Slight Change

You might notice a slight change to the Philly Food Feed. Please let me know what you think! For real all you reader/non-comment people!

This Week's Farmers' Markets

This Week's Farmers' Markets
Markets in Philadelphia unless noted otherwise.

Rittenhouse Farmers' Market
Walnut Street (south sidewalk), west of 18th St.
Tueday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

University Square Farmers' Market
36th at Walnut St.
Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Girard & 27th Farm Stand Market
Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Fountain Farmers' Market
East Passyunk Ave., at 11th St. and Tasker St.
Wednesday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

East Lancaster
Historic Eastern Market
308 East King Street
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

City Hall Farmers' Market
Philadelphia City Hall
Wednesday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Broad & South Farmers' Market
Broad and South streets
Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Cliveden Park
Chew Avenue and Johnson Street
Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Temple University Farmers' Market
Cecil B. Moore Avenue between Broad Street and Park Walk
Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Weavers Way Farmers' Market
Carpenter Lane and Greene Street in front of High Point Cafe
Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Jefferson Farmers' Market
On Chestnut Street east of 10th Street.
Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Norristown
Swede and Main streets
Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oxford Circle
Oxford and Summerdale avenues
Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Clark Park Farmers' Market
43rd Street and Baltimore Avenue
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Fairmount Farmers' Market
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue
Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Schuylkill River Park Farmers' Market
25th and Spruce streets
Wednesday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Palmer Park Farmers' Market
Frankford Avenue and East Palmer Street
Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Germantown Farmers' Market
Germantown Avenue and Walnut Lane
Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Roxborough Farmers' Market
Ridge Avenue at entrance to
Leverington Avenue parking lot.
Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Overbrook Farms Farmers' Market
63rd Street between Sherwood Road
and Overbrook Avenue
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

East Falls Farmers' Market
Midvale Avenue near Ridge Avenue.
Friday 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Fitler Square Farmers' Market
23rd and Pine streets
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Phoenixville Farmers' Market
Bridge Street and Taylor Alley
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wrightstown Farmers' Market
2203 2nd Street Pike (Rt. 232)
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Glenside Farmers' Market
Easton Rd. and Glenside Ave
Glenside, Pennsylvania
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Chestnut Hill Growers Market
Winston Road between Germantown Avenue
and Mermaid Lane.
Saturday, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

Conshohocken
Fayette and West Hector streets
Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Bryn Mawr Farmers' Market
Municipal Lot 7 on Lancaster Ave.
Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm

Catasauqua
Pine Street between Front and Railroad streets
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Manayunk Farmers' Market
Canal View Park on Main St., near Gay St.
Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm

Lansdowne Farmers' Market
Lansdowne Avenue Parking Lot
between Baltimore Pike and Stewart Avenue
Saturday, 9 a.m to 1 p.m.

Collingswood Farmers' Market
Between Collings Ave and Irving Ave.
Collingswood, New Jersey
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Headhouse Farmers' Market
2nd and Lombard streets
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

North Hills-Oreland Farmers' Market
110 Pennsylvania Avenue near Twining Road
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Swarthmore Farmers' Market
In front of the Swarthmore Co-op
Saturday, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

Lansdale
Railroad Plaza
Main and Green streets
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

West Reading
500 block of Penn Avenue
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Another Huffington Post Local Food Contest!

Huffington Post has posted what they think the top ten cities are for local food eateries. I think Philadelphia needs to be mentioned here! If you have a favorite local food eating spot, let them know! Here's what they have to say:

We here at HuffPost Green think the local food movement is a thriving and exciting part of the discussion about sustainability. After researching the best local food in the United States, we compiled this slideshow of our discoveries, focusing mainly on restaurants. However, thankfully, this list is far from comprehensive. There is so many exciting things happening in the good food movement, there is no way we could mention everything.

First, vote on your favorite city that we've nominated for local eats.

