As you can probably tell by the lack of posts, the winter was boring and without much local fare to speak of. I guess I can't say it was boring. Plenty of things have happened to me over the winter, and I will insert them into posts as they become relevant. I know you will be waiting with baited breath and rightly so. For instance, take that picture up there, the radishes...the total access I have to them or some just like them can now only be described as unfettered. Five to seven days a week unfettered. So if you are into stuff like that, then I had a really good winter.
Enough about winter though, it's May and this past weekend the Feed stopped by two of Philadelphia's premiere farmers' markets to bask in the glory of all things local. On Saturday we visited the Chestnut Hill Growers' Market and on Sunday we made it out to the Headhouse Farmers' Market, the crown jewel of the Philly farmers' market scene. At both spots we saw more than a couple of old friends, met some new ones and came away with some of the freshest local bounty you can buy in Philadelphia. We also came away full which, lets face it, is pretty much the point.
The aforementioned radishes are only some of the offerings we found at Chestnut Hill. They came courtesy of Taproot Farm out of Berks County, Pennsylvania. The fragrance which wafted from their farm stand as you passed by drew you in (I think the heirloom tomato plants were the culprit), and the vestiges of their vegetables kept you at bay while you decided how much of your current and future earnings you are going to deposit here. Makes me happy I have two jobs but a little unhappy that I don't have any more room in the raised bed for those heirloom tomato plants.
Taproot wasn't the only farm flexing farmer muscle. This army below marched in from the Rineer Family Farm which " is nestled in the rolling hills of southern Lancaster County along the banks of the Pequea Creek" (from their site). What a description...picturesque, really. You can almost hear the birds chirping, and see the creek cascading through the valley as you wolf down half the quart in the car on the way home.
Remember when I said we came away full? This market also comes equipped with a food truck that if you have not heard about yet, you will. Well, of course you will because I'm going to write about it now but even if I wasn't, you would be hearing about them anyway. With burgers like what I had on Saturday, Lucky Old Souls will be on the tip of everyone's tongue from Mt. Airy to Society Hill (of course this is in part because they were at Headhouse this Sunday, but that doesn't detract from the food).
Everything at
Lucky Old Souls is housemade. Everything. The burgers? Of course, housemade. The bacon? Housemade. The ketchup? The mayo? Their L.O.S. sauce? Housemade. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a rubber tree in their back yard which they harvest for their truck tires. The ingredients are pretty much all local and the ground meat is grass-fed (from Rineer Farm - keeping it in the market - BOOYAH!). I got a burger with habenero cheese, fried onions and ketchup. The taste of yum still lingers and the only problem was I needed about three more. Glad I'm coming next week.
There is much more to talk about regarding this market and I could go on, but there is a 100% guarantee that I will be returning and it's a long season. Trust me, everyone here will get their due and rightfully so. This is a great market.
Speaking of great markets, Sunday was kick-off day for the Headhouse and I needed to say hello to my friends from the Food Trust and farmers I have been frequenting for over three years now. Market manager Katy Wich was happy with the opening but thought that the crowd could have been a bit better. Considering that many of the healthy patrons who would normally frequent the market were running down Broad Street on Sunday, a smaller than expected crowd can be tolerated. However, those who didn't show up missed some beautiful beautiful food. Rather than bastardize the bounty with words, here is a small photo expose':
So there you have it. We are looking forward to an exciting season and hope you plan to enjoy it with us here at the Feed. If you have any suggestions for places to visit or recipes or anything at all, leave us a comment or shoot us an e-mail. See you at the market
