Farmers in Frankford

Tuesday marked the first ever farmers' market at the Frankford Transportation Center (Bridge and Pratt to you Northeasters). This is a great moment for those in Northeast Philadelphia who are underserved as far as producer only farmers' markets are concerned. Some local press was there to cover the event - check out some of the pictures posted by the Frankford Gazette!

The market runs from 2pm to 6pm every Wednesday through October. You can pick up locally grown produce on your way home from work. Love it!

The Return of the Peach

The other day I was driving to work after skipping breakfast. Because I am what I and my family affectionately refers to as a “Diabeto”, it was necessary for me to eat on the road. I grabbed a peach purchased at Margerum’s Herbs at Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore Ave.) and was on my way. I feel the need to mention that I was wearing a newly purchased dress shirt. As I hit 95, I fished into my lunch bag and pulled out the aforementioned peach and proceeded to take a bite.

This peach was so damn juicy that by the time I arrived at work, my new shirt was peached and my hands were sticky and my face was sticky and it was dumb to skip breakfast at home. Peach was good though, really good.

Equally as good was the peach I sampled at the Oxford Valley Farmers’ Market (900 E. Howell St.) last Thursday from Eden Farms farmer Joe Christophel.  I was privy to the first peach of the market and it was like biting into a pitted piece of Heaven. I made sure I told any customer I saw and probably sold a few peaches myself that way.

The Headhouse Farmers' Market (2nd and Lombard St.) is not immune to peach fever. I made sure to stop by and see my old friend Ben Wenk at Three Springs Fruit Farm.  After biting into the first one of the many yellow peaches I brought home, I remembered why I frequent his stand throughout the summer. When the doughnut peaches come, I camp out like they are Dylan tickets. Nobody camps out for tickets anymore, but you get the point.

So I guess the point here is that peaches are everywhere. And for those on a health kick, peaches are a great source of Vitamin C. Taste good and good for you. Peachy!

Grilling For a Cause

This past Saturday I was honored to participate in the Acme Family Day at the Stockman and Dakota Coral as a celebrity griller. That is not a typo – I am now officially a celebrity.  And if that doesn’t move you, I will go even further to say that I won the grilling showdown and my charity, The Food Trust, received a $5000.00  donation as a result.  While all of this is awesome news, my wife is now in the market for a contractor to widen our doorways due to my increased head size. Remember that scene in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” when the Grinch’s heart grew really big really fast? Imagine my already big bald head instead of the Grinch’s tiny heart and you’ll get the picture.

Though the competition was stiff – Lori Wilson , anchor at NBC 10 and Shannon Shaffer, blogger at fortheMommas.com, ultimately I prevailed. I think the tide might have been turned by my vote glomming and baby kissing (literally, I had my sister-in-law bring my 2 ½ year old son so I could be kissing babies).  He had fun too! The “Coral” was actually the parking lot of the Acme off of Red Lion Road in the Great Northeast, converted to the Wild West with bales of hay and cowboys. Yee Haw!

It was a great day for this celebrity blogger and even a greater day for the Food Trust. Thanks to Acme for making it all possible! 

7th Annual Good Food, Good Beer Celebration

This upcoming Saturday will find the Headhouse Shambles awash with Foodies. Farm to City and Slow Food Philadelphia are joining forces again to bring the Good Food, Good Beer and the Rest is History Celebration to the city. This year’s participants include:

• Countrytime Farms
• Feast Your Eyes Catering
• Healthy Bites
• The Restaurant School
• BT Baking
• Philly Compost
• Earth Bread and Brewery
• Philadelphia Brewing Co.
• Stoudts’ Brewing Co.
• Victory Brewing Co.
• My House Cookies
• Eco Products

You can get tickets at http://www.slowfoodphilly.org/events/gfgb-2011/. Last year was a blast and there is no reason to believe this year will be any different. Ticket proceeds will benefit Farm to City and Slow Food Philadelphia to further their efforts for a more sustainable Philadelphia. Good food, good company and a sustainable city. Who could ask for more?

Philly Area Farmers' Markets - July 4th to July 10th

Tuesday

West Oak Lane
Ogantz Ave. at 72nd Ave.
Hours: 2pm - 6pm

Strawberry Mansion 

Hours: 2pm - 6pm

North 33rd Street at Diamond.

Rittenhouse Farmers' Market

Hours: 10am to 1pm

Walnut Street (South Sidewalk) and 18th

South and Passyunk Farmers' Market

Hours: 2:30pm to 7pm

On Passyunk Ave, off South Street just east of 5th

Mt. Airy Farmers' Market

Hours: 3pm to 7 pm

William Allen Plaze of Lutheran Theological Seminary, on the 7200 block of Germantown Ave.