Second, tell us what we missed. What's a fantastic city or town has great local food that doesn't get national attention? What mindblowing restaurant have we not heard about? Who's doing amazing work cooking local food that's not at a high-end restaurant? Who's using local food in soup kitchens, pioneering innovative community supported agriculture programs, or teaching kids how to grow and cook their own food?

These are all fascinating topics we want to cover in the coming weeks and months, so send us your tips to HuffPostGreen@huffingtonpost.com.

Third, join in HuffPost Green's first citizen journalism mapping project. Click the participate button to send us photos of your favorite local grub restaurants.

Secrets of the Farmers' Market - From The Atlantic

I liked this piece and wanted to share it with the rest of you. A view of the Farmers' Market from the other side of the table! I especially like the part when Ms. Lipka talks about why she charges what she charges.

Secrets of the Farmers' Market
By Sara Lipka - From the Atlantic

Strolling through the farmers' market used to be my Sunday ritual. Crops, neighbors, a busker or two; it all felt timeless. Now I like to say that I went one day and never came back--just got on a truck back to a farm.

That's more or less true, but I do go back--to the other side of the market stall. Our farm sells at two weekly markets in Washington, D.C.: Sunday morning in Dupont Circle and Thursday afternoon in Penn Quarter. And let me tell you, going as a grower is a far cry from my old slide-on-the-flip-flops-and-scuff-down-Q-Street.

We start harvesting two days in advance, filling crates in the field, stacking them in the back of a pickup, and trucking them a half-mile to our farm center. There we wash and count and pack our produce into blue-and-gray plastic storage boxes, labeling them, for example, "Carrots, 20, Dupont." The stickers signal not only what we've got but how hard we have to hoist; root vegetables require more oomph than, say, lettuce. And forget the flip flops.

Prices do shift, I discovered. Cucumbers may go up if someone else is charging more; squash might fall.

On Sundays we're up by 4:30 a.m. to haul boxes out of two walk-in coolers and a storage room into our refrigerated box truck. Two or three of us sit across the cab as we roll down our gravel driveway onto asphalt. It's still dark setting off, but headed east, we see the sun rise.

The goal is to start setting up an hour and a half before the opening bell, maybe the only thing our market shares with that other one in New York. We line up our boxes along the curb, raise our tents and tables, and pile our harvest high. Layouts prompt much discussion and debate. What looks best? Features our marquee items? Lets customers flow through the stand? We weigh the relative merits of L shapes, T's, and U's; aisles, islands, and second tiers. Market design is about artistry and efficiency. And showing off.

Our farm's and others' bountiful displays--diminished by the time I used to arrive--still amaze me. Prices don't. As a customer, I sometimes balked at expensive arugula or leeks, either passing them by or invoking Michael Pollan's "hidden costs" of cheap food as I broke another 20. Now I look at string beans and remember how long it took me to pick them, in the rain; dry them on wire racks so they wouldn't rust; and mix green, purple, and yellow varieties. Not to mention seeding, weeding, and releasing wasps to prey on the beetles that devour the plants' leaves and dangling beans. $5 a quart? Bargain.

Prices do shift, I discovered. Just before we open, farmers surreptitiously scramble, eying one another's signs. Cucumbers may go up if someone else is charging more; squash might fall. We add quickly in our heads as customers gather. The early bird regulars have been standing there since 8:55, their beets and blackberries packed, crisp bills in outstretched hands as they wait for the bell.

Chatting with customers makes my day. A smiling elderly woman who always comes during the week also showed up one Sunday. "I already ate all the peas I bought!" she said. "I won't be able to last till Thursday." Another woman once approached me and whispered, "There's a very large spider on the chard." Other customers share tips, like crushing sweet stevia leaves with mint in mojitos. And sometimes a question starts a conversation. One woman asked if we had lemons. A man held up a sweet white onion, greens still attached, and asked if you could eat the bulb.

