First, do you remember last Saturday? The weather? Misty, moisty, bone-cold. Much more pleasant to stay at home in our footies, sipping tea, maybe curled up with a good book. It was definitely that kind of day—warm lamplight inside, dark cold gray outside. And I think that must have been how a lot of folks responded to that weather. The market was dead, D-E-D-dead.

But you know what? The vendors were still there, in force. Lots of farmers’ markets around the state stay open well into November and beyond, making available the best in Virginia produce, crafts, baked goods, plants and so much more. And these people work hard. The growers lose a lot of their produce when they don’t sell it—one farm vendor who runs a CSA even sent out an e-mail asking customers to let them know whether they were coming, so they would know how much to harvest. The harvest has to be harvested, and it’s a shame to let it go to waste. Come on down. Your fingers may be numb by the time you leave, but then again, you’ll also find hot coffee (really, really fine coffee, too), cocoa, hot apple cider, woolies to wrap up in, and the warmth that comes from supporting your local economies.

Second, the community service thing—middle and high school kids are always looking for community service opportunities, and the farmers’ market is a gathering of them. Ask your vendors if they can use some help, whether at the market or on their farms. It’s a great way for kids to build awareness about where food comes from—and just about food in general. My son, for example, learned about hormones and antibiotics in meat—and that a lot of people really care about it. (He also learned what jowls are.)

Meanwhile, I learned about broccoli rabe. And I did not take a picture of it. I ate it. (Sautee in olive oil with minced garlic for a minute; cover and steam until wilted, 4-5 minutes; meanwhile, heat a little apple cider vinegar and a big pinch of crushed red pepper and simmer for a minute or two; salt and pepper the greens; drizzle a little vinegar over them and serve.) Another thing we learned: The vendor had harvested the broccoli raab, aka rappini, at 4 a.m. that morning. (Again: Remember Saturday’s weather? Yikes.)