Bloggers' Bites: Clark Park Farmers' Market

Bloggers' Bites is a series of posts chronicling the foodie adventures of Penn Appétit's blog staff. On Saturday, September 15, Penn Appétit bloggers explored the nearby Clark Park Farmers' Market at Clark Park (43rd and Baltimore).

Elvina Yau: I’ve heard plenty of hype about the Clark Park Farmers' Market before coming to Penn, so when the opportunity to check it out finally arose, I felt compelled to go! As an avid foodie and lover of fresh and organic items, visiting the farmers' market was nothing short of divine. I snapped photos like a madwoman and was enraptured by the plump fruits, the twisty hot peppers, the vivid floral arrangements, and the decadent chocolates. It was a lovely experience to drink in the sights of the array of comestibles, meet the vendors, and learn more about how they make the transfer of their goods from farm to table. I ultimately ended up making a sole purchase: a jar of scrumptious apple butter. Upon the insistence of the seller himself, I grabbed a spoon and ate straight out of the container. Tasting the concentrated flavor and natural sweetness of the apples was definitely life-changing. I can say for sure that I’ll be a chronic visitor to Clark Park on Saturdays!

Nicole Woon: The heady perfume of freshly-picked flowers wafts through the air. Rosy sun-kissed apples—including Honeycrisp, my favorite variety—spill out of wooden crates. Spacious straw baskets hold various breeds of voluptuous mushrooms. Long queues trail from food trucks and carts lined up along Chester Avenue. This is the Clark Park Farmers' Market in its prime, which just happens to be every Saturday throughout the year. The local market is the perfect location to stock up on farm-fresh produce and just-made baked goods. On this visit, I dove into a plump loaf of cheddar cheese bread accented with hints of cayenne from Lancaster-based Slow Rise Bakery. While the bread could have used the addition of more cheddar, it still had a delectable crumb and soft interior. I also sampled Slow Rise's satisfyingly-crunchy pretzels and became an instant fan; these will surely be on my shopping list next time around. Slow Rise offers a whole host of organic baked delicacies, from classic seven grain loaves to sourdough banana bread, brownies to dog biscuits. Be sure to give them a try next time you swing by the farmers' market.

Chacha Wang: Today was the first outing of the Penn Appétit bloggers and what a start! We headed to the University City District Clark Park Farmers' Market, definitely one of the hidden gems of West Philly. Just a short stroll of ~15 min away from campus, the market boasts over a dozen vendors and is one of the largest in the city. Starting at the front were mouthwatering bakery booths that showcased everything from cookies and pies to freshly baked bread. It was really difficult to contain myself from wanting to linger by those tables forever, so I had to quickly devour the goodies with my eyes and move on. Then came booths filled with fresh, crisp organic vegetables and fruit that looked so good, they were almost as irresistible as the buttery baked goods. Eden Garden Farm is heaven for apple lovers: there's apple cider, fresh apples, apple butter (which is especially good! I was bombarded with compliments about it from random shoppers), you name it. Other miscellaneous goodness included Little Baby's ice cream, organic meat, drool-worthy food trucks, and a very unique chocolate booth called John & Kira's. Personally I've never seen such intriguing and delicate-looking chocolates: there are at least 15 flavors like pistachio, lemongrass, honey, and fruit. What's even cooler is that the fruit chocolates actually look like miniature versions of the real fruit themselves. Check them out at John & Kira's website!

Laura Sluyter: Being the fruit fanatic I am, I've always been a fan of farmers' markets. While I was in California this summer, however, I fell in love. Thus, I was very excited that the first Penn Appetit outing of the summer was to the Clark Park Farmers' Market. The market was full of activity and had a good variety of fruit and vegetable stands as well as a couple bakeries, some food trucks, and a little ice cream stand. In no time, I had happily accumulated a couple vegetables, quite a few delicious fall apples and the last of the summer peaches (so sad to see them go). I was also tempted by a carrot loaf and a four seed cookie from the Special Rise Bakery. The bakery's focus on wholesome food was apparent in both treats. The cookie was just slightly sweet with a great chewy texture. Accented with a sprinkling of chocolate chips, it made a great midday snack. The bread was similarly delicious. Like the cookie, it was not too sweet with a fairly dense wholegrain texture.


Dylan Sun: There is something to be said for good frosting. But first, a little bit of semantics. Though there is an adage which refers to the “icing on the cake,” cakes are much more often slathered with frosting. Some maintain that the two are basically interchangeable, but I believe frosting is creamier on the tongue and more matte in appearance, generally with a higher proportion of (butter) fat to sugar. Regardless of the terminology, however, a good frosting is difficult to come by. Supermarket varieties certainly do not cut it for me; I always bear the brunt of a hundred disbelieving eyes when I scrape the stiflingly sweet varnish off my cake. Good buttercreams often elude me in the kitchen as well, chunks of unmixed butter marring what should be a perfectly smooth affair. Last weekend, however, I finally found my perfect frosting at the Farmer's Market at 41st and Baltimore. I was immediately drawn to the pastry tent. Being from only an hour and a half away in New Jersey, I've always associated this region with honest, uncluttered baked goods, worlds away from the manicured eats one might find at a high-end New York shop. I got exactly what I was searching for. For only a dollar, I nabbed a whoopie pie, created in what I hoped was fine Amish tradition. Chocolate cake and peanut butter icing. One bite was enough to convince me never to scrape the frosting off anything sold to me by anyone wearing a wide-brimmed hat. The cake was certainly stellar, but the frosting took center stage. It was smooth and rich, but definitely not too sweet. The texture was fluffy, but it was strong enough to stay unrefrigerated on the warm fall day. This is the frosting that everyone should be making. Perhaps I should forgo my electric mixer the next time I try my hand at frosting and simply wait for the butter to soften properly. I was relieved, frankly, that I had attained my frosting nirvana in such an unpretentious environment. Sitting on the grass in the warm sun, there was absolutely nothing stopping me from licking the last bit of frosting from the wrapper.