Chefs also wander by in their monogrammed jackets, scanning our spread. I'm always excited to see Nghi Tieu, the pastry chef at Café Atlantico, a few steps from our Thursday market. On Fridays the restaurant offers a farmers' market dinner, and Tieu not only shares her deliciously creative ideas, but brings us leftovers to taste. Recently she featured our carrots, in carrot cake with cream cheese foam, carrot-kumquat ice cream, and carrot-ginger croquants; and beets, in beet ice cream with chocolate crème fraîche and citrus beet soil. A bite like that can keep me on my feet for another few hours.

We nibble Tieu's desserts along with our own fruit, which customers ask to do, too. One day two men in Metro maintenance uniforms came over and tasted several cherries. But they didn't buy any, shaking their heads at the price of the pints. For all the thrills of the market--and my defense of the labor of each harvest--I worry about limited access to local food.

So does Freshfarm, the organization that runs our markets. With its help, our farm applied to accept "get fresh" checks from the federal Farmers' Market Nutrition Program for low-income women, infants, and children. Freshfarm also issues coupons to senior citizens through the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, and at two of the group's eight markets, customers can now pay with food stamps.

As each market ends and the final bell rings, gleaners stop by to take some of our remaining produce to shelters and food banks. On Sundays, the same homeless man always appears with his cart, grinning, nodding, and pointing at a head of lettuce or a bunch of chard. When I pick and pack for markets, I wonder who will end up eating each thing. It's nice to know it could be anyone.

Philadelphia's Own Greensgrow Farm in Newsweek!

As the Economy Struggles, Urban Gardens Grow
By reclaiming vacant lots, providing cheap produce, and giving community members a sense or purpose, city gardens reap a bounty of benefits.

By Natalie McDonald | Newsweek Web Exclusive

A little garden between the skyscrapers and busy streets of a metropolis is no longer a luxury only for those with deep pockets and great patios. Urban farms and gardens are being planted in major cities throughout the U.S. thanks, in part, to an increasing need to lower the cost of locally grown, organic food. While it's impossible to gauge just how many urban farms and gardens there are across the country (they range from personal plots to full-scale farms with viable acreage), many are found in urban epicenters, often in low-income neighborhoods lacking grocery stores and farmers markets. They're wedged between government housing, abandoned buildings, halted construction projects and streets known more for their crime problems than their heirloom tomatoes. And as the economy fails to thrive, advocates say the benefits of these gardens are even more pronounced.

"The recession has increased interest in home food gardening," says Colin McCrate of the Seattle Urban Farm Co. "Although the failing economy gives yet another reason to start growing vegetables, I think that most people are growing their own food because they believe this is a tangible way to reduce their impact on the environment and improve the quality of their diets."
Click here to find out more!

Proponents say there are several reasons why urban agriculture makes sense in 2009. "Before the recession, there was an interest in greening and thinking about food systems," says Patrick Crouch of Detroit-based Earthworks Urban Farm. But he believes a perfect storm of economics, ecological awareness, and basic supply-and-demand could push urban agriculture forward in cities. "A huge number of vacant lots is usually seen as a detriment to a community," he says. But by turning these spaces into farms and gardens, they present long-term greening and financial opportunities for residents that lack basic health and nutritional care, not to mention radically decreased economic opportunities during the recession.

Today's urban agricultural movement began visibly in the U.S. with victory gardens during the world wars and experienced a renaissance after the nation's last economic crisis in the 1970s. With more Americans becoming conscious of "green" issues, recent economic challenges have once again introduced it as an alternative for people impacted by financial shortfalls across the country.

At Philadelphia's Greensgrow, a hydroponic farm situated on a lot once belonging to an abandoned galvanized steel plant, visitors are greeted by beds of organic soil blooming with vegetables that are sold for nominal fees to neighbors, nonprofits, and nearby restaurants. Similarly, at Seattle's P-Patch network of community gardens, 7 to 10 tons of produce is harvested each year for local food banks, and more than 23 acres of land serves up affordable food to low-income and immigrant populations.

