The term “farmers’ market” typically evokes images of stalls set up for a day or so to sell fresh produce and homemade jams. If that’s your understanding, be prepared to be blown away.
Thirty years ago, when we moved from DC to Atlanta, I expected less access to foods I liked. In Adams-Morgan, we lived around the corner from a French bakery, wine shops, and restaurants offering French, Cuban, Italian, Mexican, Spanish, Indian, Nepalese, WestAfrican, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, and Caribbean foods. Brazilian and others were just a subway stop or so away. One gets used to such things. At the time, Atlanta did not have that variety of restaurants. However, it did not take long to discover that what Atlanta lacked in international restaurants it more than made up for in access to international food items.
Dekalb Farmers Market was our first discovery (photography is not allowed in the market). It lives in a Walmart-sized, one-floor structure that offers a variety of foods. They have an extensive butcher shop offering pork, veal, beef, lamb, and goat cuts. The goat is a big deal because DeKalb is the only place I know to buy goat for curry. The poultry section is also great, especially for those who like duck and homemade chicken and turkey sausages. We buy duck thighs to make a confitesque salad.
The bakery section is also great, offering baguette-type loaves, dinner rolls, and a wide selection of other breads such as challah and brioche buns. The Deli and Cheese sections are also great. The wine section can easily match most liquor stores. It is one place I can still find demi-sec Vouvray at a decent price. Craft jams, jellies, and condiments also stand out here.
Finally, the fresh produce is spectacular. There is no better place to buy fresh produce, especially if one is searching for Latin American or Asian fruits and vegetables. Dekalb Farmers Market took away much of the homesickness for DC; Buford Highway Farmers Market took away the rest.
Buford Highway Farmers Market has to be seen to be believed. (I did not see a sign prohibiting photography, but I didn’t want to be bold and just snap away, either.) Buford is about the same size as Dekalb but has a much more eclectic mix of international foods. I grew up in a small southern town with a large Eastern European contingent. My mother learned how to make some dishes, such as cabbage rolls, which I grew up loving. I make them for my wife. I had no idea they were Eastern European until I was much older. Cabbage rolls are a simple dish that takes me a lot of time to make. At Buford, they are packed to go, and they are delicious. There is an extensive section of prepared Eastern European foods there, and every time we go, we stock up—beet salad (which I was sure I would hate), lamb samsas, chebureki, beef stroganoff, and other delicacies!
Dekalb has the better butcher shop, but Buford wins, hands down, on fish. At any time, there are easily 40 kinds of fresh fish that can be bought whole or prepared as one desires. Nice! They also have a decent selection of frozen fish. The Asian section offers prepared foods, and every ingredient one might want for cooking. There is even a Philippine grocery section! There are sections dedicated to the rest of Europe (not just French and Italian, but Scandinavian and Great Britain too) and the Caribbean that exceeds any other store I have visited. I only buy curry powder here. Buford’s produce section is extensive and offers plenty of exotic offerings from around the world. Want durian (I don’t) or dragon fruit (not bad with lemon)? This is the place.
Don’t get the wrong impression; both markets offer the usual grocery items, often at better prices than most in stores.
Having access to these two markets has been incredible. For those who like to cook, they offer access to just about any item a recipe might call for. If people eat it, one of these markets likely has it for sale. Amazing!
BHFM has been my “go to” for years as I used to work across the street. I usually time it around lunch to go to the cafe. My favorite is the Tikki Masala, Pan paneer with a side of their rice pilaf.
The hot foods are great. They have my fav samosas.