Alina Grabowski: If I had to make a list of my top five favorite things, farmers markets would claim one of the coveted spots (following desserts and campfires). So when I got the e-mail from Penn Appétit about heading to the Clark Park Farmers’ Market, there was no question about whether or not I would go. I was not disappointed. In comparison to my local farmer’s market, which takes place in the parking lot of our commuter rail station and features a handful of vendors, the Clark Park market was a sprawling oasis of locally sourced goods. Everything from glass jars of amber honey to neat rows of hand-drizzled truffles could be found tucked beneath the white tents. I was particularly fascinated by a table lined with crates of apples with familiar names, like Granny Smith and Gala, and unfamiliar ones, like Jonagold and Honeycrisp. I bought two Honeycrisps because of a recommendation by one of the blog editors and its marbled red-green skin. It would not be an overstatement to say that they were the most delicious apples I have ever eaten (and this is coming from a picky apple-eater who can spend hours browsing produce). The Honeycrisps had a satisfying crunch while also being remarkably juicy (I think I sprayed a fellow blogger with my enthusiastic chomps). I’ll be returning to the farmer’s market, and this time I’ll be sure to buy more than two Honeycrisps.

Farrel Levenson: After a few weeks of sourcing my food from dining halls and corporate conglomerates (i.e the “Fresh” Grocer), I found it easy to forget that food couldoccasionally be both fresh and natural. Processed and packaged were common themes in my diet. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that on a bright and sunny September day, I found myself utterly enchanted by the array of brightly colored stalls at the Clark Park Farmers’ Market. Real fresh fruits, homemade baked goods, and organic chocolate free samples welcomed me; the vendors could name the very town their goods came from. I was charmed by the Amish vendors in traditional garb- a shy young boy in conservative dress was quite the adorable salesman. The uniqueness of many of the goods intrigued me- goat milk caramel pudding and corn-and-blueberry bread aren’t your typical grocery store fare. Browsing through the market was an exciting and fun experience, except for when I had to choose which delectable goods I had to forgo.However, my enjoyment didn’t end when I left the market. A day later, a bite of a plump Honeycrisp apple and a sip of fresh apple cider brought me back to days of apple picking with my family. For a second, I was back outside among fallen golden-colored leaves, a brisk wind blowing through my hair, rather than inside my stuffy airless apartment. Even better was later that day, when I treated myself to Amish-made pecan-raisin sticky bun. Sugar-sweetness and warm dough mingled in my mouth while I marveled at the ability of people from such a foreign culture to bake such an incredible good from scratch, and the comforting aroma reminded me of dozens of bakery trips past. The nostalgic power of food never fails to astound me, and the Farmers’ Market fare was no exception.

Lauri Bonacorsi: I was so anxious to visit the Clark Park farmers market this past weekend as my first Penn Appetit outing, and my high hopes were certainly upheld. When we arrived, Roopa, Evie and I decided to survey of all the booths before making our purchases. It felt like the same routine when we eat at 1920 Commons, but of course the food and ambience are significantly less exciting in the dining halls:). After marveling over an impressive array of sweets, fresh fruits and veggies, spreads, and sandwiches, we finally made up our minds. For lunch, I tried "The Joy" sandwich from a food truck called "YumTown," consisting of beer braised pulled pork, BBQ sauce, sesame slaw, jalapenos, and aioli on a challah bun. It was my first food truck experience, and didn't disappoint! The pulled pork reminded me a bit of my dads special BBQ back at home (in my family's humble opinion, he is the best at barbecue), and the toasted challah bun was buttery and flaky... perfect. In addition to the sandwich, Roopa and I bought a some pumpkin butter and a couple loaves of fresh bread to take back home - zucchini and pumpkin! Pumpkin ranks high on my favorite food list, and anyone who knows me knows that I will eat it in just about anything. We tried the breads Sunday night during a spontaneous study "break," that really turned into the end of our studying for the evening. The bread was delicious and moist, and the pumpkin butter was light and sweet. Bring on the fall season!!

Katelyn Behrman: Host to crisp apples, luscious peaches, juicy tomatoes, and delicate desserts, the Clark Park Farmer’s Market springs to life each Thursday and Saturday. I delighted in walking up and down the park, peering at the food choices, and engaging in conversation with the farmers. Each stand offered delicious items—cheese, produce, desserts, or juice—all of which were fresh, and most of which were organic. I made a rather eclectic purchase--three apples, three peaches, a handful of green beans, one potato, a pint of apple cider, and a loaf of pumpkin bread. All of these items proved equally as delicious as the rest. The farmers’ pleasant attitudes added to my enjoyment—they explained the difference in apples, helped me pick out peaches, and even explained how to properly bake my potato! So, if you’re looking to leave the “Penn Bubble,” looking for edible produce, or looking for yummy bakery items, I hope that you spend your next Saturday morning strolling through the greenery of Clark Park.

Picnicking bloggers after a bountiful farmers' market trip!

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Farmer's Market Recipe: Oven Roasted Tomato and Garlic Linguine

There are many ways to identify the changing of the seasons. My favorite way to identify the time of year is through the variety of fresh produce available at the local farmer's market. To me, there is nothing that says the end of summer like the flavor of a juicy vine ripened tomato. The taste of the produce from our trip to the Clark Park Farmer's Market brought back memories from my earlier years; picking tomatoes from my garden and savoring the last tastes of summer. The Clark Park outing was my first trip to a farmer's market in Philadelphia, so naturally I was tempted to buy a little of everything. Unfortunately, I only possess two limbs capable of carrying grocery bags so I limited my purchases to one yellow sweet potato, two purple sweeet potatoes, four eggplants, one yellow tomato, one basket of red tomatoes, fresh basil, goat cheese...etc...you get the idea. My fingers are itching to cook up all of the delicious fresh ingredients but I'm a busy college student that likes to sleep. Today's post features fresh tomatoes, summer squash, and sweet basil. You can look forward to recipes with the other ingredients in my future posts.


