National Farmers Market Week: Support Burke Market Vendors

BURKE, VA — The first week of August marks National Farmers Market Week, and there's no better time to visit the Burke Farmers Market and support local producers.

The Burke Farmers Market on Saturdays is one of 10 run by the Fairfax County Park Authority. All of these markets are strictly producer-only, so the vendors sell what they raise on their farms or make from scratch. Producers come from a 125-mile radius of Fairfax County.

This year, National Farmers Market Week from Aug. 1 to 7 celebrates the resiliency of farmers markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid challenges with conventional food supply chains at the start of the pandemic, farmers markets stepped up to meet a growing interest in local foods. Markets adapted to restrictions with social distancing, regulating traffic flow, advance ordering systems and more for the safety of vendors and shoppers.

This year, the park authority's farmers markets are back to "business as usual" with few restrictions. This year, shoppers can select and bag their own items, but vendor sampling remains unavailable. Shoppers who are not vaccinated and children under 12 are asked to wear a mask.

The Burke Farmers Market is open Saturdays through Dec. 18 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The location is the Burke Centre VRE parking lot, 5671 Roberts Parkway, Burke. Vendors offer a variety of goods, from produce, seafood and meats to baked goods, specialty foods and dairy products.

The annual National Farmers Market Week celebration is coordinated by the Farmers Market Coalition, a nonprofit providing training, technical assistance and network-building to farmers markets nationwide.