RAMISH
Photo : Wib Middleton
Growing Comfort Food and Community from around the World
BY WIB MIDDLETON
What ’ s the likelihood of your local , home grown farm market becoming a cultural phenomenon ? In the case of the Northern Virginia Wholesale Growers Farm Market ( NVWG ) that ’ s just what happened . Owned and operated by Ramesh Seetaram and Liz Battiston in Paeonia Springs , these two teamed up after working together for years on Liz ’ s family farm . Now in their eighth year , through new produce experimentation and years of customerto-grower collaboration , NVWG has become a beloved community resource for its ethnically diverse customer base .
The local Asian , Indian , Chinese , Japanese and Filipino communities can now shop for impossible-to-find produce , joyfully celebrated by each community ’ s culinary preferences . And , of course , the typical produce you ’ d
Ramesh Seetaram and Liz Battiston , owners
find seasonally is available as well . From pick-your-own and farm stand purchases to curbside pickups , NVWG has got it going on !
Hailing from the island of Trinidad and Tobago and moving to the US when he was twenty , Ramesh is passionate about creating the tastes and flavors that enlivened his palate as a youngster . “ Because I ’ m an island boy , I love that our cuisine is so richly diverse . I decided to grow things that I missed from my home . So I started with one variety , then another and another .” And word spread . “ If one person asks me to grow a jalapeno pepper I know there are twenty more people who want the same thing , and they ’ ll tell twenty more .
wander I spring • summer 2022 39