These are the beautiful tomatoes and the fresh basil straight from the farmer's market. The yellow tomato was of the heirloom variety (meaning the plant was not hybridized through genetic cross breeding)and I couldn't help but to devour it raw as soon as I reached home. True to its reputation, the tomato was bursting with sweet tomatoey flavor that can't compare with its bland supermarket counterparts. Also, here is a trick I like to use to keep basil fresh. Cut off the stems diagonally about 1/4'' from the bottom and place in a glass fill with water. Like so:

The remaining tomatoes and basil are the feature of my recipe. I roast the tomatoes along with some summer squash and a whole head of garlic in the oven to carmelize and bring out their natural sweetness. After boiling linguine, I created a sauce from the roasted garlic, some butter, and pasta water. Finally, everything is tossed together with some savory parmesan cheese and finished with a generous sprinkling of basil. This dish was light yet comforting and really highlights the late summer season. There are a few things I would change to improve the dish. I felt that there wasn't enough of the delicious roasted tomatoes and squash in one serving of pasta so I would recommend doubling the amount of roasted vegetables for veggie lovers. Also, some cayenne pepper thrown in with the roasted garlic and butter mixture would add some nice heat. Anyway, without further adieu, here is the recipe: Oven Roasted Tomato and Garlic Linguine Serves 4-6


Ingredients:
About 2-3 lbs roma or large cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 medium summer squash, sliced
1/2'' thick horizontally
1/4c.+1tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 tsp. dried majoram 1/2 tsp. dried basil
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 head fresh garlic
2 tbsp butter
1 lb. dried linguine
1 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 c. loosely packed julienned fresh basil + more for garnish

Preparation: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking pan (or two smaller ones) with aluminum foil. Arrange tomato and squash in a single layer making sure the tomatoes' cut sides are up. Whisk together 1/4 c. olive oil and next three ingredients. Drizzle mixture evenly over the tomatoes and squash. Cut the top 1/4-1/2'' off the garlic, revealing the individual cloves. Reserve the top section for later use. Encase the bottom part in aluminum foil and drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Seal the aluminum foil. Place the baking sheet and wrapped garlic in the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Increase the temperature to 400 degrees and roast 15-20 minutes more, or until the vegetables are nice and carmelized. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions (make sure to generously salt the cooking water!) and drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Remove the garlic from the oven and turn off the oven. You can keep the veggies in the warm oven while you prepare the pasta. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze out the cloves and mince to a fine paste. Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add roasted garlic. Saute briefly. Add about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water, stir, and let simmer until it reduces about 1/3. Remove from heat. Add pasta, veggies, and toss. Continue tossing with parmesan cheese, adding more pasta water to loose, if neccesary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in fresh basil. Divide among plates and garnish with more basil. Enjoy!

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Greensgrow Farms' LIFE Program

Beginning on July 14, 2012, Greensgrow Farms will embark on its annual initiative, Local Initiative for Food Education (LIFE). LIFE aims to provide community members with better access to local fresh fruits and vegetables, nutritional education, and food preparation training. Participating families in the program receive a share of fresh vegetables and fruit each week at the farm (see right), which they pay for with SNAP benefits, and attend weekly cooking and nutrition classes to learn recipes and skills for preparing meals with the contents of that week’s farm share. In addition, as a participant, for every $5 spent using the ACCESS card, earn a $2 coupon in Philly Food Bucks towards purchasing more fruits and vegetables. Greensgrow’s LIFE Program provides a heavily discounted 100% local farm share exclusively for low-income families living in the city who use SNAP benefits, making LIFE a unique program in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia lacks access to fresh food despite the fact that it is one of the most prolific farming regions in the world. LIFE aims to break down barriers – financial, logistical, and educational – that contribute to the deteriorating health of our communities. The program is designed to increase participant’s household food security, their knowledge about local food and nutrition, and empower them to take charge of their health while supporting local farms and our local economy. To this end, Greensgrow has revamped elements of the program to make it more convenient and more rewarding than ever for LIFE participants.

Every Saturday starting on July 14 and ending September 29, farm share pickups (10-11:30 am) and classes (11:30 am-12:15 pm) (see left) will be held at Greensgrow Farms (2501 E. Cumberland St, Philadelphia, PA 19125). For more information, please email life@greensgrow.org, call at (267) 496-0148 (ask for Dee), or visit www.greensgrow.org/life.

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Summer Farmer's Markets

One of the absolute best things about summer has to be the revival of the local farmers market. While many areas have farmer’s markets year round, it is no exaggeration to say that the produce literally explodes in the summer. In my native Louisiana, the local growing seasons are often slightly different from other places in the country.  By June, strawberries have come and gone and blueberries have just started to emerge. But if there is anything that early June is good for, it’s the start of eggplants and the glory of tomatoes. Louisiana has some of the most delicious tomatoes in the form of “Creole tomatoes” which can only be grown in certain areas in the state. They are famous for the distinct shapes and meaty flavors. I’ll confess that I spend a good part of the year dreaming about what these real, summer tomatoes taste like and can hardly contain myself when the season rolls around.

