Dutch Village Farmers Market — Local services in Westphalia

I just went grocery shopping there for the first time today and I was dissatisfied with almost everything I purchased. I purchased some Cajun seafood salad which was advertised to have both fish and shrimp in it along with the imitation crab meat only to find out that they only put imitation crab meat in it and there was not a bit of shrimp in it at all. That same stand also gave me some white potato salad and the guy behind the counter didn't even fill it up all the way. I noticed this while he was making it but didn't say anything and just let it go. I got three Donuts. One of them was delicious but the other one was so dry I had to microwave it for 20 seconds to get it soft (I haven't tried the third one yet). Then the main thing I went there for was the produce because I wanted to get it locally grown only to come to find out that they just shipped it in but seeing as how it's winter I should have figured that myself but at least a regular grocery store would let me use my EBT card where is most of their stands do not. Some of the strawberries I bought from them came a little pithy but I'm otherwise satisfied with all the other things that I purchased from them but I do not think it's worth the trip when there are several grocery stores closer to me that are more convenient for food purchases. I may go back during the summer time when they stock up with their own food that they...

Do not overlook this place because it's in a strip mall. We almost did, but we're so glad we ventured inside.

Just 25 minutes from Washington, D.C. is this Dutch Village Farmers Market that's more of a food hall before they became popular. It's open on Saturday from 8am-3pm (closed Sundays). It's a large indoor space with dozens of food stalls run by a variety of people most of whom are Amish. There's fresh vegetables, meats, pies, etc. A few stand outs:

1. Coffee: There's one stand that sells coffee and their flavored lattes are really good. They aren't too sweet. I recommend the toasted marshmallow flavor.

2. Breakfast log: The stand near the entrance with a long line sells breakfast logs. I ordered the ham, cheese, and egg log. It comes wrapped in a pretzel and is really tasty.

3. Donuts: In the way back is a stand that sells fresh donuts. The apple fritters are amazing.

4. Breakfast: There's a little restaurant inside that sells 99 cent all-you-can-eat pancakes from 8am-9am.

Most stands just take cash, but there are plenty of ATMs...

There are so many different vendors to buy from. Candy gets you at the front door. I love the coconut clusters and the chocolate covered salted caramel pretzels. Candy is sold by the pound and is a bit expensive but always delicious. Next is cheese! Ughh the cheese curds, sharp cheddar, and there is another that escapes me, but all are so yummy. Don't forget to pay at each individual vendor. The bakery at the end has some good loaf breads in different flavors. Stay away from the gingerbread it was so dry. The homemade rolls were yummy, too! Cakes and cookies look great, but I haven't tried them. Fruits and veggies all seem fresh but a little costly. The bag of corn was like $7, and a bowl of cut-up fruits was around $8. Just didn't seem worth it to me. Ok, the fried chicken and potato wedges!!! As long as the chicken is fried hard, it's delicious. You do have to add some salt, but other than that, it's delicious 😋. I bought filet mignon, and it was fabulous to cook and very reasonably priced.

I haven't tried all the vendors but will be back...