The Dino Food Manifesto

At Dino’s Grotto, we believe that the food we eat should taste good, be fresh, and be raised and produced by small farms and farmers that follow sustainable practices.  By shopping at local farmer’s markets and getting to know our farmers, we have a deep understanding of where our food comes from.  Each week we shop as many as 6 or 7 farmer’s markets and can see everything we are going to buy and can judge for ourselves what is in season and what is at peak of flavor.

We support a local network of responsible, small, family farms. We would rather know our farmers & their integrity than look for a label like organic which is designed to serve the industrial organic industry.

We serve produce when in season, at its peak of full-flavor. We go to weekly farmers’ markets and use local farmers’ co-ops to bring seasonal flavors from our local foodshed. We do not believe in better living through GMO or intensive factory farming.

Our fish are sustainable and we use local produce and meats whenever possible. Our meats and poultry are raised free from sub-therapeutic antibiotics, hormones, and growth stimulants. We love animals fed real food and not “feed blends”. Animals taste best when treated humanely.

We love our family farmers & local farmers’ markets

14th & U ~ Dupont Circle ~ Silver Spring ~ Bloomingdale

Spring Valley {wv}  Eli, Misti & Bryan plus all their crew, peach & stone fruit, squash blossoms, tomato, cukes, salad greens

Tree & Leaf {va} greens, chards, tomato, peppers, fingerling & new potato, leeks

Farm at Sunny Side {va} Casey & crew: squash, tomato, berries, peppers, watch out for our house fermented hot sauce from their hot peppers!

Gardeners Gourmet {md} Cynda: the queen of tomatoes, greens, cauliflower, broccoli & romanesco, & surfing

Mountain View {va}  Atilla and Shana tomatoes, chard & greens, leeks

Garner {va}  Bernard & family: corn, melon, eggplant, bell peppers, berries, tomato

Barajas {va} squash blossoms, eggplant, peppers, tomato

Twin Springs {pa}  Marty: berries, apples, cukes

3 Springs {pa} Apples

Truck Patch {md}  greens, arugula, tomato, cukes, beets

JT & R Exotic Meats ‘wild boar’ {md}

Roseda Beef {md/va/pa}

Rocky Hollow Farm ‘pastured pork’ {md}

Pig Crafter;s ‘heritage pastured pork’ {va}

Dr Joe Jurgielewicz & Son ‘duck’ {pa}

Shenandoah Valley Lamb {va & md)