On my recent visit to the Baton Rouge Red Stick farmer's market I also saw eggplants of all shapes and sizes. There were small ones, long ones, fat ones, tall ones. Eggplants come in all shades from deep purple to lavender to even white.  Louisiana also has other interesting produce, like the cushaw. The cushaw is a variety of squash native to Louisiana and best eaten sweet, cooked in sugar and butter. I had never seen one before but was excited when I found them in abundance at the market.  Farmer's markets provide the chance to find all kinds of these local treats, no matter which state you’re in.

Regardless of where you live and eat and cook, summer is the ultimate time to find and take advantage of local farmers markets.  If you’re in Philadelphia you’ll find that there is a farmer’s market almost every day of the week in the summer (see below). To find a farmer’s market anywhere in the nation look here.

Farmer’s Markets in Philadelphia:

Tuesdays: Rittenhouse Square, 10 am – 1 pm

Wednesdays: University Square (36^th and Walnut) 10 am – 3 pm

Thursdays: Clark Park, 3 pm – 7 pm 

Saturdays: Rittenhouse Square, 9 am- 3 pm, Clark Park 10am – 2 pm

Sundays: Headhouse Farmers Market (2^nd and Lombard) 10 am – 2 pm

--Post and photos by Leyla Mocan

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Philly Farm and Food Fest: Part II

Part II of our recap of Philly Farm and Food Fest. Check out Part I here.

After being directed to three different entrances to the Convention Center, I finally found my way to The Philly Farm and Food Festival. From its entrance, I was not disappointed, as I was greeted by representatives from food trusts, wild foodies, as well as free samples from Whole Foods and Chipotle. Interestingly, while the festival did focus on local and artisan producers, Whole Foods and Chipotle were not the only venders likely familiar to the average Philadelphian: CapoGiro, Metropolitan Bakery, John and Kira’s, and even Fresh Grocer had booths at the festival. Much of the festival featured booths dedicated to promoting CSAs and explaining the importance of local sourcing, and almost every food vender sourced both locally and organically.

As a regular at multiple farmers markets throughout the city, I recognized other stands as well, but I resisted my usuals in order to sample new foods. The array of items was wide: Golden Valley Farmers Coffee Roaster was present with a variety of organic roasts, sweets were abundant, cured meats were plentiful, and the aroma of not-stinky-but-luscious-smelling cheese was quite literally everywhere (mostly of the aged cheddars and feta variety). The festival even included some unusual additions, such as organic natural soaps and cleaning supplies, and a vendor dedicated to wild salmon.

Locavore-praised restaurants Nomad Pizza and Russet were both represented as well. Nomad Pizza gave out samples of “sandwiches” that were a huge hit: two thinly sliced roasted potatoes with fresh parmesan, eggplant, and basil in between, all topped with a house-made honey vinaigrette. Russet gave out samples of homemade vegan- and pork-stuffed mushrooms; neither disappointed.

Subarashii Kudamono Gourmet Asian Pears brought along with them an odd array of pear products: dried pears, pear honey, and a sweet and sticky pear spread. Tait Farm Foods had a unique line of spreads, including cranberry mustard, ginger peach chutney, and fig and olive relish. All of the spread flavors all come in what the representatives term “shrub,” which is a fruit liquid concentrate best used in mixed drinks and cooking.

By far, the most intriguing and unusual items at the festival were FreshaPeel Hummus’ flavors, which include garlic kale, horseradish, jalapeño lime, spicy black bean, lemon kale, tomato basil, and red bell pepper. As if those aren’t unique enough, they also make chocolate dessert and pumpkin dessert varieties; co-founder Deborah Mitchell tells me they are the only place in Pennsylvania to produce dessert hummuses (can’t say I am surprised!). While the combination of pumpkin and chickpeas may sound odd, the texture was pleasantly creamy and the flavor not too sweet (the pumpkin was certainly calmed by the neutral flavor of the chickpeas). FreshaPeel Hummus is sold at local Whole Foods stores, and it is definitely worth a try--if for no other reason than intrigue. Deborah gave me a special taste of the kalamata olive hummus, which is a new flavor to be released this summer.

The longest line at the festival was undoubtably for Little Baby’s Ice Cream. The flavors offered were intriguing: early grey siracha, cardamom caramel, bourbon bourbon vanilla, blue bottle coffee toffee, and peanut butter maple tarragon (I am told they have also offer have a variety of other interesting flavors not featured at the festival). As explained to me by co-owner product manager Martin Brown, all of Little Baby’s ice cream is considered super premium, meaning it contains 16% butter fat or more and is sourced from organic dairy in Franklin County. They currently have a scoop shop in Fishtown, PA, and their products are available in a variety of groceries; they even have carts throughout the city. Their story is even more fun, as the venture is less than a year old and began in a cycle cart; production could not keep up, and they soon expanded to the Fishtown scoop shop. After hearing all about the ice cream, I could not wait to try it. As per Martin’s recommendation, I opted for the cardamom caramel, which was the perfect mixture of sweet and creamy, and the oddity of flavoring ice cream with such a distinguished flavor as cardamom meant perfection.

If you’re looking to try some of these fun items yourselves, most of the venders are regulars at locavore Philadelphia markets. Many are present at farmers markets throughout the city, including Rittenhouse and Clark Park (both of which are near to campus). At least half of the producers sell their products at Reading Terminal Market, and a good number of them also ensured me they sell their products at local Whole Foods markets.

Before leaving, I was sure to stop to pick up some free locally grown apples and bananas; I also purchased some dark green and scrumptious-looking spinach. I declared the day a calorie free food adventure, in an effort to sample and enjoy as much as I possibly could. Needless to say, I left full and satisfied, and while I had declared it a calorie free fun day, I opted to walk back from the festival. After all, the festival felt like a preview of summer farmers markets to come, and there is no better way to end an outing at a summer farmers market than a walk in the sunshine (while burning off all that ice cream, too).

