Leon Carrier feels pretty fortunate. He gets to spend every Saturday with his son and namesake working their stall at the 14th and U Farmers’ Market in Washington, D.C.  On the market’s Facebook page, he refers to them as “The Two Leons.”

The stall's a recent venture that the two began less than a year ago.  It is an outgrowth of Carrier’s stall, Plantmasters, at the Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market in Bethesda, where he has been selling plants and flowers grown on his two-acre farm in suburban Laytonsville for about 30 years.

“It’s neat to spend 12 hours with your adult son,” Carrier said, “We’re together all day Saturday.”

Carrier is a proud Dad.  He described how sometimes his son brings eggs from his farm or plants that he has grown.

“I think he’s kind of getting it that the lifestyle of a farmer is kind of nice,” Carrier said.

Carrier is very family-oriented and even though farm work can be all-consuming, his family always takes time to celebrate holidays together.

Father’s Day, though, is a bit more casual than Mother’s Day, he admitted. 

“One of my favorite things to do, and I know it’s kind of lame," Carrier confessed, “but I’m a guy, I like to go to the movies because that’s just a fun thing to do.”

He hasn’t picked out the movie yet, because he’s been so busy running around selling his flowers at different markets. (He also sells at The Olney Farmers and Artisan’s Market and the and The Potomac Farmer's Market.)  “I’ll get the newspaper on the day and pick,” he said.

While flowers are popular gifts for Mother’s Day, Carrier said that many of his customers like to give their dad’s something to plant in the garden for Father’s Day.

“We’ve got lots of plants, herbs  and blooming plants that love to come out for Fathers’ Day,” Carrier said.

In fact, many of our local farmers’ markets offer great gift ideas for busy working dads like Leon Carrier.

Father's Day deals across the region:

• The Olney Farmers and Artisan’s Market will offer Free Father’s Day massages at their "Be Fit, Be Well" tent, starting at 11 a.m., according to the market’s president Janet Terry, who added that they will also have special Father’s Day door prizes every half hour, starting at 11 a.m. Some of the prizes include tickets to The Adventure Park in Sandy Spring, tickets to the Safeway Barbecue Battle and a signed copy of best-selling author David Baldacci’s newest book.

• The Briggs Chaney-Greencastle Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market will also offer a Special Father's day Raffle Drawing, according to Gigi Goin, the market’s organizer.  The grand prize is special gift basket of goodies put together with Dad in mind.
• The Greenbelt Farmers Market hopes to entice Dads with a new ice cream flavor using berries from Pleitez Farm, as well as crepes from their specialty crepe vendor, according to the market’s Board of Directors who wrote in their weekly newsletter, “We're also excited to have Sheila Maffay-Tuthill lead a potato printing demo. This is a great way to entertain your active little ones so Dad can enjoy that ice cream cone or crepe.”

Visiting your local farmer’s market can be a great way to honor your Dad or the dads that work at them.  You might even make it a family tradition to pass on to the next generation the way Leon Carrier passed on his love of farming on to his son, who by way, is also now a father with a one-year-old son, also named Leon.

Maybe the “Two Leons” at the 14 and U Farmers’ Market will someday become three!

Happy Father's Day!