An American Classic: An Eastern Market Icon-The Bowie Family at Eastern Market

The founding of the United States was a field holler, a jazz rhapsody, an orchestrated de- and re-construction, a Gospel moan, a torn down blues song ("ain't nobody's business if..."), a really sad, long and funny country song with many an operatic high note. One thing is clear: the backbone of early American life was the small family farm. My first memories are of my granddaddy's "place" in Humboldt, Tennessee. He had two barns, one with stalls for the pigs and cows and another for the hay, a tractor and equipment. Then there were his gardens. My brother and I called one "the big garden" (rows and rows of corn, sweet corn and white corn) and the other "the small garden" (the vegetable garden where most of our food came from.)

These farms grew vegetables, chickens, dairy cows, maybe goats or sheep, a mule (or, if they were wealthy, a horse). The small family farm is an original American classic. Eastern Market was built in part to give small family farmers from rural Maryland, and from northern Virginia and West Virginia, access to an urban market (Washington, D.C.) in which to sell produce and products.

Eastern Market was thought into existence by Pierre Charles L'Enfant in 1791. In 1805 President Thomas Jefferson issued a proclamation designating that an Eastern Market be built in Washington, D.C.; the Eastern Market that we see today was built in 1873, and the "Farmer's Shed" was built around 1906. At its inception, an Eastern Market open to all, with some families being merchants there for 90 or 100 years, was inconceivable.

The death knell of the small family farmer began to chime during the Industrial Revolution. As the twentieth century progressed, the concept of a small family farmer producing produce for sale directly to consumers was deemed outmoded, old-fashioned and inefficient. Of course, today we realize that "oldschool is new school"--we in the vanguard of the Green Revolution know that mega-farms and agribusiness are dangerous to our physical health and our environment.

Fortunately, today at Eastern Market we still have one family that has endured, thriven and prospered, the Bowie family of Camp Springs Maryland (now called Temple Hills). Ironically, neither L'Enfant nor President Jefferson had in mind the possibility of this "free" small farming family--

the Bowie family selling its homegrown produce at Eastern Market.

Teresa Bowie carries on this proud family tradition. Ms. Bowie, when asked, told me that she had been at the Market since she was five years old. She didn't give her age, but she said that meant about fifty years. The business was established by her great-grandfather, then kept by her grandfather and father; today, Ms. Bowie is still there every Saturday. When asked what her family farm's specialty was, she said "vegetables."

To locate Ms Bowie's stall under the farmer's shed, just look for another American classic, her Ford truck.

Okay, let's talk dirty:

there's eggplant Parmesan,

or baba ghanouj,

mais, le meilleur est

Ratatouille.

2 aubergines ( eggplants)

1 oigion (onion)

3 grosses tomates

2 courgettes (zucchini)

1 poivron rouge ( red pepper)

huile d'olive (3 cuilleres) ( olive oil)

herbes de provence, sel, poivre (salt, pepper)

________

Faire revenir tous les legumes

(sauf la tomate, apres les avoir coupes)

dans l'huile d'olive puis ajauter la tomate

coupee en morceaux-

saler- poivre et mettre les herbes de

provence. Se deguste chaud au froid.

__________

To wash it down?

Rose de Provence!

(Merci ,Madame Coudret,

pour la recette!)

( Ms. Teresa Bowie)

( On a cold winter day

there is nothing like

stewed tomatoes with

hot buttermilk biscuits.)

( I know what you're thinking: soup!

and, on the side, a piece of sourdough bread

for sapping. But do you know

that butternut and acorn squashes can make a fine

pie as well?)

( These babies would taste good steamed,

with a little salt, or stir-fried in sesame

oil, with hot peppers.)

(Did someone say stuffed peppers, with ground chicken or turkey, and

bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, olive oil

and maybe some feta or ricotta cheese? Or maybe you're seeing roasted red peppers, preserved for the winter in olive oil, a little vinegar, salt and pepper? There's nothing better in a sandwich, especially a pressed and grilled one.)

The Bowie family's long history as small family farmers says something wondrous about them, Eastern Market and the community that supports and cherishes us all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Witnessing,

Sonda T. Allen

Turtle's Webb

Brocanteuses y Le Marche aux Puces

I came to Eastern Market in 1991. By then the Flea Market at Eastern Market http://www.easternmarket.net/ had been in full swing since 1984. I started setting up on Sundays in the summer or fall of 1991--to be absolutely sure, one would have to ask Tom Rall founder of the Flea Market, since his records are up to date and accurate. As a professional artist, I realized rather quickly that setting up one day a week at the Arts and Crafts Festival at Eastern Market was not enough to keep my pet cat in kibble, let alone allow me to pay rent sometime during the month. (I mean really, what artist really needs heat, food or electricity anyway?)