--Chelsea Goldinger

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Philly Farm and Food Fest

On Sunday April 1, I got the chance to visit the 2012 Philly Farm & Food Fest, which was attended by over 3,000 people. I talked to some amazing vendors who are truly committed to cultivating local food. From cheese to meat to produce to honey, the festival had it all and I’m only sorry that I didn’t get to try everything. The event made me feel confident that the local food movement in our area is more than just a trend and is indeed here to stay. Here’s a sample of some of the vendors who I got to chat with:

Zone 7 – Zone 7 works to fill a critical role connecting the demand for local foods with the supply from farmers and distributers. They bring produce into markets, restaurants and schools in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. Distributing to over 100 vendors, they coordinate both with the farmers and those who get to eat and enjoy the produce.

Tait Family Farms - A family farm producing jams (the raspberry was unbelievable), chutneys, olive oils, vinegars and a one-of-a-kind cranberry mustard. All products are made with local ingredients from the farm. They produce in small batches and it shows in the finished product!
Cherry Grove Farm – Based in Lawrenceville NJ, Cherry Grove Farm boasts cheeses, grass-fed beef and lamb, heirloom pork and free range eggs. I got to try several cheeses – my favorite was the Cumin Jack, which had a light cumin taste and finished with a hint of citrus.

Winter Sun Farms – Winter Sun Farms is a wintertime community-supported agriculture (CSA) distributer. They take local produce grown in the summer months, flash freeze it and then distribute it from December through April.

Urban Apiaries – Of all the amazing stands I went to, Urban Apiaries may have been the most innovative. They have 35 beehives in Philadelphia (if you did a double take reading that, its okay, I did too). For example, there are five hives on the roof of Milk and Honey market in West Philadelphia. Consumers can then buy a honey directly from a zip code where the honey is from. Surprisingly all 7 honeys are different in taste and color – not what you’d expect coming from the same city!







Country Time Farm- Located in Hamburg, PA, Country Time Farm raises heritage pork without animal by-products or antibiotics. They sell numerous products, including sausage, scrapple, hot dogs and pork cheeks to restaurants and farmers markets. I got to try the hot dog, it was so tender and juicy it seemed almost wrong to call it a hot dog.









Happy Cat Farm – Immediately walking up to Happy Cat’s stand I was greeted by the smell of fresh herbs. Happy Cat sells seeds, plants and the produce that grows from those plants. Wendell Berry started the company after receiving a jar of his grandfather’s beans and the result has been a wide variety of products, all cultivated in Kennett Square, PA.









Three Springs Fruit Farm – Three Sprigs is a Food Alliance Certified Producer (a third-party certification for social and environmental responsibility). They grow apples, peaches, cherries, berries, jams, and also sell canned fruits and ciders. They were giving out apples to try, which I was suspicious of because it is clearly not apple season. I was happy to learn that they store the apples through the winter in climate-controlled basement so it was just as crisp and juicy as an apple fresh from a tree in the fall.
Overall the first Farm and Food Fest was a great success and I’m looking forward to seeing how these vendors continue to thrive and grow!

-- Leyla Mocan

Check out Part II of our recap of the Fest here!

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How Lucky Old Souls Became “McDonalds for the Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill set”

No food truck has drummed up more hype lately than Lucky Old Souls, the locavore burger-joint-on-wheels from jazz promoter Matt Feldman. We sat down with Feldman to discuss the music-food connection, his methods for local sourcing, and the wacky menu specials that have made his truck stand out from the crowd.

You’ve been performing and promoting jazz under the “Lucky Old Souls” moniker for years, and you chose to attach that name to this endeavor too. How exactly does a jazz show translate to a burger truck?

I have two main passions in life: music and food, and my interests in both of them focus on avoiding things that are mass produced, in favor of things that are genuine and heartfelt. To me, they really go together; I support local musicians, and I support local farmers. It might seem like an odd pairing, but it’s truly how I live.

I’ve had long-term plans to open a jazz club, and for various reasons, that hasn’t happened yet. I saw the truck as a way to spread the word about shows I promote and about jazz in Philly in general. If and when the club does open, the truck will be a mobile ambassador for it. As for the burgers, it bothered me that there was no place in Philly to get a relatively inexpensive, take-out burger made with good beef—that is, local, grass-fed beef. I have a family, and that’s the way we eat, and the only way to get anything like that would be to go to a bar.

Once you figured out that a burger truck was the right thing to pursue, how did you know what first steps to take? Like, where does one even buy a food truck?

I didn’t go about it in a particularly methodical or premeditated way. I had this idea in the spring, and my wife and I discussed it, and we decided that it was a good idea but—for personal reasons, mostly—not the right time to do it. Fast forward to the end of July, and I saw that the Renaissance Sausage truck was for sale. [Don’t worry, it's still around on new rolling stock – ed.] I was familiar with it, just as a customer, and it seemed like the price was very reasonable. I did some quick research to verify that my initial reaction was right, and it turned out it was a good price. That same day I saw it was for sale, I called the owner, went and saw it, and put a deposit on it. A few days later, we closed on it, and by the beginning of August, the truck was mine.

Around then, my wife and I started working on recipes. Most of them were based on ingredients we used at home. The beef, for example, comes from Rineer Family Farm, and we’ve been using their beef at home for at least two years—they sell at a couple of local farmers markets. I did try some other local farms’ beef to do my due diligence, but we still ended up going with Rineer. Same thing for the rolls, which are from Wild Flour Bakery—we’d been using those at home for a while.

Your specials—which can be really out there—seem to be the biggest thing setting LOS apart. What’s the process for creating them?