And at Backdoor Harvest, an urban agricultural organization in St. Louis, novice and longtime tillers are busy planting "recession gardens," private plots that supply individuals and families with well-rounded ingredients for meals that save substantially on grocery bills. Founder Marsha Giambalvo helps members design their own sustainable gardens depending on the sorts of meals they plan to prepare using fruits, vegetables and even herbs. Backdoor Harvest also sells fresh, organic crops to local farmer's markets and eateries at lower cost than most supermarkets. She's encouraging neighbors to adopt and prune trees that may already grow wild in neighborhoods, and to plant trees for harvesting apples, oranges, lemons, and other fruits.

In Detroit, a hot bed for reforestation initiatives thanks to The Greening of Detroit, a nonprofit dedicated to streetscaping, Earthworks Urban Farm provides low-cost produce at volunteer-run markets. Bordering an old railroad track in a residential neighborhood, the farm also supplies food to its parent organization, Capuchin Soup Kitchen, which has witnessed a boom among families who can no longer afford to provide meals for their children.

These farms also fill the void of community improvement projects as funding is slashed by local governments. Added Value, a nonprofit in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, N.Y., has spent the past decade revitalizing local parks and transforming vacant land into green space. An army of volunteers now harvests food on its 2.75 acres, once the site of a dilapidated playground. Funds for many of the projects come from the farms themselves. As community members buy and sell produce, money is filtered back into that same community.

"Urban farms carry the message of food self-sufficiency and healthy living," says Katherine Kelly, executive director of the K.C. Center for Urban Agriculture in Kansas City, Kans. "What the recession has done is remind us how costly food can be."

Not all gardens grow out of formally structured organizations. Three years ago, Bruce Dweller and several neighbors turned a tar beach in Chicago's Wicker Park into a lush garden that he blogs about on Greenroofgrowers.blogspot.com. This wave of "guerrilla gardening," or taking over space for greening's sake, is becoming another way city folks are rescuing unused, and often unattractive space (legally and otherwise) to grow food and flora. As the recession slows construction and leaves vacant lots empty where perhaps a condo would have stood before the real-estate slump, this radical form of gardening stakes its claim anywhere a plant or tree can take root.

Gardening may be a subtle form of control as people face dwindling 401(k)s and shaky employment prospects. "These are often symbolic actions," says Erik Knutzen, co-author of The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Process, 2008). "It leads to a sense of empowerment," he says. Finding new ways of sustaining basic needs (in this case, food security) and creating social opportunities (growing, buying and selling produce with neighbors) inspire people to take charge of their communities.

"There's nothing like picking a tomato and bringing it to the table," says Knutzen, who attributes urban agriculture to saving money and inspiring better health and community habits overall. "And this leads to other improvements," he says, "like caring more about our neighborhoods and bringing about more positive change right where we live."

Find this article at http://www.newsweek.com/id/208702

This Week's Farmers' Markets

Markets in Philadelphia unless noted otherwise.

Rittenhouse Farmers' Market
Walnut Street (south sidewalk), west of 18th St.
Tueday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

University Square Farmers' Market
36th at Walnut St.
Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Girard & 27th Farm Stand Market
Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Fountain Farmers' Market
East Passyunk Ave., at 11th St. and Tasker St.
Wednesday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

East Lancaster
Historic Eastern Market
308 East King Street
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

City Hall Farmers' Market
Philadelphia City Hall
Wednesday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Broad & South Farmers' Market
Broad and South streets
Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Cliveden Park
Chew Avenue and Johnson Street
Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Temple University Farmers' Market
Cecil B. Moore Avenue between Broad Street and Park Walk
Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Weavers Way Farmers' Market
Carpenter Lane and Greene Street in front of High Point Cafe
Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Jefferson Farmers' Market
On Chestnut Street east of 10th Street.
Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Norristown
Swede and Main streets
Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oxford Circle
Oxford and Summerdale avenues
Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Clark Park Farmers' Market
43rd Street and Baltimore Avenue
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Fairmount Farmers' Market
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue
Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Schuylkill River Park Farmers' Market
25th and Spruce streets
Wednesday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Palmer Park Farmers' Market
Frankford Avenue and East Palmer Street
Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Germantown Farmers' Market
Germantown Avenue and Walnut Lane
Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Roxborough Farmers' Market
Ridge Avenue at entrance to Leverington Avenue parking lot.
Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Overbrook Farms Farmers' Market
63rd Street between Sherwood Road
and Overbrook Avenue
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

