The Silver Spring Penguin

Photo: Dots denoted votes at the farmers market Saturday. Courtesy of ThayerAvenue.com. Reposted with permission.

The organizers of Silver Spring’s farmers market are thinking about turning seasonal sales into a year-round gig, according to one rep.

If the Ellsworth Drive market shifts into perennial mode, expect tomatoes in the summer, greenhouse-grown spinach in the winter, and chocolate croissants all year long, Janna Howley, with organizer Freshfarm Markets, told The Penguin.

But if Freshfarm Markets builds it, will they come?

On Saturday morning, Howley and her staff conducted a “pin the dot” poll of people strolling the market. They were asked why they shopped there, whether they would hit the market all year long, and how best to receive information, according to photos posted on ThayerAvenue.com.

While Howley hadn’t tallied the final score by the market’s 1:00 p.m. close, an unofficial assload of people said they shopped there for the food’s quality. A nearly equal assload said they did it to support local farmers, who come from within a 100-mile radius, Howley explained.

Most poll participants also seemed to dig the idea of a year-long market, though a few felt cold weather would make shit out of the experience. Some also believed that winter meant slim pickings in the fruit and veggie selection.

However, many of the farmers at Silver Spring’s market keep greenhouses going in the winter, Howley said. That means spinach, frou-frou salad greens and even a few tomatoes would be available in January. And produce like root vegetables, winter squash and apples keep well in storage after the fall harvest, she added.

Vendors in winter were also likely to sell homemade jellies, apple butter and pies made from fruit grown over the summer. And vendors who hustle bread, granola, cookies and lavender-infused rice crispy treats would likely continue their thang regardless of the season, Howley explained.

If organizers do decide to make this a year-round thing, the action would start rolling with the 2010 season, Howley said. However, its 9:00 a.m. start time and 1:00 p.m. wrap likely will not change, nor will the market swing into Sunday sales. Too many of its vendors already participate in Sunday markets elsewhere, and extending the Saturday hours past 1:00 p.m. wouldn’t give them enough time to prep for the following day, Howley explained.

The Silver Spring market ranks up there in sales with those at The District’s Dupont Circle and Penn Quarter, two other markets managed by Freshfarms. Silver Spring’s 2009 selling season ends Dec 19.