It’s not all that systematic. Something comes to me, I try it out, I taste it, and then I have some people taste it. If we think it’s pretty good, we go with it. Generally it starts with me looking at what’s available from the farms and thinking, “What sounds like fun to play with? What can I do with this?”

What are some of the most popular combinations you’ve offered so far?

We’ve been running a special that’s been really popular with collard greens, because they’re so available this time of year. I cook the greens with bacon (which I cure and smoke myself), and thought one day, “That might be good on a burger.” I tried it once, and it was.

Another thing that’s been really popular that, I’ll be honest, took me by surprise, is the smoked poblano mayonnaise. One of my purveyors had poblanos that were pretty cheap, and I honestly didn’t even know what I was going to do with them. I threw a few into the smoker that I use for my bacon, then I pureed them into homemade mayo, and I liked it so much I ended up not even adding anything else.

Other things are just happenstance. With the maple-black pepper shake, for instance, I had bought a whole big case of syrup for my bacon cure, because it was at a good price. I was talking with one of my employees, and he said, “Let’s do a milkshake with it.” At first, that sounded too sweet, but then I immediately thought of black pepper. To me, those are two things that just naturally go together—they’re both in my bacon cure, for one.

The ginger spice milkshake we’re doing now took a while to get right. It was never gingery enough, so I ended up making fresh ginger tea, then straining the ginger out and putting the tea in the shake.

What’s next?

Our next special starts Thursday. It’s going to have sliced apple, homemade mustard, Swiss cheese, bacon, and caramelized onions. I’ve known for a while that I wanted to do something with apple, and last week my wife was eating apple, sausage, mustard, and cheese as a snack, and I thought, “Oh, maybe we should try that on a burger.” We tried one right then and there, and it was great.

Most of these sound at least somewhat reasonable, but how’d you come to pair blueberry jam with habañero cheddar?

That’s a combination you can get on our breakfast sandwich and breakfast burger, and for me, sweet, savory, and spicy are the flavors of breakfast. Every time I go out for brunch, I always have the dilemma: do I get sweet, or do I get savory? In fact, my ideal brunch is when I’m with someone else and we can share one of each. I love getting pancakes, eggs, and potatoes, then putting hot sauce on the potatoes and syrup on the pancakes—to me they just counter each other very well.

You’ve tried locations all over the city. How do they vary in terms of customer preferences?

Depending on location, people are more or less likely to “get” something like the breakfast burger. When I was at the Punk Rock Flea Market, people really got it, and told me, “man, this works together.”

Love Park during the week is mostly office workers, on the lunch rush. Clark Park on a Sunday is more relaxed. We go up to Chestnut Hill on Saturdays to do a farmers market, and there we get a lot of families. We’ll have fathers come and get six burgers to bring home to the family, and that’s something we don’t see anywhere else. We’re like McDonalds for the Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill set, who appreciate grass-fed beef and want their children to be eating that kind of meat.

We also tried a Wednesday stop last week at 33rd and Arch, and there’s a good chance we’ll be adding that as regular Wednesday stop sometime early in the New Year.

What else is on the horizon for LOS—both as a truck and as a jazz organization?

Well, I have to keep reminding myself that we started at the end of the nice weather, so as well as we’re doing now, spring and summer are going to be even better. Plus once spring hits, there are a lot of different possibilities for ingredients.

As far as other LOS stuff, we’re still doing a concert series, and we’ll see what happens with the club. Certainly I can’t be on the truck every day forever, but as far as when and how that change will be made, I don’t know yet.

--Alex Marcus

~

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So Sweet a Snapshot

What happens when you combine an artist's eye with a gastrophile's love of chocolate? Bars of chocolate that look like old-school Polaroid photos, of course! Former artist-turned-cake-decorator-turned-chocolate entrepreneur Rae Vitorelli recently launched her new initiative, Cocoagraph. I stopped to chat with her at HyLo Boutique's holiday fête, showcasing ten of Philadelphia's best artisans.

Rae prints an edible photo on top of every Cocoagraph chocolate bar. Although she has already created a set of generic bars, ranging from photos of adorable owls to jolly old Saint Nick, she can also create customized bars of any photo sent to her. Consequently, Cocoagraphs make the perfect gift as a way of sharing an (edible) treasured moment with a friend.

Cocoagraph chocolate bars are available in white, milk and dark varieties. The chocolate comes from the family-operated Santa Barbara Chocolate Company, which prides itself in its ethical trading practices. From my sampling I can assure you that not only is their chocolate fair-trade, it is also quite yummy.

More information on Cocoagraph is available at the Cocoagraph website. You can order Cocoagraph chocolates from Rae's Etsy store front.

-Elliott

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It's Brunch Time (at Fare)

Grab your parents; it’s brunch time.

As Penn students without cars we find ourselves in a bit of a bubble. An adventure is a trip to Rittenhouse for a BYO or maybe a jaunt to Chinatown. Enter your saviors, your ambassadors to a wider world: parents. While your own parents are preferred, feel free to be resourceful. Your friends likely have parents who would love to buy you a meal so you can tell them what their child is really like at school.

This family weekend, which coincided with Halloween and a terrible storm, my parents and I did brunch. We headed to Fare, an organic and sustainable restaurant in Fairmount, a neighborhood in North Philadelphia. Fare is beautifully designed, with an open and light filled dining room. The seats are comfortable and tables are laid out so you don’t hear every word of your neighbor’s conversation (a true luxury for a native New Yorker).

Fare pays attention to details. The coffee is French press and they’re happy to leave a press on your table and refill it endlessly. The mugs are large and ergonomic; I want to buy one and use it daily. Ditto with water; they offer still or sparkling at no charge. It was only upon researching for this post that I found out they filter municipal water and don’t believe in charging people for bottled water. I was first impressed with the ambiance, then with the food.

