of their pig and the butcher did not know (they only slice the bacon).

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I am not an expert on beef raising, but I do use Roseda beef. The key to Roseda is their incredible devotion ot the genetic stock of the Wye River Angus herd they use for their cattle program. They actually do genetic testing on their animals to determine a profile for tenderness and flavor before an animal is Roseda branded.

Roseda's protocol is very hard to explain neatly. They pasture their beef for a long time and then transfer them to feed operations that are low intensity and also that are using whole vegetable materials as well as grain supplements that would include some corn. They have at least three main feeding operations that they use so each is a little different. The animals are finished on a combination of hay, silage and whole vegetable with a balance of fiber and proteins. There might be whole cork stalks and corn used, for example, which is totally different that the typical diet on the latest Monsanto corn chow for cows used in a CAFO. A lot of the product fed to the animals is culled from farms clearing their fields after the commercial harvest is over or from the vegetable proecssing/slaes process. By uing a lot of whole veggies high in fiber, the ph levels in the cows stomach are kept in their natural range unlike when a cow is fed on a CAFO.

They use no sub theraputic antibiuotics and sick animals are only returned to the herd after a much lengthier withdrawal time than is required by USDA regs. The animals are tested for antibiotic residues and only put back in the herd and sold as Roseda beef if they test clean.

They also hang full and half carcasses for aging, not just certain cuts.

While this is not as "pure" as 100% grass fed, a lot of people who would have you believe that their animals are 100% grass use grain at the end. In any case, I think that Roseda is a fabulous balance between a very high quality product and a lot of environmental concern.

And they are priced well enough that Roseda is not a super luxury item, but its cost is significantly higher than a lot of other beef. For example, Creekstone Farms, which I am totally not impressed with from a sustainability point of view nor from a taste point iof view is priced at about a 10% premium over commercial beef. Roseda is about 40-60% higher depending on the cut.

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I am not an expert on beef raising, but I do use Roseda beef. The key to Roseda is their incredible devotion ot the genetic stock of the Wye River Angus herd they use for their cattle program. They actually do genetic testing on their animals to determine a profile for tenderness and flavor before an animal is Roseda branded.

Roseda's protocol is very hard to explain neatly. They pasture their beef for a long time and then transfer them to feed operations that are low intensity and also that are using whole vegetable materials as well as grain supplements that would include some corn. They have at least three main feeding operations that they use so each is a little different. The animals are finished on a combination of hay, silage and whole vegetable with a balance of fiber and proteins. There might be whole cork stalks and corn used, for example, which is totally different that the typical diet on the latest Monsanto corn chow for cows used in a CAFO. A lot of the product fed to the animals is culled from farms clearing their fields after the commercial harvest is over or from the vegetable proecssing/slaes process. By uing a lot of whole veggies high in fiber, the ph levels in the cows stomach are kept in their natural range unlike when a cow is fed on a CAFO.

They use no sub theraputic antibiuotics and sick animals are only returned to the herd after a much lengthier withdrawal time than is required by USDA regs. The animals are tested for antibiotic residues and only put back in the herd and sold as Roseda beef if they test clean.

They also hang full and half carcasses for aging, not just certain cuts.

While this is not as "pure" as 100% grass fed, a lot of people who would have you believe that their animals are 100% grass use grain at the end. In any case, I think that Roseda is a fabulous balance between a very high quality product and a lot of environmental concern.

And they are priced well enough that Roseda is not a super luxury item, but its cost is significantly higher than a lot of other beef. For example, Creekstone Farms, which I am totally not impressed with from a sustainability point of view nor from a taste point iof view is priced at about a 10% premium over commercial beef. Roseda is about 40-60% higher depending on the cut.

Dean, this is, for someone who considers herself at least relatively well educated on raising beef, both fascinating and informative. Through education I have come around to the idea of grain finishing beef. If the ultimate goal is raising an animal humanely (which to me means access to roam in the great outdoors and healthy animals) and nutritionally appropriate meat (which means the appropriate, or intended if you will balance of omega-3's to omega-6's among other things) then grain finishing for a short period can still accomplish these things while potentially giving better flavor. And the Roseda beef is a testament to how delicious the resulting product can be.

If nothing else, your comments hint at how many factors there are that contribute to the flavor of your meat. I remember receiving a bit of education from someone at Polyface when I inquired as to why their beef does not contain the gamey flavor that so much grass-fed meat can about how the greenery that the cow feeds on has a huge correlation to the taste of the meat (Polyface cows gets to feed on a good bit of clover apparently). I have not seen as much emphasis in discussions I've had placed on the stock however and this is something I will ask about in the future.

