Yesterday’s drizzle did not stop the Lansdowne Farmers Market…we are a rain or shine operation.  And we had a steady flow of shoppers in slickers and under umbrellas…and if you were among them…thanks for coming!   Now it’s a rainy Sunday morning as I type this, and with apologies to anyone planning a picnic, who’s complaining?  Certainly not what’s left of …

OK…that’s a wrap on Labor Day! …Summer exits stage left, and cue the apples and everything orange and yellow to line up!   Get the kids’ saddle shoes OUTTA the closet and all your white clothes INTO it.  Szkreeetzh!  Wait! WHAT????  I’ve just been informed that the kids nowadays think that “saddle shoes” are something worn by horses; and that it …

So, yesterday, there they were…the first volley of Honey Crisp apples, wanting to announce the changing of the season.  Ya know what?  I said, “no sir…not today.  Not while the calendar still says summer.  Try again next week.”   I walked right on past over to the peaches…I don’t give up summer without a fight.   And the peaches this …

It’s no secret…2024 has been the hottest summer on record since we began measuring this sort of thing.  (Yes, Paul Newman starred in the movie…so just give me a moment.)….. OK, we’re good…continuing on… Here in mid-August, we finally got a taste of the summer we were expecting in early June.  Bright blue sky, puffy white clouds and just enough …

Whoa!  Just looked at the calendar.  Did you know that it’s August already?   The good news is that it’s also the tomatoes all ready season!  To answer the age old question: fruit or vegetable, my answer is always: Do we care? And “Do I have tomato seeds in my teeth?” From the cherry-sized pop-in-your-mouth or the big-enough-to-cover-a-slice-of-bread size, the best …

As per usual, I started this article with a look at the seasonal calendar  for inspiration…as do we all, right?  So now here we are, in our particular corner of the world smack in the middle of the three most bountiful months of the season.  Whether you are looking for sweet and juicy or crispy crunchy…July through September is a …

The lines started early at Tucquan’s last Saturday.  The summer squash and zucchini were on display at one end and the leafy greens beans and beets held up the other.  In between were the melons, sweet corn, tomatoes, peaches and blackberries.  We shoppers always start out politely enough, until we see that someone is handling the very tomato that we’ve …

Even before they were unloaded onto the table you could smell them…that deep, musky sweet aroma…no need to pick them up and thump or stroke…these ‘lopes were ready, and I was willing.  And after stowing it in my car for the morning, and aided by the 90+° thermometer, 4 hours later, I was, dear reader, positively giddy with the perfume.   …

As I sit down to type, I’m wishing that my brain were feeling as sharp as the knives (very) that Hot Knives Paul* honed for me yesterday.  Instead, I feel like it’s melting.  In case you hadn’t noticed…It’s HOT!         *and yes, Paul can now sharpen your shears. But life goes on…farmers gotta farm and people gotta eat…so we were right …

Those of you who were at the LFM last Saturday may or may not have noticed, but less than two hours in, the Landing and the entire block of shops lost power.  That included our itinerant musician, who had traveled from Coatesville to entertain us.  Tragedy?  Nope…because Hot Knives Paul, our resident man with the whetstone, came to the rescue …