I ordered poached eggs with corn cakes and salsa verde. They arrived with the eggs jiggling and a salad of mixed greens. The corn cakes had the unexpected surprise of actual pieces of corn, which provided wonderful texture with the corn and perfectly cooked eggs. It was a dish difficult to stop eating. Every bite was followed by a desire for more until suddenly the plate was empty (and I hadn’t taken a photo). My dad ordered a sausage omelet (they offer a special vegetable and meat omelet each week; the vegetable one featured leeks and mozzarella) and my mom also ordered the poached eggs. Alas, I could only order one thing, and I settled rather immediately on the poached eggs, both because of their delicacy and lack of availability at any dining establishment on campus, other dishes caught my eye. I was tempted to order a batch of their baked chicken meatballs or perhaps a mango smoothie for later. We somehow managed to resist the dessert menu, but future visits are definitely in order. I left the restaurant satisfied and grateful for a lovely weekend with my family (we dined with my uncles, long time Philadelphia residents who greatly enriched our conversation).

And then something interesting happened. As I googled Fare for information for this article, I realized just how much attention to detail this Fairmount restaurant pays. A cheeky and informative blog post on their website entitled “I’m not going to say it” detailed the painstaking efforts towards sustainability taken by the restaurant. To illustrate, "I am not going to say that all the wood tables and veneers are FSC-certified. I am not going to say that the substrates are non-formaldehyde. I am not going to say that the fabrics for the chairs and banquettes are eco-friendly coming from very high post-consumer recycled content. I am not going to reveal to you that the red light pendants over the bar are, in fact, made from traffic lights. I also won’t bring up the fact that the ceiling tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms are made from recycled material-and that includes the grid! The carpet? Yup. Recycled polyester. How gorgeous is that.” So let me get this straight: this restaurant is well designed and delicious. They neither own a deep fryer nor pollute the earth too much. Next year’s family weekend is October 5-7^th. I’ll see you (and your parents) at Fare.

Photo courtesy of Ask Miss A.

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Reading Terminal Market's Harvest Festival

Philly's world-renowned Reading Terminal Market celebrated fall this past Saturday with their 10th Annual Harvest Festival. Filbert Street was closed to vehicle traffic and transformed into an urban farm complete with a hay ride around the block of the market and a local bluegrass group. Crowds of people of all ages roamed the sawdust-sprinkled street, checking out the sights, taking in the smells, and enjoying the overall atmosphere.

Although it only spanned one block, the festival offered a variety of products and activities. Local artists sold an assortment of unique crafts, from handmade yarn hats to bead and stone jewelry. Frozen vegetable company Green Giant set up a large tent in the middle of the street, interviewing passersby about company products and handing out reusable tote bags. Large crates cradled apples for munching and pumpkins for picking, the latter of which could be decorated with stickers and markers at nearby tables.

The festivities continued inside the market. A table in the center of the market held an enormous pumpkin for visitors to guess the weight of in a contest to win a $100 Reading Terminal Market gift certificate. More vendors lined the market's aisles, selling everything from cheese to organic vegetables.

The food fare, as expected, was delicious. Vendors owning stalls inside the market set up booths outside to sell their wares. From tempting caramel apples...

... to succulent, fall-off-the-bone BBQ ribs...

...to warm freshly made donuts (the apple cider donut was particularly delicious), there was something to satisfy anyone's taste.

Of course, it wouldn't be fall without autumnal treats, like hot apple dumplings and pumpkin pancakes.

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It's Like Something Out of a Dashiell Hammet Novel

Like a Hammet novel in so far as the answer can only be found once everyone has been gathered at a dinner party. Answer? I haven't asked a question yet. That's the easy part, Can I but together a dinner for 8, have it be ready on time, and make it great tasting?

Last week I decided that I wanted to have some friends over for dinner, and at the same time challenge their palates and my culinary skills. I really like oxtails when I have tried it and I've always wanted to take a crack at making it myself. I found a pretty good recipe and I dove in, planning out the timeline to have a dinner for eight ready by 8 pm Friday night. I made the mistake of telling one person what I was making and she got a little scared, so I kept the menu to myself. So I came up with a game plan: make sure no one could resist, just based on the main ingredient. Good game plan, no?

The Shopping List
8 lbs oxtails - Reading Terminal Market
Thyme
Rosemary
Tarragon
4 lbs potatoes
Milk
2 bottles of red wine- Liquor Store
Large roasting pans
Beef broth
Balsamic vinegar

Primary shopping on Thursday night, and minor prep by premaking the mashed potatoes. Oxtails and wine could not be bought at the local Fresh Grocer and would be bought on Friday.

Thursday
7:30 pm
Food Shopping

8:00 pm (24 hours till game time)
Peel, slice, and cook potatoes for mashed potatoes

Everything goes as planned, I'm feeling pretty good about getting dinner for 8 together.

Friday
10:00 am
Go to class then run downtown to Reading Terminal Market to pick up 8 lbs of oxtails and the liquor store to buy 2 bottles of red wine (a volunteer offered to bring wine to drink).

Reading Terminal Market is surprisingly busy at 2 on a Friday afternoon and I had to wait in a fairly long line to pick up my oxtails. But hey! did you know there is a wine purveyor in Reading Terminal Market? I get to cross Liquor Store off my shopping list. Sweet! Because by then I was running out of time. The oxtails needed about 3.5 hours total cooking time. I need to get the oxtails in the oven by 4:30, so I have have them braising by 5:15, and maybe have some time to finish the sauce before everyone is too hungry.

I don't quite manage this. Following the recipe I set in cutting off the fat from the individual joints of meat. Discarding all the excess fat from the oxtails takes longer than I anticipated. It's a slightly tough cut of meat, and I ended up cutting some corners, as it were, and leaving more of the fat on than I should have, for flavor I told myself.