East Falls Farmers' Market
Midvale Avenue near Ridge Avenue.
Friday 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Fitler Square Farmers' Market
23rd and Pine streets
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Phoenixville Farmers' Market
Bridge Street and Taylor Alley
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wrightstown Farmers' Market
2203 2nd Street Pike (Rt. 232)
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Glenside Farmers' Market
Easton Rd. and Glenside Ave
Glenside, Pennsylvania
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Chestnut Hill Growers Market
Winston Road between Germantown Avenue
and Mermaid Lane.
Saturday, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

Conshohocken
Fayette and West Hector streets
Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Bryn Mawr Farmers' Market
Municipal Lot 7 on Lancaster Ave.
Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm

Catasauqua
Pine Street between Front and Railroad streets
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Manayunk Farmers' Market
Canal View Park on Main St., near Gay St.
Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm

Lansdowne Farmers' Market
Lansdowne Avenue Parking Lot
between Baltimore Pike and Stewart Avenue
Saturday, 9 a.m to 1 p.m.

Collingswood Farmers' Market
Between Collings Ave and Irving Ave.
Collingswood, New Jersey
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Headhouse Farmers' Market
2nd and Lombard streets
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

North Hills-Oreland Farmers' Market
110 Pennsylvania Avenue near Twining Road
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Swarthmore Farmers' Market
In front of the Swarthmore Co-op
Saturday, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

Lansdale
Railroad Plaza
Main and Green streets
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

West Reading
500 block of Penn Avenue
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

We Are The Link Photo!!!!

One of the Philly Food Feed's photos from Headhouse Farmers' Market this past Sunday has made the Huffington Post's Farmers' Market Photos for the week. In fact, we are on the Green main page as the link photo to the article!!! This photo was of the Blooming Glen Farm's stand and the beautiful bounty they offer. Go Blooming Glen! Go Headhouse Farmers' Market and
GO PHILLY FOOD FEED!!!

CHECK IT OUT!!!

Wow, What a Weekend!!!

