UDC Van Ness farmers market updates: Vendors, preorders and how-tos

The UDC Van Ness farmers market on its May 2, 2020 opening day

The UDC Van Ness farmers market’s May 2nd return was a soft opening of sorts – shorter hours, fewer vendors. The May 9th market sees the return of the usual 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. hours and the return of familiar produce sellers, including G. Flores Produce.

New this season:

• The location in front of the UDC Student Center (4200 Connecticut Avenue, off Veazey Street).
• The student manager, Meagan Miller. (Please extend a warm welcome!)
• District-mandated physical distancing and other safety measures for the benefit of shoppers and sellers alike.

You’ll find more detailed shopping and safety guidelines on the UDC market website, but here are a few key things to remember:

Wear a mask. No exceptions. The vendors are required to wear face coverings too.
There are separate queues to shop the market and pick up preorders. Twenty people are allowed to shop at any given time.
It’s a one-way trip. There’s one entrance and one exit. If you realize you missed a stop, circle back around.
Preorder when you can.
Keep your distance when you can’t. Let the vendors pick out the produce. Stand behind the taped lines on the sidewalk and point to what you’d like. They’re happy to make recommendations, too.

UDC CAUSES says the May 2nd opening attracted about one-tenth of the 1,000 shoppers that usually attend the UDC farmers market, which allowed it to test and tweak the layout and safety measures.

Where to go

Whether you’re dropping off compost, or picking up preorders and produce, you will line up from the south (toward Van Ness Street).

Compost queue to the left of the Van Ness Metro elevator, preorder and shopping queues to the right.

Speaking of preorders, most of the vendors are welcoming them in some form. The vendors (listed here in the order of their May 9 assigned booths) so far are:

Flores Produce

Apple Valley

Valencia’s Produce (preorder by noon on the Thursday before the market)

King’s Produce (preorder system went down May 6, so they are also taking orders at [email protected])

Mary and Duke Bakery Russian food (preorder)

Mary and Duke

Café Medrano locally roasted coffee from Honduras (preorder)

Cheese Goatees goat cheeses and soaps (preorder)

Mesisam The Ethiopian Eatery (preorder)

Na’guara Con Sabor Venezolano Venezuelan food (Preorder at 347-987-6749 – try text message or WhatsApp)

… and there is space for more. The market will be back every Saturday through November 21st, so keep an eye on the UDC market page and Van Ness Main Street’s farmers market page, and we’ll do our best to stay on top of changes at the market, too.