They finally make it in the oven for the initial cooking time at 4:45. I took a break, opened up the bottles of wine and didn't drink too much of it.

5:25 pm
Back in action pouring in the braising liquid and herbs, back in the oven at 5:30, only running 15 minutes late.

6:00 pm
I take the mashed potatoes out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature before reheating them

7:30 pm
I start getting anxious that the oxtails are not quite fall-off-the-bone-tender yet. I need at least 20 minutes to reduce the cooking liquid to make the sauce. I put the mashed potatoes on the stove and slowly reheat them, at the same time, trying to move my desk into the kitchen to serve as a table extension because my tiny dining table will not fit 8 around. While my back is turned the potatoes start to brown at little - my first real misstep.

7:50 pm
I cut my losses and take the oxtails out of the oven and start reducing the sauce. Sadly my sauce never makes it on the table; it takes much too long to reduce sufficiently and everyone votes to start eating before I can finish it. The oxtails were still delicious, if a little tough to eat, with some fat still encasing them. My second real misstep, even though technically I left the fat on before the first misstep, this is where the less-than-desirable result shows up.

Everyone resorts to using their hands to eat the oxtails and - horror of horrors - someone asked for the salt and pepper for the mashed potatoes.

The answer to the question raised initially: I can, for the most part, put together dinner for 8 people. Things to work on for next time include doing all of my prep the night before, considering how difficult it might be to eat what I have on the menu, and budgeting more time than I think I need.

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An Apple a Day...

These days farmers markets are few and far between, and in a world filled with artificial everything, the freshness of farmers market produce is hard to pass up. Just simply standing at the corner of 36th and Walnut on a Wednesday afternoon among the tomatoes, grapes, and, of course, the apples, it was easy to forget that I was in a big metropolis.

Being from Miami, I especially couldn’t get over all of the different varieties of apples that I don’t get to experience at home. I was overwhelmed and baffled because most of my life I grew up with a very narrow apple frame of mind, only ever enjoying the juicy goodness of Red Delicious and Granny Smiths. So, in that moment, I couldn’t contain my apple curiosity.

For all you other apple lovers out there, here’s a brief list that’s sure to tantalize every taste bud:

For those with a sweet tooth check out Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, and Sundowner varieties.

For those who are looking for a more sour bite, explore Jonamac, Jonagold, Sierra Beauty, and Winesap varieties.

And for all you Penn farmers market lovers, be sure to check out the market in front of the bookstore (at 36th and Walnut) on Wednesdays from 10-2 pm. A little farther away is the Clark’s Park farmers market on 43rd and Baltimore that’s open Thursdays 3-7 pm and Saturdays 10-1 pm. Enjoy!

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Moroccan Culinary Highlights: Part 1

During my enormously long English spring break, I spent two and a half weeks traveling around the Kingdom of Morocco, a must-see destination if you are looking for culinary adventures, yet are still hesitant to completely stray away from western-style cooking. A former French colony, Morocco shows numerous European influences in all areas of public life, and its cuisine is no exception. French patisseries and Moroccan coffee houses stand side by side, baguettes vie with flatbreads for popularity, and glasses of mint tea and coke frequently share the table. Here, I will share with you some of the undoubted highlights of my Moroccan food experiences.

Oranges
The high tourist season in Morocco (March-April) luckily corresponds with the high orange season. The shiny little globes are everywhere in the streets, and you can buy them fresh from the peddler (where they still have their leaves on), or, if you don't feel like peeling, find a juice stand where they will squeeze a glass of liquidy-pulpy goodness right in front of your eyes. Moroccan oranges at the peak of ripeness are so succulent and sweet that they provide a refreshing fruity experience without any sugar or other additives. A popular dessert is orange slices sprinkled with cinnamon, which lends them an earthy flavor brilliantly complementing their juicy freshness.

Bread
Bread in Morocco was like nothing I had ever seen before. The warm climate allows people to grow various types of grain, and as a result you can find bread made from wheat, corn, or semolina, among others. A typical loaf of Moroccan bread is circular and flat, with a golden brown crust, fluffy or grainy inside (depending on the type of flour) and a sprinkling of coarse flour on the bottom and sides. You can find this basic bread anywhere, and it tastes so good that you can enjoy it any time of day by itself, or with simple accompaniments: honey, olive oil, or jam. I had the chance to try jasmine honey in Morocco - and it didn't end there. I devoured it.


Other types of bread include semolina flatbread pancakes coated in oil and baked on a hot stove, which make a perfect light breakfast with orange juice. Rghaif (my personal favorite!) is another type of pancake, whose layered texture reminded me of a Turkish gozlema. It is sold on the streets, spread with honey or chocolate and rolled up. My second encounter with it featured an immensely delicious filing of honey and peanut oil, which had the very same flavor as peanut butter, yet without the heaviness and grease, and made a perfect combo with the flaky pancake. Rghaif can also be used in main dishes as a substitute for starchy foods (pasta, potatoes or couscous) - one day I had delicious cooked chicken, placed over a thick layer of rghaif pancakes peeled apart into small pieces and seasoned, with chicken stock sauce on the side.

To be continued...

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WIMB: A Photo Introduction

I've talked a lot about the worms in my basement and thought you might be interested in seeing them in action. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of how the system works.

This is the bin with the lid removed. It is elevated on bricks and wood and the top layer in the bin is shredded newspaper.

A close-up of the bin's contents; this week the worms are eating kale, onion skins, apple peels and parsley.

A worm with some good-lookin' compost.

The list posted on our fridge of "yes" and "no" foods for the worms. I have had to modify it a little bit since the beginning of the year.

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