Wow, what a weekend for the Philly Food Feed! Sarah, Ben, and Ethan put some miles on the car (hyper-miles of course) visiting local food hot spots over this past weekend and now it’s time to share our experiences. Our pockets are lighter, our pantry and stomachs are full, and our hearts are overflowing with satisfaction. Not only did we make our usual stop at the Headhouse Farmers’ Market, we made two other local food related visits as well. And when we eventually did get to the Headhouse, we were joined by a cadre of newly indoctrinated local food enthusiasts. At this point you must be bursting with anticipation like a Hammonton, New Jersey Blueberry bursting with flavor. Corny? Yes, but as the mushroom says, I am a fungi! If you have made it this far, there is no reason not to read on.
We here at the Philly Food Feed have been trying to expand our horizons. We wanted to start to branch out of the Philadelphia area and see what other parts of the Delaware Valley has to offer, so on Saturday morning after breakfast, we drove out to the Swarthmore Farmers’ Market in, you guessed it, Swarthmore Pennsylvania. Incidentally, this was not on a whim. I have been checking out the Pennsylvania Buy Fresh Buy Local web site, entering in my zip code and finding all sorts of local food sites in my area. I have found this site vital in my locavorian pursuits (locavorian – not yet in Webster’s but we can get it in their folks). Take the time and check it out, you might be surprised to find a farmers’ market or natural food store or co-op right in your back yard.
So off to Swarthmore we drove. When we arrived we found a quaint market with a cornucopia of locally grown and artisanal foods.
Vendors we encountered included Pappardelle’s, provider of artisanal pasta. It turns out they have over 100 flavors of pasta ranging from Basil Garlic Fettuccine to Lime Cilantro Linguine. We had just been to Wegman’s and bought our allotted pasta for the week but next time we go back (probably next week), we will definitely be adding some of these intriguingly flavored pastas to our coffers. Among other vendors were Davidson’s Exotic Mushrooms, Beechwood Orchards (whom we recognize from the Headhouse), Sioux City Soaps, and of particular note, Big Sky Bread. I say of particular note because as I am writing this, I am chowing down on one of the chocolate chip cookies we purchased from this awesome find. When I tell you this cookie is obscene, I don’t do them justice. These are “last meal” type cookies. And here are the ingredients – Organic Whole Wheat, rolled oats, brown sugar, butter, egg, molasses, baking powder and salt. That’s it. Sounds like something Grand Mama used to make right? Tastes like it too. It’s like I can taste every individual ingredient as I am eating it. Rather than just eating a cookie, it’s more of an experience in your mouth, like the ingredients are dancing in a tango of taste on your tongue. You like that description? My wife did too.
Big Sky is out of Wilmington Delaware, but you can find their products from West Chester to Newark to Kennett Square. Besides the cookies, we also bought a Mutlti-Grain bread which is delicious AND healthy. And the best part (especially for all you Omnivore’s Dilemma and Food Inc. people) NO PROCESSED SUGAR! NO CORN SYRUP!!! Needless to say, I am thrilled. All of this great food AND really friendly people to boot.
I spoke with the owner, Mr. Patrick O’Neil. An amiable gentleman if there ever was one; he took the time to seek out and introduce me to Mr. Marty Spiegel, the coordinator of the market. Marty was intrigued by the Philly Food Feed and wanted us to spread the word about the market which we are happily obliging. This is certainly not the last trip we will be making to this market. Did I mention another reason to visit? The market is directly across from the Swarthmore Co-op.
While the co-op is community owned, anybody can shop there. It has been around since 1937 and was awarded as The Best of Philly in 2006. With those credentials it’s no wonder that the food there we saw all looked fresh and delectable. There were all sorts of locally grown produce and meats and fish that ran the gambit from conventional to organic to all natural. A little something for everybody. There was also a very nice woman doing a demonstration for Zukay salad dressing. All natural, no added sugars or hidden corn. We sampled a plethora of different flavors and the Philly Food Feed recommends you give these dressings a try.
So that was Saturday - a fantastic day in Swarthmore. There is no doubt that we will be returning to this market and the co-op very soon. Now, a deep breath and on to Sunday!
As is our custom, Sarah, Ethan, and I usually find ourselves at the Headhouse Farmers’ Market on Sunday mornings and this past Sunday was no exception. However, we were not alone. Joining us on our weekly visit was Philly Food Feed Alum Susan Anderson and her husband Henry and their children, my sister-in-law Emily and her husband Stu, and our new friends Dana and John and their daughter. What a crew! I have been singing the praises of the Headhouse for so long, our friends and family wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And from what they are telling me, nobody was disappointed!
As always, we started at Blooming Glen Farm. Last time I was here I bought some Walla Walla Onions that were so sweet and good, they had to make a return engagement to our pantry.