Walnut Hill Farm Stand 

Hours: 3pm to 6pm

4610 Market Street, adjacent to SEPTA 46th Street location.

Grays Ferry

Hours: 2pm to 6pm

29th Street at Wharton Street.

Broad and Ritner 

Hours: 2pm to 7pm

Broad Street at Ritner Street.

Point Breeze 

Hours: 2pm to 6pm

22nd Street at Tasker Street.

Wednesday

Haddington Wednesday (Opening Day!)
Hours: 1pm to 5pm
52nd Street an Haverford Ave.

Cliveden Park
Hours: 2pm to 6pm
Chew Ave. at Johnson Street

Village of Arts and Humanities 

Hours: 2pm to 6pm

10th Street and Germantown Aves. 

Broad and South

Hours: 2pm to 7pm

Broad and South Streets.

Schuylkill River Park

Hours: 3pm to 7pm

25th Street at Spruce.

University Square Farmers' Market

Hours: 10am to 3pm

36th Street at Walnut.

Fountain Farmers' Market

Hours: 3pm to 7pm

East Passyunk Ave. at 11th and Tasker Street.

Oakmont Farmers' Market (Havertown)

Hours: 3pm to 7pm

Oakmont Municipal Parking Lot, Darby Road just west of Eagle Road

Thursday

Fairmount Farmers' Market

Hours: 3pm to 7pm

22nd Street at Fairmount Ave.

Cecil B. Moore

Hours: 2pm to 6pm

Cecil B. Moore Ave. at Broad Street.

Clark Park

Hours: 3pm to 7pm

43rd Street at Baltimore Ave.

Oxford Circle Farmers' Market 

Hours: 2pm to 6 pm

900 E. Howell Street. at the Oxford Circle Mennonite Church

Palmer Park 

Hours: 2pm to 6pm

Frankford Ave. at East Palmer Street.

Norris Square Farmers' Market 

Hours: 1pm to 5pm

West Susquehanna Ave. at Howard Street.

Suburban Station Farmers' Market

Hours: Noon to 6:30pm

16th Street Concourse between Market Street. and JFK

Jefferson Farmers' Market

Hours: 11am to 3:30pm

Chestnut Street, East of 10th Street.

Bala Cynwyd Farmers' Market

Hours: 3pm to 7pm

GSB Building on Parking Lot, on Belmont Ave, near St. Asaph's Road.

Media Farmers' Market

Hours: 3pm to 7pm

State Street. between Monroe and Gayley Street.

Friday

Haddington Friday (Opening Day!)
Hours: 1pm to 5pm
52nd Street an Haverford Ave.

East Falls Farmers Market

Hours: 3pm to 7pm

Midvale Ave near Ridge Ave.

Walnut Hill Farm Stand

Hours: 3pm to 6pm

4610 Market Street, adjacent to the SEPTA 46th. Street El Station.

Germantown Farmers' Market

Hours: 2pm to 6pm

Germantown Ave and Walnut Lane.

Saturday

Clark Park

Hours: 10am to 2pm

43rd Street at Baltimore Ave.

Fitler Square

Hours: 9am to 2pm

22nd Street at Pine Street

Overbrook Farms

Hours: 9am to 1pm

Lancaster Ave at City Ave.

Hunting Park Farmers' Market

Hours: 10am to 2pm

West Hunting Park Ave at Old York Road

Rittenhouse Farmers' Market

Hours: 9:30am to 3pm

Walnut Street (South Sidewalk) and 18th

Chestnut Hill Growers Market 

Hours: 9:30am to 1:30pm

Winston Road between Germantown Ave. and Mermaid Lane

Girard and 27th Farm Stand

Hours: 10am to 1pm

NW corner of 27th Street at Girard Ave. 

Bryn Mawr Farmers' Market

Hours: 9am to 1pm

Municipal Lot 7 on Lancaster Ave., in front of the Bryn Mawr Train Station 

Swarthmore Farmers' Market

Hours: 9:30am to 1:30pm

In Municipal Building Parking Lot across from the Swarthmore Co-op

Lansdowne Farmers' Market

Hours: 9am to 1pm

26 North Lansdowne Ave, Lansdowne, PA.

Sunday

Dickinson Square Farmers' Market

Hours: 10am to 2pm

Southeast Corner of Dickinson Square, on Moyamensing near Morris Street. 

Headhouse Farmers' Market

Hours: 10am to 2pm

2nd Street at Lombard Street.