I thought I had left antiques and collectibles behind me in Baltimore. There was this little shop right of Antiques Row in Baltimore on Madison Avenue called "Antiques and Things" owned by my fath...but we will not talk about that. Or my love of vintage jewelry. I won't mention my senior prom pictures, but someone had a high top fade, a pink ball gown and of course bright pink rhinestone vintage earrings and a necklace of the same subdued hue to complement the look, which might best be described as "Cindy Lauper meets Prince" (if Prince was feeling in a Kid-n-Play mood.)

But speaking of antiques, collectibles and vintage Jewelry, at the Flea Market at Eastern Market we have had a fabulous dealer in vintage and collectible jewelry in the guise of Ms. Mavis Jackson since 1984. She looks like Lena Horne and sells classic church lady 'bling'.

(The vintage "Bling" of Ms. Mavis Jackson)

Ms. Jackson's collection of vintage glass jewelry has me trying to remember...do y'all remember last year during The Election...there was this woman, who came on this show called "The View"? Seems like she wore this cute little dress and said that if you put a pin on it, that could really make the outfit? Well, now that this chick, Michelle O...something ( I just cannot remember her name!) lives in this big white house not far from Eastern Market, maybe one of y'all needs to tell her about Ms. Jackson's fine vintage pin collection, so that she can come up to the Market and get her shop on. Ms. Jackson can be found in her traditional space under the Farmer's Shed on Sundays.

(Antique glass pins and earrings )

(Ms. Mavis Jackson)

When one is in the antique business and grows up around old fine things, one develops an eye. In my mother's house when I was growing up, the holidays were the time to break out the old glassware, fine china and silver service. As a child, all I knew was I liked that those pink and green colored glasses better than the cut-glass clear stuff. Pink and green glass did not break as easily when one had to wash all the Thanksgiving or Christmas dishes. And let's not talk about china, crystal or cleaning the silver..oh, I just loved the holidays as a child. Did some of you just get to sit around and watch TV? Well, not I, and, worse, I can cook, too. At Eastern Market, several exhibitors sell antique glassware, two of whom are business partners, Ms. Arlene Hawkins and Ms. Cheri Lyon. In the antique world what I am talking about (the beautiful pink, green and transparent glassware) is known as "Depression Glass." Ms. Hawkins and Ms. Lyon exhibits a fine selection of these pieces. They have a bit of everything vintage: objets d'art, furniture and collectibles. Look at that chicken: is it not just darling? They have been at the market for thirteen years.

(Ceramic chicken)

( Pink "Depression glass")

( Hobbs-Bruckiner, hobnailed "Depression glass")

Now, people, let's dream a little bit: let's visit my fantasy house {home} on the Hill ,with the swimming pool, jacuzzi, a cutie and some really fly furniture. I am talking eclectic on the style--I mean, like Prince said, let's go crazy. We'll start with a table and mirror from Adiante Franszoon, the Surinamese furniture artist, a room divider, chairs, and maybe one or two other things from Matthew Falls (functional sculpture) of Caos. Then maybe a taste of the East from Shizen furniture and Eka Himawan. Add in a piece or two of recycled wood patio furniture from Greenfield Furniture Co., then some turned wooden bowls from Aaron Grebeldinger and cutting boards as art from Blue Ridge Cutting Board Company...but wait, I am just getting hot! Check out the antique oak, 20th century Federal style and bird's-eye maple furniture of Steve Reiner ( The Furniture Meister)--we're talking some kinda good lookin' here: just say Mission furniture and I start to get the vapors. By the by, Mr. Reiner, he has skills: he can repair furniture as well. Steve Reiner, like Mavis Jackson, is a founding member of the Flea market at Eastern Market and has been at Eastern Market on Sundays since 1988. This, of course, is just the beginning of how one can do exterior decorating of self and interior decorating of home with Eastern Market style. The whole world sells at Eastern Market! Look at that hand made ceramic bowl from...

( Steve Reiner, Chillin' at the Flea

Market)

Witnessing,

Sonda T. Allen

( Bird's Eye Maple dressers, with oak chairs)

Turtle's Webb

( Mission, oak bench )