That picture makes you want to go vegan doesn’t it? We also bought lettuce, squash(for baby Ethan), and heirloom tomatoes. When the food looks like that, it makes you want to buy the whole stand!
I also made sure we all stopped and said hello to Ben Wenk at the Three Springs Fruit Farm stand. There our clan picked up conventional peaches, white peaches, and white nectarines. I peeled and cut up one of those white nectarines for my oatmeal this morning and it was like eating candy. And since Three Fruit Farms grows the IPM way, you can feel good knowing that what you are eating is of the sustainable variety. There is something about that, you know? Eating something that is so delicious and knowing it wasn’t inundated with chemicals and that somebody really took the time to grow this so it can be healthy for you and your family. I cut up one of those peaches for baby Ethan’s breakfast this morning. Thanks Ben Wenk! And thanks to all of the other local vendors that make healthy eating possible.
The market has a different look to it, the past couple of weeks. In order to make more room, some of the vendors have moved their stands to the outside of the shambles. Considering the throngs of people that have been swarming to the market, it makes getting around a lot easier. Especially with a baby carriage, which in our party there were three. Thanks to the Food Trust and the Headhouse vendors for making access to the food all the more easier for us conscious eaters!
Before I end this long post, I wanted to mention that the Huffington Post, every liberal’s favorite blog, has been showcasing farmers’ markets all over the country recently and has asked those who frequent these markets to send in pictures of their favorites. With camera in hand, I was shooting candids all over the market on Saturday. Hopefully one will make it and give the Headhouse and the Food Trust all the publicity they deserve. On another note, LocalHarvest.org, the ultimate guide to all things sustainable, is running a contest in conjunction with Care2.com to find America’s favorite farmers’ market. The market with the most votes gets a $5000 prize! We at the Philly Food Feed can’t be partial, but we are posting a link on our page so you can show support for your favorite market. Who knows, with your help, your favorite market could walk away with five grand. That can buy a lot of peaches!

Potato Salad From the Roadside

I wanted to share a recipe for potato salad that I made on Sunday. The potatoes were purchased from Farmer John's, a roadside stand in Aston, Pennsylvania (3358 Market St Aston, Pennsylvania 19014-3428 610-485-9100). I spoke to Farmer John himself and he informed me that his potatoes were purchased from a wholesaler that does business with local family farms in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. That's all I needed to hear. Three pounds of robust red potatoes later, I was making my first potato salad -

2 pounds (about 6 medium) red potatoes
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups of minced celery
1 cup chopped sweet onion
1/3 cup of cider vinegar
1/2 cup mayo
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/2 cup diced sweet pickle with some juice
2 tablespoons of prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon of salt (for the potatoes)
salt and pepper to taste

cub potatoes and cut in 1-inch cubes. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and boil potatoes until tender (but not too much, you don't want it to be mushy). Drain and let cool. Combine potatoes with all of the other ingredients. Mix. Cover and chill for at least an hour.

And there you have it. Incidentally, the eggs I used were from grass-fed chickens, the onions were purchased from a local farmer. Just mentioning it, is all. :)If any of you try this recipe, let us know! Happy eating!

I Love Being a Locavore!!!

On Sunday, Sarah, Ethan, and I once again made our way to the Headhouse Farmer’s Market on 2nd and Lombard in Philly. While I know I should be spreading the wealth and visiting different spots, something about Headhouse draws us back.
Perhaps it’s the cornucopia of vendors and choices. I always start at Blooming Glen Farm. Besides the fact that they are the first vendor on the right, they always have a huge selection of fruit that looks like it should be on the cover of Local Food Monthly. If only there was such a periodical! Maybe if this blog takes off…I digress. Blooming Glen supplied me with a couple of huge heirloom tomatoes which ended up on the grill later that evening. A little olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and a little basil – roasted on the barbeque. They were very tasty but I could have cooked them a bit longer. Good thing I will be buying more next week!
We also visited Ben Wenk and the gals at Three Springs Fruit Farm out of Aspers, Pennsylvania. These folks use IPM to control their pests which is great for you AND the environment. See, helping ourselves and the environment doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive! Ok, off of the soapbox…At Three Springs, I was introduced to the Italian Cucumber Melon which, if I would have been smart enough to bring my camera, you would be seeing here. They were a bit smaller in length than a regular cucumber but were fleshier and definitely sweeter. I know this because they adorned that night’s dinner salad as well as the rest of the vegetables from the day’s bounty. Before we departed from Three Springs we picked up yellow peaches as well. The family has been eating those all week. They are especially good peeled in oatmeal, believe it or not. We also blended a couple up for Ethan – they make terrific baby food!
When visiting Headhouse, we always make an obligatory stop at Natural Meadows Farms out of Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania. We picked up four pounds of pastured, ground meat which always makes the best burgers (sorry to my vegetarian friends). We made the first two pounds last night for my in-laws and after eating it, my mother-in-law said something that, as a burgeoning locavore, almost brought tears to my eyes – the taste was familiar to her and after trying to place it she said – “This is how food used to taste”. What a response!!! It validates everything I have been trying to do in regards to integrating local food into my family’s lives. It’s not just lip service! There is a difference between the Industrial Feedlot and the clover filled meadow! AWESOME!!!
Well, I think that is enough exclamation points for one post. Please, if you are visiting farmers’ markets, let us at The Philly Food Feed know. We want to hear all about your experiences. And if you haven’t yet, C’mon already. What are you waiting for?