FWIW, I certainly agree with your comments about price. Having experienced some local grass-fed beef that was unenjoyable for in some cases more than one reason, I do sometimes cringe at what people will pay just because it's a "pastured" product. Grass-fed, even if it is truly pastured and therefore humane and environmentally friendly does not necessarily good beef make.

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from the butcher in the corner.

Harvey's Market. They have competitive prices (although I feel Benton's is a bit overpriced) for what they sell. I bought their Roseda beef hot dogs this weekend, fantastic. Between Harvey's, Bear's Honeypot CSA share, and Trickling Springs Creamery and Lyon Bakery at UM, I have been getting about 80% of my groceries in the past month. Our family is eating extremely well these days, so delicious! Next week, will bunker down and buy a pig head from Harvey's, to make ragu, headcheese,and ramen broth. Psyched!!

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Dean, this is, for someone who considers herself at least relatively well educated on raising beef, both fascinating and informative. Through education I have come around to the idea of grain finishing beef. If the ultimate goal is raising an animal humanely (which to me means access to roam in the great outdoors and healthy animals) and nutritionally appropriate meat (which means the appropriate, or intended if you will balance of omega-3's to omega-6's among other things) then grain finishing for a short period can still accomplish these things while potentially giving better flavor. And the Roseda beef is a testament to how delicious the resulting product can be.

If nothing else, your comments hint at how many factors there are that contribute to the flavor of your meat. I remember receiving a bit of education from someone at Polyface when I inquired as to why their beef does not contain the gamey flavor that so much grass-fed meat can about how the greenery that the cow feeds on has a huge correlation to the taste of the meat (Polyface cows gets to feed on a good bit of clover apparently). I have not seen as much emphasis in discussions I've had placed on the stock however and this is something I will ask about in the future.

FWIW, I certainly agree with your comments about price. Having experienced some local grass-fed beef that was unenjoyable for in some cases more than one reason, I do sometimes cringe at what people will pay just because it's a "pastured" product. Grass-fed, even if it is truly pastured and therefore humane and environmentally friendly does not necessarily good beef make.

I really think that factory farming and the food system of the USA as currently organized is so wrong on so many levels. We ahve cheap food but we also have diseases related to diet that put a cost on our society that is simply astounding. Our subsidy of corn, of sweeteners in general, of empty calories is appalling. So I hope I am a small part of the movement to bring farming around to a different place, to a different paradigm.

Polyface, or Bryan Weaver {Truck Patch} or even Roseda are probably not the answer. Kreider Farm's does many an amazing thing environmentally, and even humanely in a lot of ways, but they were exposed on a Humane society video with some awful practices {according to Kreider, the issues raised were true but they were at their older facility and that facility was being replaced as they grew, how can one small restaurant do enough due diligence to know the truth} However, their practices at their worst are standard practice or even state of the art as compared to the real world of chicken raising And even their worst facility is part of a farming process that leaves the water and the local environment documented in better shape than typical farming operations in the area. And their eggs are priced within a dime per dozen of strictly convention eggs from 100% chicken torturers who pollute the Chesapeake Watershed almost as much as home gardeners do tending their lawns.

It is taking mass market folk like Krieder to a largely sustainable and far more humane system of raising food that is going to change the world. It is Roseda who can inform how good a middle but more to the good than bad ground beef can be. It is the purist like Polyface, like opera singers, who can set standards that few can meet and only those with a lot of money, or a very strong desire for purity, can support. I go to the opera whenever we can make the time and money available. I can't afford to buy Polyface for my meats. But I can Roseda. I used to support Kreider but switched to Hare's Valley for eggs and Trickling Springs for dairy, paying more for both but getting far superior products. The Humane society issues surfaced after my switch and even still, it make me question Kreider. I would still support them knowing that their state of the art new facilities were not involved in the bad practices. Too bad that is isn't simply not allowed to do what we do to torture animals in the name of factory farming.

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Harvey's Market. They have competitive prices (although I feel Benton's is a bit overpriced) for what they sell. I bought their Roseda beef hot dogs this weekend, fantastic. Between Harvey's, Bear's Honeypot CSA share, and Trickling Springs Creamery and Lyon Bakery at UM, I have been getting about 80% of my groceries in the past month. Our family is eating extremely well these days, so delicious! Next week, will bunker down and buy a pig head from Harvey's, to make ragu, headcheese,and ramen broth. Psyched!!

Thanks for the reminder on the name (I was too lazy to go look it up!). The Benton's bacon is $6/lb directly from their site (that excludes shipping costs, which I did not look up), BUT and it's a big but, their smoked bacon is currently on backorder. So I will pay the additional $4/lb, at least for the time being. :) That price is on par with bacon you would get at famer's markets and such (and it's the same as Red Apron down the row, who is appears is now a permanent fixture), but I am still waiting to hear on the source for their animals.