This Week's Farmers' Markets

Markets in Philadelphia unless noted otherwise.

University Square Farmers' Market
36th at Walnut St.
Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Girard & 27th Farm Stand Market
Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Fountain Farmers' Market
East Passyunk Ave., at 11th St. and Tasker St.
Wednesday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

East Lancaster
Historic Eastern Market
308 East King Street
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

City Hall Farmers' Market
Philadelphia City Hall
Wednesday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Broad & South Farmers' Market
Broad and South streets
Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Cliveden Park
Chew Avenue and Johnson Street
Wednesday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Temple University Farmers' Market
Cecil B. Moore Avenue between Broad Street and Park Walk
Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Weavers Way Farmers' Market
Carpenter Lane and Greene Street in front of High Point Cafe
Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Jefferson Farmers' Market
On Chestnut Street east of 10th Street.
Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Norristown
Swede and Main streets
Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Oxford Circle
Oxford and Summerdale avenues
Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Clark Park Farmers' Market
43rd Street and Baltimore Avenue
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Fairmount Farmers' Market
22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue
Thursday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Schuylkill River Park Farmers' Market
25th and Spruce streets
Wednesday, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Palmer Park Farmers' Market
Frankford Avenue and East Palmer Street
Thursday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Germantown Farmers' Market
Germantown Avenue and Walnut Lane
Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Roxborough Farmers' Market
Ridge Avenue at entrance to Leverington Avenue parking lot.
Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Overbrook Farms Farmers' Market
63rd Street between Sherwood Road
and Overbrook Avenue
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

East Falls Farmers' Market
Midvale Avenue near Ridge Avenue.
Friday 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Fitler Square Farmers' Market
23rd and Pine streets
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Phoenixville Farmers' Market
Bridge Street and Taylor Alley
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wrightstown Farmers' Market
2203 2nd Street Pike (Rt. 232)
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Glenside Farmers' Market
Easton Rd. and Glenside Ave
Glenside, Pennsylvania
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Chestnut Hill Growers Market
Winston Road between Germantown Avenue
and Mermaid Lane.
Saturday, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

Conshohocken
Fayette and West Hector streets
Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Bryn Mawr Farmers' Market
Municipal Lot 7 on Lancaster Ave.
Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm

Catasauqua
Pine Street between Front and Railroad streets
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Manayunk Farmers' Market
Canal View Park on Main St., near Gay St.
Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm

Lansdowne Farmers' Market
Lansdowne Avenue Parking Lot
between Baltimore Pike and Stewart Avenue
Saturday, 9 a.m to 1 p.m.

Headhouse Farmers' Market
2nd and Lombard streets
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

North Hills-Oreland Farmers' Market
110 Pennsylvania Avenue near Twining Road
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Swarthmore Farmers' Market - now open!
In front of the Swarthmore Co-op
Saturday, 9:30 am to 1:30 pm

Lansdale
Railroad Plaza
Main and Green streets
Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

West Reading
500 block of Penn Avenue
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

King of the Hill - More Good Food - More People

So I'm watching a rerun of King of the Hill tonight and it was all about Hank's pursuit of a better tasting steak. He eventually finds himself at the local Co-op! It's a great episode that includes a trip to the local pastured beef farm and a guy named Appleseed. Check it out for a good laugh and some food for thought concerning the dangers of Industrial Organic!