We noticed the pig's head btw and commented that it seemed a great price given that the cheeks aren't removed. Cool to hear you will be buying one!

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Shipping is fairly expensive, unless you really ramp up the quantity of your order. I recall it was like $18 for one order (4 pounds) of bacon, but just $21 shipping for 24 lbs. The good news is that apparently the bacon can be stored at room temp. I still freeze it, and give it away as gifts. There is no substitute for Benton's! The backlog wasn't that long back in April, maybe a week? Still, looking at the numbers, this doesn't seem like such a big markup that Harvey's is doing. I believe they also sell Benton's bacon ends for a lower price.

Also, Harvey's Market also has several selections of the Simply Sausage line. It's a cool shop, I don't have to head to Virginia anymore to find ox-tail, and I'm sure this is better quality.

Glad you liked Neopol too, I think they are terrific! Their smoked salmon BLT sandwich might be my favorite right now. Really soaking up the entire UM scene right now, I feel (without any inside info) next year there might be that dreaded price bump that many food establishments seem to do.

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Really soaking up the entire UM scene right now, I feel (without any inside info) next year there might be that dreaded price bump that many food establishments seem to do.

I hope not, things are pretty pricey in general around there now (although I agree that the Harvey's prices are reasonable).

When I went the first time I didn't think I would get down there again anytime soon, but it's really an easy drive from where I am in MD and will be a nice option to help get me through until May when the farmers markets start again.

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+1 on the recommendations for Neopol. Their whitefish salad on an everything bagel is, well, everything I've ever wanted in a bagel sandwich. My wife likes their smoked salmon "A(pple).L.T.," and as a Northwesterner tells me every time that the smoked salmon is hot smoked, "as smoked salmon should be."

One (small) complaint about Union Market, from my most recent visit early Sunday morning. We went for breakfast at 10 AM, and were unable to find anything to drink outside of soda, water, and coffee. Water worked just fine, but I would have killed for some sort of juice. Perhaps the vendors were just out. Just a quibble, though.

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Grew to love Neopol from their booth in the market in Easton on the eastern shore. Was thrilled when I saw them in Union Market. My one quibble is I wish they offered a wild salmon option. They told me they don't (all the salmon is farmed) because they'd have to price it too high and they will do it by special order. But I can't help but think there's a market for it given the other places surrounding Neopol at UM and the customer base. I'd gladly pay a few bucks (several bucks?) more for one of their fab sandwiches or salads with wild fish.

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One (small) complaint about Union Market, from my most recent visit early Sunday morning. We went for breakfast at 10 AM, and were unable to find anything to drink outside of soda, water, and coffee. Water worked just fine, but I would have killed for some sort of juice. Perhaps the vendors were just out. Just a quibble, though.

Nope, that's not just a quibble. For an entire market (serving breakfast, brunch, and lunch on a Sunday morning) to be out of juice is a problem, not a quibble. I hope they read this, and learn from it - it's not an angry gripe, or a middle finger; it's merely a helpful suggestion from a great person, and a potentially loyal customer, who cares about your success. Of this I'm sure, and I'm equally sure that this problem can be easily fixed.

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Both times that I've been there there's been a company set up in the back near Harvey's that's all about juicing. Not sure if they sell full servings of juice or not, but that may be an option.

I can understand the desire to have juice in the morning, but these aren't retailers, they're artisans selling a specific type of product so I also get the lack of availability. Although certainly if the juice company isn't selling full servings it sounds like there's a niche they could fill.

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Sadly, the juice folks aren't there on Sunday mornings. And though many of the vendors are artisanal, several are the types of vendors who can have a fridge full of Odwalla (or whatever). For example, Peregrine Espresso. Or Neopol themselves. Almost all the "artisans" had soda. Why not something a bit healthier?

I imagine there may be some cost issues involved that as a non-business type I am unaware of.

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Sadly, the juice folks aren't there on Sunday mornings. And though many of the vendors are artisanal, several are the types of vendors who can have a fridge full of Odwalla (or whatever). For example, Peregrine Espresso. Or Neopol themselves. Almost all the "artisans" had soda. Why not something a bit healthier?

I imagine there may be some cost issues involved that as a non-business type I am unaware of.

I was actually there on Sunday this past weekend and they were there, fyi. I believe they're one of the pop up locations so there attendance may just be intermittent.

Fair point about the other places though - I didn't notice that those places were selling sodas. They could certainly offer some juice as well if they've got a drink cooler. I would suggest it to the individual vendors. If enough people do, I'm sure someone will start carrying it.

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